and gave her everything left in her chest. “Sleep, little starlight,” she whispered. “You’re safe now.”
Kaelthira didn’t stir. Outside, the wind shifted and a branch tapped gently against the glass. Aelira closed her eyes and allowed sleep to consume her.
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correcting her when she got the princess’s name wrong. Could still feel the press of her daughter’s fingers wrapped around hers in sleep.
Stars, I miss you.
But she didn’t say it aloud. She just held this fragile, fierce little girl who had known nothing but cruelty
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Tears fell with abandon down her cheeks.
Roisin.
Thirteen years old now. Aelira could still feel the memory of Roisin curled against her chest like this. Could still hear the way she used to mumble stories back at her,
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Aelira stayed still for a long moment, her arms wrapped tight around the girl, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
She reached up with her free hand and slowly, tenderly, combed her fingers through Kaelthira’s soft hair, the color of rain clouds ready to break.
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And everyone who met her felt the truth of her. Like sunlight in the middle of winter, she warmed even the coldest of hearts.”
Kaelthira didn’t respond. She’d slipped into sleep somewhere between the starlight and the magic.
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Kaelthira let out a tiny sigh, curling closer.
“And do you know what her greatest gift was?” Aelira asked, voice almost a whisper now. “She could see beauty where others saw pain. She made joy bloom in the places no one else remembered.
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“She grew up to be brave. Stronger than any sword. Kinder than any Queen. And instead of ruling from a throne, she ruled from her heart. She protected her people not with armies, but with laughter, and light, and the kind of magic that comes from being truly good.”
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“She wasn’t born in a castle, or to a queen. She was born under the stars. And the stars whispered secrets to her. They told her she was meant for something special.”
Kaelthira blinked once. Aelira continued, weaving the story gently with her voice.
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and murmured, “You ready for your story?” Kaelthira blinked up at her, slow and drowsy, confused. Aelira smiled, kissed the top of her head, and began.
“Once upon a time,” she said softly, “there was a little girl named Kaelthira.” The child perked slightly.
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her arms wrapped gently around the tiny body nestled against her. Kaelthira's head rested just beneath her chin, her breath slow and full of contentment.
Aelira brushed a thumb softly across the girl’s temple, where the skin was still faintly bruised,
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whispering through branches and around the roof like an old lullaby. Inside, the fire had burned low to coals. Shadows danced along the walls, flickering with a kind of sleepy magic.
Aelira lay on her side in the narrow bed,
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Aelira pulled her knees to her chest, chin resting on them. She didn’t speak again. Because nothing she could say would ever be as powerful as this.
That night the shack creaked gently as the wind slipped through the trees outside,
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Aelira leaned back, watching her. “You’ve never tasted anything good before, have you?”
Kaelthira didn’t answer, just cradled the bowl close to her chest and kept eating, steam rising around her flushed face, lips stained with herbs and joy.
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Broth dripped down her chin and a couple of times she lost the yummy meat, but she eventually got it.
And then she got it again.
And again.
By the third bite, she was humming with every swallow, her legs kicking slightly beneath her like she couldn’t help it.
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She pulled a carved wooden spoon from her pack and pressed it into Kaelthira’s small hand. “Like this,” she said, miming the motion. “Scoop. Lift. Eat.”
Kaelthira hesitated. Tried it, clumsily at first.
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“There’s no catch,” Aelira said softly. “It’s just food. Good food. For you.” Kaelthira reached into the bowl again, but this time Aelira gently caught her wrist.
“Hang on. Let me show you something.”
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Her lips parted. Her tongue pressed to the roof of her mouth. Her breath hitched.
She made a small, wordless sound. A hum. A pleased little exhale. Aelira’s smile bloomed wide. “You like it.” Kaelthira looked at her, eyes wide, like she was still waiting for the trick.
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After a long moment, Kaelthira reached out with two small fingers, scooped up a bit of broth, and brought it to her lips.
Her eyes widened. She blinked hard, then glanced at Aelira.
She carefully dipped her fingers again. Brought it to her mouth.
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She crouched in front of Kaelthira and set it on the stone beside her.
“Go on,” she said gently. “Try it.”
Kaelthira didn’t move. She stared at the bowl, her eyes narrow.
Aelira sat beside her, not pushing. Just waiting.
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Aelira smiled. “And then there's wild onions and forest peppers in it. And just enough salt to make it magic.”
Kaelthira tilted her head.
Aelira chuckled. “You’ll see.”
She ladled out a scoop into a rough wooden bowl and let it cool for a moment before bringing it over.
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She gave the pot a careful stir, then turned to Kaelthira with a small grin.
“You smell that?”
Kaelthira blinked. Nodded once.
“It’s stew,” Aelira said, like she was offering up treasure. “Deer meat… I think.”
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Her brow furrowed.
She didn’t understand what she was smelling. Aelira crouched by the fire, cargo pants streaked with dirt and ash. Her tank top clung to her shoulders, damp with sweat.
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The scent drifted out first; rich and savory, with the faint sweetness of wild roots and crushed herbs.
Kaelthira sat on the flat stone outside the shack, legs dangling beneath her, eyes fixed on the cast iron pot hanging just above the fire. Her nose twitched.
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Kaelthira, breathless and beaming, reached for her hand. And Aelira took it, holding it between her own like it was the most precious thing in the world.
Because it was.
*
Evening settled over the shack.
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For the first time since they crossed the desert, the trees echoed with joy.
Aelira rolled onto her side and propped herself on one elbow, watching the girl beside her with something close to reverence.
“You sound like starlight,” she said softly. “Do you know that?”
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“You think that’s funny? I’ll show you funny! watch this.”
She exaggerated a fall, flailing her arms, then flopped again like a fish. Kaelthira squealed and laughed louder, tipping sideways onto the moss, clutching her tiny belly.
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Kaelthira giggled again. She pointed at Aelira’s smeared face and gave a tiny hiccup of sound, her eyes wide with wonder like she didn’t even know where it was coming from.
Aelira let out a bark of laughter herself, standing slowly.
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light and breathless and so new it felt like magic.
Aelira’s breath hitched, tears filling her eyes.
“Oh my gods,” she whispered. “You’re laughing.”
She crawled toward her, still half-covered in mud. “That’s your laugh?! That’s the best thing I’ve heard in my entire life.”
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Her shoulders gave the faintest shake.
Aelira blinked. “Wait… was that a…?”
Another puff.
Then a tiny snort. Small. Unsteady. But real.
Kaelthira clapped both hands over her mouth like she’d done something wrong, but the sound still slipped through her fingers, #crimsonstar #writing #fantasy
She sat up, swiping mud from her elbow with a scowl. “I was so close to looking competent.”
A tiny chuff of air sounded from beside her. Short. Sharp. Almost like a cough.
She looked up.
Kaelthira was still sitting, hands curled in her lap, but her lips twitched.
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