Since Esmera was abandoned on a stranger's doorstep as a baby, the only person who has looked out for her is herself.
Until a lark starts visiting her, leaving behind exotic flowers and iridescent pebbles that the internet doesn't recognise.
Esmera...
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"I thought we had an actual plan, not a plan to make a plan." Esmera turned to Tauram as he settled into the toffee brown couch beside her.
The fading sky showcased by the window beside him etched out his profile in the blues, purples and oranges of twilight. He faced Esmera, his grin visible in the dim light drifting down from the ceiling.
"I'm sorry that my words deceived you, Esmera."
Looking at the unmistakable amusement glinting in his dark eyes, she wasn't sure whether he was actually apologising or just teasing her. She decided to go with the latter. It was usually the latter.
"It's just that we need certain information before we can make a plan." Tauram smoothed the silky blue cushion resting between him and Esmera. "In order for this to work, we can't take shortcuts."
Esmera rested her head on the sofa's back, looking up at the ceiling and huffing out a breath. "Shortcuts? You say that like we were given a roadmap. We weren't. We were given a task and told to find a way to make it happen."
They, a prince who had been exiled for a decade and a lady who had never known the kingdom she had been born in, were expected to topple a tyrannical ruler in a week and free Milatanur. It seemed impossible, but it was an opportunity, however small.
There were many things Esmera had considered impossible, like finding her way to a magical kingdom, discovering the truth about her parents and her lark, and escaping Stephan, yet all of that had somehow become reality. Maybe it wasn't too much to hope for that she could defy her expectations yet another time for Milatanur's sake.
"Touché." Tauram sank back into the couch. His characteristic comeback wasn't accompanied by his characteristic smile. "But the thing about the gods is that we and our world mean nothing to them. It would probably be easier for them to destroy Milatanur and recreate it according to their wishes. Them giving us this notice, this chance to save it...it's a courtesy. That's why I want to give it my best shot." Tauram met Esmera's eyes then.
Lundas gave a mournful purr at his feet, as solemn as the night.
Esmera saw the fear his words and the rest of his face hid as clearly as if he had spoken it. He had so much more to lose than Esmera did if they failed. Her family was gone, but his wasn't. There was no reviving the dead, at least as far as Esmera knew, but the living could still be saved. That was the goal she would put her mind to, even when questions about her family still haunted her in her quiet moments when Tauram wasn't around to distract her.
She may never get all the answers she wished for, but she might get some this evening if the first phase of Tauram's plan played out as they hoped it would.
Jammas descended from the air onto Esmera's knee. She traced a finger over his soft head. It still didn't feel real that she had finally claimed him after all these years of wondering about him. He felt like a dream that should've dissolved into nothing by now, but he was still here, hopping on the ground around her feet, fluttering about her head or perching on her shoulder. Wherever she was, he was within reach.
