The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale Page A

the brave physician came forward to reveal the truth—Katarina was the firstborn! But the evil PrinceKlas wouldn’t have it and started a bloody war in an attempt to murder his sister.”
    Sus shook her head. “How can we ever know exactly what happened?”
    â€œHistorians read books, letters, and journals to try to unravel the mysteries of the past, but they can’t be absolutely certain they’ve found the truth,” said Miri. “For one thing, people change. What would you three have written about me the first day you met me?”
    The sisters looked at one another and laughed.
    â€œAnd now?” Miri asked hopefully.
    Felissa put her arm around Miri’s shoulder. “Now the story we told would be very different.”
    Something touched Miri’s leg. A ladybug. She brushed it off as casual as anything, almost as if she had not been afraid for a moment that it was a snake. Almost as if she belonged in the swamp.
    Written Winter Week Three
    Never received
    My dear sister Miri
,
    I have not written you for weeks because I had nothing to report. But today something amazing happened. A young man walked into the village. Yes, walked! He was alone and as dirty as a bandit. He is a large boy, broad with thick arms, but looked half-frozen and exhausted. When he spoke, all he said was “Frid?”
    Doter went to the quarry and returned with Frid. When she saw the boy, her whole face kind of widened in shock that way it does. She called him Sweyn and asked what in all creation he was doing here. Sweyn just stared at her. Beside him, I thought our Frid looked almost average size
.
    Frid’s brothers gathered, wanting to know what was happening. Frid told them that Sweyn had been one of her friends at the palace forge but she had no idea what brought him to Mount Eksel
.
    Sweyn walked over to Frid. He said her name again. And then he put his arms around her. Right there for the whole village to see! I would not tell anyone but you that I noticed how his hands splayed against her back, how he rested his face in her neck
.
    Of course her six brothers pounced on Sweyn like a pack of wolves on a hare and yanked him away. Sweynstarted shouting, “I love you! I love you, Frid,” over and over again. And Frid’s brothers got madder and madder and started hauling him off. I nudged Frid and pointed out that that they were dragging Sweyn toward the Great Crevasse. That seemed to wake Frid out of her shock. She ran after and ordered them to let Sweyn go
.
    And then everybody just stood there, staring at one another
.
    Frid said she had to get back to the quarry. She started to walk away, and my heart seemed to stop beating. But then Frid looked over her shoulder and asked Sweyn if he was coming too. His smile nearly broke his face
.
    For the rest of the day, he worked beside her. They never spoke. But one time after she got a drink from the water bucket, she filled the ladle again and offered it to Sweyn. She held the ladle herself for him to drink, and you know what that means. You can bet Frid’s brothers saw it too. They never took their eyes off Sweyn the rest of the day. I am sure Sweyn did not notice the brothers. He was too busy looking at Frid
.
    I am writing by moonlight as I do not dare use up our candles. But I am too amazed to sleep yet. A lowlander boy on Mount Eskel! And I think Frid means for him to stay. After all, she gave him drink from the ladle
.
    Your sister
,
    Marda
    Written Winter Week Four
    Never received
    Dear Peder
,
    Letter writing is like quarry-shouting without linder. It leaves me but seems to go nowhere. I exhale wind, not words. I smile in pitch-dark.
    I am failing. I would not dare confess that to Britta or Katar or Marda or anyone I write letters to, though they do not answer me either. I feel a tug from home, a hope that I might do some good and return to them their own mountain. And I feel a tug of expectation from Asland, that I can somehow