A mountain meadow echoed with the cries and yips of a gaggle of young boys and girls as they chased each other out of the pine forest and up the rising slope. Eight siblings- five boys and three girls- poked and prodded and teased and shouted at one another as they made their way to their favorite hideout, a shallow cave in the granite overlooking a glacial stream.
Though seven of them had various shades of black or brunette hair and brown or green eyes, the oldest was different. She was more slender than her siblings and her long blonde hair contrasted starkly with theirs as it trailed in the wind behind her. Her icy blue eyes filled with joy as she spotted the cave. She raised her sword, a sapling with two uneven branches cut off to form a cross-guard, and pointed it up the slope.
"Last one there is a dragon dropping!" she shouted, putting on a burst of speed. The others raised cries of protest and gave chase, huffing with the exertion but immune to exhaustion as all children are when they're excited. No one wants to be a dragon dropping, after all.
Morwyn made it to the cave first though the others were not far behind. She heaved to catch her breath for a moment before climbing up the side of the rough granite boulders that formed the sides and top of the shallow lair. At the peak she raised her stick-sword high and proclaimed her status as Queen of the Cavern. Her siblings rushed to dethrone the new monarch with sapling weapons of their own. After a rowdy tussle of whacks, cracks, thumps, cries, and laughter, the children lost focus on their game and collapsed into a pile of welts and bruises at the cave entrance. None had the energy to claim the high ground for themselves.
A tyrant deposed, Morwyn smiled and rubbed her shin where a particularly good strike got past her guard. With her other hand she soothed a bruise on Matthias' forearm. The boy sniffed back tears of pain but still wore a grin from ear to ear. Morwyn reached into her satchel and presented a small, sweet fruit with a flourish. Though it was mangled from their earlier battle, Matthias gleefully popped it into his mouth and hugged her arm.
“You fought valiantly today, Matthias,” Morwyn proclaimed in a dramatic whisper. “We'll make a proper warrior out of you yet!” Matthias wiped his mouth on the back of his dirty, tattered sleeve as he positively beamed.
“One day I'll get to the top before you,” he said, rising unsteadily to his feet.
“We'll see about that, little brother,” Morwyn teased. She stood up and attempted to tousle her closest sibling's hair. Though she was a year older than him he was already two inches taller than her, so most of her hand smeared dirt on his face instead. The two of them laughed and turned to help their siblings lay out their small bedrolls and provisions in the shelter of the cave.
Anna walked past them in a fuss, her hair tangled and interwoven with grass from a fall, and handed Matthias a water skin before tending the wounds of the other combatants with gentle words and healing kisses. It didn't seem to matter that she inflicted some of the injuries; her patients were grateful and smiling nonetheless.
Morwyn set her own bedroll up at the entrance of the cramped overhang as the others wandered down to play near the stream below. Whenever the children were allowed an overnight excursion, she promised their parents that she would protect the others and not stray too far from home. The area was fairly barren of resources, lacking any significant game animals and therefore avoided by predators. The most dangerous thing they might encounter in this particular meadow was a sprained ankle, yet Morwyn was always watchful. She took her duties as the eldest sister seriously.
Morwyn rested with her back against the granite wall of the cave as she took a careful headcount of the others. All were present and accounted for, and the worst injuries of the day were nothing more than a scraped elbow or bruised ego. Satisfied, she busied herself with gathering stones to shore up the ring of the fire pit that seemed to get larger and more intricate with each visit to their favorite haunt.
The girl struggled for a moment with her new flint and steel- a gift from father for her twelfth birthday- but she kindled a fire just as the sun began to fall behind the mountains above. At the sight and smell of the campfire the rest of the children returned to their outpost with the occasional whoop and laugh. Anna helped the youngest siblings- triplets, perhaps the reason they were the last- stagger their tired little legs back up the path.
“Tell us a story, Morwyn!” shouted one brother.
“Something about a princess!” cried another sister.
“No, tell us about monsters!” Matthias suggested with a grin.
“You'll scare the little ones,” Anna scolded playfully.
Morwyn smiled, her hand already in her bag. Her fingers briefly traced the raised letters and decorations on the cover of her favorite book before she withdrew it and reverently placed it on a flat stone in front of her crossed legs, one that had been used for this purpose many times before.
“Anna, Matthias, pass out dinner to everyone. And since you've all been good, perhaps I will tell you a story about a princess and a monster.”
There was a bustle of movement as everyone settled in and began to feast upon the food that was lovingly packed by the older sisters and mother. After a long moment of shuffling and munching, the gray twilight gave way to the darkness of a late spring night. The firelight reflected off of Morwyn's pale face as she began to tell a chilling tale.
“In the not-so-distant past, in a time of turmoil and upheaval on the faraway island of Khel, there was a warrior princess by the name of Bellaria Thunderhoof. She was a brave and beautiful centaur who protected her clan from invaders and monstrous creatures alike. One day, as she patrolled the borders of her domain...”
As she began the story, Morwyn looked up to gauge the attention of her audience. They were engrossed in the tale. Story time with their eldest sister was always special and they were leaning in eagerly to hear more. However, a glint in the far distance caught Morwyn's attention. Far above the mountains, illuminated above the peaks by the rays of the setting sun beyond, something distant reflected the golden glow for a brief moment before it moved behind a jagged peak and out of sight. Morwyn's words caught in her throat as she gazed on in wonder for a moment too long.
“Then what happened?” asked the youngest, eyes wide and oblivious to the interruption.
“Oh. Yes. One day, as she patrolled the borders of her domain, Bellaria received word of a mighty beast wreaking havoc in her lands...” As Morwyn continued the story, her thoughts edged curiously toward the distant peaks and what might reside in them.