![](http://cobalt-company.wdfiles.com/local--resized-images/writing:2009-03-12-being-loved-part-i-storm-damage/style="margin:/medium.jpg) |
| Details |
| Author: | OzmaAsimov |
| Summary: | In the aftermath of a severe storm in Westfall, an 8-year-old Annibeth tries to get back to normal life. But after that day, nothing would be ever be normal again. |
| Rating: | M for Mature 17+ |
Chain: Being Loved
Year 13
The school house was gloomy that day. Not because the lessons were particularly grim or the general mood was low, but the light itself was dimmer due to the boards over broken windows. The previous day's storm had brought welcome rain to the parched fields of Westfall, but the raging winds that accompanied it had extracted a heavy price for that commodity. By the sound of the town chatter in Moonbrook, there wasn't a single farm or home in the region that had escaped some kind of storm damage.
Candles attempted to make up for the lack of sunlight, but were proving to be a poor substitute. Annibeth gazed longingly at the classroom door. Soon, the bell would ring and she could be on her way home with her brother. Maybe she would even get to tinker with one of the harvester golems again.
"Annibeth. Annibeth Jansen." The teacher's tone turning sharper was never a good sign; even worse when she used the last name. "Perhaps you're hoping to find the answer outside?" The other students laughed. It wasn't a particularly funny comment, but children had a way of enjoying the humiliation of their peers, especially if it seemed like a chance to earn the approval of an authority figure. Only the ever-kind Mayellen Mullby didn't seem to find Anni's embarrassment amusing. "Because you won't be going out there until I get one."
"Ssssorrrry, Miss Brimble," Anni moaned, ducking her head. "Um…what was the question?"
Miss Brimble sighed patiently. "Who is the member of the House of Nobles we thank for bringing aid to Westfall?" Without even a little bit of subtlety she pointed toward the painting on the wall venerating the white-mustached man considered by many to be a savior of Westfall farmers. Anni peered and read the plaque on the frame.
"Lord Tannor…Bow-der-ing."
"Correct. Very good, Anni." Miss Brimble returned to the front of the class to reclaim the attention of the room. "Lord Tannor Bowdering has given so much of his time to ensure that special money is sent to Westfall to help our farms grow stronger crops. I know it seems like many of your family's farms are still struggling, but these things take time. With Lord Bowdering's help, Westfall will recover."
DING! … DING! … DING! … DING! The joyous sound of the school bell filled the air. At last!
"Perfect timing. Class dismissed!"
The wind itself could not have been out the door faster than Annibeth. It wasn't that she hated school. She liked Miss Brimble well enough, and even the lessons were occasionally interesting, and some of her classmates—
"Did you find the answer outside after all?"
The still-not-funny joke was followed by a giggle that froze Anni in her tracks. She spun to look Jessalynne Triller in the eye…at least she tried to. Her gaze dropped, immediately disarmed. Anni always seemed to wither under Jessa's looks. She was everything Annibeth was not: charming, pretty, smart, and popular.
"No, I…that ain't what I was-…I mean, I's just…" Why couldn't she speak coherently? She had been hurrying to see if her brother was already here waiting to walk her home. Dagrick was already twelve, a whole four years older than her, and had already left school to work on the family homestead. The sooner he got her home the sooner she could hopefully get to tinker with some harvester golems that had surely been damaged in the storm.
Jessalynne giggled again. "Calm down, Anni. I'm just teasing." She flipped her hair. Jess had a way of flipping her hair that told the world she couldn't care less about anything, but they should care about everything she had to say…and they usually did. "So, did you go out in the storm?"
Go out in the storm? Those winds tore the roof off the Alexston barn, not to mention a piece of Anni's own house's roof. Surely she was joking. Wasn't she? "Um…did you?"
"Of course!" Jessalynne's eyes lit up with a fire that threatened to spread quickly. "I love the rain." But it wasn't just rain. It was torrential wind, and everything the wind was throwing. It was pure chaos. Homes were damaged. Crops were lost. Livestock was killed. People got hurt.
"Yeah…uh…me too. I saw it. I went out…in it," Anni lied.
Jess peered at Annibeth with a suspicious smirk, but didn't challenge the fib. "A tree was torn right out of the ground almost right in front of me. I didn't even flinch," she boasted. "The wall in front of our house came down. Daddy says he's gonna show me how to rebuild it. My grandfather was a stonemason and built that wall. Built our whole house." The way she bragged about her family, one would think she was talking about royalty. "So my daddy knows how to do stuff like that, too."
"So…why ain't your daddy a stonemason, then?" Anni didn't really care, but she felt like Jessalynne would be offended if she didn't act like she did.
"Because. My grandfather married my grandmother and moved to Moonbrook. It was true love. There just isn't enough work for masons here." She said it in such a matter-of-fact tone that it allowed for no further question.
"Oh." Anni wasn't sure what else to say. She stared down at a puddle in the dirt road, thinking to herself how strange it looked. The rest of the road had already dried up again, but this lone puddle of rainwater remained. Her reflection stared back at her, dingy wheat-blonde hair already tossing in the light breeze. She frowned at the plain face she saw. If only she could look more like Jessalynne.
The puddle portrait suddenly splattered, wetting her shoes in the splash as a booted foot stamped down into the water. "Wake up, Annibutt!" Her brother's laughing voice grated.
"Don't call me that," she growled, looking toward Jessalynne to see if she heard. Jess was already chatting with some other girls.
The Furlbrow boy, however, had definitely heard it as he walked by, and started laughing. "Annibutt! Hey, Annibutt!"
Annibeth's cheeks reddened. "Shutup, Fartbrow!"
The boy's laughter turned to a scowl, and he took a step toward Anni. She raised her fists, ready to take on the older boy who would definitely trounce her. But then the Furlbrow boy glanced up over her head, and he balked, taking a step back. "Whatever. I ain't gonna beat up a girl." Annibeth never saw the look her brother had given Furlbrow that told the other boy he would regret laying a hand on his little sister.
Anni threw a fist at her brother's arm. She missed. "Dag, you're such a jerk. Can we just go home now?"
Dagrick gave his sister a little shove, somehow both affectionate and mean. "Fine. C'mon. And hurry up. Mom wants your help fixin' the roof today."
"What? Awww, but I wanna work on the harvesters!"
"Yeah, well, the rest of us don't wanna share a house with crows nestin' in the rafters."
It was a long walk from Moonbrook to the Jansen Homestead, at least a good hour on foot. As they traveled north along the eastern road, Sentinel Hill loomed up on their left. Upon that proudly named rise, an Alliance guard tower slumped, entirely unworthy of the title. Many bricks were missing at the top, though whether by damage or simply being removed for some unknown purpose was unclear. The entire structure seemed to sag in the middle, as if it had just given up and let itself go.
A lone soldier sat at the base of the tower, guzzling from a flask. He seemed to notice that Annibeth was looking at him, and fixed a stare at her, though at such a distance it wasn't terribly intimidating. That might have also had something to do with the sorry state of his ill-fitting armor. His attempt to be soldierly was interrupted by a fly rather persistently interested in inspecting his face up close, and batting it away became far more important than glaring at a little girl down on the road.
Dagrick gave a little snort. "I can't believe that's what's supposed to protect us."
Anni glanced once more at the soldier, who had drawn his sword and was trying to swat or slice the fly out of the air. "At least we have someone? One knight is better than nothin'."
"Don't you know anything?" Dagrick swung his hand to smack Anni up the backside of her head. But it was a move she'd become accustomed to, and she ducked just in time. Her brother scowled at first, but then smiled. He almost looked proud. "That ain't a knight. Not even close. It's just some idjit soldier. Takes more'n armor and a sword to be a knight."
"Oh yeah? Like what?" She shot back in a disbelieving tone, as if she'd just cornered him somehow.
"Like honor, and glory, and actually bein' knighted. You gotta prove you're worthy of it. Y'know, like to another knight, or the king or somethin'."
Anni quickly saw she had not cornered him, and he seemed to know what he was talking about. Time to change tactics. Mockery, it was! She skipped ahead, making sure to put herself out of arm's reach before she lobbed her first assault. "Oh, and you think you're gonna be a knight? Oh save me, Sir Dagrick! Sir Daggy the Smelly!"
Dagrick scowled at his sister, clenching his fist. He didn't try to chase her down and slug her. It was far easier to reach down for a dirt clod that had formed thanks to the rainstorm and sling it at her. She squealed, turning just in time for it to strike the side of her head, exploding into a thousands bits of dirt and dust.
"Dagriiick! UGH, I HATE YOU!" Anni glared daggers at her brother as she reached up and touched her head. Her angry face suddenly melted as she felt something warm and wet. Looking at her fingers, she saw red. Panic. Her eyes immediately welled up and she started to sob and shake.
Dagrick stiffened, seeing the blood. It dawned on him that there must have been a rock in that dirt clod. "Anni? Anni, I'm sorry!" He rushed to her and tried to put his arms around her, but she angrily pushed him away. "Stop it, I'm tryin' to help you!"
"You hurt me!" Annibeth gave her brother an accusatory glare through her tears. He just stood there, helplessly trying to help her. She hated how easily he could hurt her. He was bigger and stronger than her, and frequently used that advantage to overpower her. But here was this other side of him — the knight. The one that carried her home when she twisted her ankle. The one that came running with their father's gun when a hungry gnoll had wandered too close to the farm while she was outside working on the harvesters. Still sobbing, Anni threw herself at Dagrick, clinging tightly to him. Feeling his strong arms settle gently around her didn't make the pain in her head stop, but it did make her a little less scared.
Holding her protectively, Dagrick inspected Anni's injury. "Looks like it's just a small cut. You're gonna be okay."
"Promise?"
"I promise." He leaned back and put his hands on her shoulders. "Anni…I'm your big brother. I'll always protect you."
"Promise?"
He grinned at the little blonde echo. "I double promise."
"Even when you go away to be a knight?"
The question gave him pause, as if he hadn't considered it before. But he nods, "No matter what. If you need me, I'll always come back for you. Okay?"
Annibeth sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. She nodded. "Okay."
Annibeth could hear the banging long before the Jansen home came into view. When it did, there she was. Their mother, Dathne, was up on the roof, hammering new boards in place where the storm had caused some significant damage. Her hair was the same wheat-gold color as Anni's, but Anni thought it looked so much better on her mother. She was such a beautiful woman, strong and good at just about everything she put her mind to. Anni wished she could grow up to be half the woman her mother was.
As her children neared, Dathne called out, shielding her eyes from the midday sun. "Well, if it ain't my darlin' offspring! And look at that, gettin' along for once! Must be some kinda Light-blessed miracle!" She chuckled. "Hurry along, my babies. Lotsa work to do. Dag, your father needs you in the fields, and Anni I can use your help up here."
"Mom, Anni took a hit to the head," Dagrick called out. "She's okay, but I think she oughtta lie down for a bit."
Dathne wiped her sweat-laden brow with a sigh. "Well…alright. Pumpkin, you go have a lie-down. Go get some peacebloom outta the pantry and make a poultice for that lump. Don't want it swellin' up."
"Thanks, Momma," Annibeth groaned a little, her energy quite suddenly seeming to flag in the face of potential labor. She gave her mother a little wave and a weak, remember-me-when-I'm-gone smile as she trudged into the house. She stopped at the kitchen cupboard and packed the poultice as she was told. Her head had long since stopped bleeding, but it still smarted a bit and she was sure to have a bit of a lump, so she wasn't going to complain about the chance to rest a bit, even if it wasn't quite as bad as she was making it out to be.
The Jansen home was not large by any description. Fitting the four members of the family into the small house was a feat of imagination unto itself. In truth it consisted of a single large room, with privacy provided by little more than strategically hung blankets. Annibeth curled up on her small bed; it consisted of a low bedframe just inches off the floor and a thin burlap mattress stuffed with straw. The pillow was a little better, though chicken feathers were certainly no substitute for down. At least the knitted blanket was comfortable.
The hammering on the roof didn't help the headache that accompanied Anni's 'war wound'. After several minutes she pulled her pillow over her head to muffle the sound. It wasn't complete silence, but it helped. Normally she didn't mind loud noises — she quite liked the clanks and bangs of the harvesters — but perhaps not when her head was already thumping.
With the world shut out, time slipped away, losing shape and meaning. She wasn't sure if she fell asleep or just lost track. She could still vaguely hear the distant thumping of the hammer above, but it was muffled. At one point there was a much louder bang of the hammer, following but a rapid series of thumps…and then it all stopped. Ah, sweet relief.
She had no idea how long it had been by the time she realized the shouting.
"…Dathne!…Oh, Light, Dathne!…"
"…Mom? MOM!"
"…Anni!…Annibeth!…ANNIBETH!"
Anni pulled the pillow away and the world came rushing back in. As she stood and pushed back the blanket shielding her sleeping space she blinked, squinting. Why was it so bright? A shaft of light pierced the dimness of the room. A hole in the ceiling. But her mother was fixing the roof. No…this was a new hole. What happened? Had she hammered right through the roof?
"ANNIBETH!" Oran Jansen's voice was filled with emotion Anni couldn't identify. Her father almost sounded angry, but it wasn't that. Regardless, her heart seized, uncertain how to react. She rushed outside.
"Poppa? There's a hole in the ceiling." She looked around, but the fields were empty other than the harvester golems. "Poppa, where are you?"
"Anni! Girl…come here…slowly. Your mother…."
Annibeth frowned as she followed her father's voice around to the back of the house. His voice was cracking strangely. She had never heard him like that. Anni saw Dagrick first. He was staring at something behind the house; his face was white as a ghost. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Dag was crying. Dag never cried.
Then Anni saw her father. Her mighty, broad-shouldered father with his thick, salt-and-pepper beard. The man who could drive a fence post into the ground with three blows. He was kneeling, his hand extended, trembling, barely touching something in front of him as if afraid to do so. What could possibly frighten her invincible father?
As Annibeth came to stand beside her brother, a coldness seized every part of her, freezing her in place and chilling her to her heart. Her mother was laying on the ground, her limbs splayed out. Her neck was turned at a strange angle, sort of twisted and tilted toward one shoulder. Her eyes were open, her lips parted. She wasn't moving.
She wasn't moving.
"Momma? Are you okay…?" Fear gripped Anni's throat even as she formed the question.
Dathne didn't answer. She wasn't moving.
"Poppa…why ain't Momma movin'?"
Oran finally rested his shaking hand upon Dathne's shoulder. With his other hand, he gently used two fingers to close her eyelids.
"Poppa…?"
Dagrick exploded, his face burning red under the salt of his tears. "She's dead! A piece of roof broke under her and she fell and broke her neck and now she's dead! And maybe she'd still be alive if you were actually there to help her!"
Annibeth recoiled in horror, her brother's words like a spear through her. She couldn't move, couldn't even speak.
"DAGRICK!" Oran's voice boomed. It wasn't angry, but it commanded respect and attention. Dagrick immediately lowered his gaze and straightened up as Oran rose to approach his children. "This weren't nobody's fault. You hear me?"
Dagrick started to look toward the body, but couldn't bring himself to, insteading shooting his gaze back to his own feet. He nodded. "Yes, sir."
Anni couldn't stop looking between her fallen mother, her father, and Dagrick, searching each of them for…something. Anything. Some sense of what was happening. Why it was happening. How any of this made sense.
Oran reached a hand toward each of his children. "Come here. Both of you." Dagrick obeyed, stepped into his father's arm. But Anni remained fixed where she was, bewildered, as if she hadn't even heard him. Oran tugged Dag along and moved to her to pull her into the family embrace. "Listen to me closely," Oran spoke in that deep, slow voice that meant they had better pay attention or there would be consequences later on. "Things are gonna be different. It'll be harder now. We got to grieve your mother, but the cruel thing about time is it don't stop for nobody. The farm still gonna need tendin', and our lives still gonna need livin'."
Annibeth heard her father, but Dagrick's words still rang in her ears. She could have been up there with her mother. What if she had done? Would it have been different? Would her mother still be alive?
Was this my fault?