“Come on, Quinn,” Autumn groaned, waving her little sister over. “We cannot be late.”

  Quinn stomped slowly down the spiral staircase of their lighthouse-house and trudged across the room over to Autumn. Her red hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and her bangs hung in her eyes like they usually did. She was in desperate need of a haircut.

  “Why do we even have to do this, anyway? It’s so early.” She grabbed Autumn’s wrist and pulled her out the door. With a sigh, she said, “Let’s go already before I fall asleep.”

  Autumn chuckled and followed her out the door, waving goodbye to their mother as she did so.

  The three of them lived in a lighthouse on the rocky cliffs of Summercross Valley, the Northernmost and coldest village in Alondra. Summercross was a lower class village, made up of mostly fisherman, whale oil harvesters, and shipbuilders. The lighthouse was supposed to be used to light up the sea on foggy nights, though it had nearly been taken down by the Alondran government due to its use of magic. It was the glow of a ball of light that had been crafted by an Aetherian that lit the seas, and Aetherians were feared because of their magic and therefore hunted down and slaughtered.

  The lighthouse only stood because Autumn’s mother had promised the Queen that she’d never use the light as long as she could live in it for free. The queen obliged.

  As Autumn and Quinn made their way along the trail to the harbor, they counted how many seabirds they could spot. These birds were big and fluffy with fur and feathers, unlike any other bird in the kingdom. They had long, sharp beaks to pierce the ice and pouches in their necks to store fish. They nested closely in the rocks on the cliffs, free of the salty spray. They were one of Autumn’s favorite things about Summercross Valley.

  After about five minutes of walking, Autumn and Quinn decided they’d stretch their wings.

  Alondrans had giant, gorgeous wings that would sprout from their lower back. They were huge and feathered, like those of a big bird. The colors and size varied based on genetics, and Autumn had been blessed with ample, amber colored ones. Quinn’s were brown and beige like a sparrow.

  The valley was clear and bright this morning, with dew from the rain that covered the fjords the night before making the grass shine with every color. The sun peeked over the horizon, and below Autumn the waves crashed playfully against the mossy shore.

  Autumn and Quinn flew high above the trail, following the cliff edge and diving and ducking closer and closer to the bluff as they began to reach the harbor.

  Docks and ships lined the shore, along with buildings and shops and merchants. Sailors yelled back and forth as they ran and flew from port to starboard on their boats, and dockworkers tossed barrels and crates and nets off and on ships.

  Since it was early morning, most sailors were just now untethering their ships to go fishing. Alondra didn’t have any neighboring kingdoms, so sailors only ever came back with fish, whale oil, and sometimes a sea lion or two.

  Autumn and Quinn did not ever board or ride ships, but they were both dockworkers and helped sailors with their morning duties. Sometimes the harbormaster would even let them help out in the bait shop. Those were the lucky days. They’d even earn a couple extra cocleae.

  Autumn and Quinn landed just in front of the port check in building, where they entered to find the harbormaster.

  “Ah, Autumn! Quinn! Good morning,” He exclaimed, making his way around his desk to come and greet them. His eyes crinkled with a smile under his glasses, and his dark grey curls bounced as he shook Autumn’s hand with a nod. His gloved fingers gripped tightly around Autumn’s, making her hand hurt slightly.

  After doing the same with Quinn, he led the two of them behind his desk where he grabbed two fishing nets and a sharp weed rake. He pushed one of the nets and the rake into Autumn’s arms, and handed Quinn the other net.

  “I hope you two are fine with getting wet today, because you guys will be clearing out the seaweed from under the docks. Some of the smaller boats are having trouble getting in and out because the darn weeds hang on so tight.”

  Quinn groaned. “You always give us the harder tasks.”

  The harbormaster dismissed her comment with a flick of his wrist. “Oh, well you two are my hardest workers. You’ll do anything just for some cocleae.”

  Autumn glared at him. He did this often. Making them do the jobs no one else would just because they were poorer and needed the money.

  “You don’t want to go hungry, now do you?” He continued, his saccharine voice filling Autumn’s eardrums with thick sugar-water. “It’s really too bad I’m the only one around here who will accept lower class Homos like you two. It would be a shame if you were fired…” He trailed off and shook his head wistfully.

  Autumn bit back a rude response. “Yes sir.”

  The harbormaster clapped his hands together. “Oh how lovely! I knew I could rely on you two.” His smile was fake and haunting. He ushered them out the door. “Now, now, you two must get to work before the tides get too strong. The sea is calm now.”

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  He pushed them out of the shop and slammed the door shut. After a few seconds of standing there in disbelief, Quinn lost it.

  “All he does is order us around!” She yelled, slamming the pole end of her fishing net into the ground. “He makes us do all the dirty work because he knows we need the money. It’s not fair!”

  Autumn grabbed her sleeve and pulled her closer. “Listen, Quinn. This sucks, but it’s all we can do. The harbormaster is the only one willing to pay us to work, so we must do as he says.”

  “But-” Quinn protested.

  Autumn put a finger over her mouth. “The marines are always watching this part of town. We mustn't talk badly about the higher ups, or we could get flagged down by the queen.”

  Quinn pulled free of her grip. “Fine,” She hissed.

  Autumn stood tall and walked her sister over to the edge of the rocky outcrops, where they took off their trousers and worn down tunics to reveal their beaten down, hand-sewn swimsuits their mother had made for them.

  Autumn wetted her hands and smoothed back the loose strands of hair that didn’t fit into her braid, and removed each of her beaded necklaces, one by one. Her special necklace that she rarely took off, one with a silver compass attached to the end of it, she removed uneasily. She worried someone might steal it, so she tucked it into her clothing and hid her and Quinn’s clothes in a pocket in the rocks.

  Autumn took a deep breath, taking in the smell of the salty air and the fish. She closed her eyes and listened to the rise and fall of the waves, along with the distant barking of the sea lions. The sea was welcoming, and though the people who lived around it were unforgiving, it was her home.

  “Alright, Quinn,” Autumn said with a quick exhale. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Quinn nodded and grabbed her net, and the two of them jumped feet first into the freezing water.

  * * *

  “How was work today?” Skylynn asked Autumn. “You two came home sopping wet, I could only assume it didn’t go well.”

  Autumn sighed and took another bite of her mother’s bread. “We had to clear the seaweed from under the docks,” She said, her mouth full. “It was miserable.”

  Skylynn shook her head and leaned up against their kitchen counter. “Oh, I bet. It was awfully cold today for such a sunny summer day.”

  “Doesn’t matter if the air is cold or hot,” Quinn grumbled. “Sea’s always just as cold.”

  Their mother walked over to Autumn and ran her calloused fingers through her knotted hair. “I swear the harbormaster just keeps giving you guys worse and worse jobs. It’s really getting on my nerves.”

  Autumn looked up at Skylynn from her seat at the table, her face framed by her hands. Her mother’s eyes were clouded with concern, and her brows were knit together tightly.

  “It’s okay. We’ll do anything we can,” Autumn replied. “You don’t have to worry about us.”

  Skylynn sighed and took her seat at the opposite side of the table from Autumn, next to Quinn. She set down her bowl of soup and her bread and stared at it, her face tightening.

  “You shouldn’t have to work. It makes me mad that it’s me that keeps us from having more. If only I had never-” She clenched her fists and sighed once more. “We are in this place because I married your mother. And though she is dead, I cannot be forgiven. You are in this place because of me and for that I am deeply sorry.”

  Autumn reached across the table to clasp their hands.

  “It is not your fault for loving who you love,” She said somberly. “It is Alondra’s fault for being such assholes.”

  “Autumn!” Skylynn cried, though it turned into a laugh moments later.

  “She isn’t wrong,” Quinn retorted.

  Skylynn shook her head and smiled. “Speaking of Alondra, you received a letter today.”

  She stood up and walked across their kitchen to pick up a letter, which she dropped in front of Autumn. It floated down carefully to land right between her hands. Autumn stared at it for a few moments.

  “Well?” Quinn asked impatiently. “Open it up!”

  Autumn ignored her.

  “Windshire Castle,” She read aloud. “It's a letter from the castle.”

  She frowned and slid her finger carefully under the flap of the envelope. Inside was a folded letter with gold markings along the edges, and the Knights of Alondra crest at the top of the paper.

  “Autumn Brisa,” She read. “Younger sister of Keyne Brisa; a knight and hero of Alondra, you have been requested in Windshire by Queen Reina and Prince Reynard to begin training to become a knight, just like your late brother. Because your brother was so successful among our ranks and has a family in need of financial assistance, the prince has offered to provide the Brisa-Wayra family with five thousand cocleae per month in return for your service in the Alondran Guard. If you would like to accept this offer, you must make your way to the castle before the end of the next month.” Autumn blinked a couple times, and her mother and sister gasped.

  “Autumn!” Skylynn exclaimed. “This is wonderful news!”

  Autumn smiled, but she couldn’t help but be scared. Her older brother had died among those ranks. And, after he did, Autumn gave up on her dream of becoming a knight. Why serve the people that were trying so hard to hurt her family? But then there was the money. Quinn and her mother needed that money. 5,000 cocleae a month? That was more than what they got in six months. If she didn’t accept this offer, an opportunity would be wasted. She was willing to risk her life for her family, but was she willing to risk her life for a kingdom that looked down on her?

  Autumn hugged her mother and sister back when they came to embrace her, but she wasn’t in the right mindset. She didn’t know what to do, but they were already counting on her.

  That night before she went to bed, she spent almost an hour staring at the letter in the candlelight. Quinn was already sound asleep, so Autumn got to think in silence.

  She’d made the decision.

  She had to do it.

  Even if it meant she had to leave her family.

  Even if it meant she had to leave the ocean.

  Even if it meant she had to train to do dangerous things.

  Even if it meant she had to meet new people, who probably would not like her.

  She had to do it. For the sake of her sister and mother.