Elfbones had been born on a Friday. As a newborn baby, this meant nothing to him. To his parents, however, it was a real inconvenience. Friday’s were a day for socialising. They had been due to attend a friend’s party that evening, but the birth of their first child had rudely put paid to that plan.

  Parenthood continued messing with his parents’ social life for the next five years. Elfbones diligently attained every milestone of young childhood, but was rewarded with disdain. Any other family would have marvelled at the boy. Such a quiet, well-behaved child with a smile that suggested an ignorance of his parents’ reluctant and disinterested parenting style. In fact, he loved them dearly and was most upset when, on his fifth birthday, they sent him away to The Kern Academy for Young Men.

  There he stayed for much of the year, only returning home between terms when his parents reluctantly arrived to pick him up.

  In his second year at Kern, Elfbones’ parents discovered that the academy would continue to look after children - who could not return home for any reason - during the school holidays. Oh, the reasons they found to avoid bringing Elfbones home. Kern became Elfbones’ permanent home.

  Elfbones was always disappointed to hear that he would not be going home for the holidays, but he did not bear any ill will towards his parents. His love for them remained as steadfast as ever.

  Elfbones spent much of his time at Kern in his dorm room writing. When not in class, he would sit at his desk beside a pile of books, scribbling away on a piece of paper. To an observer, he would have appeared to be an assiduous student. However, his marks in almost all subjects would not have agreed with such an assumption. Rather than studying, he spent his days writing letters to his mother and father. He would write all week long. At the end of the week, he would take the multiple pages he had written, cram them carefully into the largest envelope he could find, and post the lot home.

  From the books on his desk, he would skim information about his current topics of study. He hoped that he could impress his parents, oblivious to the irony that these letters were harming his learning.

  Occasionally, Elfbones would enquire about the holidays and whether his parents would be able to fit him into their busy schedule. He would invite them to visit Kern on special occasions. For all the letters sent, however, he never received a reply, never spent another holiday at home, and never received any visitors.

  Elfbones’ abandonment at Kern was well known by those who worked there. The content of his letters home was also understood by many, due to the snooping of less principled members of staff. As the years passed, the solemnity of his situation grew. One teacher in particular - Doctor Contisso - felt the need to do something for him - to give him an experience outside of the grounds of Kern Academy. Doctor Contisso had identified some maps in the academy’s library that were quite out-of-date. She didn’t have the time to update them herself. However, a student with nothing to do for the summer break would have no trouble at all.

  ***

  Yeni was the name Elfbones had given to the baby. Soli didn’t think they should have named her. She thought it would make things harder when it came time to give her up. But Elfbones named the baby anyway. He had grown very attached to Yeni - the lack of a name would not make their parting any easier.

  Yeni slept most of the time. When not sleeping, she would stare up at Elfbones. She lay close to his chest. From that position, she had become intimately familiar with the underside of his chin. Yet she didn’t seem to tire of staring at him. Her eyes were wide and eager. Every pore, every hair, every lump and bump, and every shade of skin was studied. Each changed throughout the day. As they walked, when they sat, with the sun’s changing light. Yeni found this part of Elfbones fascinating. Only a downward glance could top it. To see the whole face! She couldn’t help but gurgle with joy. A joy that never failed to find its echo in Elfbones.

  His time spent with the child was precious; he couldn’t bear the thought they would be separated should Constance ever find them.

  The forest here was less grand. The trees were smaller and less packed together. Patches of sky were visible. There were still dangers. Soli had warned Elfbones when the trees could no longer support the humming-whale, and they had to continue without its protection. Yet this part of the forest felt less oppressive. It felt safer. They hadn’t seen or heard any creature larger than Yeni in a long time.

  Elfbones was resting at the foot of a tree. He was looking down at Yeni, and she up at him. Time slowed in the moments when they sat watching each other. Something mirrored by Elfbones’ pulse. He relaxed. Despite all that had happened; despite being responsible for a baby; despite journeying through a dangerous forest. In these moments, Elfbones felt calmer and more at peace than at any time he could remember.

  ***

  Solitaire was born in her family’s cottage. The cottage sat on the edge of a wood and overlooked farmland on the outskirts of Riiktigendslig. It was an idyllic location. Idyllic was also a word that could be used to describe her childhood.

  Surrounded by nature, Soli developed a love of wildlife - something her mother keenly nurtured as she tutored her. Every subject could, she found, be related to something they could see from the cottage windows. Soli loved her mother’s lessons and was a dedicated and attentive student. When her father was home, he would test her knowledge with an unwavering pride in his eyes.

  Lessons only filled one half of the day. The other half Soli would spend sitting on an old tree stump near to the woods. Here, with a pad of paper balanced on her knees, she would draw the animals that ventured her way. She drew in ink. There were no preliminary sketches in charcoal and no guide lines. Ink on paper alone, working swiftly to capture her subjects as best as she could before they leapt, ran, or flew out of sight.

  She was sitting on the tree stump when her mother called from the house. Soli immediately knew that something was wrong. It was clear from the tone of her mother’s voice. She dropped the pad and pen and raced home. Her mother greeted her at the back door, clasped Soli’s shoulders with both hands, and fixed her with a forthright stare.

  “Your father has been arrested for treason. It was a coup.”

  Soli knew from the way her father spoke about the king in the privacy of their home that he was no royalist. She had never considered that he might go so far as to try to remove the king from power. There was no time to let the news sink in.

  “Members of the Royal Guard are on their way here. They will take me away,” said Soli’s mother, Helena.

  “But you have done nothing wrong!” said Soli.

  “I know that, and soon they will too. But they will want to question me.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Soli fought against the tears welling in her eyes.

  “It will be ok,” said Helena. “There is enough food here for at least a week. I should be home before then.” Her tone darkened as she cautioned Soli, “Stay here. Don’t go anywhere until I return. Especially down into the town.”

  Soli gripped her mother in her arms and rested her weeping face on her bosom. As she did, eight soldiers of the Royal Guard kicked in the front door and rampaged through the house. They yanked Helena and Soli apart, pulled a sack over Helena’s head, and bound her arms behind her back. As the soldiers dragged Helena out of the house, she called to Soli, “I love you!”

  “I love you too!” said Soli, her voice cracking.

  A few of the soldiers remained in the house. They described what they were doing as a search. But they only seemed interested in smashing and looting. Soli tucked herself under the table in the dining room, thankful that they seemed to have no interest in her. She stayed there even after they had left and slept that night on the hard floor.

  The next morning, Soli surveyed the damage. Anything of value that a soldier could carry had gone. Worse than that, they raided the larder - there were only scraps left. What should have lasted a week would barely last a day. Despite what her mother had said, Soli knew she had to venture out of the house. Otherwise, she would starve.

  Soli and her family lived in a secluded cottage. Their nearest neighbours were a couple of families who lived along the edge of the woods. There were also the farmers who tended the land between them and the town. It was a mile’s walk, at least, between each one.

  Soli started with the woodland cottages, hoping to get enough supplies to keep going until her mother returned.

  Aggression or silence greeted her at each house. At the first, she experienced both. There was no reply to her knocking. A furtive eye between the curtains in one window showed the house was not empty. Soli continued to knock. Before long, the door opened and Soli came face to face with the business end of a large carving knife.

  “Get away from here!”

  “Mr Gundwala, it’s Soli Ellard. I was just wondering—”

  “I know who you are. Get going. Go on! And don’t come back!”

  “But—”

  “Go!”

  None of the neighbours wanted anything to do with her. It was as though she carried a disease. By the time she reached the last neighbour, she had no more food to eat than when she had left. Again, no luck - they greeted her with animosity and threats. It was as though they were afraid of a young girl asking for help. Soli knew what they were really afraid of. Anyone found to be aiding the family of her traitorous father would be suspected of sympathy for his cause. They would be taken, just like her mother. It was understandable behaviour, but Soli found it almost impossible to forgive.

  She began the long walk home. This last neighbour, being a farmer, she helped herself to as many vegetables from their fields as she could carry. She hadn’t wanted to resort to theft, but she also didn’t want to starve.

  Soli lived off potatoes and carrots. There were also the few berries from the woods she knew for sure weren’t poisonous. This kept her going for the next ten days. These were days filled with worry about her mother, and anger. Anger aimed at the neighbours who had shunned her. And at her father for putting them in this situation. She still sat on the old tree stump, but no longer drew. For hours on end, she sat in silence and stared.

  Helena returned in the afternoon of the tenth day. Unaccompanied, she must have walked the miles from the Royal Citadel alone. Soli flew to the house upon hearing her mother’s call.

  They hugged. Helena’s embrace lacked the strength it had once known. Soli reasoned that the long walk had been exhausting. Even after resting, the strength of her loving embrace never returned. It was amongst many things that her mother lost during her time away. Her laugh, which had been deep, loud, and rich, was never heard again. A sweet, gentle chuckle replaced it. It expressed an appreciation of humour, but would never lose control. It would never slap the table and threaten to topple drinks, never fall to the floor clutching its sides.

  During her time away, the Royal Guard had interrogated her. They tried to find out what, if anything, she knew about the attempted coup. They wanted to know if she was a part of it, if she knew anyone else that was a part of it. Helena wasn’t and didn’t. When they realised this, instead of letting her go, they tortured her. Not in obvious physical ways. Mentally. Whether she had been a part of the coup or not, they wanted to break her. If they could prove her involvement, then it would be a fitting punishment. If not, well, it may discourage anyone else from attempting to overthrow the king. Helena would serve as an example of what could happen to their loved ones if they did.

  A day after Helena returned, the king threw them out of their home. Soli’s father was in Schadbane, but this was not punishment enough. As further punishment, the king exercised a little used right. As king, he could take ownership of any land within his kingdom and add it to his own estate. He gifted the cottage to a retired general who toadied to the king.

  Soli and Helena packed what they could carry. They moved in with an elderly cousin of Helena’s who lived above a bakery in Riiktigendslig. Despite the cramped conditions, Soli was, in a way, happy to have moved. The cottage was full of memories. These memories weighed upon her mother. When they moved to town, the weight lifted. Helena settled into the stately rhythm of her elderly cousin’s life. Soli felt a freedom to make a bold decision about what to do next.

  She had always looked up to her father. He had a great drive, always strove to do his best, committed himself to his work and his family. Up to a point. Regardless of what anyone thought of the king, the coup attempt had taken a wrecking ball to their family. In Soli’s eyes, it had shown her father up as a charlatan. She refused to let his failure define her family. She resolved to do better.

  “I want to become a soldier in the Royal Guard,” she said to Helena one morning over breakfast. A gentle smile drifted across Helena’s face as she touched Soli’s hand. As quickly as it had come, it faded again, and she went back to buttering toast. Soli could have burst into tears. She didn’t. Instead, she sat with her mother and ate breakfast in silence.

  ***

  A disturbance in the branches above Elfbones’ head drew Yeni's gaze. She smiled and released a joyous gurgle as leaves and broken twigs cascaded around them. Elfbones sheltered Yeni beneath his jacket as they fell, and Soli dropped to the ground next to them.

  “Thanks for that,” he said, brushing leaves from his shoulders.

  “We’re heading in roughly the right direction. I could see the north-western edge of the forest.” Soli looked at Elfbones, picking a small twig from his hair. “It’s just a few leaves.”

  “I was thinking of Yeni.”

  Soli crouched and peered under Elfbones’ jacket. Glittering eyes and a wide smile greeted her. “She’s fine. Come on, we should be able to make it most of the way to the edge before the sun sets.”

  Elfbones nodded in agreement but remained seated for a moment.

  “Constance,” he said.

  “What about her?”

  “She said she’d find us, but I don’t see how. She might not even make it out of this forest.”

  “We’re managing it, aren’t we?” said Soli.

  “We’ve got you,” said Elfbones. Soli's blushing cheeks surprised him.

  “Look, she seemed pretty hardy. You don’t need to worry. I’m sure she’ll make it out and find us eventually.”

  “That’s just it,” said Elfbones, “I don’t think I want her to. Honestly, I don’t know if I trust her. Yeni is better off with us. Well, with me. I don’t mean to—”

  “With us,” said Soli.

  The urge to hug Soli at that moment was overwhelming. Elfbones knew Soli well enough now. He understood she would appreciate a grateful smile more. Taking another look at Yeni, he prepared to continue the journey out of the forest.

  “I’m not sure I could hand her over. And, whether it’s Constance or the sisters, no one else seems to have her best interests at heart. They all seem to be more concerned with what she means to them. You know? What they can use her for. She deserves better than that.”

  “Agreed,” said Soli. “So then, we keep it simple. All that matters now is Yeni. We do what we can for her. We keep her safe.”

  This took Elfbones aback. He had assumed she would help get them to safety and then return to her training.

  “What about the cadets?” said Elfbones.

  “There’s not much to go back for. I thought I might prove myself by stopping the sisters… It was always a bit of a long shot.” Soli lost herself in thought for a moment. The thought passed - a doubt dismissed. Soli stood straight and fixed Elfbones with a resolute stare. “I’m exactly where I should be right here.”

  A whole pack of shark-wolves could have attacked at that moment. Elfbones wouldn’t have felt afraid. He rose to his feet. “So, what’s the plan?”

  “One step at a time. Let’s find our way out of this forest,” said Soli.

  Elfbones cradled the now sleeping Yeni and nodded in agreement, “One step at a time.” That was good enough for him.