I spent the next few days in the kitchen, grinding away the dirt and rust that clung to the sword. I’d barely gotten the blade to see the silver of the blade when Mother pulled me away. Grabbing hold of my ear, she led me away from the table. Her grip was so strong I’d thought she’d pick me up off the ground as we walked.

  “Mother i’m sorry,” I gritted through my teeth. Trying to hold on to her as I followed her fast pace. She led me outside before finally letting go of me. Pointing at me to sit, he rubbed my ear.

  “Sorry doesn’t cut it. How many times must I remind you to do your chores, huh? Even Rune can do them, and she's half your age. I’m taking that sword.”

  “No, mother, please,” I begged as I fell to my knees, clinging to her dress. “I’ll do anything, anything. I won’t nag Corbin, I’ll leave Aspen alone, I’ll even play in Rune’s stupid play.”

  She took her skirt out of my hands, “well first you can start with the laundry, seeing as you’ve mudded up your dress again. And why do you even want that sword anyway? It’s not like you're going to become a knight.”

  Getting up, I wiped some of the mud from off my arms, “I don’t know, I just find it intresting is all.”

  “Well i hope you don’t plan to use it on anyone,” she said, ruffling out her dress as she helped wipe the mud off my face. “We already have one Voss in this family with a sword; we certainly don’t need two. Finish your chores, and Aspen’s too; she’ll be taking her exam tomorrow.”

  “Yes, mother,” I started to say in a glommy tone, before quickly changing it as she gave me a hard stare. “Going right now, mother.”

  As i quicly changed my clothes, I gathered up everyone else in our nearly broken straw basket. It was so heavy I almost tripped over it every time it slipped out of my hands. How can Aspen carry this thing every week? I asked myself. Trying to take stops everynow and again to catch my breath. I was lucky enough that I even made it to the river.

  The water was cold, and normally I wouldn’t mind it after a long day of the blazing sun. But the rain had been pouring for the last two days, so my hands felt frozen as I washed away what I could. Hitting the clothes against the rock,s a strong wind wrapped my hair around my head. It was fierce, shaking the trees as I tried to finish off what I could.

  Picking up the basket, I tried to run back home as fast as I could, the wind nearly knocking me back off my feet. Everyone else in the village had left quickly for their homes. Even stumbling against the winds, I made my way back home. The wind shook the house back and forth like a man does an old, small tree that seems ready to fall.

  “There you are,” my father shouted, pulling me into the huddle they had made under the kitchen table. “Stay close to me now.”

  As I held onto him tightly i squeezed my eyes shut. Hoping everything would stop, it’s shaking as a glass jar fell to the ground and shattered. I could hear the piece’s rattle against the ground as Rune cried into our mother's arms.

  “Be quiet, Rune,” Corbin said, before getting a quick smack in the head by our father.

  As I opened my eyes and looked around again, I noticed something was missing: Aspen was missing.

  “Where’s Aspen?” I jumped to ask, trying not to let my quickly beating heartbeat take over my ears.

  “She left hours ago to train,” my mother said with a panicked tone, “oh god, Otto, what if she’s hurt somewhere?” My mother's lips trembled as she spoke, and she wiped away any tears before ever giving them a chance to fall.

  “It’s okay, Zola,” my father told her, kissing her forehead, “she’s a strong girl, she can handle herself while I look for her.” he cralled from out under the table, putting on his thickest jacket before heading out into the storm that brewed right outside our door.

  It had been hours before the winds calmed down. Felled trees had scattered the roads, and the dark was creeping over the horizon.

  “They're still not back,” I told my mother, not turning away from the window in case I saw someone approaching the house. But my worries ticked and ate up my mind, and I couldn’t sit still as night had completely taken over the land. “What if they got lost? What if Father never found Aspen? What if they're both dead--”

  “WRENLY,” my mother screamed, snapping me out of my questions. “Don’t think about such things. Their fine, they're fine, okay?” she said, but it sounded more as if she was telling herself that than me. Trying not to let the worry bother me mother had us continue our usually scheduale. By the time she tucked me and Rune in, father and Aspen still had not returned.

  “Mother,” i whisped, hoping Rune wouldn’t hear me, “can’t we just go look for them? Or we could even ask the neighbors for help.”

  She leaned down to me, kissing me on the forehead as she brushed the hair out of my face. “I promise you wren, they're fine. By the time you wake up in the morining they’ll be here.”

  I had lain there for hours. Unable to sleep, to even think about closing my eyes when my father and sister could be dead somewhere. Mother had told me over and over not to worry, but I could hear her constant pacing in the kitchen. Her mumbling to herself as time cruelly passed by. I had told myself not to cry a dozen times, but tears ran hot down my face, and I couldn’t stop them. I could only muffle my sobs as I tried to get my mind to stop thinking, just this once.

  As I wiped the tears away, a loud bang rang through the house. It shook the door as rumbling could be heard in the kitchen. With Rune still deep in her sleep, I quietly got up, standing at the door as muffled cries made their way through. When I pushed the door open, a sinking pit formed in my stomach.

  Mother had never ending tearss flowing that wet the collar of her shirt. Out of breath from crying father forced her to sit. He had not said a word, yet his face said everything to me. Even with the tense feeling in the room that could choke anyone i still didn’t stop in my tracks, till I saw Aspen.

  She looked aimlessly at the floor; her once long, brown coils had been hacked up to her neck. Red scratches lined her throat, with cracked and bleeding lips. Pinching myself i had hoped I’d just fallen asleep, that this was just some bad dream I’d wake up from. But as my nails craved into my skin and the pain set it I realized how real this moment was.

  How soulless my sister looked.

  Not being able to stand the sight of it all, my mother left, her hands still shaking as she clung to bloodied rags. Words seemed to stumble out of my mouth as I was unsure of what to say. “Aspen. Father. W-What happened. Why?” A boiling rage began to puff up my chest.

  Approaching her, I looked over her ears that had been scarred up. The cut from the clippers they so carelessly pushed against her head had soaked her clothes in crimson red. Before truly thinking, I thoughtlessly reached out to touch them.

  Aspen quickly grabbed my wrist, squeezing it so tightly I cried out in pain, in fear it might be broken. She didn’t even look at me, but her eyes were so lost as she held on to me; her body trembled. Only when our father ran over to her and pried me out of her grasp did she finally realze were she was.

  A red bruise began to spread across my wrist, and Aspen gasped upon seeing what she had done. “Wrenly, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” she repeated over to herself. But for once, I was far too afraid of my sister to even move, to even tell her it was nothing compared to the blood that covered her like a pig that had been slaughtered. I wanted to tell her she didn’t scare me, but my lips wouldn’t move. And I felt completely stuck staring at her.

  Struggling to get up, she walked herself back to her room, pushing away our father as he tried to help her. She was only scared, Aspen would never try to hurt you, I told myself. The moment Aspen closed her door, my father turned to me, a wild look in his eyes.

  Trying to shake off the fear, I finally spoke to him, “What happened? Who did this? Why aren’t we doing anything about-”

  “If you think I knew I’d be here getting questioned by a child?” Father snapped. His voice was loud and echoed throughout the house. He rushed to grab at my shoulders, “Why can’t you just behave? Why do you have to prod and poke at everything? You don’t need answers for everything in life because it’s none of your damn business.”

  I was shaking, unsure if I could even breathe as he held an unsteady breath. “I’m sorry father,”

  “Sorry, won’t save you when someone kills you after nosing about in their business," he whispered to me. Finally letting go as I crumbled underneath him. He stared at me as I lay frozen in place, only leaving when my mother rushed to take me up in her arms. That night had been both the loudest and quietest our house had ever been.

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  The next morning mother sat me down at the table with Rune and Corbin. While both father and Aspen had left hours ago to resolve the matter that had taken place the night before. She knew we would all want answers, that I, even when asked, wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it till I knew every last detail.

  “I know you’re all wondering what happened last night,” mother started, trying to make herself stop yawning while she rubbed her dry, puffy red eyes. “But just know that Aspen is going to be alright now.” Her voice cracked as she spoke, and she stopped to rock herself for a moment.

  “It’s okay, mother,” Corbin said, holding onto her hand as she breathed deeply.

  “We don’t know who did this yet. Because it seems like your sister isn’t going to say. But we do know the other knights who had already passed the exam thought it unfair for elves to keep such long hair in the service of the kingdom.”

  “But how is that any of Aspen’s fault?” I jumped to ask without thinking.

  My mother grabbed my hands, speaking softly. “That’s just how cruel some people can be. To you, my children, they will only see you as less just for being half of your father. It was never supposed to be fair to them,” she quickly wiped away the tears that trickled down her face. “That is why you must all do your best to prove to them you are better than they are, even if they don’t play fair.”

  That night, when father returned with Aspen, she made a straight dash to her room. Not coming out when our mother knocked on her door, or when she called for dinner. And when Corbin went in to check on her, he had only told us she looked to be asleep. She had locked herself away for the whole next day, and the day after that. Only coming out when mother asked to fix up her hair.

  As Aspen sat at the table and mother began to cut her hair, she would flinch at every snip, “sorry dear,” my mother would whisper to her. Rubbing her shoulders as Aspen tried to take deep breaths. Everynow and again, mother would lose herself to tears and have to step away. The whole process taking longer than it should have for a normal trim.

  The house was eerily quiet, with no one saying or doing anything outside of our chores and eating lunch. By the time mother had finished with Aspen’s hair, we all just been sitting as she brushed away the ends she cut. Not knowing if anything we said would make the situation better.

  KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. At the sound of the door, mother quickly cleared her eyes, straightening out her dress and hair before answering it. Before she could even speak or fully open the door herself A swarm of elf women pushed their way in, carrying baskets of brushes, combs, herbs, and bowls of flaxseed gel among other things. I had only ever seen some of these women around the village here and there. Never really bothering to stop to talk to my mother or invite her to their gathering.

  “Excuse me, why are you in my house?” my mother asked, her voice cruel in tone.

  One of the women walked up to her. She wore a light blue dress with small braids down her back. “We had heard what happened to your daughter.”

  “So what? None of you have ever bothered to come around before? Not even when my children lay sick.” My mother yelled. A look of regret swam across their sea of faces, no one even able to look my mother in the eyes as she came to Aspen’s side.

  “We’ve only come to help, we know many tips to grow even buchered hair,” the woman said, grabbing and squeezing my mother's hands.

  “We’re sorry none of us ever came around before, but let us help you to the best we know how,” said another.

  Seeing the women eager to help my mother only gave Aspen a look, and for a moment, a glimmer of hope since the whole tragedy took place could be seen in her eyes. Letting go of her pride just this once, she stepped back to let the woman work.

  As they crowded around Aspen, my mother placed her hand on her shoulder, finally letting her relax as the women worked. It seemed like A million hands wrapped around her head. As they combed, brushed, and applied gel,s they began to twist her hair into little strands. They all shared many different styles. Some with thick locs, others with small braids, some with braided patterns to the brain. I only stared in awe as the ladies quickly worked together. Perfectly in sync as they moved fast. It was a long process to endure as Aspen twisted in her chair, wanting to get up to stretch her legs everynow again. When the women finsihed they stepped back to reveal mini twists that hung all the way to her ears. Aspen hesitated to grab at them as she thanked the women.

  “My beautiful girl,” my mother said, stepping forward, brushing her hand against Aspen’s cheack As the women left mother thanked them all, inviting them to tomorrow's dinner when Aspen arrived home after her exam. As Aspen began to retreat to her room, I felt myself reaching out to her, but as she stood quiet and timid in the corner, I couldn't bring myself to accidentally reopen wounds she was trying too hard to conceal. Even in her saddened state, I could only think about how absolutely gorgeous she still looked.

  By the next day, mother had woken herself so early that even the roosters still slept in. She now had to feed the whole village as they prepped in excitement for Aspen’s exam. And by the time I got up to even start my chores, father was drawing a thick line on the floor, a final warning if anyone dared to step into her space and disrupt her.

  Father had left with Aspen before he could tell Corbin or Rune this simple rule. “Good luck, Aspen,” I told her, but she only gave me a half-hearted smile as she left. And when Corbin finally did get up, he only laughed at the white line around the kitchen.

  “Is this seriously some stupid attempt to make sure you get the first taste of all the desserts?” he asked in a snarky voice.

  “No, it’s not, twig. Father put this here, I’m just telling you to try and be a good sister.”

  He snorted at my words, clinging to his belly as he gave a dramatic laugh, “You? A good sister? Please, you’d eat this whole house out of every sweet if it meant i cound’t get any, move aside.” the moment he pushed past me and crossed the white line i backed away, knowing mother’s temper was something fierce today.

  As Corbin made his way around the kitchen, peering in bowls, and sniffing some things, I knew it was a matter of time before Mother would come back to catch him. It wasn’t till he put his finger in some unusually dark batter that our mother snatched him up by his hair and pulled him to his room.

  “I thought your father made it very clear the kitchen was off limits today,” she shouted, as Corbin cried out. I truly tried my best not to laugh, knowing it would only make Corbin angry. But seeing his scrunched-up face, as I had already warned him, was a sight to see.

  “It’s not funny,” he screamed, storming out of the house as our mother demanded he come right back. As he walked further into the woods, I swore I could see literal steam coming from his ears. It didn’t take long to see him blow off some steam as he shot water spears into the woods behind us. His outbursts were no joke, so seeing the hole he put into the middle of the tree meant I would get an earful myself later on.

  The land that had not even belonged to us, but to the nobles who employed father and mother to work it. The most common job for those who lived at the bottom of the valley. Aside from my father taking trips with other people to trade off goods they had gotten. Taking him away for weeks at a time.

  Since Aspen had already left in the early morning before dawn broke, before anyone could see her go. I knew it would be hours before she would return. Before, I would have to watch her sit around with that painful look in her eyes as everyone else enjoyed themselves. Aspen didn’t try to hurt me because she hated me, but because she was scared. I told myself. Before anyone could see what I was up to i’d locked myself away in my room, sending Rune away, giving her a promise of my next treat father brought back.

  By time night had already fallen, the house was packed with people; no one had any sight of Aspen. The test had been over hours ago, and with mother pacing around, worried, Corbin too focused on showing off his magic and Rune entertaining the elders with her own play, no one had been bothered enough to look at what I was up to.

  Father hadn’t been back either, but mother and the other elf women had chalked it up to him just catching his breath from all the stress. As everyone started to ready themselves for Aspen’s return, I tried to convince myself my mother wouldn’t lose her mind at the sight of me.

  “She’ll see it’s no big deal, it’s only hair,” I tried to tell myself, feeling as if my heart would beat out of my mouth if I didn’t calm down. Before I could even practice the scenario in my head i heard a long bang ring through the house. A crowd of cheers and congratulations could be heard as I prepared myself to head out.

  The moment I opened the door, I saw everyone had crowded around Aspen. shaking her hand and patting her on the back. Shoving gifts in her face as she pushed them away with an awkward smile. She had seemed like the old her was finally peeking back through. Too kind to accept praise, too shy to show off, as others pointed out every detail in her new uniform. It was neat and nice as it held the king's emblem above her heart. Its hues of green turning different shades under the warmth of the furnace fire. Father had even made his way in to shake the hands of babbling, drunken men. Who, at times, didn’t know when to stop talking.

  Holding my breath i made my way through the crowd of people, who started to stare at me as if I were some freak. Some began to whisper among themselves, while others reached to touch my poorly cut off hair. Elves only ever cut their hair off for three reasons: the death of someone, after becoming an outcast, or after committing treason with our magic. I had fit into none of those things.

  Trying to shake off the different stares I knew felt piercing my skin, I made my way over to Aspen. Avoiding my mother’s gaze as she kept trying to stop herself from falling over. My hair was now short and uneven, just as hers once was. Seeing her eyes rush with tears, unable to stop as she hugged me, I couldn't help but cry into her arms. We held each other till our eyes became puffy and red, and we could only make sniffles when no more tears came out.

  Aspen took me by the hand, “Please, continue the party, everyone,” she told them, leading me away to her room. The moment she shut the door, I was so unsure of what to say; no words came out of my mouth even as I tried to speak. Sitting on her bed, she waited till the house filled with the noise of drunk men and women to speak.

  “When all these people leave, mother is going to kill you,” she said. Letting out an honest laugh, I couldn't help but join.

  “I don't care,” I finally said.

  She came to sit down beside me, giving me another hug as she ran her fingers through my hair, “You should care wren, you know how important our hair is to us.”

  “Not as important as you,” I told her, trying to hold back any remaining tears as I tried to speak. My voice cracked between words. “You’re my big sister, and seeing how soulless they made you, I-I didn’t know how to talk to you about it, o-or what to say. But I know if I can make you feel less weird about having short hair, what’s a few inches off?”

  We couldn’t help but burst into tears again; the night had seemed to drown both of us in a mix of emotions together. Aspen still wasn’t one to spoil the mood with salty tears over sweet treats. Drying my face with her hands came back out into the party.

  We made our way outside to light, watching Corbin rush to show off his magic as he lit a fire as big as the stars in the wood. Even as everyone danced, mother still wasn’t all too happy, but couldn’t find a reason to stay mad for long as father took her into a joyful dance. And Rune still practiced her glass-shattering voice as others quickly covered their ears.

  Aspen couldn’t be more carefree as we danced through the embers together. And the village sang along with old songs we didn’t bother to understand. That night, no one paid attention to her hair, but to the bronze strip that sat across her shoulder.