when the flowers began to sing
Avelina was evidently gloomy for her age. When Magnus moved in at the age of thirteen, he thought the same. At first, Avelina did not show him the slightest bit of kindness. It took him almost a year to reach her. He was persistent enough—he did not give up on her like anyone else would; he loved her as purely as gold.
Until they met for the first time, Avelina had the eyes of the dead. She was expressionless enough to make the Duke anxious. She acted as if she were always at a funeral, as if she were in constant pain. She remained indifferent to everything the Duke offered; she would not smile or cry at anything. She would only watch the outside world through the window of her spacious room. At first, the Duke told himself he should be patient. So he waited, and waited, and waited—for her to smile just once. But she never did.
One morning, on a beautiful sunny day, he decided to take her outside to show her the “real world.” Maybe then, he thought, she would smile.
And she did—at Magnus. On the street, when he was at the edge of death from hunger. Apparently, he was a slave who had somehow escaped the market. He looked so miserable it could make one cry their eyes out, begging only for bread. Strangely enough, when she saw him, a faint smile appeared on her lips. The Duke was shocked. He stopped and watched her silently. Then she slowly approached Magnus, reached out her hand, and smiled brightly.
That was the very day Magnus was saved by her—for making her smile for the first time in far, far too long. Yet it was not entirely clear who was truly saved: Magnus, or Avelina.
Thus, their story has begun.
