my final entry for SWC's writing competition! hoping the forums stay up so I can use that instead- 1711 words. ............ ⟐⟐⟐ ............ Deep in the heart of a war-torn kingdom, a secluded prairie village was easing into spring. The community’s orchards and gardens were in full bloom, a dreamy island of color in the sea of swaying grasses— even with half the men gone, summoned to fight for a king who barely knew they existed. When messengers reached the remote town, they warned of fields stained red and total destruction, a terrifying contrast to the peaceful life the town was trying to keep. But even with the warming weather and the fresh food returning, it seemed they couldn’t stay safe forever. A strange, unfamiliar sickness started making its rounds in spring, slowly spreading from one house to the next. So far, no one had died- but no one wanted to risk it, either. A few weeks in, Bella’s parents caught it. At sixteen years old, though, she was more than trustworthy enough to stay out of the house all day— so instead of staying with them and catching the sickness, she chose to spend her days outside, marveling at spring’s wonders and the animals that visited them. Too often, she was told to ‘grow up,’ her parents citing the threat of raiders and people mysteriously disappearing, surely with a horrible fate. Distancing herself from the harsh realities of life, physically and mentally, was the only way she could stay sane. The moment Bella stepped out of the small, dimly-lit house, she relaxed a little, grinning as the warm sunlight touched her skin. Her whole life, she could never stand to stay inside for long, not when there were plants to water and animals to tend to. Bella half-walked, half-skipped on the well worn path, following it to the same destination as she always had: a small house on the outskirts of town, separated from the main group. A tall magnolia tree stood beside it in full blossom, shading the doorway where she saw someone stepping out. “G’morning!” Bella called out, easily recognizing who it was. Hannah was just a few years older than Bella, and was learning to become a doctor, studying the dozens of plants in the town and every science book she could get her hands on. She’d always been a beacon of light, but since this new sickness came about, she’d seemed dimmer somehow. Today was no different, it seemed, as she closed her house’s door with a sigh and put on a halfhearted smile. “Here to follow me around all day again?” “Yep!” Bella responded, grinning. “As long as it’s fine with you.” “Go ahead.” Hannah started walking to the gardens, and Bella walked right by her side, matching her steps. Bella felt a swell of courage inside. As long as she was alongside her friend, she was willing to take on anything. Hannah started looking over the plants, picking some leaves to put in her basket, and Bella kept an eye out for anyone approaching. Their town hadn’t been physically affected much by the wars yet, but there were rumors of enemy soldiers sneaking into villages and destroying valuable resources. The gardens, and the town’s only medic, were prime targets. That didn’t mean they had to be completely serious, though. Hannah’s tense expression was one that Bella recognized as needing something to cheer her up. As the girls walked past a cluster of elegant blue flowers, Bella picked a stem, holding it out to Hannah like they were little kids. “For you, milady,” she said, in the posh accent she used years ago when playing the knight to Hannah’s princess. “Bluebells?” Hannah smiled, and it looked more genuine this time. “That’s just like you.” “I mean, half of it is my name,” Bella pointed out, grinning. Hannah tucked the bluebells into the woven stems of her basket, decorating its handle, then moved on to the next bundle of herbs. The two walked in comfortable silence, thankfully not interrupted by any danger. Bella proudly noticed that Hannah seemed more relaxed now, her motions a little more fluid, the tenseness easing away. “How are your parents?” Hannah asked as they neared the edge of the garden. “They’re about the same,” Bella shrugged, heart sinking at the reminder of everything being wrong with the world. “Not any worse, but not better either. What about the others?” “Three more have caught it,” Hannah responded with a sigh. “I think I know where to find the cure, though.” “Wait, what?” Bella asked slowly, until she’d fully processed the words and the somber tone accompanying them. “Hannah, that’s wonderful! What’s the catch?” “It’s really far away. In enemy territory.” ”...Oh.” “Someone has to do it, though,” Hannah continued, tone bittersweet. She reached down to pick a cluster of small blue flowers, almost like little stars or puffs of sky in the bright grass, along with one bigger purple flower that nearly matched the others. Bella frowned as Hannah handed them to her. Forget-me-nots and periwinkles. “Are you saying you’re going?” “Tomorrow.”
cont. from description ........... ⟐⟐⟐ ........... “What? That’s so soon!” Just the thought of having to go through life without her only friend made the world seem bleaker, all the life and color drained away. “I’m coming with you.” “No! It’s too dangerous,” Hannah said sharply, and Bella stepped back. She’d never heard that tone from Hannah— or at least, she’d never been the one receiving it. “If it’s dangerous then you’ll need protection,” Bella pressed. “Especially in enemy territory! I can’t let you go alone.” ”I can’t let you come,” Hannah said, a desperate sort of worry breaking through. “I can’t let anything happen to you. You have no idea how bad it is out there.” Bella dropped her gaze. If Hannah was this stressed about the situation, she’d stop pushing her to talk about it… but she was still going to find a way to join her. ----- Bella made her way outside the next morning far earlier than she usually did, the sky barely pink and the grass wet with dew. She paused behind the orange blossom tree by her house and looked cautiously towards Hannah’s. On the path, she could just make out one of the town’s young mules harnessed to a cart, and Hannah loading a few bags of supplies. She waited for Hannah to go back inside her house, then darted over to the cart to climb in the back. A thick blanket was laying over a few bags of supplies, and Bella hid under the blanket beside them. Hannah’s front door clicked shut, the sound muffled. Light footsteps crunched on the dirt and gravel. Under the blanket, Bella felt the cart shift as someone climbed in, muffling a startled gasp when it started moving. Bella held her breath, heart thumping as the wheels bumped on the rocky path. After a few minutes, she lifted the cloth just slightly, enough to see the sun rising over their village— a speck in the distance. She smiled. /We’re in this together./ ----- – After a few hours under the heavy blanket, warmed by the sun, Bella was nearly dozing off. So when the blanket was abruptly pulled off, it took her a second to react. “What are you doing here?!” Hannah exclaimed, at the same time as Bella sat up and asked “What’s going on?” They stared at each other for a second, and Hannah gave a frustrated groan. “Now I have to go all the way back,” she grumbled, climbing back onto the cart and picking up the reins. “I told you not to come!” “And I told you not to go alone,” Bella countered, stepping up to sit beside her. “You can’t just go to enemy territory by yourself. If you bring me back to town I’ll just follow you again.” Hannah sighed defeatedly, grimacing. “You don’t know what you’re getting into,” she said. “You don’t know how serious this sickness is. I’m not sure I even want you to know.” “… But no one’s even died yet, what do you mean?” Hannah bit her lip. “If I show you, you can’t talk about it once we get back to town. And you have to be serious. This is more than just curing a little cold.” “I’m in,” Bella immediately decided. Hannah wordlessly flicked the reins, and the mule kept walking, the cart gliding smoothly on the sea of rolling hills. They came upon a stand of young juniper trees, branches speckled with tiny white flowers, and Hannah jumped down from the cart. Bella followed, hesitating slightly— was it safe to leave the supplies alone here? “They’ll be fine,” Hannah responded, like she’d read Bella’s mind— and honestly, after so many years around each other, maybe she could. The girls entered the circle of trees. In the center, the ground was bare, and a sack of dried flowers laid spilled over in its midst. “Where’d that come from?” Bella asked. “No one knows— and watch this.” Hannah picked up a fallen branch to brush some of the flowers out onto the ground, and Bella recognized a few menacing dark berries among them. Nightshade. Hannah stepped on one of the flowers, crunching it into the ground with her shoe. When she stepped off, instead of simple crushed petals, there was a pool of darkness soaking into the ground. It spread like a sticky sap, slowly withering the sprouts and seedlings it touched. “This isn’t a regular sickness going around,” Hannah said as Bella stared in shock. “Nightshades don’t grow in our kingdom, and definitely not ones like that. They’re using magic against us, somehow. Even us ordinary people.” “But isn’t that a huge war crime?” Bella asked, with a sinking feeling that she knew the answer. “The messengers always say it’s not at that point yet.” “Corrupt leaders don’t care about war crimes,” Hannah responded, voice heavy. “And messengers are too slow to rely on when there’s magic in the works. I don’t know what I’m going to face when I reach that border. I couldn’t stand to be the one responsible if something happened to you, are you sure you want to do this?” Tearing her gaze from the destruction below, Bella straightened her stance, met Hannah’s eyes. “I’m sure. If you’re taking on a mission this dangerous, someone has to be your knight.”
