The sun had barely risen when Lily stirred, brushing snow from her thin coat and adjusting the coins in her pocket. Liam and Kyle were already awake, rubbing their eyes and muttering complaints about the cold, but Lily ignored them. Today mattered. Today, they would take their first real step toward a place of their own.
The lumber yard was quiet except for the occasional creak of timber and the low hum of Harkan's voice as he directed workers. Lily counted the coins again, ensuring nothing had been lost overnight. Thirty gold coins—their small treasure. It was enough to buy six planks today, five coins each. Enough to begin the foundation of their shelter.
"Come on," Lily whispered, shaking Liam and Kyle awake. "We can't waste time. Every day counts."
Liam groaned. "But it's freezing. I don't even know if I can carry six planks."
"You can," Lily said, voice steady. "I'll guide you. Kyle, you follow me. Liam, you watch your footing and carry the lighter planks first. We do this in steps. One wall at a time. Understand?"
The boys nodded, still sleepy but trusting her calm authority. Lily's presence gave them a sense of order in a chaotic world, a fleeting warmth stronger than the fire inside the lumber yard.
---
Purchasing the planks was surprisingly straightforward. Lily counted carefully, handing over five gold coins for each plank. The lumber merchant glanced at them skeptically but said nothing when Lily explained that they would be back for more. Her silver horns, though small and subtle, gave her a presence that demanded at least some attention, even if they were children.
They staggered under the weight of the planks as they made their way to a small patch of forest edge, a quiet corner of land Harkan had allowed them to use. It was not large, but it was theirs—a blank canvas on which to carve out safety.
Lily surveyed the plot, calculating measurements with precision. "We'll start with a simple square. Four walls, no roof yet. Keep the planks tight, and don't drop anything. Every plank matters."
Kyle snorted. "You sound like an architect, not a starving kid."
"An architect survives," Lily replied sharply. "A thief dies."
Liam set down his first plank, struggling to lift it into position. "I don't know if I can do this all day," he muttered, sweat and frost mixing on his face.
"You will," Lily said. "You have to. If we don't do this, we sleep in the snow again. Step by step. One plank at a time. You're strong enough."
It was slow. Planks slipped. Nails bent. Cold fingers made it hard to grip tools properly. But Lily coordinated them, giving instructions, shifting weight, correcting angles, and ensuring that each plank was placed carefully. Slowly, the base of their first wall took shape.
---
By midday, they had completed two sides of the square. Lily sat back, wiping sweat from her brow despite the biting cold. She counted the coins again. Still enough for more planks tomorrow. Enough for progress.
Kyle dropped onto a plank, panting. "This is harder than I thought."
Lily crouched next to him. "Everything worth having is hard. Hunger, pain, survival—they're all difficult. But nothing lasts forever if we work carefully. Think about it: in a week, these four walls will be ours. A place we control. No one tells us to move. No one kicks us. We eat and sleep in safety."
Liam's lips trembled. "I… I want that."
"We will have it," Lily said firmly. "Step by step. Today, we build. Tomorrow, we reinforce. The day after, we buy planks again. Every coin, every plank, every bit of effort gets us closer to surviving on our terms."
For the first time in weeks, the boys smiled—not wildly, not recklessly, but softly, quietly. Lily's presence, her unwavering confidence, her sharp mind, had done something that the snow, the streets, and the duke never could: it gave them hope.
---
Evening fell. The cold deepened, but they stayed to secure the two finished walls. Lily tied the planks together as best as she could with scraps of rope Harkan had given them. The structure was crude, uneven, but stable enough to block wind on one side.
"Not perfect," Lily admitted, looking over their work. "But it's ours. And it's safe enough for tonight."
Kyle leaned against the wall. "I never thought we'd have something like this. Just… ours."
Liam nodded, glancing at Lily. "We really are following you… aren't we?"
Lily smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair behind her horn. "Yes. For now, I lead. But someday, you'll be strong too. Today, we survive. Tomorrow, we build. And the day after, we grow."
The boys were quiet, digesting the warmth of her words. Outside, snow drifted silently, covering the forest edge with a white blanket. Inside their small patch of safety, the three children finally sat together, leaning against the first walls of their own making, holding each other close for warmth.
They did not speak of dragons, of bloodlines, or of the strange power that had stirred within them days ago. That truth remained dormant, sleeping behind their exhaustion, pain, and fear. For now, their victory was simple: warmth, food, and the first taste of control over their own lives.
---
Harkan stopped by briefly to check on them. He raised an eyebrow at the uneven walls but nodded in approval. "Not bad for a day's work. Keep at it. Hard work pays more than luck in the long run. Ten gold coins per day is yours if you keep this pace."
Lily inclined her head respectfully. "Thank you. We'll work hard."
As night fell completely, the three of them lay on thin straw mats Harkan had provided. Their bellies were still not full, their muscles still ached, but for the first time, Lily felt something she had not felt in years: control over their own destiny, however small it might be.
She stared at her silver horns in the moonlight, their faint glimmer reflecting a calm determination. Liam and Kyle lay beside her, asleep but breathing steadily. Lily whispered softly to herself, as if speaking to the world:
"We survived today. And tomorrow… tomorrow, we will be stronger. We will build. We will endure. And one day, this place will be ours, completely."
Outside, snow continued to fall. The forest was quiet. The city was unaware of the small trio at its edge, slowly taking their first steps toward survival, their first victories carved plank by plank, coin by coin.
And though the draconic bloodlines within Lily, Liam, and Kyle slept still, their minds sharpened. Their determination hardened. Their survival instincts, once fragile, were now beginning to crystallize.
Tonight, the first walls of their future had been built.
And for three abandoned children, that was enough.