Chapter 245: Don’t be scared
[Old World - Blackmoon Settlement - Kieran’s daughters’ room ]
Two little voices bubbled inside the cutest chamber of the Blackmoon stronghold.
The fire in the hearth crackled softly, casting playful shadows across the walls. It was way past their bedtime but the little girls had other plans.
Freya sat cross legged on the thick rug, her own curls a tangled mess as always. She had a tiny comb clutched awkwardly in her chubby fingers, yet she wasn’t taming her own tresses.
Her eyes were focused on Willa, who sat very still, patient as a saint, though her little toes wiggled restlessly against the floor.
"Hold still, Willa," Freya muttered, tugging at her sister’s soft, silky hair with all the seriousness of a soldier preparing for battle. "You have got tangles like a... like a goat’s tail!" Not true. It was Freya who had tangles, Willa could any day feature in a shampoo ad. Her hair was flawless.
Willa giggled, tilting her head until Freya yanked the comb straight again. "Mama said goats don’t have tails."
"They do," Freya insisted, her tiny nose scrunching. "They just hide them because they are embarrassed."
"That’s silly," Willa said, lips curving into her usual gentle smile. "Goats aren’t embarrassed. They eat grass and burp all day. They don’t care about anything."
"Well, maybe they should care," Freya huffed, finally letting go of the comb and flopping onto her back dramatically. "Just like Mama and Dada should care about us! They left us here, Willa. All alone. Like... like abandoned puppies."
Willa turned and blinked at her sister, her little brows furrowed. "Not puppies. Auntie Vera says we are princesses."
"Princesses don’t get left behind!" Freya argued, pounding her tiny fist against the rug. "If they went to a party, we should have gone too. What if there’s cakes taller than us? What if there’s shiny dresses? What if..." Her voice dropped into a scandalized whisper. "...what if they are dancing with other people and forgetting us?"
Willa gasped softly, covering her mouth with both hands as though the thought was too dreadful. "No, no... Dada would never dance with anyone except Mama."
"You don’t know that!" Freya sat up again, eyes wide and indignant. "What if some witchy woman makes him spin around and he gets dizzy and forgets our names?!"
"That’s not how names work, Freya," Willa said, always the pacifier, her voice calm as a brook. "Mama told me Dada remembers everything. He even remembers when I cried because you stole my toy wolf.Mama says, he just doesn’t show it. But he loves us...loves me too. "
Freya pouted, cheeks puffing. "I was borrowing it." She was clearly unbothered by the ’who loved who’ part.
"You threw it out the window."
"It was flying practice," Freya argued, her little arms waving like wings.
" Wolves don’t fly, silly!"Willa giggled again, leaning forward to poke her sister’s cheek. "And you are being too grumpy. Mama and Dada will come back. Maybe they will bring us sweeties! Or ribbons for our hair."
"I don’t want ribbons." Freya crossed her arms. "I want to eat the tallest cake before Dada eats it all. You know how he eats. Nom, nom, nom!"
She made loud chewing noises, her little teeth clacking together, making Willa burst into laughter so hard she fell sideways.
"Besides,wolves do fly. You don’t know anything.I saw a flying,blue,wolf in my dreams. This big..." She raised her hands to her own height. " I swear!"
Willa rolled her eyes clearly not believing Freya because she was known for exaggerating things.
"And what if Mama wears a sparkly crown and doesn’t give it to us?" Freya pressed on, glaring at the ceiling. "We are the real princesses, not her. She is just...just practice princess until we grow up."
"Freyaaa..." Willa sang softly, tugging at her hand. "Don’t say that. Mama will be sad. She is the prettiest. She is the Luna...the Queen."
"Well... maybe she is pretty," Freya conceded with a sulky shrug. "But we are cuter. And Dada said I look just like him. So maybe I will be the scary King one day...you can be the Luna...Queen...whatever..." She tried to make her face fierce, but only managed to look like a pouting squirrel.
Willa clapped her hands in delight. "Yes! And I will be a nice Queen. I will give everyone cookies. Even the goats with tails."
They both collapsed into giggles, rolling on the rug until Freya sighed, propping her chin on her tiny fist.
"I still won’t forgive them. Next time they go to a party, we are hiding in Dada’s car. He won’t even notice."
Willa nodded very seriously, though her eyes twinkled. "Ok.We can be the secret party princesses."
The two sisters lay side by side, their eyelids fluttering, their world felt so safe and warm...even if their parents were out in a world far too dangerous for their little hearts to imagine.
But then...Freya suddenly froze.
The comb in her hand clattered to the floor. Her little body went stiff, and her tiny hand pressed hard over her chest as if trying to keep her heart from leaping out.
"Fre...Freya?" Willa’s big eyes went round as moons. She scrambled up on her knees, hands patting her sister’s shoulders. "Are you hurt? Did the comb bite you?"
Freya shook her head, curls bouncing wildly, her nose twitching like a pup sniffing danger. She inhaled sharply, her face scrunching. "No... not hurt. I smell something." Her voice dropped to a whisper, deep and serious. "Something rotten.Stinky rotten. Like dead fish..."
Willa blinked and immediately pressed her tiny button nose up in the air, copying her sister’s sniffing. She took in a big dramatic whiff and then another, eyes crossing in concentration.
Finally, she shook her head, curls bouncing. "I don’t smell nothing ! Only... only the strawberry soap the maid made us use!"
But Freya wasn’t convinced.
Her little arms suddenly grabbed Willa and tugged her close, plopping her onto her lap in an awkward protective cuddle.
Willa squeaked, half protesting, half pleased to be held like that.
"Freya!" she giggled nervously. "Why are you squishing me like a doll?"
"Shhh." Freya pressed her lips into a firm line, eyes darting towards the dark corners of the room like she could see shadows moving there. Her little hands trembled but still tightened around her sister. "Something bad is coming. I feel it. Don’t you feel it, Willa?"
Willa hesitated, then tucked her head under Freya’s chin like she always did when she was unsure. "I... I don’t feel it. But... you always feel stuff first."
Freya reached under the blanket and pulled out her prized possession...a wooden toy sword, its paint chipped from endless imaginary battles.
She raised it with both hands, her grip wobbling but determined, the tip pointed at the door. Her jaw set in fierce defiance, far older than her tiny frame.
"Don’t be scared, Willa," she whispered, steady...fierce. "Even if something bad comes through that door... I will cut it down. I will protect you."
Willa’s lip trembled as she clutched Freya’s sleeve tighter. "Even if it’s a monster?"
Freya’s eyes narrowed, the shadow of bravery glowing in them. "Oh, I would love to kill a monster."