Harmonized Freedoms

Eliora May, a lifetime citizen of Maplemaw, is something many women are not.

Literate. An activist. But these become hard to complete as all is stripped away from her with the coming of unexpected news.

Marriage and war between the faeires and elves of Ilkaphene. A land of magic, where flowers and fungi grow as tall as their castles. Where forest creatures live in harmony. A land of peace.

A land where a fairy married an elf. A fairy Queen marrying an elf Queen at that.

Eliora begins to hear rumors of the war. How it was destroying an ethereal land. And, worst of all, how women were being silenced to prevent more "corruption".

As the war and its standards begin to seep into Elvangmort, changing Eliora's home into one of constrictions, hushed whispers, and worst of all, a hatred toward women, she knows that she must do something to save her freedom and the freedoms of those around her.

***

This is my submission for ONC 2025!

Main prompt:
33. In a time when same-sex marriage was still a stigma, two kings defy convention and marry each other-igniting a conflict that threatens to spark a world war

Secondary prompts:
43. During a wartime book ban, a young woman discovers love letters hidden in the margins of a historical book. As she reads, she unravels a mystery about her family and finds love of her own.
96. The road you've traveled almost every day of your life begins to change-transforming it into a dark, terrifying place right before your eyes.
109. In secret, a group of women forms a book club during the ban on reading. As they sneak around town exchanging books, they form unexpected friendships, navigate their love lives, and uncover hidden strengths and passions.

TW: Violence, homophobia