ONC Shortlister 2023!
There are few rules in the Kingdom of Kadotaru, and punishment is not kind, even for the young prince who wishes he was anybody else. Tied to the crown, to his family, to his kingdom, there isn't much he can do. He isn't born t...
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Veesythe is a vast forest. It's what makes Saffettey feel so small. Between the mountains, there is only one entrance, on Soliva Road. On the other side, the Veesythe Forest is an endless, dangerous maze. Even hunters from the village are hesitant to venture too far in. There's said to be demons who lurk in the shadows of the pines. Several children have gone missing, few have come back dead.
Rinley knows what those demons are now, but the knowledge doesn't dampen her fear.
Despite said fear nibbling at her skin, she sits near the edge of the forest, closest to her home. Light still filters through the trees, darkness about to meet her as the sun moves down to greet the mountains. But she isn't afraid of the dark.
Lycoris surround her now, swaying softly in the autumn breeze that takes to the trees, browning the leaves. Soon the flowers will wilt and disappear until the spring. And they always return. Rinley has watched them for years, sprouting in the spring, disappearing in the winter, but staying in their rhythmic dance for most of the year.
Her eyes raise, searching through the trees for familiar green skin and pale hair like hay. Aramis hasn't been to visit in a day or two, and much to Rinley's distaste, she cannot wait for him to return like she did before. This time it is too painful to not know if he will return or not. It still sours her stomach that he didn't say goodbye the last time he was here.
But... but she keeps trying to figure out when she climbed into bed while he was there. She's certain they were on the floor for the entire night, and she didn't leave his side. She must have been too tired to recall the information of climbing under her blankets. Which means she might've been too tired to hear his goodbyes before he disappeared again.
Leaves rustle in the distance, and the sound of footfall travels through the trees.
"Aramis?" She rises on her knees, squinting in an attempt to see further. Her heart already feels lighter. Should she stand? Should she run to the source of the sound? Should she—
"Talking to yourself, are you, Rin?"
She flinches, losing her balance, landing on her hands, soft dirt shifting between her fingers. When she rights herself, she finds Percy beside her, sitting down, but facing the village instead of the forest.
"Hello, Percy," she says, trying her best to avoid her sigh.
"You really shouldn't talk to yourself," he responds. "And you wonder why our people call you crazy."
Rinley bites her bottom lip. "It's a habit I find hard to bite."
"It's okay." He smiles, but the distaste in his eyes doesn't slither away. "I'll help you."
She raises a brow, looking at him closer. "Will you now?" His clothes are cleaner than usual, which means he's either avoided work with his father today, or changed between now and then.
