They were both dressed for the night in thin chiffon nightgowns that flowed as easily as the wind. Jamila was the first one in bed, but Shani did not move despite her mother waiting for her patiently beneath the blankets.
Shani stood at the foot of it, quiet, her eyes refusing to meet her mother’s.
The darkness felt different tonight… no longer comforting, but suffocating. In the moment the only thing she could see was Nimue.
Her cold pale eyes focused on nothing. Skin much paler than it had been that morning. A cut on her delicate throat and a pool of blood slowly growing beneath her. As she recalled the memory, Shani could almost feel the warmth touching her toes.
The young princess squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, as if the image might fall away… but it clung to her, stubborn and vivid, twisting her stomach until she thought she might be sick.
She hugged herself and began chanting in her head; It was just a dream over and over again. She knew if she fell asleep now she would suffer from nightmares all night.
“Shani?”
She looked up.
Jamila was watching her. Concern, soft but unmistakable, lingered in her eyes. Shani glanced toward the mirror. She looked pale and terrified.
She then noticed the bracelet still wrapped around her wrist.
For once… she didn’t mind.
Being hidden felt safe.
Maybe she could leave it on. Maybe if she looked like this the dreams wouldn’t find her.
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.
No, even with the charm her nightmares would still find her.
She bit her lip and slipped the bangle from her wrist, placing it carefully on the windowsill. Still, she didn’t move toward the bed.
“I… I don’t want to sleep tonight…” she murmured.
Her gaze drifted back toward the mirror. The more she wore the bracelet, the more her almond skin and pointed ears felt like something… fake.
Like something cursed.
Curses only happened to princesses at night, after all.
“I see…” Jamila studied her quietly.
Something in the way Shani looked at herself unsettled her… and beneath that concern, a flicker of anger stirred. Those children in town had done more damage than they realized. How could children be so cruel to someone they didn’t even know?
But the main issue was Shani. She needed rest, but most of all she needed something to drown out the nightmare that still lingered in her eyes.
Jamila tapped her fingers on the bed as she tried to quickly think of a solution. Then, as if the Gods had planted the thought themselves, she had an idea.
“Well…” Jamila said slowly, closing one eye in thought, “I suppose I won’t be able to tell you a story about your father then.”
Shani’s head snapped up. Her eyes lit instantly, curiosity breaking through the fear.
A victorious smile crept across Jamila’s lips, but she quickly pulled the blankets higher so her daughter wouldn’t notice.
“Your father will be so sad to know you weren’t interested in him…” She sighed as she looked down at the floor sadly.
Shani fumbled with her nightgown, fighting the urge.
Jamila sighed. She supposed she needed to bring out the big weapons.
“The poor man… I’m not sure his heart will be able to take my next letter.” she mumbled, just loud enough so that only her daughter could hear.
She hated manipulating her daughter like this, but the child needed rest after the day she had.
“I… I wanna hear…” she said, timidly stepping closer.
Jamila’s smile threatened to return, but she quickly forced it away.
“Well… proper storytelling protocol requires everyone to be snuggled together in bed.”
She crossed her arms with a slight pout and waited…
And waited.
Shani hesitated a second more before stumbling forward and climbing into the soft white sheets. Jamila pulled her close, adjusting the blankets around them until they were both comfortable. Shani shifted closer without thinking, curling slightly into her mother’s warmth.
“Now, let’s see…” Jamila tapped her lip thoughtfully. “What story would you like to hear?”
Shani went still.
There was so much she wanted to know. Her mother rarely spoke about her father in the palace, so the questions felt endless… but she knew better than to ask them all at once. She pressed her lips together, thinking carefully.
“How you met.” she said at last. Her voice was lower than she intended. Her mother had mentioned her father in passing, but actual stories of their time together were rare. So she figured what better place to start than at the beginning.
“Excellent choice,” Jamila laughed softly, pulling her closer until Shani let out a small giggle. The first one she had heard all day.
“It was summer…the sun felt so warm... I had just finished my lessons…”
She smiled faintly as the pleasant memory began to take shape.
“It was the year I turned thirteen…”
Jamila burst out of the palace doors the moment her lessons ended. Her long white wavy hair bounced wildly behind her as she ran, the warm summer air catching in her lungs. Jaziel was busy, her father was away, and for once, no one was watching.
She grinned.
Today was hers.
She reached the far edge of the garden, staring up at the old pale tree. She hoisted the hem of her simple white dress and tied it above her knees.
She huffed in approval, hands on her hips, and looked at the towering tree once more before beginning her climb. Carefully finding handholds and footholds, she only slipped once or twice before hauling herself onto the thickest branch.
She stayed on her hands and knees, panting for a minute. No matter how many times she climbed this tree, she just couldn’t get the knack of breathing while climbing.
Once she caught her breath, she stood and used her hands to calculate the distance and trajectory as if she hadn’t done it a dozen times before. Then, running toward the end of the branch, she leaped with all the might she had in her legs.
She landed on top of the wall with far less grace than she had imagined. Her dress had loosened and tangled around her legs, making movement nearly impossible. With an annoyed huff, she grabbed the hem and tied it once more, making sure to double-knot it this time.
Much better.
Carefully, she lowered herself down the other side, using the uneven footholds carved into the stone. The palace side was smooth. Perfect. But this side...
Not so much.
The artisans clearly hadn’t cared as much out here, which was all the better for her.
Once her feet touched the ground, she released her dress, now quite the wrinkled mess. Then Jamila set off along the narrow jagged path that wound down the cliffside, past the cave, and into the valley below. She hummed as she walked, the breeze tugging gently at her hair, the grass tickling her ankles with every step.
A hop across the river, bounding from one stone to another. She slipped once, but only her foot got wet.
She laughed.
She was getting better at that.
After what felt like an hour, she reached the edge of the forest. She slowed, trailing her fingers along the cool stone of the wall as she walked beside it. Usually she only came this far, leaned against it, sunbathed for a moment, then turned back.
But today...
She had time.
She tilted her head back, staring up at the clear blue sky. Not a cloud in sight.
How pretty...
Then her foot caught on something.
She fell forward with a startled squeal, landing quite ungracefully on her face.
She groaned, then blinked. Luckily she had landed on soft grass.
Turning, she glared at the thing that had tripped her...
Then froze.
Rubble and debris lay scattered across the grass, but more importantly, a section of the wall had collapsed. In its place was a hole just big enough for her to crawl through.
Jamila stood and peeked inside. The wall was thick, but she could see the forest on the other side. It was so close she could nearly touch the trees.
She backed out and fiddled with her hair.
“Maybe I could...” she murmured, eyeing the hole.
“No. That’s a bad idea, Jamila!” she said to herself as she began pacing back and forth.
“But it’s right there...” She stopped and pointed at the hole as if someone else were standing beside her.
“No. Jaziel will scold you.”
She replied to herself as the pacing began once more. Jaziel was such a sweet timid boy, but he was scary whenever Jamila did something he considered dangerous.
Currently his fixation was that running was dangerous.
Jamila stopped and looked at the hole again.
You promised him. No more adventures.
She hesitated, glancing between the path home and the opening in the wall. Her fingers twirled through her silky hair as she bit her lip.
“I mean...” she said slowly. “It’s just one more adventure...”
She grazed the edge of the stone opening with her fingers.
“Jaziel won’t know...”
That was all the convincing she needed.
She dropped to her knees and crawled through.
When she emerged from the thick wall, the other side felt... different. Yet more familiar than she expected. The air itself seemed to change beyond the wall.
A valley lay before her, stretching wider and deeper, opening into a forest that seemed to breathe. The trees rose impossibly high, their leaves whispering together like a sweet melody beckoning her in. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in scattered shafts of gold, and for the first time, the stories she had heard about Silva Mortis felt wrong.
This place felt alive and light. Not monstrous and deadly.
Jamila grabbed at her hair once more.
Maybe this was far enough. She had promised. Perhaps this could be enough of an adventure.
But...
Something pulled at her. Soft. Insistent. Before she could think better of it, she stepped forward.
And didn’t look back.
The forest swallowed her whole.
Light filtered through the dense canopy, breaking into soft beams that scattered across the ground. In the darker corners, strange glowing mushrooms clung to tree trunks, casting cool blues and warm golds across the shadows. Some trees had strange berries growing from their bark, while others had pale shoots sprouting from their bases.
It was all beautiful.
Too beautiful to disturb.
She wandered, lost in it all... taking in the smells, sights, sounds, and the feel of every tree.
It was magical.
Satisfied by her adventure, she stopped. She turned to go back and froze.
The forest was too dense. Too dense.
She had only walked for what felt like a short time, but… The wall was gone.
She took a deep breath to calm her nerves.
She knew she had walked in a straight line, so all she had to do was walk the same line back. Jamila turned and began to retrace her steps, following the same path back.
It didn’t work.
The trees only seemed to close in tighter, the path twisting beneath her feet until it felt as though she was moving deeper into the forest instead of out of it. It was almost as if the trees themselves were moving, blocking her in.
The stories of people going missing, of carcasses being found at the border, of monsters prowling in the dark began to resurface.
Panic clawed its way into her chest.
“N-now let’s not panic...” she whispered, pulling on her hair. “There’s still plenty of time...”
A low roar echoed through the trees, causing the earth beneath her feet to tremble and the trees’ singing to take on a darker tune.
Her blood turned to ice.
Without a second’s delay, she ran.
Branches tore at her dress with each erratic movement. The wind stung her eyes, blurring her vision as tears streamed down her cheeks.
The stories… Were they true?
Was she going to end up a carcass too?
What about Jaziel?
If she didn’t make it back home, he would be alone.
“I don’t want to die!” she cried.
Her foot caught on a surfaced root. She fell hard into the damp earth once more. For a moment, she didn’t move.
Perhaps it would be better if the beast ate her after all.
A small groan escaped her throat. Slowly, she pushed herself up.
Her face was only slightly muddy. Her dress, however...
A complete disaster.
The ivory fabric had been overtaken by a hideous shade of brown. She felt damp, and the fabric now clung to her skin.
“Nimue is going to scold me...” she mumbled as she tried her best to clean off her dress with very little success.
Then she noticed it.
A massive fallen log.
Nearly her height.
Well... perhaps slightly taller upon closer inspection.
Smooth thick bark, but hollow inside. She could easily rest there. She stepped around it, wanting to take in every patch of moss and every crack in the wood.
Then froze.
On the other side was a boy looking no older than fifteen.
He leaned lazily against the log, hands behind his head, eyes closed as if asleep.
His skin was a warm golden-brown, sun-touched and vibrant, carrying a soft glow that caught even the faintest light. His hair was a deep reddish-brown, rich with copper highlights that gleamed beneath the forest canopy. Beaded tassel earrings decorated long pointed ears, and a bird-shaped tattoo marked the side of his neck.
He was...
Beautiful.
The prettiest boy she had ever seen.
Jamila sat on her knees, admiring him for a moment longer.
If his hair was so different...
She wondered about his eyes.
His voice.
Then her attention drifted to the object beside him.
A bow.
Large, hand-carved figures were etched along its length. The lines looked rough but cared for.
She leaned closer, curious what the carvings would feel like.
Reaching...
“ᚺᚨᚾᛞᛋ ᛟᚠᚠ.”
Jamila nearly jumped out of her skin.
She looked up.
The boy hadn’t moved much, but his eyes were open now.
Ruby red.
Sharp, beautiful, and watching her closely.
Examining her.
She felt a slight heat rise to her cheeks. His voice and eyes were prettier than she had imagined.
He clicked his tongue.
“I say... hand off,” he repeated, this time in Gildan.
Jamila blinked.
Then a bright smile spread across her face.
“You can speak Gildan?” she asked, excitement bubbling over.
He eyed her with some mixture of exhaustion and annoyance. A quiet sigh left him.
“I... speak,” he said, the words rough and broken, but clear.
“That’s amazing!” she beamed. “That means we can talk!”
She stuck out her hand in greeting.
“Oh! I’m Jamila! Nice to meet you!”
He stared at her hand, sighed again, then stood and began to walk away after grabbing his bow.
Jamila blinked.
Then followed after him.
“That’s the second time you’ve sighed!” she chirped.
No response.
“My nanny says every time you sigh, you lose a year of your life!”
He stopped suddenly with no warning and she collided right into his back.
Jamila rubbed her sore nose for a second, then froze.
Standing up, he was huge.
She barely reached his chest.
Jamila had never felt short before. She and her brother were both taller than a majority of Gildan children their age... but standing next to this boy, she felt like a bug.
And for some reason, that made her very excited.
“Go home, princess,” he said, irritation slipping into his voice.
Her eyes widened.
“How did you know I was a princess?!”
He glanced down at her, stopping at her eyes.
Her very lavender eyes.
A small bemused breath escaped his lips.
“Lucky guess.”
His Gildan was better now. Still accented... but smoother, improving with every sentence.
“Go home,” he said again, turning away.
She stood for a moment, watching him walk away. Within a few steps he had already put a decent distance between them.
Anxiety began bubbling up with every step he took.
She looked around the forest and tears began to prick at her eyes once more.
“I can’t,” she muttered softly.
He stopped.
“I don’t know how...”
Her voice faltered.
“...to get back.”
She sniffled as tears began to run down her face, streaking through the dirt.
He turned.
He stared at her in silence for a long second before scratching the back of his head in visible frustration.
Another sigh escaped him.
Then he strode toward Jamila and held out his hand. Jamila blinked at it, studying it, unsure what he was trying to convey.
“ᛟᚺ ᚠᛟᚱ ᚠᚢᚲᚴᛋ ᛋᚨᚴᛖ...” he muttered under his breath.
Her attention immediately returned to his ruby eyes.
“Hand,” he said.
She processed the word for a moment. Then she wiped her tears.
She smiled and took it.
He turned and started walking.
No warning.
No explanation.
She followed, her smaller hand wrapped snugly in his.
Jamila noticed his gait was a lot shorter now. A soft fuzzy feeling bloomed in her chest.
They walked on in silence for a few minutes before she could no longer take it.
“You know...” she started.
Another sigh.
She ignored it.
“I never got your name.”
Silence enveloped them once more.
She brightened.
If he thought not talking was going to save him from her, he was dead wrong.
“I could name you!” she exclaimed happily.
“How about... Ruby?”
He stopped.
A chill ran up his spine.
He looked back at her over his shoulder, his gaze almost seeming shy.
“...Shin,” he muttered after a moment.
Her face lit up.
“Nice to meet you, Shin! I’m Jamila!”
“I know.”
They walked on.
Jamila kept the conversation going, which was easy because she pointed out every tree and bush they passed. Shin’s face and body relaxed more and more with each passing minute.
Once they arrived at the wall, Jamila stood there, hesitant to move or let go of his hand.
Her first friend.
Someone outside her family.
Outside the politics of the palace.
She didn’t want to lose that yet.
“Can... Can I come play with you again?”
Her eyes met his, pleading.
Shin looked down at her, his red eyes taking in hers. His face showed no hint of what he was thinking, but something about him felt softer.
“In a week...” he finally said.
Jamila lit up, but he interrupted her.
“Only day. No night. And no going beyond this point without me.”
He set his rules.
Jamila just nodded.
She didn’t care as long as she got more time with him.
She wanted to know her friend better and would do anything to achieve that goal.
“I promise.”
She reluctantly let go of his hand and waved goodbye before leaving.
Her own hand suddenly felt cold.
“Jaziel nagged me and practically interrogated me the moment I got home...” Jamila chuckled softly at the memory.
“Luckily for me, although he was far more astute than I was, he was also incredibly soft when it came to me...”
Jamila glanced down at her daughter.
Shani’s eyes were already drifting closed, her breathing soft and even.
Jamila smiled faintly, brushing a gentle hand over the curve of her daughter’s ears.
Shin’s ears.
“Mama...” Shani murmured.
“Yes, dear?”
“Do you miss Daddy?”
The question lingered.
Heavy.
Jamila let her thoughts drift...
Back to him.
His voice. His sighs. His constant relentless nagging. His warmth. His care.
Her best friend.
Her mate.
She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Shani’s head.
“With all my soul.”