A gentle summer breeze bent the heads of meadow grasses to the ground, softly brushing the hair of a girl who was half-reclining, examining a cornflower on a wide forest edge. The varying shades of blue in the flower delighted the eye and soothed the heart, carrying the soul away on a flight, making it drown in the whisper of summer nature.
Alexandra was fifteen, with green eyes and fair hair. The light freckles dusting her snow-white face—pale even by local standards—made it terribly sweet and innocent. Despite the surrounding calm, her heart was heavy, for she was nearing the age of marriage. Last year's matchmaking had brought her much trouble in the form of an elderly, widowed suitor—a Baron. Though considered a good match, he was utterly unappealing to her.
Twice married, he had never managed to produce children to continue his titled line. Despite his apparent health problems, he placed great hopes on Alexandra, who had a stately figure and was very attractive.
No one was interested in the girl's own opinion. Firstly, it wasn't customary in their society. Secondly, she was an orphan, and her foster family, though not openly, made it clear they did not intend to feed her much longer. Besides, they had special ties and certain business agreements with the Baron. Alexandra was sincerely grateful to her foster family, but, possessing a strong sense of justice from early childhood, she lamented the vagaries of fate and the inequality between men and women. Secretly watching the family's older sons, whom her foster father taught the art of combat and swordsmanship, Alexandra couldn't contain her admiration and inwardly hated the cooking and sewing lessons that all the women of the household engaged in. (And to be honest, she wasn't very good at any of it.)
Her deep reverie was interrupted by the sound of rustling grass.
"So this is where you disappeared to! I've been looking everywhere for you!" came a slightly squeaky boyish voice.
Plopping down next to Alexandra, he immediately sprawled out on the grass.
"Tom, why did you run off so far from home? Little ones shouldn't wander into the forest. You could get lost and stumble into the swamp to the Bog Princess—she just loves sweet little boys like you," she said, lightly pinching his cheek with her free hand.
The boy, about six years old, flushed and pouted his lips.
"I'm not a little kid anymore, and I don't believe in the Bog Princess! And the swamp has almost dried up, according to the old man from the mill," he said, sitting up and dodging another pinch, tucking his legs under him. "Alexandra, I rushed to find you to tell you amazing news! They just announced that the tea caravan arrived a month early, and preparations for the fair are in full swing! And I also caught a glimpse of Li Min's father; she must be there too!"
Alexandra smiled at the pleasant memories.
Li Min... A girl Alexandra's age who had been traveling for several years with her merchant father as part of a tea caravan between countries, trading all sorts of things, but the main commodity, of course, was tea leaves.
Despite some ethnic differences between their countries, in Li Min's homeland, women also lacked the freedoms men enjoyed. Since the merchant environment consisted mostly of men, Li Min constantly had to disguise herself as a boy, both in appearance and behavior. Given that the men of her country wore long hair tied at the nape and long, flowing robes, this wasn't too difficult.
Alexandra and Tom had discovered Li Min was a girl by accident during the caravan's last visit exactly two years ago.
The incident was extraordinary. Tom was the youngest child in the family and the most naive. The older brothers often liked to tease him and tell tall tales. Once, the middle brother, who particularly disliked the (in his opinion) spoiled Tom, told him about a moon fairy who collected nectar from the water lilies growing in the river on the edge of the forest. According to legend, if you caught such a fairy, she would grant any wish.
Of course, the trusting and naive Tom wanted to check the truth of this, and at night he secretly went to the river. Alexandra noticed this. She existed as a foster daughter with no inheritance rights and lived not in the main house but in the servants' quarters, often reading by candlelight by the window late into the night.
Rushing outside, she called out to Tom, but her voice was drowned out by the rising wind.
Tom was a nimble boy; it was nothing for him to reach the river in a short time. Just then, the moon emerged from the clouds, and its soft light illuminated the river valley. Gleams sparkled on the surface of the flowing water; the floating water lilies seemed to glow from within; the reeds, rustled by the breeze, whispered. It seemed the night insects, paying tribute to the mystery of the moment, began to chirp more melodiously.
The sight was truly mesmerizing—seeing this, one could indeed believe in the existence of fairy creatures.
Her dress rustling, Alexandra caught up with Tom and tried to call out to him softly so as not to scare him.
But Tom, enchanted by the moment and not expecting to hear a voice, clumsily missed his step, slipped on the fresh grass, tumbled down the slope, and fell into the swiftly flowing river.
Alexandra's heart clenched painfully with fear—neither of them knew how to swim.
In panic, the girl dashed toward the river, to the disturbed water's surface, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't reach the boy from the bank.
Meanwhile, Tom flailed in the water, splashing wildly, unable to cry out from the terror gripping his heart, only making gurgling sounds mixed with stifled screams as the current carried him further from the bank where he might have grabbed onto something.
It was too late to run to the manor for help, so Alexandra could only stand there, shouting for someone at the top of her lungs. Without realizing it, she felt utterly insignificant for the first time. The strength of her spirit, which she had always believed was naturally stubborn and strong, vanished.
Why had she never thought to learn how to swim?!
At that moment, the moon hid behind the clouds again, and something plunged into the river from the opposite bank. It was hard to make out who or what it was in such light, but when it headed toward Tom, Alexandra's heart skipped a beat.
Fresh in her memory were the hunters' stories—sometimes guests at their estate—about strange wolves that came to their lands every year from the forests stretching for miles to the north. Had one of them, scenting easy prey, decided to take advantage of a moment of weakness?
The serene moon floated out from the clouds again, and looking closer, she saw it was a person.
Grabbing the scruff of the boy—who by then had almost given up and prepared to bravely meet his fate, like the heroes in the legends his nanny told—the rescuer felt him struggle with renewed vigor upon being grabbed.
Such frantic struggling, bordering on madness, certainly caused much inconvenience to the person saving him.
Trying to calm Tom with her voice, Alexandra shifted her weight anxiously from foot to foot, waiting for them on the bank.
The bank there was quite steep, and to help the rescuer, she had to climb down, holding onto the long branches of a very young willow growing nearby.
As the pair approached, she immediately grabbed the gasping, coughing rescued boy by his free arm, pulling him up.
Only after hauling the child up did Alexandra get a good look at the person who had saved her beloved brother.
Delicate features, slightly full lips, almond-shaped eyes, and hair black as a raven's wing, short stature. Everything about this appearance screamed foreign origin.
Not knowing if the stranger understood her language, Alexandra thanked him in her own tongue and, echoing her words, performed a foreign bow she had seen many times at the fairs in their region.
Shaking himself off, the person bowed softly in return. A jade pendant around his neck flashed, reflecting the warm moonlight. The light reflected in Alexandra's eyes seemed to return to the pendant, making it glow softly with multicolored highlights.
As if sensing something, the person clenched it in his hand and hid it inside his clothes, which made Alexandra's heart, calmed just a moment before, clench strangely, and her mind was once again seized by unease.
Shaking off the momentary pensiveness, the wearer of the pendant grimaced and said with a note of irritation and a grating accent:
"What are you doing by the water at such an hour? Don't your ancestors forbid your people from leaving home after sunset? And you decided to go swimming without knowing how, foolish children."
To say Alexandra was taken aback would be an understatement; she hadn't expected such rude words, and a frown touched her forehead, but it immediately smoothed away as she remembered the situation they were in.
"Please forgive us, young mistress, for causing you so much trouble. If not for my mistake, my brother wouldn't have fallen into the river. It is entirely my fault. If I can repay you in any way, just say so. I don't have much money, but if you need any help at your shop while you're here, I'm ready..."
"Woman?! What woman am I to you?!" the person exclaimed.
Alexandra was perplexed anew. How could she have been mistaken? Now, upon closer inspection, the distinctly feminine silhouette was clear, especially given the wetness of the clothing.
At that moment, looking down at themself, the girl, blushing either from anger or embarrassment, began to swear through clenched teeth in a mixture of languages. Most phrases were unintelligible, but what could be made out was:
"….where is my belt..?"
"Belt?" Alexandra asked.
"Yes, my belt! Your brother's thrashing undid the inner clasp, and now it seems to have gone to the bottom with the belt. I can't return to the caravan like this."
Thinking, Alexandra took off the shawl draped over her shoulders.
"Take my shawl. It's not as long, but perhaps it can still help with your problem..."
Snatching the shawl from Alexandra's hands, the girl disappeared into the thicket of trees. After a while, the sound of wringing water came from there.
The summer was hot, and the night was quite warm, but despite this, Tom, finally coming to his senses, was shivering slightly. Lost in thought, Alexandra snapped out of her stupor and helped him undress to wring out his clothes, not missing the chance to scold him for his carelessness.
A few moments later, the foreign girl emerged from behind the trees—not a trace remained of the soft feminine outlines of her silhouette.
"How do I get to the other side? I left some of my things there."
"Go downstream to where the river narrows; there's a fallen tree reinforced by a beaver dam. You can cross safely there."
Thomas, not yet fully recovered from the shock, stepped forward:
"Thank you for saving my life! If it weren't for you, I... I..."
Approaching him, the stranger smiled and lightly pinched his cheek. Then, turning sharply to Alexandra, she grabbed her wrist and said in a half-hiss:
"If you are truly grateful for being saved, keep my secret. No one must know it. If you tell a single living soul, then beware, I will come for you, and even the spirits of your ancestors will not save you from a swift reunion with them." These words were uttered dully but harshly. The metallic glint in her eyes said this person was not joking.
Pulling her hand from the tight grip, Alexandra hastily assured her of her purity and sincerity, that the secret would not be revealed, and Tom, frightened by such a change, could only nod vigorously.
Everyone knew foreigners weren't easily intimidated; they lived in harsh conditions, and many were known as notorious cutthroats who could discreetly dispose of anyone who displeased them. Of course, this was often an exaggeration, but they were still feared, and people tried to deal with them honestly so neither side would lose face.
Satisfied with the effect of her words, the girl turned and left in the direction previously indicated.
And Alexandra, leading the wet Thomas home, pondered how harsh this world was, that such a beautiful girl had to hide her lovely appearance under layers of clothing to be on equal footing with men.
Meanwhile, the sky had completely cleared of clouds, illuminated by billions of stars, and under the soft glow of the moon, the two—a boy and a girl—made their way along narrow paths to the buildings of their not-too-fancy estate.
Feeling guilty, Thomas was silent the whole way, and the girl wasn't very fond of lecturing anyway.
To be honest, she was a bit of a rascal at heart herself, but in public, she tried her best to keep up appearances so as not to offend the feelings of the people who had taken her in. Still, she couldn't help but ask:
"What were you doing by the river at night? That was very reckless!"
"But big brother said fairies live there! And if I catch one, I can make a wish, and since it's a full moon tonight, it's the perfect time. I even brought a little box with meadow flowers to lure one." The boy patted his clothes. "But it seems it fell into the river with me."
Pff, big brother? No need to guess which one. In her foster family, there were 6 children not counting her. The youngest was Thomas, then came the eight-year-old twins Anna and Jeannette, followed by the pedantically boring Esmond, who was nine at the time. Though he already participated fully in the combat training their father organized for the sons, he preferred books and rare scrolls. Next was Darrell, a young man a year and a half older than Alexandra, and the first son, the pride of the whole family—Irwin, who was preparing to soon enlist for military service in the corps for noble youths.
Considering neither Esmond nor Irwin would sink to such a thing, only Darrell remained. Not that he was mean to the others, just coldly detached, and sometimes his pranks on the sweetest boy in the house were rather... harsh? Rough? No, probably more like teasing. Alexandra had a special relationship with him, so all she could do was shake her head, sigh, and say:
"Let's just agree you won't go out alone at night without asking, okay? Who knows what could have happened? There aren't many wild predators in our area, but that's no guarantee it's completely safe. And there are plenty of people in this world with evil intentions." She sighed and after a short pause continued. "Let's get home quickly. I'll help you change, and you try not to make noise, or we'll both get it. I really don't want to be beaten with the governess's stick."
Slipping unobstructed into the main building through the window Tom had opened earlier, hurriedly crossing the large hall trying not to make noise, they entered the corridor leading to the auxiliary servants' quarters, where a duplicate of the main staircase was located. This "clever" maneuver was entirely intended to bypass the masters' bedrooms and the governess's room—she had rather light sleep, and Alexandra still had a vague feeling about how Thomas had managed to slip away from under the nose of such a strict person.
Passing by Esmond's slightly open door—his room was closest to the servants' stairs—they heard loud snoring mixed with some sleepy mutterings, so absurd that Thomas snorted, and the girl had to quickly pull him to her, covering his mouth with her hand.
"Shhh!" she almost hissed in his ear. "Don't make noise, they'll hear us!"
They reached his bedroom without further incident. Alexandra helped him quickly change into his nightgown, wished him goodnight, took the wet clothes to avoid leaving evidence, and hastily left the master's house.