//------------------------------//
// 1 
// Story: A Soul’s Journey 
// by Sapixbrony 
//------------------------------//

“Grandma?”
“Yes, dear one?” Heather responded to her 10 year old granddaughter Dusk Muse. The girl had the red hair of her grandfather, but her own straight hair. She had bright green eyes, that match the twitchy energy of a young creature eager to please. She was tall compared to her twin, Dracon, who had the black hair of his grandmother and the blue eyes of his grandfather.
He was quiet and studious compared to his sister. He had also the short end of the stick and was short. Heather was out shopping for that weekend end with her grandchildren. She had just picked them up from their school. She had decided that going to the market and picking up the children would be a two in one task, and told them the detour. They had been upset about that, because they had wanted to go se their grandpa and practice their magic.“ Why do Dracon and I have to learn about the family tree for school?” The young girl asked dejectedly.
Heather laughed, remembering what it was like to having to go to school. “Because, dear one, it helps you understand who and what you are better. Your grandfather and I had to learn the same thing, albeit in an unusual and very uncomfortable way.”Dusk looked at her in confusion.“Would you like me to tell you the story?” Both her grandchildren nodded. 
“ I’ll tell you when we get home then okay?” They nodded, and finished the grocery shopping for the weekend. When they arrived home, they found Alfred, Heather’s husband in the front garden pulling weeds. The kids were out of the cart before their grandma could blink and tackling their grandfather. 
“We missed you.” Dracon said once he and his sister were off their grandfather. 
“I can tell.” Alfred said standing up stiffly. He stretched his back muscles, nodding to the stable hand who had come to help the coachman with the horses and cart. and led the kids and his wife into the house, all of them carrying groceries in. They all set about putting groceries, the kids knowing where everything went.
Putting away groceries was one of the ways they could practice their magic, and help out the few servants that their grandparents employed. Each child had many talents, and they loved visiting their grandparents because of the huge estate they lived on, and the freedom allowed to them to practice all their talents. There was no pressure to do any one particular thing and they could be themselves. The children also loved the stories that their grandparents shared with them.
Once all the food was put away, the children went up to their respective rooms to cleanup and change into play clothes that were kept at their grandparents house, before starting on their school work. That was the one rule their grandparents had, before Dusk and Dracon could do as they liked and before stories were shared, they had to do their school work. It took only two hours to do all of their work before loud noises and bright lights started to permeate the manor house.
Meanwhile in their private quarters, Heather was filling her husband on her promise to their grandchildren. “ So let me get this straight dear, you promised our grandchildren that we would tell them about our past, their very volatile heritage, all because you had a nostalgic feeling?” Was his response to her explanation. 
“Yes and no. Yes….because I was feeling nostalgic, and no. They are getting old enough to know why things are the way they are in this family and why things are the way they are in the world, or did you forget we had a part in that dear?” She replied, looking through the mirror at her cross husband behind her.
He huffed and looked away from the raven haired beauty in front of him. He recalled the first day he had laid eyes on her. She had been sitting beneath a tree reading, waiting for her work shift at the local thrift shop. That had been a few days between when he had started to work there himself and when he had seen her up close. She had the darkest green eyes set in a wide, unassuming face, tan skin, and the blackest hair he had ever seen, and her locker was right across from his. Compared to her, he was a tall, scraggly looking brown haired fellow with bright blue eyes. 
He couldn’t forget the day he had been torn apart from her and their separate journeys had begun. The corners of his mouth felt the tug of a frown. He felt warm arms around him, pulling him into towards the warm body of his wife. She was the one person who understood him best. “You know, I had forgotten what you looked like sad.”she mused, running her hand through his hair.
He smiled at that, and said, “That’s because you always seem to know when I am upset, and cheer me up.” 
She laughed, replying “ I had plenty of practice you know.”Alfred sighed, knowing his wife was right. “ I am guessing you were planning on telling them after dinner?” He asked, looking at his wife. She nodded, and turned him in such a way she could massage his shoulders.
Later that evening, the four family members sat around the fireplace situated in the family room. They all had a cup of cocoa in their hands, with a table in the middle of them piled high with goodies. Story time was like being in a theatre and camping all at once. Heather was the one to start speaking. “Now Children, this is both a story and your family history, so We need you to listen because this is very important, okay?” The children nodded; they knew there grandma and grandfather were serious when they brought up the fact their stories were historic. Heather waited till they promised verbally they would heed the story.
It was then their grandfather began the tale with “Once, a very long time ago….”