"Father, can you please tell us a story before bed? Please!"

The little brunette girl wrapped herself in her bed, grinning nearly as bright as her eyes. A boy, who was a year older than her, was being tucked in by the girl's father. He too sprouted a full hair of brown as his daughter but his eyes were the color of summer grass, unlike her ocean blue eyes.

The blonde boy yawns. "Yeah, just one story. One we never heard of! It gets boring when we tell the same story before." He pulls his blanket closer to him.

"Oh?" A hearty laugh bellows from the older man's throat. "And which stories have I told already?"

"You told us the one about how Fiona was born from a book called 'The Patchwork.' And the story of how Jewel came to life after she was a golden statue for most of her life." The brunette bounded on her bed, while still sitting in it.

Another yawn from the boy. "The story about how Thunder was born from a thunderstorm or how Nike was saved by Sara and Bella from a giant." His eyes were closed, drifting in and out of sleep.

The girl's father raised an eye brown and put his finger on his chin, thinking. "Well, if I told you all those stories then I guess you heard them all?"

"No. I know you haven't told us all of them!" She pouted. "There's got to be more!"

"Oh, alright. I know one."

"A new one?" The blonde boy cracked open an eye.

"A new one." The man strolls over to a bookshelf and grabs an old book that looked like it was going to fall apart at any moment. He carefully opens the book and flips through the pages with ease. Then he settled on a page and patted his lips, telling the children the story.

"It is said, what is written may never be forgotten. For there is a power in stories that surpasses all of the world's wisdom."

"Is this the beginning?" The five-year-old girl pipes up.

Her father nods. "Yes, now listen, Emma." Once she was settled back into her bed, he continues.

"In the beginning, there was nothing- only the dull stars that surrounded two lonely planets. They were called Earth and North of North and they were forged by a bridge between these two worlds. The bridge was made of light and all the colors. The aurora borealis.

"This display of lights can be seen by both worlds and this is how the gods used to travel when they visited each other planets.

"The gods also created a widespread of lands and villages, and soon kingdoms formed. High in the mountains above the sky, two gods settled down in the countryside of North of North living with mortals for a quieter life. They then soon had a baby girl and they named her Sara.

"As Sara grew, she began to explore the land around her. She loved nature and always wanted to be closer to it. As she matured, her parents told her that she was ready to become a goddess. But Sara never knew what that meant.

"Until one day, while she was walking alone among a forest of willow trees, a herd of thundering hooves approached her.

"Wild horses.

"The leaders of this herd were a magnificent, brilliant white mare and a midnight black stallion. If Sara had ever been afraid, her fears were put to rest with one look at these beautiful, stunning creatures.

"The mare was the first horse that Sara met, and the same for the mare as well. It was love at first sight; it brought the young girl to tears of joy. In a moment of complete love and understanding, Sara reached out and stroked the equine's neck. A burst of energy sparked between them, magically uplifting the mare, making her the greatest of her kind. In this newfound magic, Sara was also transformed, growing in height and a healthy glow about her. It was then that the young girl understood what her parents meant.

"This titled her as the immortal goddess of all horses. Sara's touch gave the mare intelligence and wisdom beyond that of any other creature. And her name was Bella."

Emma gasps. "Bella!? The High Queen of Horses? That Bella?" She blinked at her father. He laughs.

"Yes, Emma. Now please calm down and let me continue." Once his daughter was settled again, he told his story.

"Besides uplifting Bella, Sara also edifies the mare's mate; Bello. The waiting herd reared before the two, recognizing them as the greatest of all horses. Sara boosted all the horses in their herd. These horses would come to be known as the First Generation and she gave them names and magical powers that suited each of their unique personalities.

"However, through the eyes of wolves, an aging woman was watching the girl and her horse. Her magic was dark and slowly fading yet she wanted more. She realized that if she could gain control of the First Generation, their brilliant magic added to her own would allow her to rule over North of North and command all. Feral was this woman's name and one that will last forever in the heart of North of North.

"Feral appeared before the horses and tried to tempt the First Generation to join her, but they quickly scorned the power she offered. Feral was not going to give up easily, so she set a trap to capture the whole herd all at once. When all of the horses suddenly disappeared, Sara became suspicious and began scouting for her dear friends. She and Bella searched for them for days; then she found them when her hunt became tiresome. To her shocked and horrified disbelief, in chains! Sara hurried to free them as they escape from Feral's home in Styginmoor castle, unaware that she was being watched by a wolf.

"The wolf told Feral about Sara and what she had done. This enraged the woman so greatly that she was ready to kill the goddess herself. However, Sara had already used her magic to hide away herself and the horses from the vile woman.

"But Feral had another plan.

"It was there, under the burning blood-soaked moons, she took her revenge out by killing Sara's parents, and with that wicked act, became the eternal enemy of Sara and her horses."

Emma let out a horrified yelp.

"When Sara discovered the death of her parents, she collapsed with grief so intense that she stopped aging. In an act born of righteous sadness, Sara cried her heart out, her voice becoming the thunder of rainstorms around her. Her tears fell for her parents as the rain began to pour. But when the rain finally stopped, her tears continued to cascade in a waterfall of grief.

"Hundreds of years came to pass as Sara cried for her parents. Her tears came together to form a pond, and eventually a lake, giving its name, Teardrop Lake. A young sapling growing by this new lake drank from Sara's magical tears, and grew to immense proportions; so, staggering in fact, that it grew larger than any city or village that was ever built. This tree then became Drasilmare, the World Tree of North of North. The area around Teardrop Lake and Drasilmare became known as The Sacred Seclusion.

"Meanwhile, Feral and her wolves searched in vain, for the goddess and her horses still walked among the land. The First Generation stood by Sara, living their long lives. They, too, drank the magical waters of Teardrop Lake, making their magic grow ever so stronger, and even developing new magical gifts; such as walking on the wind or breathing under the sea. As happy as the horses were with their newfound abilities, they worried that Sara would live in crippling sadness forever."

Emma's father stops for a moment and checks on his daughter hoping he wasn't scaring her, but his little one continues to hang on to every word he says. She listened intently, letting her eyes trace the edges of her father's lips as though they were issuing a death sentence. Her cousin, on the other hand, was snoring soundly from across the room.

"During this time, there were a group of women known as Caregivers. These women traveled North of North helping the sick and needy. One day a Caregiver by the name of Mitka Rolanddotter and her daughter Sigga saw a beautiful white mare coming to greet them. Curious, the two followed the mare to the Sacred Seclusion. The mother and daughter duo encountered a weeping young woman with a godly glow, wondering what ailed her. Nonetheless, they comforted Sara, who informed them of the cause of her grief. The kind Mitka invited Sara to come with them and be a part of their traveling group. From that moment on, Mitka and Sigga became the goddess' new family.

"Progressively, the First-Generation horses began arriving at the Rolanddotter's home, and the family also took them in. Sara taught Sigga all that she knew about these magnificent equines. Soon, however, the number of horses overwhelmed the Rolanddotter's small farm and they could no longer care for all of them. So, Sara advised that they give the horses to the other Caregivers. The Caregivers themselves were overjoyed; now they could travel even further distances much more quickly to help those in need. The Caregivers soon became expert horsewomen and their reputation grew as the years passed.

"Eventually, Feral heard word of the Caregiver's fame, and secretly joined the group in disguise. She waited for her time to steal the horses again. Then Mitka died; Sigga was voted to be the new leader of the Caregivers, however, the scheming Feral twisted the minds of the sisterhood, and they started arguing over who should be in charge. She then exposed herself to the sisterhood. The ladies were surprised to see Feral but none challenged her as their curiosity started to get to the better of them.

"Feral offered her giant wolves as more powerful mounts for any of the sisterhood who was willing to follow her and become more skilled than Sara herself. But only if they kill their horses, and gain their magic.

The women were intrigued by this. As Feral continued to hiss her silver tongue, they consulted with one another; it wasn't until when one of them agreed and abandoned her steed. Right in front of the Caregivers, she killed her once-beloved equine, gain his magical powers, and became a Wolf Rider. Shocked, by her betrayal and wanting the same, over half of the women became Wolf Riders as well.

"However, Sigga and six others resisted and declined, so Feral commanded the Wolf Riders to take them by force.

"Sigga and the other Caregivers escaped, but the Wolf Riders soon tracked them down. The Wolf Riders had the Caregivers cornered at the edge of a huge cliff. Sara saw what was happening, flew down on Bella, and gave the Caregivers' horses wings! Feral was furious as the remaining sisters flew off and out of her evil grasp. Ever since then, Feral and her Wolf Riders have been at war with them for years to come.

"Sara graciously gave the Caregivers a beautiful floating castle called 'Hestheim' to use as their new home. The goddess also granted them immortality and gave them a new name: The Valkyrie Sisterhood. From that day onward, their duty was to seek out and inspire heroes willing to protect the weak from cruel villains like Feral as guardians of peace in the land of North of North.

"The now forever youthful women of the Valkyries soon realized that their horses' new wings were only the beginnings of Sara's gift. As a symbol of Sara's love for the Rolanddotter family, these horses held a greater purpose and majesty than the other horses Sara influenced.

"Sigga Rolanddotter was tasked to protect North of North by Sara who then gave her a huge stretch of beautiful land that had originally belonged to Sara's parents. Sigga built a magnificent palace overlooking the land and began filling its surrounding villages' homes for the horses to call their own; living beside their people. Caring for the horses reminded her of her childhood when she and Sara worked with the beautiful steeds on her farm. The Valkyrie decided to create a welcoming haven where both people and horses could live in harmony and coexist together. And that's how Trail's End was created."

Emma leaned forward, eager for a continuation, to which her father giggled. "And that's the end of our story, my dear."

"That's it?" Emma whined, eyes narrowing. "That can't be it!"

He closed the book. A little dust cloud fluttered out of it like butterflies. "I'm afraid so."

"What happened next?"

"I'm afraid that's all this little book has to offer. No one knows what happened to Sigga or Sara." He kissed her forehead and walked over to the light switch.

For the first time, Emma yawned. "Can't you tell me more?"

He shook his head. "This book has been passed down from our family for generations with no ending." Then he smiled. "Perhaps you can come up with an ending for it?"

The young girl sank into her bed, going in and out of sleep. She yawned for a final time. "I wish I could go to North of North."

Her father turned out the lights. "Maybe one day you will."