The village breathed. Slowly. Peacefully. The wind rolled gently through the wheat fields, stirring the golden strands like waves over the earth. Birds chirped, children played, and for the first time in a long time, Kaelen felt stillness.
He leaned against the old fence, arms folded over the wood as he watched Tomas chase after a chicken twice his size. The boy's laughter echoed through the air, light and unburdened. Kaelen couldn't help the faint smile that crept onto his face.
"You should help him," came a voice beside him.
Kaelen turned to see Maelra approaching, wiping her hands with a damp cloth, fresh from whatever chore she'd taken on that morning. Her hair was pulled back messily, a few strands clinging to her cheeks. There was dirt on her cheek, a smudge of it near her jaw, and her expression carried the same smirk it always did when she was about to say something sarcastic.
"He's got it handled," Kaelen replied dryly.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure the chicken's terrified," she said, nudging him with her elbow. "Fearsome warrior, that one."
He shook his head, the smile staying longer than it usually did. "What are you up to now?"
"Just finished washing some clothes," she said with a shrug. "Thinking of heading out to check the animals near the tree line before night. You?"
Kaelen paused. "Just… observing. This place. It feels like…"
He searched for the words.
"Like it shouldn't exist?" she offered.
"Yeah," he muttered. "Like it's untouched by everything that's wrong out there."
Maelra glanced toward the children playing near the well. "Don't get used to it. Things like this… they don't last."
He looked at her. "You always this optimistic?"
She grinned. "Only on days ending in 'y'." Then she gave him a quick wave. "I'll be back before dusk."
As she walked off toward the woods, Kaelen watched her go. There was something different about her today or maybe it was nothing. Maybe he was just too used to expecting the worst.
Later that day, Tomas ran up to him, panting and red-faced.
"I carved this for you," he said, holding up a small wooden pendant shaped like a bird in flight.
Kaelen blinked. "Why?"
"Because you're nice. And because you looked sad yesterday," the boy said with a smile.
Kaelen didn't respond at first. He simply knelt and took it gently. The carving was rough, imperfect, but full of heart.
"Thanks, Tomas," he said quietly, slipping it into his satchel.
That night, Kaelen sat near the fire, staring into the flames. The village around him was winding down, fires flickering out one by one, the sky dimming under the weight of stars.
He thought about the king. About the flames that devoured everything he loved. About the people who screamed until they couldn't anymore.
And yet here… there was laughter. Life. Peace.
Maybe it's possible, he thought. Maybe once the king falls… once The Kingdom of Velrath his birthright is free and rebuilt… places like this will exist everywhere.
He clutched the pendant.
Behind him, a faint rustle drew his gaze. He turned to see Maelra stepping quietly through the outer edge of the village, brushing leaves from her tunic.
"Where were you?" he asked.
She blinked, then smiled. "Told you. Checking the animals."
Kaelen nodded slowly. "Everything okay?"
Her gaze wandered to the fire, and then to the silent houses.
"Yeah," she said. "Everything's fine."
But her smile lingered too long. Her eyes stayed on the village a little too hard.
And in the silence of the night, Kaelen felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Doubt.