Elowen sat on the ground, unmoving.
The garden felt different now.
Too quiet.
Too heavy.
Her fingers clutched weakly at the grass beneath her as her thoughts spun, the system's words echoing over and over in her mind.
You will be discovered today.
Your biological family will come.
"…Family…" she whispered.
The word felt strange on her tongue.
Distant.
Unfamiliar.
"Elowen!"
She flinched.
Her head snapped up at the sound of a familiar voice.
Footsteps approached quickly, uneven and hurried.
"Elowen, where are you—"
"I'm here!"
Her voice came out faster than she expected.
A moment later, a man appeared at the edge of the garden, his face filled with worry.
Her father.
The only one she had ever known.
"There you are…" he let out a breath of relief, walking over quickly. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
His gaze softened as he crouched in front of her.
"…Why are you crying?"
Elowen froze.
Her hands instinctively moved to her face.
"…I'm not," she said quickly, turning her head slightly.
But the redness in her eyes betrayed her.
The man sighed gently.
"Elowen…"
"I-I'm just happy!" she blurted out suddenly, forcing a small smile. "It's my birthday today… I'm seven now…"
The words felt awkward.
Unsteady.
But she held onto them.
For a moment, he simply looked at her.
Then—
his expression softened.
"…I see."
He didn't press further.
Instead, he reached out and gently brushed her hair back.
"Come inside," he said quietly. "I have something for you."
The cottage felt warmer than usual.
Or maybe it was just her imagination.
Elowen sat at the small wooden table, her hands folded tightly in her lap as she watched him move around the room.
There was something different about him today.
Something… heavy.
"Elowen," he called softly, turning back to her.
She looked up.
In his hands was a small box.
Worn, but carefully kept.
"…This belonged to your mother," he said.
Elowen blinked.
"My… mother?"
He nodded slowly and opened the box.
Inside lay a delicate necklace.
Simple, yet beautiful.
A small gem rested at its center, glowing faintly like a quiet flame.
Elowen stared at it, her breath catching.
"It was with you… the day I found you," he continued.
Her chest tightened.
"…Found me?"
He hesitated.
Just for a moment.
Then he sat down across from her.
"Seven years ago," he began, his voice quieter now, "I heard something in the forest… after an attack."
Elowen's fingers curled slightly.
"I didn't know what I would find," he said. "But then… I heard crying."
His gaze softened.
"…And there you were."
Elowen's eyes lowered.
Wrapped in torn cloth.
Alone.
"…I couldn't leave you there."
Her throat tightened.
"So I brought you home."
Silence filled the room.
Warm.
Painful.
"…You've always been my daughter," he added gently.
Elowen's vision blurred again.
"…Then why…" her voice trembled, "…why do I feel like something's going to take me away?"
The man froze.
The air shifted.
Slowly—
he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded letter.
"It already has," he said quietly.
Elowen's heart dropped.
"A few days ago… this arrived."
Her hands tightened in her lap as she watched him unfold it.
"It's from a ducal house," he continued. "They've been searching for their lost daughter."
His eyes met hers.
"…You, Elowen."
The room felt smaller.
Harder to breathe in.
"They're coming today," he said.
Her ears rang.
"…Today…?"
He nodded.
"They want to take you back."
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
"…Oh."
That was all she could say.
A knock echoed through the house.
Sharp.
Final.
Elowen flinched.
Her entire body tensed as footsteps approached the door.
"They're here," her father said softly.
Fear gripped her chest.
Without thinking, she stood and moved closer to him—then hid behind his back, clutching his shirt tightly.
The door opened.
And the world outside stepped in.
Armored men stood at the entrance, their presence overwhelming in the small space.
Behind them—
a figure.
Tall.
Still.
Imposing.
Elowen peeked out slightly—
and immediately shrank back.
Her grip tightened.
"…I'm scared," she whispered.
Her father placed a reassuring hand over hers.
"It's alright," he murmured.
But his voice wasn't as steady as before.
"…We are here for the child," one of the guards announced.
A pause.
Then—
the man behind them stepped forward.
The air seemed to shift with him.
"…Elowen."
Her name.
Spoken so easily.
So familiarly.
Her body froze.
Slowly… reluctantly…
she peeked out again.
Their eyes met.
And in that moment—
she knew.
This is him.
Her real father.
But there was no warmth in his gaze.
Only something distant.
Unreadable.
"Elowen Evercrest," he said.
Her heart pounded.
"You will come with us."
It wasn't a request.
Elowen's fingers tightened in her father's clothes.
"…Do I have to go?" she whispered.
Silence followed.
Then—
her father gently turned toward her.
"…Yes," he said softly.
The word broke something inside her.
Her grip loosened.
Slowly… she stepped forward.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
"…Can I bring Pippin?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
A brief pause.
Then—
"…If you must."
She nodded quickly and ran back inside, returning moments later with the small pig held tightly in her arms.
The necklace still rested in the box on the table.
She hesitated—
then picked it up.
Carefully, she placed it around her neck.
The gem felt warm against her skin.
"…I'm ready," she said, though her voice trembled.
No one responded.
They didn't need to.
The carriage ride was silent.
Elowen sat by the window, clutching Pippin tightly in her arms.
She didn't look up.
Didn't speak.
Didn't move.
Across from her—
sat the man who was supposed to be her father.
But he felt like a stranger.
The space between them stretched endlessly.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
Elowen pressed her face slightly into Pippin's back, her fingers gripping his fur.
"…Don't leave me," she whispered softly.
The carriage rolled forward.
Carrying her away from everything she had ever known—
and toward a future she didn't yet understand.