Page 40 of Rafi

“She smiled,” he continues, his voice dropping even lower. “Really smiled—for the first time in months. I didn’t realize how much I missed seeing that until today.”

His confession hangs in the air between us, raw and unguarded. I glance away, suddenly feeling like an intruder in his vulnerability. “I just told her the truth,” I murmur. “That holding on to hope is sometimes all we’ve got.”

Brando nods slowly, his eyes fixed on mine as though searching for something unspoken. “You gave her more than hope,” he says after a pause. “You gave her something to fight for again.”

The gratitude in his voice is unmistakable, but it’s laced with something else—a quiet, almost brotherly protectiveness. It’s as if in this moment, he’s not just thanking me for Mia but for helping keep his family intact.

“I didn’t do much,” I say, though the lump in my throat betrays the weight I feel.

“You did enough,” Brando replies, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Sometimes, that’s all it takes.”

He lingers for a moment longer, his presence steady, before giving me a nod and stepping back toward the hallway.

I watch him disappear into the shadows of the house, his words echoing in my ears. For a moment, I wonder if I’ve truly done the right thing—if hope is enough to sustain Mia in a worldthis dark. But then I think of her smile, fragile yet defiant, and for now, that feels like a victory, no matter how small.

23

TAYANA

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, in a secluded village, nestled between dense woods and jagged mountains, there lived a girl named Tide (Tee-de). At seventeen, she was a vision of youth, with a laugh that rippled like the streams that fed her humble home. Her days were simple but happy, filled with love and laughter, and dreams of a future beyond the moors of the small village in which she lived.

But fate was a cruel storyteller.

One moonless night, shadows crept into her village, bringing with them fear. A towering man, etched in darkness, rode into the village on a black stallion. His name was Alrich and he was known as a merciless tyrant who instilled fear in all who crossed his path. Alrich swept Tide away, his hand clamping over her mouth as her muffled cries got lost in the night.

Alrich had a fortress carved into the mountains, its jagged towers clawing at the sky. Here, Tide was imprisoned, her bright laughter replaced with quiet tears as she yearned to return home. Alrich’s cruelty was not just in his words or deedsbut in the way he stole her hope and mocked her spirit, reveling in her despair.

Weeks turned to months, and Tide’s heart grew weary. But she did not break. She did not wilt. For somewhere deep inside her, a spark of defiance remained.

Alrich’s older brother, Kale, had been away in distant lands, trading in silks and spices to expand the family’s wealth. Where Alrich was brutal and cunning, Kale was thoughtful and kind, his strength lying not in force but in quiet resolve. When he returned to the palace and saw Tide—her once-vivid eyes dulled by fear and suffering—Kale’s fury was a storm that shook the palace until cracks formed in the merciless foundations of the fortress.

“What have you done, brother?” Kale demanded, his voice a deadly calm that hid the raging fire within him.

Alrich laughed, his cruelty unrepentant. “She’s mine, Kale. To do with as I please. She’s a prize for the taking. And she’s mine alone.”

Kale said nothing more. That night, while Alrich reveled in his ill-gotten power, Kale spirited Tide away. He rode with her under the cover of darkness, on a massive white stallion called Knight, his arms shielding her from the darkness and the cold.

They found refuge in a neighboring kingdom, where Kale denounced his brother and vowed to never return to the cursed fortress. He and Tide began to build a life together, and over time, Tide's laughter returned, this time softer but no less genuine. She came to love Kale, not because he had saved her, but because he had treated her with a kindness she had long forgotten existed.

Time passed, and fully healed, Tide and Kale married in a quiet ceremony beneath a canopy of ancient oaks. Soon after, they welcomed a daughter, Ofelia, whose arrival brought light to their lives. Ofelia was a curious child with her father’sstrength and her mother’s resilience. She grew up in a home filled with love and laughter, away from the shadows of the ugly world outside.

When Ofelia turned twelve, the shadows returned.

Alrich, who had spent years nursing his hatred, found Tide. Fueled by revenge and a twisted sense of ownership, he stormed their peaceful home. Kale was away at the market, and Tide, unwilling to endanger her daughter, surrendered herself to protect Ofelia.

“Tell your father to come and find me,” Alrich sneered at the terrified girl before dragging Tide into the night.

When Kale returned and found Ofelia trembling and alone, his resolve hardened. With Ofelia at his side, he began a desperate search for Tide, their journey taking them across treacherous mountains and through dark forests. Along the way, Kale taught Ofelia the skills she needed to protect herself, forging a bond between father and daughter that could never be broken.

The trail led them to Alrich’s fortress, now a crumbling relic of its former glory. Kale and Ofelia stormed the fortress, their courage fueled by their mutual love for Tide. Kale confronted his brother in the great hall, the clash of their wills echoing like thunder.

“You never deserved her!” Kale roared, his voice filled with years of restrained fury.

“And you think you did?” Alrich sneered. “You took what was mine, and now I’ll take it back!”

But Alrich underestimated the strength of a family bound by love. Ofelia, resourceful and brave, freed her mother while her father fought. Together, the three escaped the fortress as it burned, Alrich’s cries lost in the roaring flames.

With Alrich’s shadow finally lifted, Kale, Tide, and Ofelia followed the stars until they found their way home. Thoughscars remained, they were a family, and their love was a fortress stronger than any stone palace.

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