In a land of magic on the brink of war, three stories are fated to meet.
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Lilac is being forced into a marriage she never wanted, for the benefit of her kingdom.
Lily is trapped in a life of servitude and endless poverty after her mother dies...
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"A mother never forgets a face."
I froze, unable to move or say anything. I felt a touch on the inside of my wrist, Caleb letting me know he was there.
But all I felt at the moment was a numb disbelief.
Could it really be?
"M-mother?" Lily whispered, the same disbelief in her voice that I felt myself.
From a physical standpoint, both Lily and I were almost exact copies of the woman before. And I saw myself in the tilt of her chin, the way she smiled, the little things like that.
"Lily!" From behind the woman, a small girl with long, blonde hair looked relieved to see us.
"Yuna!" Lily cried, "Have you had news from Caspar and Rose? Are they all right?"
The woman straightened, regaining her composure, and opened the door wide, "Please, come in. I suspect we have a lot to talk about."
I couldn't agree more.
We shuffled into the little cottage, finding the room within neat and tidy and warm. A cheery fire popped and crackled in the hearth, where a large black pot was simmering over the heat. The delicious aroma of some sort of stew had my mouth watering in realization that I was starving.
We hadn't stopped to eat anything all day and even if we had, I doubted we had enough to find all of us. Our supplies were dwindling fast.
A wooden table sat in front of the hearth, with six chairs seated around it. And seated at the table was a boy I knew.
Simon.
Caleb took hold of my hand. I could feel him shaking. I squeezed.
Simon abruptly stood from the table, his chair screeching back. For a moment, the small room was quiet. Tension hung thick around us.
I smiled.
"Caleb!" Simon rushed forward and threw his arms around his brother. Caleb was more than surprised. I couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction.
I told him that his family would forgive him in a heartbeat. Family was family, no matter how black a deed was. Finally, Caleb understood that.
"Please, sit. All of you." The woman spoke, gesturing to the table, "The stew is done and you must be hungry. Let me serve you."
Yuna frowned, "Your Majesty, you needn't do that. Let me."
Your Majesty? But wait, that meant...
"Queen... Calluna?" She froze and met my eyes.
"You are Queen Calluna?"
She nodded sadly, "I was, once. Those days are gone. And my kingdom is in turmoil."
