"One, two, three…" Three.
I made three gold pieces today. That's enough to make me happy.
Today is Aurelythria's independence day. Every street has black and maroon banners. Everyone says the Evigheden family saved us. They say the old king and queen lied to everyone, and that the Evighedens made things better for the whole kingdom.
But something feels wrong.
After the Evigheden took over, people from the Beast Kingdom started coming here a lot. I know the king is from there, people talk about it all the time. But now there's a lot of hate going around.
The beasts are bigger and stronger than us. Some have fur, some have feathers, some have claws and wings. Even though they're the ones who came here to live with us, they act like they own the place. They push people around at the market, take more food than they need, and make fun of anyone who tries to stop them. People like me, we don't have any special strength or looks, we just have to take it.
And it's not just the beasts who pick on me. My own kind does too. I have skin as pale as snow, and no one else in the village looks like that. They say I'm strange, that I must be cursed or mixed with something not human. Kids throw pebbles at me when I walk by, and some grown-ups won't even sell me things unless I pay extra.
I held the three coins tight in my hand. They'll get me a warm dinner, maybe even a slice of honey cake from the stall down the road. But then I saw three of them knock over an old woman's apple basket and start laughing. I couldn't help but wonder, what are we even celebrating today?
"Hey!" I shouted to them.
All three turned to look at me right away. The biggest one was a bear-man with thick brown fur on his arms. He huffed and showed his sharp teeth. The other one was a wolf-man with gray in his hair, the other an eagle-woman with feathers on her face. They all stared at me. They looked like they thought this was funny, but they were mad too.
The old woman started picking up her apples as fast as she could, her hands shaking. I took a step closer to the beasts, my feet on the dirty stones, and the coins in my hand felt hot.
"What do you think you're doing?" I said, even though my voice was a little shaky.
The bear-man let out a loud laugh. "What's it to you, little girl? Mind your own business before you get hurt."
"I saw you knock her basket over," I said, nodding toward the old woman. "Those apples are all she has to sell today. Give her something for them.
The wolf-man stepped forward, his eyes narrow. "And who's going to make us? You?" He looked me up and down at my worn dress and bare feet, then at my pale skin. "Look at you white as a ghost. No wonder you stick up for the weak."
A few people had stopped to watch now. I saw some of my neighbors there, they just stood quiet, some even smiling a little. One woman whispered to her friend, "That pale girl is always causing trouble." I felt my face burn, but not from the sun.
I pulled one of the gold coins from my hand and held it out. "Here. This will pay for the apples you ruined."
The eagle-woman raised an eyebrow. "You'd give your money to her?"
"It's the right thing to do," I said.
The bear-man looked at the coin, then back at me. For a second, I thought he'd take it and leave. But then he reached out and knocked the coin from my hand. It clattered on the stones and rolled into the dirt.
"We don't need your charity," he growled. "This is our kingdom now too. Get out of our way."
I bent down to pick up my coin, brushing off the dirt as best I could. When I stood up, the three of them were walking away, laughing again. The old woman came over to me, holding her basket with what few apples were left.
"Thank you, child," she said softly. "But you shouldn't have stood up to them. They'll only come back for more."
She looked at my face, then gently touched my cheek. "And you know how people talk about you already. Don't give them more reason."
I just held my coin tight and looked at where the beasts had gone. Maybe everyone was right about the Evigheden family saving us. But if this is what our kingdom has become, where even our own people turn on each other. I don't know if it was worth it.
"Y-you're right…" I said
I tucked the coin back into my pocket and helped the old woman gather the last of her apples. She kept thanking me, but all I could think about was the people watching. How some of them had looked at me like I was the one in the wrong.
"Come on," she said, taking my hand. "Let me make you some soup. It's the least I can do."
I didn't want to cause her more trouble, but my stomach was growling and I couldn't say no. We walked through narrow alleys to her small house on the edge of the village. As we passed a group of kids playing by the well, one of them pointed at me.
"Look, it's the snow girl!" he yelled
The others started laughing and throwing small clumps of mud. I ducked my head, but some still hit my dress.
The old woman stopped and glared at them. "Leave her be! You'll be sorry when you're older and need someone to stand up for you." The kids quieted down and ran off.
Inside her house, the air smelled like wood smoke and dried herbs. She set a bowl of thick vegetable soup in front of me, and I ate it slowly, savoring every bite.
"My name's Elara," she said, sitting across from me. "I've lived here my whole life, even before the Evigheden came to power."
I nodded, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "I'm Zylaria."
"I know," she said softly. "I've seen you around. Always working hard, never hurting anyone. Your skin… it reminds me of something."
"Everyone says I'm cursed," I mumbled.
Elara shook her head. "Cursed? No. Back when the old royal family ruled, their bloodline was known for skin like snow. They said it was a sign of their connection to the kingdom's magic."
I almost choked on my soup. "The old kings and queens? But people say they were terrible rulers."
"People say a lot of things," she said, getting up to pour more soup. "What they know is another story entirely. The Evigheden family didn't just take the throne—they rewrote our history too."
Before I could ask what she meant, there was a loud knock on the door. Elara's face went pale.
"Open up!" a voice shouted from outside. "We're looking for the girl who caused trouble at the market!"
Elara grabbed my arm and pulled me up fast. "Hurry—hide!" she whispered, pushing me toward a small closet in the corner. "They can't find you here. Stay quiet, no matter what you hear."
I didn't ask why. I just slipped inside and pulled the door closed, leaving just a small crack to see through. The closet smelled like dried flowers and wool blankets. I pressed my back against the wall, my heart beating so hard I thought they'd hear it from outside.
Elara smoothed down her dress and walked to the door, taking a deep breath before opening it. Two guards stood there, wearing the Evigheden family's colors of black and maroon. Behind them, I could see the bear-man from the market, pointing right at the house.
"There she is," he growled. "That's the woman she was with. The pale girl must be inside."
The lead guard stepped into the house, looking around. "We're looking for Zylaria—a girl with skin as white as snow. Did she come here?"
Elara shook her head, her hands folded tightly in front of her. "I've been alone all day, sir. No one's come by except to buy apples."
The bear-man pushed past the guard and scanned the room. His eyes landed on the small table where two bowls sat, one still warm. "Then who were you eating with?"
"My dog, Bramble. He's old now and can't chew hard food anymore, so I make him soup every day. Sits right there in that corner, doesn't he boy?"
From under the table, a small, gray dog with slow movements limped out and looked up at the bear-man. His fur was thin and patchy, and he let out a soft whine as he walked over to Elara's side. She reached down to scratch behind his ears, and he rested his head on her leg.
The guard looked at the dog, then at the second bowl. "Looks big for a dog's portion."
"He's always been a greedy thing," Elara said with a small smile. "Even when he can barely move, he wants more than he needs. Just like some folks I know." She glanced at the bear-man, who just grunted and crossed his arms.
The second guard checked behind the door and peeked under the bed. "No sign of her here. Maybe she ran off somewhere else."
"Keep looking around the village," the lead guard said, turning to leave. "The king's men don't like troublemakers on independence day. Tell the girl if we find her, she'll have to answer for disrespecting our citizens from the Beast Kingdom."
They headed out the door and Elara closed it behind them, leaning against it for a long moment before letting out a deep breath.
"Okay, Zylaria. You can come out now," she called softly.
I opened the closet door and stepped out, Bramble coming over to sniff at my hand. I knelt down to pet him. His fur was soft even though it was thin.
"I didn't know you had a dog," I said.
"Bramble's been with me for years," she said, walking over to pick up the bowls. "He's good at being on cue when I need him too. You're safe now, they won't be back here for a while."
I sat back down at the table, still feeling shaky. "Why did you help me like that? You don't even know me."
Elara set a piece of bread on the table and sat across from me again. "I know more than you think, child. And after what I saw you do for me at the market… you deserve someone to stand up for you too. Now finish your food and I'll give you clothes to wear."
I nodded and ate the rest of my soup fast, then tore into the bread she gave me. My hands were still a little shaky, but the warm food made me feel better. Bramble lay by my feet, watching me with soft eyes until I was done.
"All done?" Elara asked, and I nodded. She got up and went to a wooden chest in the corner, pulling out a stack of folded clothes. "These were my grandson's before he left the village. Should fit you okay."
She laid them out on the bed, a black cargo pants with lots of pockets, a plain white shirt, and a white cloth cap that could cover my hair and part of my face.
"These are really nice," I said, touching the fabric. I'd never had clothes that weren't worn out or patched up.
"Put them on," she said, turning around so I could change. "They'll help you blend in more and won't stand out so much with your pale skin."
When I was changed, Elara turned back and smiled. "Looks good on you. And here, something for later." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, colorful lollipop wrapped in paper. "My grandson loved these. I keep some hidden for special days."
I took it gently, turning it over in my hands. I'd only had one lollipop before, when I was little and found a coin on the ground.
"Thank you," I said quietly. "I don't know how to pay you back for all this."
Elara patted my shoulder softly. "You don't have to pay me back. Just promise me you'll be careful from now on. Those guards won't stop looking for you, and there's stuff in this kingdom you don't get yet."
I took the clothes and changed fast. Then I put on the white cap, but it didn't fit right the normal way. So I wore it backwards instead, and my bangs fell just how I like them. I looked in the small broken mirror on the wall and didn't even know myself.
"Wearing it backwards?" Elara laughed a little. "Looks good on you. Makes you seem like you're from somewhere else, maybe that's what you need."
I put the lollipop in one of the big pockets on the pants. The pockets were deep enough to keep things safe. I never had clothes like that before.
"I should go now," I said, fixing the cap so it wouldn't fall off. "I don't want to get you in more trouble."
Elara went to the window to check outside first. "The guards are gone. You can leave through the back door, take the path that goes through the woods. It'll take you to the next village where nobody knows you."
She gave me a small bag with bread and cheese inside. "For when you're hungry. And Zylaria?" she said before I left. "Keep that cap on and stay out of sight. There's more to you than people think, don't let anyone take that away."
I hugged her quickly, then snuck out the back. Bramble followed me to the fence and barked softly like he was saying goodbye. When I walked into the woods, I took out the lollipop, unwrapped it, and put it in my mouth. It was really sweet, way sweeter than anything I'd had in ages. Even with all that sugar in my mouth, I couldn't stop thinking about what Elara said.
I put the lollipop in my mouth and wore the cap backwards. Elara walked with me to the village edge. From there I saw the palace on the hill, all decorated with big banners and bright lights for independence day. I stopped and looked at it again. The walls were shiny and new, way nicer than anything else here.
I looked at all the pretty decorations, then whispered to myself.
"Happy birthday, Zylaria."
Nobody ever remembers my birthday. I never had cake or got a gift for it. But today, even with all the bad stuff, I felt a little happy.