Leaves crunched under Tristan's feet as they walked.
Aric glanced around, taking in the forest. He wasn't entirely sure how seasons worked in this world, but the signs were obvious enough—bare branches, scattered amber leaves, the faint bite in the air.
Autumn.
With the canopy thinning, the sky stretched open above them. Pale light filtered through, making the walk strangely… peaceful.
Tristan shivered.
Aric exhaled into his palms, rubbing them together for warmth.
And cold.
"Aric! It's your turn to carry this!"
Tristan groaned, shifting the weight of the metal heater in his arms. They had borrowed it from the Maiws, and while it wasn't massive, it was heavy enough to make the walk miserable.
Aric glanced at it, then back at Tristan.
A slow smirk spread across his face.
"What kind of big brother would I be if I didn't let my younger sibling build some character?"
Tristan stared at him.
"…You're unbelievable."
Aric casually pointed ahead. "Relax. We're almost home."
Tristan narrowed his eyes, muttering curses under his breath as he adjusted his grip.
"Next time, you're carrying it."
"Deal," Aric replied immediately.
Tristan paused.
Then his expression darkened.
"…There isn't going to be a next time."
Neither of them said anything after that.
They both knew.
The Maiws were leaving.
By the time they reached home, Tristan was still grumbling quietly, though the variety of curses had reduced.
Aric opened the curtains, Lilia was crouched near the furnace, blowing gently into the embers. The flames flickered back to life, casting a soft glow across the room.
She turned at the sound of the draping curtain door and smiled.
"There you two are—"
She walked over quickly, taking the heater from Tristan without a second thought.
"Careful with that," she said, setting it down.
Tristan let out a relieved breath, flexing his arms.
Then Lilia's gaze shifted to Aric.
She paused.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Aric… weren't your injuries worse than this?"
Aric's expression stiffened.
The Matriarch's words echoed faintly in his mind.
Before he could respond, Tristan stepped in.
"The Matriarch passed by," he said quickly. "She saw Aric and helped heal him."
Lilia went still.
"…Oh."
Something in her face changed—subtle, but unmistakable.
"You met the Matriarch?"
After a brief pause, she let out a small, awkward laugh and turned back to the furnace, stuffing more firewood into it.
"That was kind of her," she said. "Did you know she's the only one in the thorp who can—"
"Mom."
Aric's voice cut through her words.
The room stilled.
"Why didn't you lie?"
Lilia froze.
The faint crackle of the fire suddenly felt too loud.
Slowly, she turned her head slightly, though her smile remained, twitching slightly.
"Aric… what do you mean?"
Aric's eyes narrowed.
"Don't act clueless," he said quietly. "That old lady told me about your pa—"
A hand clamped over his mouth.
"Hahaha—Mom, I think Aric ate something weird," Tristan said quickly, his laugh far too loud, far too forced. "He's just saying random stuff. You know how he is."
The silence was painful.
"Tristan." Lilia eventually said, her face not turning from the heater. "I think Aric needs some fresh air, don't you think?" Tristan nodded immediately.
"Y-Yeah. Yeah, I was just thinking the same."
Without another word, he grabbed Aric's arm and pulled him toward the exit.
They walked a short distance away from the hut.
The moment they were out of earshot—
Tristan snapped.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Aric didn't flinch. He met Tristan's glare evenly.
"I asked her a question."
Tristan ran a hand through his hair, frustration written all over his face.
"You can't just do that!" he said, his voice rising despite himself. "You can't always be direct about things like this! It doesn't work like that!"
Aric's expression didn't change.
"What do you mean?"
Tristan stared at him in disbelief, his mouth twisting into a strained grimace.
"…Are you serious right now?"
His voice cracked as he stepped closer.
"Did you actually think Mom would just sit down and tell you everything about her past if you asked her like that?!"
"What do you mean her past?"
The voice came from behind them.
Both boys froze.
Tristan shut his eyes for a brief second, inhaling deeply before turning around.
Nessa stood there.
Watching them.
"Na—Nessa…" Tristan forced a weak smile. "Did Mom… find you yesterday?"
Nessa frowned.
"Is that even a question?"
She crossed her arms slightly, clearly unimpressed.
It wasn't unusual.
Nessa had a habit of running off after arguments, and Lilia had never once failed to find her. It had practically become routine. Hence, why they didn't worry about it much yesterday, excluding the fact that Lilia actually hit Nessa.
Tristan scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"R-Right… uh… then where did you go so early this morning?"
Nessa's expression darkened.
"Are you blind, Tristan?"
She lifted the tools in her hand slightly, her brow twitching in irritation.
"After everything that happened yesterday, my shoeshining kit was just left there. I went to get it. Old Lady Loiri had set it aside for me."
Tristan let out an awkward laugh.
"Ah—yeah, that's good… we were just worried abou—"
"Tristan. Cut the bullshit. What about mom's past?"
He shook his head slowly.
"If I tell you," he said carefully, "you're just going to confront Mom about it and make things worse—"
"Mom was nineteen when Resol—"
Tristan moved instantly.
His hand clamped over Aric's mouth.
"Will you stop interrupting me?!" he snapped, frustration finally spilling over.
He turned back to Nessa, jaw tight.
"Fine! I'll tell you! It's better than him oversimplifying it!"
***
"Eighteen years ago… Mom was different."
Tristan spoke quietly, lowering himself onto a fallen log. Nessa stood a few steps away, leaning against a tree, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on him.
Aric crouched by the riverbank, absentmindedly picking up small stones and tossing them across the water. Each one skipped once—twice—before sinking beneath the surface.
"Even without a conduit," Tristan continued, "she was known throughout the Thorp for her intellect… and her beauty." he paused.
"But one day… she was taken into an alley by one of the village guards."
His hands clenched slowly.
"That guard was Resol."
Aric flicked another stone.
This one didn't skip.
It sank immediately.
"That day," Tristan said, forcing the words out, "Mom was forced to lose her maidenhood." His jaw tightened. "There was a rule in the chief's family… whoever took a woman's maidenhood had to marry her."
Nessa's expression didn't twitch as much as twitch but Tristan could see it. When Nessa showed no expression, it meant that she was angry.
"So… for obvious reasons," Tristan continued, "Mom didn't tell anyone what really happened. Not the chief. Not anyone."
His voice wavered slightly.
"But…"
He hesitated.
Aric spoke instead, eyes still on the water.
"She got pregnant."
The words landed flat.
Tristan's expression tightened, clearly uncomfortable with how blunt it sounded. Nessa didn't react outwardly, but something in her posture shifted ever so slightly.
Tristan exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
"When the chief asked her who the father was… she had a choice."
Tristan took a deep breath, continuing. "When the chief asked her who the Father is, she had a choice."
He stood up, walking closer to the riverbank, his eyes following the slow current.
"Mom was desirable woman to many. In fact, There were plenty of men in the village who would've accepted her without question." He bent down, picking up a stone.
"For her, it would've been easy to lie."
The stone skipped once.
Twice.
"And name anyone else."
Aric's hand tightened into a fist.
"She could've chosen anyone," he said quietly. "Someone who would've taken her in without hesitation."
Tristan didn't look at him.
"…But she didn't."
The meaning hung between them.
There was a moment of silence, Then—
Leaves crunched.
Tristan turned.
Nessa was already running away.
Her figure disappeared between the trees, moving back toward the hut.
He let out a slow breath.
"There she goes."
His voice carried no surprise.
Aric stood up.
Tristan glanced at him.
"…You're going too?"
Aric gave a small nod. He didn't say anything. He just turned, and started walking back.