A Tale of Treason Chapter one.

Well, here is this! I wrote it like six months ago and im too bored to edit, and i couldn't think of a better title so... Her yall are! Fanfic!

“What do you think you’re doing?” I ask, feeling as nervous as a Thwap on the back of a Toothy Cow.

“Something I should have done years ago.” He replies. I glare at Bonifer Squoon, remembering Clout’s orders. Keep the Keep guarded. Guard it with your life. Don’t let Bunge do anything ridiculous. “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t let you in.” I am not in the Durgan Guild, but I am a good fighter, and I am proud Guildmaster Clout considered me as a guard.

“Will you let me in if I have a force of Fangs?” Bonifer asks. I can feel fear beating in my heart like a rolling drum, but my Annieran fighting fire takes over.

“I would still say no.” Bonifer laughs, but my heart sinks even more. “Move aside, lass.” He hisses, but I stand my ground. No one has ever shoved Meeker Hope Wingfeather around like that, and they never will.

“She ain’t letting you through.” Flame Greenswallow, my unfortunate assistant in guard duty, speaks up. Flame is a horrible fighter, and he faints at the sight of Fangs. Obviously, he isn’t going to be much help if Bonifer has a force of Fangs at his command.

“You mean we.” I correct. Flame rolls his lazy eyes and nibbles at the strip of dried quill diggle he always has handy.

Bonifer gives a silent signal and many fangs leap from hiding spots and close around us.

“Remember your Annieran.” I whisper in Flame’s ear.

“Easy to say if your great-great-great-great-great grandpa was a Throne Warden.”

“Only four greats.” Bonifer corrects, laughing cruelly. I’ve only ever seen the flimsy, sweet, book-loving old man, this is something new.

“Oh go ahead and laugh.” I say wryly.

“As you request, my lady.” Bonifer signals his Grey Fangs, and they rush at Flame and me. Well, just me since Flame’s gone ahead and fainted.

I draw my sword, feeling anger rise inside and boil over like the pot of milk Biggin O’Sally had left over a fire too long last winter. I have no chance at keeping Bonifer away from my friends, Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli, but maybe it would save their lives or something, since, you know, Bunge was trying to hang them or something. So I wave my weapon and prepare for another hazy sunset.

After all, Clout would kill me anyways for letting the Cloven in, but hey Flame had fainted (he had a really bad habit of that) and it had looked like a… a… Wingfeather.

Well anyways I have dusted so many fangs, but more are still coming, and poor Flame is getting pretty trampled, so I guess I should probably find Danniby but where in Ban Rona is he?

Durgans are pretty sneaky, but Danniby is the worst, especially cupboards. He is always in a cupboard, and I hate it. Why is he always hiding right under my nose?

He’s probably disguised as a fang or something, so I sheath my sword, grab Flame (who is probably pretending to be fainted) and run towards a tree.

It’s a tall thick tree, but not as big as the one in the Keep. We like to climb it, because there is a branch that reaches to a branch of the big tree that holds up the Keep, and that other branch runs up to a window where you can hear and see everything going on inside.

Well anyways I wake Flame up by slapping him and I tell him he’s Annieran over and over again until he repeats it back. It makes us brave, and even though he’s really annoying he’s my friend, and my four sister’s friend too.

I bet no one was expecting two Annieran twelve-year-olds who were armed and ready to come flying out of the keep window, barreling into the battle below, but that’s what happens.

It is all Flame’s fault. He is walking along a branch and sees Fangs and boom.

Just like that he passes out and falls through the keep window, still clutching my hand. We fall for a while, bouncing off trees and branches and stuff like that until we crash into Guildmaster Clout, knocking him to the floor.

Unfortunately Flame is still passed out. I toe him and he still doesn’t wake up, so I leave him there, draw my sword, and dash across the floor to join the battle.

I see Danniby, hanging upside down from the tree and shooting arrows. For awhile we are all fighting, then the Fangs are gone, Flame wakes up, and Keeper Rudric calls us all to the harbor, just like that day all those months ago when the Wingfeather family arrived, one of them a grey fang like my littlest sister.

Me and Flame catch up to my sisters, Mariana (my twin), Haylei (the next oldest), Amilea (or for short, Amyah), and the littlest, Skyli. Since we are Annieran, I am supposed to protect my siblings at all costs, since I am the oldest.

We arrive at the harbor and see what all the fuss is about. I am told by rumors that the Cloven, or Esben Wingfeather, has died. He was Janner, Kal, and Leeli’s father, and the High King.

I see Keeper Rudric standing to the side, wiping shining tears from his usually bright eyes. Everyone has lost so much, and it looks like we’ll lose a whole lot more. It is a sad day, but yet hope is still out there.

We see a white spiral, rising up to the starry sky, and Amilea leans her head against my shoulder and cries. Flame shifts from foot to foot, looking like a wounded puppy, which is also a real comparison.

I figure War is coming to the Hollows, but I also figure the Wingfeathers will lead it and I will fight for them. After all, Kal is my king, and I am Annieran.