Chapter 3 — Shelter
Warm sun dappled over the endless field. Two little girls skipped in the tall grass before us, their giggles carried lightly on the breeze.
"Mother, look!" one held up a flower proudly while the other giggled and chased her, stumbling through the grass.
Liora chuckled beside me.
"They really do act like you."
"That sounds like an insult."
"It is."
A small smile touched my lips. God. I had forgotten what peace felt like. The sky was endlessly blue. No war. No blood. No responsibilities. Just us. Just her.
Liora slowly intertwined her fingers with mine, watching the children from afar.
"You've been smiling more lately," she whispered.
"I think I'm starting to understand what happiness feels like."
The words tumbled out of my mouth so naturally. Too naturally.
Liora turned toward me, that sweet smile I had fallen in love with years ago gracing her features. Then she leaned forward.
A drop of blood landed on my hand.
I froze.
Then another.
Warm. Red.
My breath hitched.
Liora's smile slowly faded. Then the cut across her throat split violently open. Blood poured down her neck. The children vanished. The sunlight winked out. The field fell silent.
"No... No, wait..."
Liora collapsed against me.
Suddenly we were in the room again. The same room. The bed. Morning sun. Her body beside me. Blood everywhere. The sheets underneath us darkened endlessly as crimson spread over the bed like an ocean swallowing everything in sight. I struggled to move. I couldn't. The blood crept higher and higher, until my body slowly submerged beneath it.
"Liora—!"
I reached for her with desperate fingers, but she only slipped farther away.
"Seren..." her voice, faint and distant.
And then the blood consumed me entirely.
I woke with a gasp.
My body recoiled with a violent jolt, air ripping back into my lungs. I couldn't immediately tell where I was. A wooden ceiling. The steady drumming of rain. The faint scent of herbs and ash. My heart refused to slow.
"...A nightmare?" a soft voice queried nearby.
My head immediately snapped toward the sound. An old woman sat next to a small fireplace, her fingers slowly pouring water into a mug. Her cloudy eyes seemed fixed on the fire, not me. Blind.
"You're finally awake," she said gently.
I remained silent.
"You collapsed near the eastern road yesterday. Scared the hell out of me dragging you in here." A faint laugh escaped her. I couldn't manage one.
The woman slowly held the mug out to me. "Here."
My trembling hands reached for it, but they shook so badly I almost dropped it.
"You were crying in your sleep," she said softly.
My fingers tightened around the mug, a hot wave of shame washing over me.
"...Sorry."
"No need to apologize for pain."
The warmth of the water seared my frozen hands, almost too much. Too gentle.
"What's your name?" she asked.
My mouth parted, then closed. For some reason, saying it was suddenly so difficult.
"...Seren."
"Well, Seren," she murmured. "Rest here for a little longer."
Rest. The very word sent a painful ache through my chest. I lowered my head.
"I've rested long enough."
The woman tilted her head slightly. "You sound exhausted for such a young girl."
I didn't answer.
The rain tapped gently against the window. The cottage felt small. Quiet. Safe. It terrified me more than the battlefield ever had.
The old woman adjusted the logs in the fireplace. "The capital has been loud as of late," she muttered, her gaze still on the fire.
My body tensed.
"They say the princess died two days ago."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
"The kingdom is currently searching for the royal knight."
My breathing grew shallow. I tried to hide it. I failed.
The old woman noticed. "Are you alright?"
"...Yes."
Another lie.
"They say she disappeared after the princess's death," she continued quietly. "Some suspect she killed her."
My fingers tightened around the mug so fiercely I thought I might shatter it.
"But I don't know..." She peered into the flames. "People don't turn into monsters overnight."
Monster.
The word echoed inside me, burning.
"That knight protected the kingdom for years. I can't quite believe a person like that would do something without reason."
My throat constricted. If only she knew. If only I knew.
The rain outside intensified, a steady downpour. For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then the old woman offered a small smile. "You know... Your voice reminds me of someone."
I froze.
"Someone I knew a long time ago." My chest constricted again. "She sounded lonely, too."
I lowered my gaze to the floor, my lips barely a whisper.
Lonely.
Was that how I sounded?
The old woman rose, her movements slow and deliberate, and made her way to another room. "You may stay the night, if you wish."
My eyes snapped up to hers.
Why? Why trust a stranger?
Perhaps because she could not see the blood on my hands. Perhaps because she could not see the monster everyone else was hunting. Or perhaps... Perhaps she simply saw me as human.
That thought was the most painful of all.
I quietly looked back toward the rain-streaked window. The kingdom was hunting me. Liora was gone. And for the first time since the war had ended...
I truly understood one thing.
I no longer had a home to return to.