She heard it ,
Boots marching in rhythm.
Alice's heart leapt into her throat.
Were the soldiers truly coming for her?
Panic seized her. She rushed inside and slammed the door, sliding the wooden bolt into place.
Then she stumbled to the side of the room, clutching the pendant around her neck as she
crouched down, shivering.
Outside, chaos burst through the village. Doors slammed. People shouted. The marching boots
grew louder.
Closer.
Closer.
Until they stopped right outside her home.
A heavy fist crashed against the door.
"Open up! Now, or we break it down!"
Alice pressed herself against the wall, unable to breathe. Fear rooted her feet to the floor.
Another blow shook the door.
"Last warning!"
She tried to move, but her legs refused.
The next strike shattered the door. Wood splintered as soldiers stormed inside.
"Come with us," one guard ordered coldly.
Alice shook her head weakly, but rough hands seized her arm. She had no strength left to fight.
"Please…" she whispered. "Just a moment."
The soldiers exchanged looks.
"To put out the fire… and take one thing," she added quickly.
An older guard sighed. "Be quick. No tricks."
Alice knelt at the hearth and smothered the small fire beneath the pot of beans. The smoke
curled upward as the flame died, and it felt like watching her old life disappear with it.
She stood slowly and looked around the room one last time.
Lisa's chair.
The worn table.
The memories.
Her hand reached for Lisa's old shawl. She held it tightly against her chest and stepped outside.
Villagers watched from a distance, whispering as officials counted coins and goods taken to pay
Lisa's debts.
Alice lowered her gaze, fear twisting in her stomach.
Where were they taking her?
What would they do with her?
Sell her? Send her somewhere worse?
She didn't know.
And it had all begun that very morning.
The air had been cold, heavy with the scent of damp earth when Alice stepped outside. Since
Lisa's death, her days had become the same endless routine.
Fetch water.
Feed the chickens.
Knit shawls before winter arrived.
Harvest crops so hunger wouldn't follow.
Boil beans for lunch.
Nothing ever changed.
She pulled her cart toward the well, ignoring the whispers that followed her. Children stared at
her silver hair and pale skin before running off.
She had never belonged here.
Years ago, she had been found abandoned at the edge of the village, wrapped in a worn shawl.
No one wanted the strange child.
No one except Lisa.
Widowed and alone, Lisa took the crying baby home without hesitation and raised her as her
own. She taught Alice how to work, how to survive, how to stay out of trouble.
Life was hard, but they had each other.
Until illness stole Lisa away.
Alice still remembered that night—the weak lantern light, Lisa's fading breath, her cold hands
slipping from Alice's grasp.
Alice had begged her not to leave.
But Lisa was already gone.
Now the house felt empty, the silence heavier than hunger ever was.
At the well, Alice tried to ignore the gossip until certain words reached her ears.
"The soldiers arrive today."
"They're taking the girl… selling her to pay Lisa's taxes."
Alice's grip tightened on the rope. The bucket splashed loudly into the well.
Taken?
Sold?
The truth hit her like ice. Lisa's debts had not died with her.
They now belonged to Alice.
She forced herself to act normal, filled her buckets, and walked home slowly, each step heavier
than the last.
Inside, nothing had changed. Lisa's shawl still hung by the hearth. Her chair sat waiting. Even
the scratches on the table remained.
Alice couldn't move anything. Changing the house felt like losing Lisa all over again.
She set beans to boil, trying to calm her shaking hands.
Then the village fell silent.
And moments later…
The boots began to march.
As the guards pushed her forward, Alice turned for one last look at her home.
She didn't notice the pendant warming again beneath her fingers.
Or the faint silver light flickering deep inside it.
Something was waking.
And whatever it was…
the soldiers had no idea what they were taking with them.