Spawn of a witch.

It was sometime before noon Lucinda tears stopped.

She just sat motionless on the plush velvety couch, staring blindly at the fire place infront of her.

Three conservative knocks made Lucinda quickly sit upright and cleaned her tears. Managing to clear her throat before the door pushed open.

Connor stood at the entrancing, one hand on the door nob as he scanned the room. He closed the door behind him and went to sit adjacent to Lucinda.

Lucinda cleared her throat once more for good measure before speaking.

"If there is any official matters you want me to see to, you can drop the documents on the desk. I'll see to them in a moment".

One beat. Two beat. Connor remained silent.

Lucinda stole a glance up at him to catch his gaze on her. Was her eyes red or swollen?

He finally opened his mouth to speak and Lucinda though it was to ask whether she had been crying.

"Did i ever told you the story of the first time i saw you?"

Startled by his abrupt question, Lucinda blinked perplexed.

"I..believe not.." she said unsurely.

Connor gave an absent minded nod and Lucinda though it ended there, till he spoke again.

"Since the first time i saw you Lucinda. You had amazed me".

He turned to her, his eyes exceptionally kind and clear with a small smile as he slipped down the memory lane.

Connor had wondered off from training and was walking down the vast courtyards.

He heard screeches and screams of girls and he looked over to see two girl and a couple of kids surrounding them.

They were each pulling on each end to a doll, from what he could see.

One of the little girls with a mass of blonde curls that glowed under the cloudy sky screamed continuously at the other to let go.

Judging by his experience with his younger sister , the other one should start crying about now.

That thought hooked him in his chest. Memories flooding back.

Indeed his younger sister would have cried if she was still alive that is. He had been part of the only survivors. His village had suffered in a small border lane war. No one had cared to aid the poor village that did minimal shipping and fishing to support themselves.

His mother and sister had died in the great fire that lit up the village like an inferno. A direct attack from the enemy front lines. He had tried futily to help but was beaten down to almost death. His family was killed infront of his very eyes. His coward of a father had ran off. Not bothering to protect the dignity of his family but soon meet his end.

It was maybe minutes or hours that passed by before helped arrived. Before then, he was surrounded by the putrid smell of burning flesh and blood. The agonies screams he had heard for a period that felt far too long to bare.

Men on horse back came to save the remaining villagers that survived but having nowhere to go they were separated and sold off to different part of the continents. In the deed to retain a little freedom, connor the young boy had plead for the chance to train as a knight.

And here he was today.

Instead of tears the other girl held a strangely fierce stance as she didn't relent. Judging by the tides, the girl didn't have any backing.

Yet she held on. Her thick wave of ebony dark hair, lush and long fell over her back like waves. Her cheeks were puffed out for the strain and her green eyes were lucid.

Warrior. She reminded him of one. With a squealing shout the other blond girl ripped the doll from her grasp and it went flying to the river behind them.

Well, it seems the situation was solved faster than he expected.

The golden haired girl bust into fits of tears. While the other girl stood still for a moment. Then turned to rapidly scan her environment. He thought maybe she was scared.

What could he do at his age. He wasn't much older than them. Only a beginner in the young knights program.

Suddenly the girl turned and ran behind her to a tree. His confused gaze following her.

She gathered her shirt in her hands and reached for a low branch from the twisted curling tree.

Digging her fingers into the rough bark she push herself up and propped a foot on the tree bump. Slowly she began climbing. Getting into the thicker portion of the tree, the twigs had broken branches claw at her soft delicate skin leaving scratches and bruise in their wake.

Young connor still very much shocked turned to see the other girl stopped crying and stared wide eye and the climbing girl who moved forward with her heavy dress. The sharp branch tearing at the edges of her dark green lace.

By then everyone had notice what the girl was doing. The curving tree touched the top of the water and luckily right above the doll now wedge between two rocks.

With a shout the other girl ran after the other. She began climbing the tree too after the dark haired girl.

"Its mine" she screamed in annoyance, hot on the tail of the first girl.

The girl turned to glare at the other girl crawling after her.

"You're the worst sister ever" the blonde screeched.

That word made connor brain finally connect the dot.

Lady Lucinda and Lady Valerie?!

This was the first time he had gotten a real glimpse of them. The famous delicate sunflower of the verbena family and the dark haired sharp featured beauty. The two sisters were like night and day. One with a bubbly smile, the other with a frown or scowl and a not so nice attitude. Like he had heard of this two sisters. They weren't close. Lady Lucinda was the one to trouble her step sister as rumored. But truthfully from what he could see, he felt Lady Valerie was more persistent now than her elder sister.

Finally they both climbed to the branches. Lucinda crawl carefully to the other end of the branch. Inching closer to her doll.

Stretching, her fingers skimmed the water, reaching closer to attempt to grab the toy.

Suddenly Valerie lunched for Lucinda. She toppled her trying to reach for the toy first.

"Just give it to me!"

"Get off...! Our weight won't hold"

The kids below struggle to see what was going on.

"Then give it to me!" valerie stretched her fingers poking into Lucinda eyes. She yelped and shoved her off and the next thing she heard was a splash, followed by Valerie screams of alarm.

After getting her bearing, Lucinda turned around and looked down. Gripping the wood tightly to see a very wet and screaming valerie sloshing around holding on to a tall slat of rock. The current reaching her waist. Before Lucinda or Connor could react they heard alarming shouts of people rushing towards them lead by one of the kids who once watched the commotion.

A series of shouts of Valerie and chaotic chatter filled the gloomy sky.

A servant rushed into the river and before long brought the screaming and kicking valerie into her mother arms.

"Oh my dear. Who did this to you?" Hagar; valerie Mother cooed in worry as she wipe the water away from her child's face.

Valerie was a mixture of snort and tears as she pointed up at Lucinda.

"I just wanted to play with her doll. She wouldn't let me and pushed me into the water". The children around her nodded in confirmation.

At the mention of her doll, Lucinda frightened eyes frantically searched in the water for the doll that was once wedged in between two rocks. Her eyes widened not sighting it anywhere.

"You spawn of a witch!" Hagar growled in fury as she pointed at Lucinda.

At the insult, Lucinda fiery eyes wiped to the woman below her; her stepmother. The same woman that had once been her mother's closest friend.

Black bellied is a witch.