"Reya, can you help me bring in the sheep from the field? It's about to rain."
That was my mother, Mary. She wasn't my real mother but she tried to be for me and my siblings who had been abandoned by our real parents. And if you hadn't guessed it yet then I'd just have to say it, yes this was a foster home.
I hadn't figured out why my own mother would despise me well enough to drop me off at the monastery in Vlagsir but I didn't care, at least that was what I had told myself until I realized that the older I got the more I wanted answers.
Were my adopted parents bad, no, but I wanted closure.
My name is Reya and like I had said earlier I had been adopted by my lovely foster parents Mary and Gephire. They were upstanding citizens of the Kingdom of Czarö who had lived in Vlad for awhile before moving to Vlagsir to open up a monastery using it as a school and a foster home. They had adopted fourteen children, myself included who had been dropped off in their barn over the course of their years in the town.
I had grown up learning things about the monastery and how to be a maiden while simultaneously looking for answers to no avail. Focusing on myself, I decided to stop leaning into the past and focus more on the present, like how I should be getting the sheep into the house.
"Yes mother," I breathed out before going through the back door and into the open fields.
"You wouldn't find them here," Geraldine one of my sisters said while taking down her clothes from the cloth lines. "I think they're down the valley grazing."
Looking up at the dark skies I wondered what it would be like to have the power to control the weather.
"Do you think the gods above look down on us and say that we would one day find our home somewhere out there?" I asked absentmindedly.
"My parents died in a war between our village and the Klax clan. They were killed by the magical powers of the chiefs there. I don't mind staying here and getting married to a strong Vladian or Drakan."
Classic Geraldine, always dreaming of a love story waiting to happen to her.
"Well you'd better start going before the rain comes," she let out, carrying the basket full of clothes into the cabin.
Looking over to the monastery about a few feet from where I stood I found James and Cloister both of them twins as well as the youngest ones to be adopted picking up the logs they had brought from the forest.
Lightning lit up the sky accompanied by sounds of thunder causing me to know that it was my cue to go about my quest for the sheep. Dragging the helm of my gown a bit higher, I ran down the field and out of the compound leading to the valley.
"You're a bit slow today aren't ya Rey," Founder chuckled beside me before running ahead, challenging me to a race.
"I could catch you if I tried!" I yelled at him increasing my pace.
"Oh yeah, I don't see ya coming any close sister!" he yelled back from the distance. He was taunting me and I knew it but he was always like that.
When I finally reached the valley, the sheep all laid under a large oak tree with Founder tying the ropes around their necks with a link making it easier to transport them back home without anyone missing.
"...twenty seven, twenty eight and one of them is missing," he sighed after doing a head count.
"Do you reckon that it might have gone too far?" I asked squinting into the distance.
"I don't know, but hold this for a minute will ya?" he said giving me the lead rope as he runs into the distance.
"Don't go too far!" I called out after him to which he did a funny jump in the air before sprinting down the valley.
Looking behind me I saw markings on the ground which had an odd circle shape. Maybe it meant something or maybe it was just a random circle but it had inscriptions on it. I couldn't read it for it wasn't of our native Czarö language so I ignored it only to hear a faint bleat from behind the oak tree. Going around it I found the missing sheep returning to the flock.
"You little demon," I breathed under my breath. "Now look what you've done. Founder is gonna kill me when he gets back from his search."
When I had tied it with the last rope link, the rain started to drizzle.
"Founder!" I called out as my voice echoed in the valley before getting quiet. It was oddly quiet this evening. No bird calls, no barking dogs, not even a bleating sheep or crowing cock. That was odd considering that the valley was a place where all animals came for food and water.
"Founder!" I called louder this time but no one responded back. Dropping the lead rope on the ground, I paced to the end of the valley only to find his jacket laying on the ground with dirt on it. Where had he gone?
Looking over the valley, a steep cliff came into view as I took a step back, "Founder this isn't funny anymore! Come out now or I'm telling mother."
The drizzle started to increase as I decided to get back to the sheep and then to the monastery.
"I'm going back to the cabin!" I exclaimed firmly as I retraced my steps back to the sheep.
Something cooed from behind causing me to look sharply in its direction but there was nothing there.
"Haha very funny," I heaved before padding quickly to the oak tree. I was done playing his games, when he was done playing he would find his way home.
Turning around to start my journey, someone jumped out with a shout startling me and the sheep as I punched it in the face.
"Ow my nose," he let out in pain.
"I'm so sorry," I said running to steady him until I heard him chuckle. "Not funny you cow. You scared me."
"That was the point of the prank," he said revealing a set of white dentitions which I envied.
"We need to get home quickly before it starts to pour," I reminded him to which he nodded picking up the lead rope while jogging ahead with the sheep.
"I'll race you to the cabin!" he yelled out.
"I don't care Founder. You win," I sighed in resignation however he was out of earshot to hear me.
As I walked out of the valley and into the pathway the rain started to beat down hard. The cabin was a ways off and I wouldn't be able to get there before being totally drenched thereby catching a cold in the process. With all the thoughts in my head as I walked I wasn't able to hear a horse pull up beside me.
"Need a lift?" someone asked as I put a hand over my eyes to shield them from the rain, looking at the figure on the animal. It was Ramul Angus a Drakan. He usually had his horseback riding session around the evenings. I didn't know much about him other than the fact that he was from a very wealthy family for him to move around the country alone and with many servants at that. He was a mystery to everyone in Vlagsir as he did not come out much, only during dull days such as these was he usually seen.
"Oh no don't worry about me I'll be fine," I chuckled nervously moving farther away from the path.
"I insist miss Reya," his voice had some sort of authority backing it up. "Besides I'm going your way."
The rain intensified with lightning and thunder becoming a norm as I agreed to his demands, taking his hand and climbing up the horse.
"Hang on," he said before slapping the reins setting the animal into motion causing me to put my hands around his waist holding him throughout the horseback ride. As the animal sped through the rain, we passed Founder still jogging with the sheep.
"Isn't that your brother?" he asked me calmly.
"Yes he is," I answered. He wasn't two months into the town but somehow he knew my brother. That was scary but impressive.
When we neared the wooden gate leading into the monastery, he pulled back the reins of the horse slowly bringing it to a halt.
"Thank you," I bowed after stepping off the animal before running into the monastery field. I didn't stop running until I had gotten into the cabin, locked the doors and had a peek out of the window with my clothes dripping water. He seemed to have seen me for he waved before slapping the reins on the horse forcing the animal to gallop down the road. A few minutes later, Founder got into the compound with the sheep, heading for the barn to lock them up in there.
"By the gods Reya!" my mother screamed in shock at my drenched hair and clothes to which I turned around in horror. "Go to the washroom and set yourself straight. There is a hot water in the bucket, use it."
"Yes mother," I answered before heading for the washroom.
"Where is Founder?" she sighed, eyeing my muddy feet.
"Tying the sheep in," I replied, slinking away from her sight and into the washroom.
As I removed my clothes ready to wash off, I thought about how wonderful it would have been to be born into the Angus family. To have everything you'd ever want and your own dream horse.
The rain increased even louder drowning out my thoughts as I picked up the bowl pouring the water on my body.