Later that evening, after dinner, Fiona trudged to her room. She was too exhausted to change into pajamas or take a shower. She simply sank into the soft bed, and sleep claimed her instantly.
"Out of the way!"
A coach, drawn by two black horses, thundered down the road. Fiona, standing frozen with a little girl, barely jumped aside in time.
"Are you okay?" she called to the girl, but the girl didn't answer. She ran off, disappearing into the shadows.
Fiona was about to chase her when a calm, measured voice came from behind:
"She won't hear you."
Turning, Fiona saw a woman cloaked in black. The hood up. She stepped closer, her movements graceful, almost ethereal.
"Who… who are you? Where am I?" Fiona asked, glancing at her surroundings. The streets looked medieval, as if she had traveled back in time.
The woman smiled, enigmatic.
"My identity will be revealed in time. You are here for a reason."
Fiona groaned inwardly. Why do mysterious people always answer questions with more questions?
"Where did I even come from?" she muttered, as the streets remained empty and silent.
"Follow me," the woman said, swaying away like a shadow in the breeze. Without hesitation, Fiona followed.
The path led into a forest. Sunlight filtered through the leaves as they approached a quaint cottage. The woman paused, pointing.
"You will find your answers there."
Fiona stepped closer, but when she turned to speak, the woman had vanished.
Inside the cottage, the little girl appeared again. Tears streaked her face, and red marks ran across her arms, as if she had been whipped. Without warning, she passed through Fiona, as if she were a ghost. Fiona's pulse quickened. Was this a dream?
A harsh voice rang out. A woman emerged from the cottage, her peasant clothes ragged and patched, her hair a messy bun, hands clutching a whip.
"Foolish girl! Find my lost pigs, or you will stand in place for them!"
The girl bolted into the forest, ignoring the woman. Fiona followed, heart heavy with pity.
The girl wandered, calling for her pigs, but only silence answered. She sank onto a mossy stump, tears brimming. Fiona wanted to comfort her, but she couldn't. The girl couldn't see her, touch her, or hear her. It was agonizing.
Finally, the girl found the pigs teetering near a cliff. Without hesitation, she climbed down, cradling the young animals to safety. Fiona could only watch. Helpless.
When the cliff shifted beneath her feet, the girl screamed. Fiona's hands passed through her in vain, until a boy in a flowing white cloak appeared, catching her just in time.
"T-thank you…" the girl gasped. Her eyes widened in recognition. The boy's white hair glimmered in the wind, his dark blue eyes calm and piercing. "Who are you?"
"My name is Jinx," he said gently. "And you?"
"Amilys," she whispered. Fiona's heart skipped. Could it really be the same Jinx she had read about in the old journal?
Jinx smiled faintly, the breeze lifting his cloak. "See you again, Amilys." And just like that, he vanished into the forest.
Back at the cottage, Amilys fed her pigs while her cruel aunt, Morgan, fussed over the fireplace. "Did you find my pigs?" She demanded.
"Yes, Aunt Morgan," Amilys whispered, obediently eating her dried bread. Fiona's chest tightened. Her life of luxury was a world away from this cruelty.
Time seemed to flick forward in Fiona's mind. Amilys, now grown, dressed in rags, yet still radiated grace. She walked to the market, eyes wide at the fresh produce.
A middle-aged man sneered at her.
"Here to buy leftovers again?"
Amilys hesitated. "It's all I can afford…"
"Out of luck today, cheapskate," he mocked. Laughter erupted from nearby traders and customers, some whispering cruel rumors about her family.
"Isn't she the rumoured cursed child?" One of the traders spoke.
"I heard she is a witch, that she killed all her family members. Except for her money driven aunt." Another uttered.
"The rats in the Kingdom must be competing with her with left overs. How about we give her some?" And then they began throwing rotten veggies and fruits on her.
Tears stung her eyes as she walked back, humiliated.
"Stop it!"
The crowd froze. Jinx stepped forward, cloak flowing, aura commanding. "You should be ashamed. What has she done to deserve this? The people of Eldrane can be really nasty than it's waste"
The man, Richard, stammered, "S-she only asked for leftovers, Jinx..."
Jinx's eyes bore into him. "No human deserves this treatment." He turned to Amilys, brushing the muck from her clothes with a flick of his hand. Using his magical ability.
Amilys gasped. "It's… it's you…" Amilys could never forget his hair. White as the clouds in a bright day.
"Have we met before?" He looked at her in awe.
"Remember the girl you saved from falling as a kid?"
Jinx thought for a while before nodding. " Yes I do. Where have you been all this while? I looked for you in the forest again, but didn't see you. How could I forget those dark eyes?"
"I've been around." A smile lit up on her face. "You don't have to save me, Jinx."
"I saved you once, Amilys," he said softly. "And I will do so again."
With a swift gesture, he secured fresh vegetables for her, handing them over. "No one should be humiliated for poverty," he said, smiling warmly.
"That's easy for you to say. You're a Wizard. And I'm like a church rat."
"Magic isn't welcomed in all part the other kingdoms, Amilys. So I'm just like that church rat, but in a rich man's house." Amilys smiled assuring him she got his point. He accompanied her.
Fiona, hidden nearby, felt her heart swell. Respect, compassion, courage. All intertwined in one extraordinary moment.
Amilys clutched the basket, tears in her eyes. "Thank you… I'll never forget this. I'll repay you for this."
"You don't repay a gift," Jinx said, smiling. "And you're welcome."
He kissed the back of her hand gently. Amilys blushed, clutching the vegetables close.
"See you at noon, every day," she whispered.
"I'll always be free," he replied, disappearing into the forest once more.