The Author's Will

29 | Summer Flowers

To my dearest daughter,
　　 How have you been? It's been so long since I've been able to write to you, I'm sorry for not responding sooner. The war is starting to reach its end, and we've managed to survive countless casualties as if by miracle. I'm relieved that things back at the manor appear to be going well, so make sure you thank your mother in my stead, for all her hard work.

I saw a beautiful golden moon, last night. It reminded me of your eyes, and I found myself longing to see you again. I sent you another gift with this letter, and I'm hoping you'll receive it well.

Moving on, you must know that we're going to be taking in the second prince of Laydel under our care soon. Unfortunately, I won't be able to personally welcome him into our home, so I'd like it if you and Rayvis could be nice to him when he arrives. I'm sure the boy could use a few allies in his strange new home.

But make sure you keep some distance. After all, he is a growing man. Men are dangerous, Irene. Be sure to at least keep a metre or two away from him at all times. Just to be safe.

I will be back home soon, but I'm afraid that I'll miss your eighth birthday. I already feel sad enough not being able to spend any special days with you for the last three years. But once I'm home, let us spend many fun days together.

I'll write to you again soon. Until then, please be well and take care of yourself.

Love from,
　　 Your beloved Father

　　 As Irene held the cold parchment in between her fingers, she could feel and smell the crisp winter of the mountain forests that Rudien was in, through the letter he sent. Irene couldn't help but smile as she gazed out of her bedroom window, the autumn leaves almost completely disappeared from the branches of the trees outside.

Winter was near, and so was her eighth birthday. And the appearance of Prince Mikael - a character she had been waiting to meet for almost eight years now - was around the corner.

It's finally time... She thought, golden eyes gazing out with a serious expression. There's only two more months until he arrives... I have to make sure he opens up to me.

As she gazed out, she noticed a familiar airborne figure with majestic white wings, flying toward her window from the distance. Snow, who had just arrived from his check in on Rudien, zoomed into the room before finally perching himself onto the desk beside Irene.

"He's doing well. The knights are preparing for their last battle before coming home," he told her. "A few of them are injured. But nothing is fatal."

Irene nodded. "Good. I'm glad they're safe," she said to the phoenix, who folded down his wings. The golden linings on the tips of his feathers glistened under the candlelight. "Please continue to protect them in their next battle too, Snow."

He closed his eyes, lowering his head. "Of course, Sprout."

Irene stood up, folding the letter between her fingers and placing it back into the envelope. As much as she missed her father, she couldn't help but be worried about the appearance of Mikael Laydel — a boy who would become the villain of her story.

As she sighed softly, Irene walked toward one of the elaborate white drawers in her room, where she kept stacks of all the envelopes she had received from Rudien over the last three years. She neatly pulled the top drawer and placed the new letter on top of one of the piles, before her eyes glanced at a notebook on the right.

A notebook she would use, to plot how she would change the original story. As Irene picked up the hard-back book, she ran her thumb over the edge of one of the pages, smiling at the messy handwriting and splotches of ink from struggling to get used to dipping pens.