In a quiet forest clearing, far from the noise of the kingdom, lived a man named Cedric. A humble peasant, he lived a content and honest life with his wife, Lyanna. Together, they worked the land, gathered herbs, shared meals, and dreamed of raising a family in peace.

One day, Cedric traveled to town to sell his handmade tools and gather supplies. It was there, near the market stalls, that he met a woman named Drevana a widow with dark eyes and brown hair, quiet and composed, yet visibly weary of hardship.

Touched by her situation, Cedric brought her home. That evening, he sat with Lyanna and spoke with honesty.

“She needs shelter,” he said. “And an extra pair of hands would help. I’d like to take her as my second wife.”

Lyanna, though uncertain, agreed. “If you believe it’s right, I’ll accept it.”

So Drevana joined the family. In time, the three lived together with a fragile harmony. There were disagreements, tension between the two women but also moments of understanding. They worked, ate, and endured the seasons as one household.

Then, in early spring, Lyanna gave birth to a daughter a beautiful baby with sapphire blue eyes and black silk hair, the image of quiet grace. They named her Aurelia.

The very next day, Drevana gave birth to a girl of her own with brown hair and sharp black eyes, a strong willed child named Emily.

Two daughters, born side by side. But even as infants, their worlds were never equal.

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Years passed. The girls grew into young women.

At nineteen, Aurelia had become a familiar face in town. Her beauty especially her rare blue eyes made her stand out. But it was her kind heart and gentle manners that made people love her. She helped the elderly carry goods, tended the sick, and often shared what little she had with those in need.

Meanwhile, Emily spent her time working in the tavern, surrounded by friends and noise. Unlike her sister, she didn’t care for chores or quiet kindness. She resented Aurelia for always being noticed by their father, by the townspeople, and especially by the men who turned to watch whenever Aurelia walked past the tavern.

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Then came the day everything changed.

After returning from a grocery run, Aurelia was helping Lyanna cook and tidy the small home, when a neighbor arrived in a panic.

Cedric had been bitten by a snake in the woods.

They rushed to his side. The doctor came, but it was too late and the venom had already spread. His breathing grew faint. His once strong hands could no longer hold the tools that built the home they all lived in.

By nightfall, Cedric had passed away, leaving behind two wives who barely spoke, and two daughters who had grown into quiet enemies.

Without Edric, the house began to fall apart not just the walls, but the family itself.

Lyanna and Drevana argued constantly, each blaming the other for small things, for big things, for nothing at all. They had never truly liked each other but now, without the man who kept them balanced, their resentment had room to grow.

Emily’s bitterness deepened. She had never liked Aurelia. Not even as a child.

“She was always Father’s favorite,” she would whisper to her friends. “And the town treats her like she’s royalty.”

The truth was harsher Emily was jealous. Jealous of the attention. The praise. The beauty. The way men looked at Aurelia whenever she passed the tavern.

And Aurelia? She tried to stay quiet, and tried to keep the peace.

But peace was no longer welcome in the house.

Emily began to bully Aurelia, whispering threats when no one else was near.

“If I see you going out again,” Emily snapped one evening, “I’ll burn your clothes again. You’ll have nothing left.”

So Aurelia stayed home, cleaned the house, cooked meals, and kept her head down.

But still… sometimes, in the quiet hours of the morning, she would step outside into the forest, lift her face to the sky, and sing softly, gently just for herself.

And one day, that song would reach the ears of someone she never expected.

Morning came quietly, with soft light slipping through the cracks of the wooden cottage. Aurelia woke as she always did before the sun, before the birds, before anyone else stirred.

She tied her hair back, stepped into the cold kitchen, and began her day.

She cooked a simple breakfast boiled eggs, bread, and herbs and set the plates quietly on the table. Drevana and Emily never said thank you. They ate in silence, or sometimes with complaints, then left for the tavern, where they spent most of their days laughing with townspeople who never asked about the quiet girl in the woods.

Aurelia stayed behind.

She moved to the small room where her mother, Lyanna, lay wrapped in a faded blanket. Her skin was pale, her breath shallow. The illness had crept in slowly brought on by too many years of hard work, too little rest, and too much burden after Edric’s death.

Aurelia sat by her side, gently wiping her forehead and feeding her warm soup.

“You should rest, Mama,” she whispered.

Lyanna gave a faint smile. “You’re the only warmth left in this house, Lia.”

That evening, after a long day of chores, Aurelia returned from gathering firewood only to find her mother motionless.

Her hands were folded neatly over her stomach, her chest no longer rising.

Lyanna had passed in silence, alone.

Aurelia fell to her knees beside her, the firewood scattering across the floor.

She called her name. She shook her gently.

But her mother was gone.

...----------------...

Years Later...

Aurelia was twenty years old now.

She still woke before the sun. She still cooked the meals. And she still stood silently in the corner while Drevana and Emily sat at the table like royalty.

She no longer had a voice in the house.

She had become a maid in her own home. Though there were other servants brought in to help now and then, Aurelia was always the one called to scrub, to sweep, to carry, to serve.

When she washed clothes by the river, she was alone. When she tended the small garden, no one offered to help. She kept the cottage running, the food on the fire, the tools in order.

And yet… she was invisible.

Since her mother’s death, Aurelia had not returned to town even once.

Drevana and Emily had forbidden it.

They told her the world had no place for a girl like her.

That people would gossip. That it was better if she stayed hidden.

And over time, Aurelia stopped asking.

...----------------...

That afternoon, she made her way into the woods to gather firewood. The trees stood tall and silent, their shadows cool and familiar. It was the only place where she could breathe.

But then she heard it.

The sound of horses.

Not one, but several. Hooves crunching over dry leaves. The low murmur of men’s voices. She froze behind a thick tree trunk and peered through the leaves.

A group of armed men moved slowly through the forest. Their cloaks bore a crest the royal crest of the kingdom. Their swords were polished, bows strapped to their backs. They looked like trained soldiers, not hunters.

Among them sat a man calm, focused, and striking.

He had dark black hair, slightly tousled, and sharp green eyes that scanned the blade he was sharpening. His posture was confident. His expression unreadable.

Aurelia stared, her breath caught.

Something about him made her heart pause.

He didn’t see her. No one did.

Slowly, quietly, she backed away. Then she turned and ran.

...----------------...

Back at the cottage, she said nothing. She returned to the laundry, to the dishes, to the silence.

The encounter in the woods remained tucked away in her mind, like a secret pressed between pages.

She didn’t know who he was.

She didn’t know why they were in the forest.

But something told her this would not be the last time their paths would cross.