When Selene finally walked up to the wooden fence of her home, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as she passed the wreaths of Snow's Mercy that they had woven around the posts.
Glancing back for a moment she noticed that the light was slowly fading, in an hour or so the dark would claim its domain and they all had to be inside if they didn't want to end up as food for the creatures.
Taking her new supplies up to the shed, she cast some feed down for her chickens and secured the barndoor with its usual protection.
Tired from her rather stressful day she moved inside finding Edric busy making soup for dinner and looking up relieved at his older sister's return. "So I take it all went well?" He still asked.
"Yes, though it was a sheer miracle we pulled it off this time around. What the hell was Ella thinking? What the hell was so important that she would risk our own future for this? Did she say anything to you?" Selene asked assuming Edric knew more, but the boy looked up confused.
"No, she didn't, it is just when I found her stuff unfinished I figured she was off practicing her dancing. You know how she has been looking forward to the dances, unlike you she longs to go."
Selene rolled her eyes at her foolish little sister. 
"I blame those romance novels that Ella kept insisting on reading. Of handsome knight and honourable princes. Hogwash the lot of it!" Selen bristled going off in annoyance. "I mean we could be pulled apart at the first slip up but does she care? No, miss head in the clouds rather dreams of silly futures that will never come true. She'll be lucky if she marries one of the butcher's boys. Princes..bah!" She noticed her brother's eagerly trying to cut her off and say something.
"So when did she came back in?" Selene asked as she moved to the coatrack and was about to loosen her cloak. 
Edric's chilling answer froze her entire being.
"That's just it. I haven't seen Ella all day. She wasn't in her room or in her usual spots closeby." he told her worriedly.
"Why didn't you say so!" Selene cried out in worry.
"I try to bring it up but..."
"We don't have time for this now!" Selene cut her brother off again. "I'm going out!" She told him. "Lock the door just in case you hear me!" She demanded before throwing the door open and running down the path again.
Ella! Of all the angry remarks she ever made to her sister, she never wanted any of it to come true.
Fear gripped Selene's heart as she tried to think where Ella would likely go, but as worry for Ella took more and more control of Selene she disregarded her own safety and started calling out her name.
"ELLA! Where are you! ELLA!" Sprinting her way through the woods, getting whacked in the face by bushes and almost stumbling a couple of times, she started looking at Ella's favourite spots, there was one place...near the river. Gods she hoped Ella hadn't gone there. 
The risk of Farlanders should even keep someone as dim as her away, but as the usual spots were devoid of her sister, she made her way towards the river.
"Ella! ELLA!"
As the sun set more and more and the light slowly started to fade she reached the river. 
"El..." She was about to shout when she spotted something ahead of her.