Tiny precap:
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Aurora smiled softly, brushing a tear from my face. “No, he’s fine. Don’t worry, little ones.”
Aeron’s gaze fell on me, wide and earnest. “Then why is Prince Edward crying?”
I swallowed hard, trying to find the words, but my throat closed.
Aurora leaned closer, her voice gentle. “Edward… he misses someone very precious. He misses his daughter.”
The children’s eyes widened, and in their innocent gaze, I felt the weight of every lost moment—every year we had missed together.
Enzo, the tiniest, stepped forward slowly, his little hand reaching for mine. “Don’t cry, Edward,” he said softly. “Edora is a star in the sky. She’s shining… always watching.”
I knelt down to him, heart aching, and held his tiny hand. I pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it, feeling the warmth of his trust and innocence flood me.
Aeron and Reon moved closer, and both whispered softly, “Mother… will she come back?”
Aurora hugged them both, resting her chin on their heads. “Yes,” she said, smiling through her own tears. “We’ll bring her back. All of us, together.”
I felt a lump in my throat, my hands gripping Edora’s wooden doll tightly as hope began to bloom again. My daughter was out there somewhere, alive, and these little ones—so full of life, trust, and love—were already connecting the pieces of our broken family.
I whispered softly, to both them and myself, “We’ll find her… I promise.”
Aurora’s hand rested over mine, her warmth grounding me. “Yes, we will. Together, as a family.”
Aeron’s small voice piped up, curiosity and a touch of mischief in his tone. “But… if Edora is a star in the sky, then can we bring Cressida back too?”
I froze for a moment, the question hitting me harder than I expected. My chest tightened, the sharp pang of loss for Cressida mixing with the fragile hope of Edora.
