ESKARINA

My sibling's were wide awake as they watched me pack. I didn't really have much to take with me,just a few pieces of underwear and clothing. A cow hide pants and white collared T-shirt were the only pair's of clothing I owned other than my raggedy dress.

"Where are you going Eska?" Lukas asked.

I smiled at him and slowly oulled the string on my knapsack to hold all of my belonging's together. "I'm leaving to get a job." I lied. "I may be able to make money so that you guy's can go to school."

"But we don't wanna go to school!" both twins shouted."Everyone says school is boring and silly!"

Had to admit,they were right.school was terrible,extremely boring,and stressful as all hell,but at the end of it all,school was a necessity.

Ah my little precious sibling's. Such silly minds. Gods above I loved them,and at the time,I hadn't considered how much I would miss them in the time that passed.

While I sat on the edge of the bed,singing my two young munchkins to sleep,I had the strange feeling that someone was watching me. I shrugged it off as nothing,and continued silently humming the lullaby until Mother's voice interrupted.

"I refuse to let you leave."

I mustered up my strength and took a deep breath before I stood up and faced Mother. "Mom,I love you,and I know you want to look out for me,and that you don't want me to get hurt. You're afraid of losing me."

I walked up to mother and gently ran my palm against her cheek,wiping away a falling tear. "I will return,and when I do,I will have enough money to support us and we will no longer need to suffer. The Twin's can finally go to school and get the education I was so lucky to gain,and the best part,No more harassing guards. We can leave FireKeep behind forever. "

Mother remained silent for awhile,then continued to shake her head. "Who will make breakfast for us? You make the best morning stew. Please my child,you can't leave,stay with us. Please,don't leave."

"Mom-"

"Eskarina?" Sven's voice came. "Are you ready?!"

I looked at mother,whose eye's seemed to be begging for me not to leave.

As much as I loved my mother,the fact was,I could be paid in the army,and money was something we desperately needed. I gave Mother a tight hug,and mother's grip around me was the tightest and most welcoming I'd ever felt in my life. Never before had Mother's embrace been so warm,so loving. Don't get me wrong,it was alway's warm and loving,but this time it felt like so much more than that,as if she was saying goodbye to me. Like it would be the last time we'd see eachother.

I broke from Mother's hug,smiled at her one final time,then descended down the stair's toward's Father. He stood beside Sven,but unlike Mother,he didn't seem reluctant to let me leave. Instead,he let me leave,with a smile on his face. Sven and I made our way outside,where Pauline was gently running her hand's across the forehead's of two beautiful steed's. One brown,and another,Snow white. Both of them had black saddles draped across their backs. Patricia continued to stroke the mares as she spoke in a tone which seemed to hint that she was quite annoyed.

"You guy's sure take your precious time don't you?"

Sven shrugged as we came to a stop.

Patricia swung her head away from the horses,almost as if she were trying to tell me something. Admittedly,at first,I didn't know what she meant,and as she realised this,she rolled her eye's and spoke.

"I think your boyfriends looking for you Eskarina. Well,at you right now."

I turned round to see Mikael staring at me. His face was pale,almost as if he was in shock. I approached him,and as I got close,I suddenly found myself in a tight embrace. His hug was strong,almost inhumanely strong,but then again,so was mother's when she hugged me mere moments ago.

"Don't leave" He said.

I wanted to hug him back,to tell him that I had to go,that I had to leave. I had to pursue this. My arms were held tightly together in the midst of Mikael's hug,rendering me unable to hug him back.

"Please. Don't go" He pleaded.

"Mikael,I have to go."

"Stay with me"

"Mikael-"

"I love you"

A sudden chill ran through my body. Just a few hours ago my siblings were joking around about Mikael and I being together. Now here we were,so close to one another and he was confessing his feelings to me. Our entire child hood. We knew eachother for such a long time,and all I considered him was a friend.Nothing more,nothing less. And in that moment,strangely,I felt no different. As much as Mikael loved me,I didn't love him in the same way.

I gently pushed Mikael away,avoiding eye contact with him as best as I can.

"Look Mika...I love you too...but only as a friend. We've been friends and nothing but friends for so long that I simply can't see us together,it wouldn't feel right."

Mikael's eye's began to glisten as tears filled them,and a sting of guilt gripped my heart. I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek as my final goodbye before I mounted Pauline's white steed,wrapping my arm's round her waist to keep myself stable.

"First time a girl's pulling me from behind. Usually it's the opposite sex,if you catch my drift" She said with a wink.

The horses began galloping not long after,hooves slapping against the dirt with a satisfying thunk!

Each step took me further away from the farm house,from Mikael,from my family. Each step took me further away from my old life,and brought me closer to a new one.