1. That day in the clearing

I ran down the corridor as fast as my legs would take me.

"Hurry up, hurry!"

"How difficult is it to catch a five year old girl?!"  

I could hear them shouting at each other behind me, but I still had a head start. 

Peeking back as I rounded the corner, I spotted them coming down the other end of the corridor. Just as I began running again, I accidentally locked eyes with one of them.

“There she is!” he shouted.

“Stop right there, Lady Silika!” another chimed in.

I clicked my tongue and continued running. 

If they caught me, it was all over. 

Just as the thought crossed my mind, I tripped on the loose ends of my socks and landed roughly on the marble floor, scraping my knee as I went. I stifled a whimper and tried to get up, but I kept slipping between the smooth floor and the soft fabric of my nightgown. Just as I finally regained my footing, I felt a tug on my collar. 

Enraged, I turned around and was shocked to recognise the maid who had dared lay a hand on me… 

Kylie! 

She was the one who, just yesterday, had smuggled my brother and I snacks before dinner!

“Betrayal!” I screamed in outrage before noticing my little brother standing behind her, his chubby index pointed right at me.

“Double betrayal!” I repeated in agony.

“I won’t forget this, Dalton!” I shouted at him as the maid lifted me off the ground.

Suddenly, the familiar sound of heels on stone echoed through the halls as the head maid made her entrance. She shook her head disapprovingly, making the Meiriem insignia around her neck bounce wildly.

“Where have you even learned such words, young lady? Ah… Don’t answer that… I don’t think my ears can take it.” She said in a dejected tone.

She picked me up by the collar from Kylie’s hands and lifted me to eye level. I gulped audibly as I watched her features fold and unfold in a series of expressions.

“Every morning. E-V-E-R-Y morning! You’re five years old, young Lady! At your age, the young lord and lady were dressed by sunrise and were done with breakfast by the seventh bell!”

She placed her hand in front of her eyes, as if trying to shield herself from the embarrassment of my existence.

“That’s unfair! Knox and Ela are twins, so they grow twice as fast!”

“How does that…?” She let out an annoyed groan and dropped me back down, where Kylie promptly grabbed my hand. 

Probably so I couldn’t run away again.

Why was everyone so against a little running in the morning? Fun never hurt anyone! The head maid could use the exercise too…

One might think the scene strange, but this was a typical morning at the Everest estate. 

I, Silika, five years old, am the third child of the Everest Marquess family, which has governed the region of Oblon for more than three generations. And so, by my position, I should be able to do whatever it is I please!

However, as my parents and older siblings are on a trip to the capital, it seems that the head maid has become drunk with power. I will have to make sure she is properly scolded when Father returns.

I was led back to my bedroom where the head maid sat me on a chair against my will, and continued scolding me. Seeing my lack of response, she let out an annoyed sigh and moved on to preparing me for the day. 

While Kylie prepared my clothes, the head maid let out a long, exasperated sigh as she begun roughly pulling my hair back.

“Ouch!”

“It wouldn’t hurt if you were on time!” she said sarcastically.

“But it hurts every time!”

“Because you do this every morning! By the love of Meiriem, Silika! How will you ever become a proper lady at this rate?”

She grumbled as I begrudgingly let her rip my rose-coloured hair into place. Once satisfied with her work, she pulled my hair back a final time and held it in place with a hairband, deeming me ‘presentable’ in her own words.

"Do try not to get this one dirty again… Remember that your mother and father are to return today." She said as Kylie handed her my outfit for the day.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." I said dismissively as I lifted my arms.

While the head maid slipped me into a dress, Dalton peeked his head through the doorframe.

“Silika, are you done yet?”

I turned excitedly toward him, my dislike of the head maid having made me fully forget his earlier betrayal.

“Almost! Want to go play leapfrog after?”

“ Uhm… Actually, you promised to play chess with me, remember?”

“What?! I never promised that! I hate chess!”

The maid looked at me coldly for the outburst, but I didn’t care much for her scolding eyes. As followers of the gods of love, ‘hating’ things was frowned upon at the best of times… But, by that logic, I should also not ‘hate’ mushrooms. And that’s absurd!

I sighed, turning back to Dalton. 

“Yeah, you did! In the garden yesterday! Remember?”

After thinking for a bit, I did vaguely remember promising something like that if he won a game of tag… 

I let out a chuckle. Poor Dalton ran after me hopelessly for hours… Though he did end up winning when I got distracted watching frogs by the pond.

Feeling a bit guilty for going back on my words, I tried haggling. 

“Mmmh… I guess I did. Can we maybe…?”

Maybe if I delayed playing chess for long enough, he would forget about it?

But before I could finish my sentence, the sound of hooves and large wooden wheels echoed through the halls. 

Dalton and I perked up and looked at each other, then at the window.

“They’re here!” we screamed in unison. 

Pushing the maids aside, we ran down the large vaulted halls, the sunlight bouncing off the marble floors and catching the hundreds of paintings, vases and other decorations adorning the light blue walls, and guiding our path between the busy legs of servants to the entrance hall. 

As we rounded the corner and marble gave way to carpet, we reached the gallery at the top of the stairs of the entrance hall just in time to see a blue-haired girl and a salmon-haired boy crossing the threshold.

“Ela! Knox!” I screamed.

I ran downstairs and hugged my older brother and sister with all my strength. The wind was blown out of their lungs, but they greeted me cheerfully. 

“Meiriem’s blessing, Silika. You’re as energetic as ever!” Knox said while Ela laughed.

With her free hand, she delicately fixed a strand of hair that had escaped the hold of my hairband as she tried her best to control her laughter. A contagious laugh that always made the people around her do the same. 

“My lady, please...! Lord Knox and Lady Ela must be tired from their trip!” The head maid pleaded as she tried to separate us, having finally caught up with us, but Dalton joined in on the hug, and Ela waved her off.

“We missed both of you too.” Ela said, patting my head.

 I looked up at her with glittering eyes.

“How was Evergreen? Tell me!”

“Well, it was very…”

“Were the walls as tall as Father said? Did you see a knight? Attend a ball? Meet the prince? The queen? The king?!”

“Young mistress, please! The young masters have just returned. They must be exhausted!” Kylie pleaded as she glanced at the head maid, whose face was turning strange new shades of blue.

Knox turned toward the headmaid and gave a polite nod, then turned back to us.

“Don’t worry, Silika. We will tell you all about it once Mother and Father return later.” Knox said, followed by Ela clasping her hands together.

“Why don’t we play a game for now? It will be a few hours still before they arrive.” she suggested.

My eyes grew wide with excitement. Finally, some real fun in this place!

“Let’s! Let’s! Can we play tag? Dalton is too slow...”

Knox laughed uncomfortably at my suggestion.

“Young lady, this type of violent game is not what a good Meiriem…” the Head maid started saying before Knox dismissed her with a wave of his hand. 

Knox knew how much I disliked rules, especially those as inconsistent as the gods of love, Meiriem. I knew I would eventually have to learn how to act more seriously like they did, but I didn’t really get why.... Maybe it was just easier to pretend any of it made sense?

I always loved playing tag. Or more like, I loved the thrill of running, the wind in my hair, the freedom it gave me to leave people in my wake. It made me feel… Free Like a sparrow or a lark… Darting away from responsibilities and rules!

“What about something that involves a little less running? Our legs are still sore from the carriage..." he suggested with a tired smile.

“Your legs are sore? But you just sat for days!” Dalton exclaimed, confused.

“Dummy! Sitting too long makes your legs hurt!” I rebuked him.

“No way! I sit all the time and I’m fine!”

As we started bickering, Ela interrupted us.

“What about a game of hide-and-seek?” She suggested.

“Oh yes!” Dalton agreed excitedly, but I wasn’t exactly thrilled. 

Every time we played, they always got to me first. Finding a good hiding spot was difficult, and they would always end up finding me no matter how hard I tried to blend in with the curtains or flowers… And don’t get me started on seeking! Knox always found the strangest places to hide, and Ela could almost disappear! Once she hid in the laundry basket and scared me so badly that I screamed and everyone in the mansion came to check on us, including mom and dad.

Really, playing hide-and-seek always puts me in a bad mood…

What I really wanted was to show them how much faster at running I had become over the last few weeks! My daily morning runs were just starting to pay off! I could now escape the adults almost until the next bell!

Knox noticed my expression. He kneeled next to me and whispered in my ear while the head maid looked away.

“Don’t worry, we’ll play tag tomorrow.”

His whisper brought a smile to my lips.

I still felt a bit disappointed, but I guess there wasn't much I could do about it right now.

I continued thinking about it for a second. It's true that I wouldn’t be able to show off how fast I had become, but maybe I could do something else… Something like… Ah! I got it!

After quickly making a plan in my head I nodded enthusiastically. They both seemed relieved that I got over my disappointment.

“Alright, it’s decided! We’ll go play outside after breakfast.” Knox declared, nodding to himself. Probably proud of the way he had handled the situation.

Breakfast went by as a blur as I continued hatching my plan to impress my brother and sister. It needed to be perfect. Something that would completely blow their minds.

After having inhaled my breakfast, I impatiently pulled Ela along as we followed Knox around the main house and reached the gardens on the other side of the estate. 

As we reached our destination, Knox stopped in his steps and stood tall, taking a deep breath of fresh air as he looked out at the rolling fields beyond the garden. Intrigued, I copied him, but still didn’t really get it.

I heard Ela chuckle at my side, but as soon as I turned to her, she pretended as if nothing had happened.

I was about to tell her off for laughing at me when Knox suddenly clapped his hands to get our attention.

“Alright! Here are the rules: No going inside the house. No leaving the garden. You have until I count to 100 to hide, and you lose if I see you!” he explained thoughtfully.

“But I can’t count to 100!” Dalton exclaimed.

“It’s okay, Dalton, I’ll play with you.” Ela took Dalton’s hand. I felt my chest tighten. I was the one who wanted to hide with Ela…

“I like spot and run more!” I exclaimed.

“I know, Silika. We said we’d play tag tomorrow, no running today.” Knox replied, shaking his head.

I grumbled at Knox's answer as I thought to myself. My plan could still work. I just need to head for the clearing.

“Alright, everyone ready?”

We all nodded in excitement.

Knox turned around. 

“Okay….Get ready…. And 1! 2! 3! 4!..”

“Come on, Dalton!” Elas said as she pulled Dalton along toward the flower patches. 

I smirked. It was almost comical how slow they were. They’ll get caught in no time!

“...8, 9…”

Realising I was losing precious time myself, I quickly ran away from the flower plot and into the thicker forest. It wasn’t a very big forest, and you could almost see all the way to the other side if you stared hard enough. It was still a place full of places to hide, but today I was looking for the hiding spot to beat all other hiding spots!

Once I reached the clearing, I started looking around.

“Alright, which one… Which one… “ I muttered to myself as I looked at the treeline.

“Ah! This one!”

I spotted a great oak tree and walked up to it. It was probably the highest around, even taller than the mansion. I found a gap between two pieces of bark and began the long process of climbing up the tree.

I had never done anything like this, but I was determined to impress Knox and Ela; they will be so surprised once they find me!

My plan was simple: find the tallest tree in the clearing, climb to the highest branch, and when Knox comes looking for me, burst through the foliage, surprising everyone! 

It’s true that I might lose the game by doing this, but Ela and Knox will praise me for weeks and weeks for becoming so good at climbing! As Father always says: ‘Small losses pave the way for great victories!’

I continued climbing from branch to branch. The leaves became thicker as I got higher, making it harder to see where I was going. I looked down and saw that I was almost as high as the second floor of the mansion. 

I felt a wave of vertigo come over me as I tightened my grip on the tree.

I was very high… Maybe too high…? My heart felt like it would pop out of my chest at any second.

“...99, 100! Ready or not, here I come!” I heard Knox declare in the distance just as those thoughts passed through my mind.

Oh no! Knox will be coming soon! 

No time to go any higher…

I looked for a solid branch, and once I did, I started making my way to the edge of the tree.

“I see feet! Is that you, Dalton? Ha! It’s Ela! Found you!”

Ela already got caught? That took less time than I thought, but my plan will still work as long as he comes for the clearing.

“I see you behind that tree, Dalton!”

Dalton too? Did Knox somehow become better at seeking during his trip? Do kids play hide-and-seek in the capital too?

It won’t be long until he comes looking for me. 

I hurried along the thinning branch, growing nervous that my plan might somehow fail.

Through the foliage, I saw Knox entering the clearing, but I was still too far from the edge for him to see me. I crawled through the leaves, purposefully rustling them so he would hear, but Knox focused on the base of the trees while the chirping of the birds covered the sound I made.

What are you doing, Knox? Look up! See? I’m so high!

I moved faster toward the edge of the branch, but I could already see him starting to turn away. 

In a panic, I stood on the branch.

“Wait, Knox! I’m right he…”

My foot slipped. I gasped, arms flailing.

I heard a dry snap from beneath me and felt my weight move forward. I tried backing away, turning around and grabbing onto something… anything… but by the time I had turned, the remains of the broken branch was already a small brown stain in my vision as the wind made my hair slap my face.

I tried to turn my head again just in time to see the ground approaching rapidly. 

I screamed. 

Or at least I think I did. 

But the wind stole my voice before I could tell.

And then, nothing.