Chapter 2: The Colters of Argyl
Once upon a time, there were the Colters of Argyl,
There were three of them.
Daniel, Lotte and Millie Colter were three artists,
In a world that did not appreciate their talent.
"Come on, Daniel." She looked at the drawing. "This looks amazing. The shadows are defined, and Mom looks like Mom. I'm sure we can sell this at the market for at least a penny."
"Lotte." He said as he turned away from her. "This is some of my best work."
"There's no life in it," Millie said as she walked down the stairs. "Look at her eyes, there is no life in there. Her hair is lifeless; her figure is all wrong. We're fair; you could do much better if you studied someone."
Daniel put the drawing away; he had been working on his technique for a year; the previous year, his sisters said his shadows were off. The year before, his shapes were off. Daniel Colter's sisters were critical, and sometimes he wished he knew someone who could see what made his art great. He was 7 years old, his sister was 9 and 11.
His parents worked at the University of Argyl. He lived on the Moors near the university. The weather could have been better, and each piece of art reflected his poor quality of life.
One left the Moors if they could, but this was the most cheap place for his family to live. They lived close to Lewes castle, the stronghold of Henry, prince of Argyl—one of the 50 castles in the country. One was given to each of the kids and grandkids of the royals. And working there was a way to be rescued out of poverty.
"You don't say no when they ask you." The people of the small Moor town said.
Avor was the closest town, so they went there for supplies. Each time, they would bring a bottle of rum for their father.
The Colters lived near small cemeteries, and generations of Colters were buried there. Daniel put the drawing block down. As he left his sisters in the house. He was the youngest of 3. Well, three surviving children. His mother had been pregnant 16 times and had lost 18 children. 3 out of 21 wasn't great; he assumed the odds had never been in his mother's favour. Most of the children had died before the age of 4. So his parents had relied on them to make money.
Daniel walked down the moors as he took his drawing book. There were three things that Daniel loved: drawing, horses and cats.
And unlike his sisters, he believed in true love.
