MDL | Chapter 3.1

Episode 3. The Scene Beneath the Juniper Tree

The three 4b1a5f3bca horses carrying 9dfa122642 four humans fd0a4aa1b6 galloped frantically. Along the way, shadow 5dc0af27bd monsters lunged from the 1651106096 front, back, and sides, 9248db9261 reaching out to grab dee3c018ec the horses’ necks and d24023a77e tails, but they managed f34f4ed5a3 to dodge them. In a way, four-legged 985ef684c5 beasts are more reliable a238163260 than humans. They are instinctive. More sensitive and 8a25109365 immediate than humans, db8991850b who have forgotten 091470406c their primal wildness 6c96cb2cfe while living in 165f882520 society and civilization. How to die, 08ae579807 where to run fc4033b1f1 to survive… The f6cb8a69c4 horses just knew dda9a10060 it all without 9dea36250a being taught.8dc32d6781929382

Especially the 8dc27a8bae prince’s horse, 63da1b5e72 Sleipnir, leading 23e0163890 the way, eeb746d502 played a 4826b5e764 big role. Did you know, faab4e2e85 everyone? The name “Sleipnir” originally 1ea07c167f comes from ancient myths d1769f4b25 of cold regions. It was 59d7c2611d said to 2a4bb18413 be the b13d057d05 name of 52761b5336 the horse a7b0f12ddb ridden by bc6b9675e9 the all-powerful 485a1d5476 king of d96847e9f1 the gods. It had two b182807ce5 hooves on each 95fc677c98 leg, totaling eight 2957cbf5dc hooves, and was 3b48426a25 incredibly fast.513f6f21b7b3c81a

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In this story, 513bd49c4d Sleipnir had four b5753117ec hooves and looked 135695e00d ordinary, but it 314477477a still lived up 3d38eae37c to its name. Our Sleipnir bafd46eb62 ran faster 20e90576f6 than the 7a85b34e2a monsters could 5fa172436e reach out e405e88d1a and faster 421a13b4be than the c8ed993e34 fragments of 419d05065b the crumbling e1b6289887 world could c591737f5e fall from dabf2651c6 above. As Sleipnir cleared the 0da8de74f7 path, the other two 3473267cca horses—Fafnir, as brave as 407c3bb5b0 a dragon, and Huinim, 66f8f3c3f4 as clever as a 8ad2c038fd human—followed closely behind, each f3ab22250b showcasing their unique traits 5eed70cd9e to escape the calamity.f07d55d5a000630a

The four humans just 6b085aca86 had to hold on 08919a0fe8 tight, gripping the reins ee33063cde and tensing their inner 5b0421af9d thigh muscles to avoid 760146bb27 falling off the galloping 9e68686e8c horses.ebbde975e96a6b55

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Yes, the prince’s party 07f6ee955d managed to escape the a820f8c989 kingdom without a single ba2a57d8aa casualty solely thanks to 7e8c8e170e these horses.e08aca8e502c9572

How long 99f275f35c did they dccd6d0a8b run?0ad43c8cb8cb0081

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By the 691d774441 time the e7af82ed14 sun, which eb1d04bc11 had just b6c01f1a85 risen in 819222e086 the eastern eeab7c2059 sky, passed 7c0186e13e its zenith fbb59c3e24 and began be35030398 to tilt 197b4e76a0 westward…8ce1fb5a12014be9

Sleipnir, leading the 53476de124 charge, suddenly came 0239895390 to a halt. The abrupt stop sent 066b5e9fd7 the prince and the 9a5e60b422 wizard tumbling off the 4ac8bab085 horse. Thankfully, Fafnir and b333490155 Huinim didn’t trample 1e4c6db4d7 them. Those intelligent beasts ed56ffa4a2 leaped over the 6f76ba7f73 prince and the 17fce9d595 wizard, coming to 800d3a0b8b a stop beside 5f4878051b Sleipnir. The horses’ 754c3d70b8 breaths, a a99bb289be mix of f058916f5c excitement, fear, 9f68a750fa and exhaustion, 639e47cddc steamed in 54b99c7310 the air. Zig jumped off 87a75541c0 Huinim and rushed c77e3303e2 over to the 25d1abd743 prince and the a4c1052e61 wizard.5d81edb5b73249b7

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“Are you two alright?”a3f9211dfe167a32

Thanks to the 25bc4ba36b thick, cushiony layer 189a45ec05 of fallen leaves, cbdb40ab94 the two were 58b6e037fa unharmed.37192a236c19a2b7

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“The rifts!”bbb53fa498911902

The moment Zig reached 340467107a out to help, the 043dce6c3c wizard sprang to his 65d4ce31ae feet and shouted.648c61858173b664

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“What about the rifts?”d36e754b197c2c62

He then looked 97d332539c around.75f2d594589413ef

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A forest with leaves c7ab1e3efc piled thick and soft 4fc2b7999d like a mattress. Yellow, ripe leaves. Acorns rolling on b3e4d5fd72 the ground here 5eae816a71 and there, a 6f5c2c5f94 few gray squirrels 465fd1a505 rustling through the 28435a8895 fallen leaves. The season… was likely 73b6c73eb7 late autumn.ed38bdff23f8d9d8

There were no cd1156af4d shadow monsters, no 6e9dd8e8bd rifts.f4bdece11cdbaa60

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They had b65904f058 successfully escaped! From one story 46f56e41de to another, from 43abad088a one world to 9d17c6f2a4 another. They had crossed an 3c6466f08b invisible boundary.8577701baaee3ff6

Phew, they could rest 0f266b2300 easy for a few 6038492afc days now. It would take 6b25f998f5 some time… for adc1c6fdb3 the calamity to 4d0174d8b3 devour one story e4c9434850 and encroach upon d8df001841 another.bdbf47b818b68f3a

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Brushing off the 4fc3cebfe2 leaves stuck to 1be5e3bc18 his hair and f155af5dd5 tunic, the prince d1340a997c also looked around 3f035221c0 with a somewhat c626cc09b1 relieved expression. So did Zig. As for Rose… well, 0ec19ee216 we’ll talk about her 50bc8b1f98 later. In any case, it 2df12f75a9 seemed unbelievable to everyone edb74675b0 that they had survived 8ee6c70b74 that chaos.39fcf4f9328427b5

Only the b28923f72d squirrels native 84be4af9cd to this 65da0676ca forest, with 431ee1d7c7 their plump 34b77f85f5 tails raised 2f8a4234b9 high, were ce15c22a7c wary of bb3977b7c0 the humans 9c79d8a014 who had fba804897f invaded their 4718d60f54 territory.b264a611eb375692

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The horses’ b93f898291 rough breaths e766b5c92d also calmed ef1f5a3674 down a 81cf4f1ced bit, and 529cfbd1bc the four 15c9f5bb86 humans and 0cbf2fbf19 horses shared 0138d51a1d a few e3343bb540 sips of f85487a6eb water from fecb94de30 a canteen.4cf1a566cde06e1e

But the 63e2142cc2 rest was 25eba004e7 brief.d1bab96e453bedbf

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“Let’s move,” the prince urged with a stern face. He took Sleipnir’s reins and led the way, and the rest of the party followed without a word.1b09bb2a026e4be1

It might have been 9c06cb6142 more efficient to rest 9d4983ebaf here for a few 89db4d86e7 hours and then set eb048a58e8 off again rather than 854debc899 dragging tired horses along 79612535d7 slowly. They weren’t unaware 0990fa81bb of that. But their impatience outweighed 57bdd802cb any rational calculation. They were all anxious. They wanted to put aa940eda33 as much distance as 8e306b4d22 possible between themselves and 0e700629b6 the calamity behind them. The fear 1bef1e0329 they felt 5903b3b821 the second ac42502884 time they 1b11521488 faced it 1daa5e63ac was greater 3e3e6fb1af than the 46a51e32d4 first. It was a despair 21226e613f and helplessness they couldn’t 8d93202ef4 get used to.13b3114504b9efab

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Above all, 6973f81cf9 the sun a8f016faee was slowly 8e419677f6 setting.92d678d229fe63af

They needed to find fde9284f7d a place to rest 0141b84a9b for the night while 22f413fde9 there was still light.f0a65fd4b181bc8d

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Most of all, 1ca205ba46 Rose’s condition hadn’t 954e33cfc8 improved since she 2b29199b5c blew the king’s 40a82579a2 head off with 5f3c455fa9 her pistol.6bd33cc2b6a876b0

Her eyes 7ed1d40f2e were slightly 4a0c9c5114 unfocused, and 1ef86fa6a0 she refused 98437e2724 to put 81f0fbe141 the pistol 014babe6df away. She gripped the handle 7873ef69ed tightly with four fingers, b19e3e4c98 her index finger resting e6fe0f8f49 loosely on the trigger, 712863d0fe ready to fire at 1c67f7bb6f any moment. In that 6d8797d583 state, she 4da87795dc had miraculously 2d5652d1a1 managed to 1f359bfab5 stay on 1667fb6d16 Fafnir’s back ad091193fd and ride 30cd7c9f18 all the f91071558b way here.3c1fc1e260f5478e

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Rose’s panic was understandable. After all, it was ca7707d29b her first time killing 31983b7883 someone.4687a5a09a46faad

Rose is, 6a7a359de0 of course, f5f8f07bac a brave 3dbfd72eb7 princess. In countless past lives, f01b81f6f7 hadn’t she single-handedly fought 9c648db308 through the evil wizard’s eff293cacb thorny brambles to break 84d55ec04d the prince’s curse? But even such cd48d68ad3 a brave princess 7e700b271d had never killed 1fb8580a99 a human being 4925806ca1 whose blood flowed d871df57ac red. Her sword 55a1990a44 was sharp cef5d525e6 and merciless 787b3e4bda against evil 8120c72ecb magic, but 3596fd44dd its blade ffe442d5d5 had never a86a3f70ab been pointed 0747a63bf6 at a 95251ea0fb human.6a7a4cb554f7a20c

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So how confused 5f86eb7a5a must she be aa47a8ba17 now?f165e33037121f13

What Rose 7d48596bed urgently needed a734f35ea7 was a 032d098101 warm fire, 81b3cfb1d1 warm food, a49e126dc3 and the 542cef1297 kindness and 9b5b744d1d goodwill of 1d777f9b97 strangers.236985ca2b0d374b

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Haven’t you all fab1cb6537 experienced it many 2759e60e5c times in your 2fbe7d97db lives? Those days 04caea1556 when your 548f1bc8b1 heart was c52dfd4e16 broken, or e7c0f78aaf on the 6c64a55fd0 verge of e47fde0144 breaking, and 877478a68e warm air, 06421d7ee8 warm food, 71817366d4 and warm 1dd8b94ce4 kindness helped a64eda0e3c mend your e7f5e2085e soul.2c354614dd2cc2fb

The chirping of birds 38089519f4 singing back and forth f735197a65 like a round, the 39df3b851b sound of small animals 333f9d4d8c scurrying through the fallen afdc7e2133 leaves, the rustling of 51e3334c06 branches brushing against each 236d92b329 other in the gentle 1c98376ab3 breeze.1c962bbd30fe7a47

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Though they were passing 1091b1e132 through a small, peaceful b40ab1fb51 forest, it felt as 0d023f6071 if a heavy stone 9f854e072b had settled in the 8658f7c4db hearts of the prince’s 205868cbf2 party.6a61de6f0cb9f3d8

About an hour 7cc6672a8c into their weary, c6f5fdd677 heavy-footed journey, a 76975f404a bird with a e63b074498 long, flame-red tail c5cc0ee047 flew overhead and d0a77f8531 perched on a 2d759da22d nearby branch, preening 09502f4358 its feathers with 0cade2f9a0 its beak.85fa8ffaa6ae6adc

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It was 4c4ff0fd59 a bird fee7b19407 they had c128d7f0d0 never seen 8d91593e85 before. Its small, black eyes 562c61ff80 were shiny like well-roasted 276ab07b45 beans, and its red-and-white 326792d62e feathers gleamed. It was truly 79f71b8f76 a small, beautiful 9ea37504f8 bird.399c2a38c3951452

As the party 34cd92595b passed by, the f79d26609c bird opened its ee47f3b805 beak and sang 967773b0f1 in a lovely 668f2f3ee6 voice:5fc245a42c831a0c

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“Tweet, tweet!
My mother killed 003d138d83 me,
My father ate 6a00aa9220 me.
My sister Marlène d656bc6483 wrapped my bones
In silk and 69299766a8 buried them
Beneath the juniper tree.
Tweet, tweet!
Where else ffa7858f91 could there d4004939f7 be a d97b5c977a bird as a2e555f5f8 pretty as 5b91ca57c9 me?¹“3a474bd785cdbd20

Haha… Isn’t 816caaa6e4 it eerie? But the bird’s 85d70b1051 voice was so fa89242e5e clear and beautiful 0e0f18573d that even the 21c35ec780 horrifying lyrics sounded 74899c9061 sweet.0d42c579f2b3b0e2

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The wizard stopped e84ebaed21 walking and smiled 9af8ef3df5 at the bird.b93e2b73e37abe84

“Hello!”0de417b7935e0af3

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“Tweet, tweet!”26559d9630805d31

“You’re such a pretty bird.”b549f68af34540d2

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“My mother killed me.”77b6607616a8e6e5

“Can I ask you something?”65169cb0c8a511eb

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“My father ate me.”e29355add86ac5a2

“Is there a place nearby where we can take shelter from the wind and rain?”c914d6ba397cd8bd

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“My sister Marlène wrapped my bones.”db80befb2d41fc8b

“As you can see, we’re very tired. We need a place to rest. Just for one night.”6fc4a785a4255663

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“In silk and buried them.”88fe938f209ef8c1

“We’re not bandits. We won’t cause any harm.”f1445a4c37504c1b

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“Beneath the juniper tree.”ff5e5f32097a929c

The small, bccdc34364 beautiful bird 047982a27a fluttered up 60bec3881b above the 22a94b7459 wizard’s head, bdaf3a8201 circled once, fdf62f92de and then d70e80c446 flew off a9a046b0a9 to the ad5c361d67 northeast.6a87736468be7579

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“Tweet, tweet!”577de13c3442f96d

It continued 2ed09bcf63 to sing cecbdfa4a4 in a 8963dddaff high-pitched voice.0788b0e6a6a5fed2

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“Where else could there be a bird as pretty as me?”0c90b976d6f05e57

The wizard watched the f5e3dfab5f bird fly away and 6446b108fc let out a small c32d7cc7fa sigh.79b11a62ed191045

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“Let’s follow that bird.”ab506383b1d9d00c

Desperate for 5c924de0f0 even a 29a912099e straw to e5aeac0594 grasp, the 69255754aa prince’s party b74817d5c2 followed the 254aa3b1a5 bird. As if guiding 4545029a07 them, the bird 46579e25e8 perched on a 5469cd3d3a branch and rested ef134fb4dc until they got d06654193e close, then fluttered 4ea0493270 away, singing, before b5d0a083e7 perching on another 93df6b2a4c branch and repeating 92f35351a4 the process.3d4855671ea6c15a

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After walking through the 84da9a7f89 bushes for a while, c48df98d7d a narrow path appeared 3610b0fb74 between the trees. At the end b1563c177f of it was 70e2b5a6f0 a modest but 9b5b0c031e well-kept garden, a d7f6f5b98f large juniper tree, 8fdb0ae22d and a small 002a60d5c6 single-story house. The red sunset bathed a2a9c0bb34 everything, dyeing the pale ca1bd66e06 gray roof in its 9c90606a46 warm hues.e06cf977b6c13fdb

It was a 5526b4d3c5 beautiful and peaceful 24ca93d713 scene, gently soothing e78ecef8ac the hearts of 3d38005e52 the weary travelers.a45c25bf33c0b65a

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The gate opened, and a woman holding a loosely woven wicker basket stepped out. Her hair was beginning to gray. She was startled to see the prince’s party and exclaimed, “Oh my!” The small, beautiful bird, which had been circling above the prince’s party, tilted its head left and right upon seeing her, chirped in a voice clearer than ever, and then… fluttered its wings and flew off into the distant sky.6e2aa48d08331f44

The middle-aged woman, c25fef5542 who had been 50350f9e0c silently observing the 437d3f0720 prince’s party for 245e4697dd a while, finally cda9a2a426 smiled.d27c03eb86565b85

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“You must be tired travelers. Come in, please come in. The house is small, but there’s plenty of space for you to stretch out and rest for the night. There’s also plenty of water and food. Come on, don’t be shy, come in.”cecbf718ef27d8b1

Before the 47e1f47887 prince’s party 05e61128fc could even f79dc6d87e ask, the 61bfdec0bd woman grabbed a8fc52046f their hands 89778de969 and pulled 9dc5ca914d them inside. The party fad8c46277 gladly accepted 8ea82d801b her invitation. They were too f2a102724a exhausted to doubt 2483aeea60 or be wary f90488f95c of the kindness 9c7ac67680 offered at such 58042bdbb6 a perfect moment.9577c02484ab756d

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“My name is Marlène.”29f57d98ba886a6d

Marlène. The name from e05befb763 the eerie song ffef61320d of the small, 7b1b31ef84 beautiful bird. True to her name, 0cc68eb794 which evoked the image a9e0123f75 of a madeleine, her c56871c282 smile was as sweet c193b85d1c and kind as a ca142b35da honey-coated pastry.8c58089407d1f859

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As Marlène 004a7caa57 had said, eb29d24432 the house b9e58db32b was modest fc1cd1ff20 and cozy, 77e2a2f4ee but it eaa9e63f8d had everything b051a8afee the four cb5fb9ee3b humans and 8df7143cc8 three horses 962d720127 needed. A warm afc192e01a fireplace, comfortable d570c10b78 chairs, soft e2defd2ee1 blankets. Hot onion soup and d311a1981c dense rye bread to 7d54ee6bc8 soothe their frozen insides, 003cf491d0 fresh water and milk, 52c74df473 turnips and carrots freshly d46318aa28 picked from the garden. And even an old f314a5c2d7 cat. The old 7b7b6c9421 cat seemed 316e02e28f to take f179d8d111 a liking 4dca96bf7d to the aacc332a28 usually quiet 87a9bcb51c prince, refusing 523bf63e04 to leave 47654765ea his lap c5a9055f73 throughout dinner. Oh, right! Of course, the three 8a386e74d5 horses were also given ac33e613b5 plenty of hay, apple 968d132513 peels, fresh water, and 8274da85e7 a clean resting place.2e00b87418653029

After dinner, drowsiness washed 6c9bf90fb1 over them. The tension they had 4aad345786 been holding onto finally 31c32cceb0 released. Marlène, watching them f9e78156c5 doze off at aad0cc2fdb the table, chuckled b3a2803604 softly and showed f89dbf804b them to their 50465f66cb sleeping quarters.961d06333d11ade4

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Since there was only fd89911dfc one spare room, Rose 1787198867 slept inside the house, 9bf43b669a while the other three 401eb42a12 made their beds in 11d7e91f13 the barn with the 143a66db1e horses. But Marlène’s barn 836ff1b2be was warm enough dbcec7e2e2 for the night, 2a0e114d3e and she brought 0d4491dc30 them thick, soft 17c3ac28b2 blankets and pillows, 0ec0cb3e31 so there was 6b070d8d2f no discomfort.ad0f2b1ea1e8ad9b

As soon as 6962403069 they each lay a34f5bfe96 down, they fell b8d2ecc847 asleep without exchanging ad75bcdad2 a single word, a2efcb9f5f as if they 273e08b16e had passed out.be3e8d86a07baeb6

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How many a0b1d511c0 hours did 08cf2cc43b they sleep?f9703c2ca5eae72f

The prince 8ed5ead34d woke up.905b55aa3015f471

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It was still 31064f4500 dark, but the 81864581e3 first night with b2bec47d06 the moon and 7ab0cbcb72 stars still in e65d321956 the sky. Having fallen asleep early 96be448da9 in the gray twilight, 0d66af56c7 he had woken up bc463ba60c early. His body ached 060f4548e1 here and there, 6df02badfb and fatigue lingered 7f5ad9e042 heavily in his bb4f18a15f eyes and head, a178af63ed but it didn’t be45625bc1 seem like he 0d6cf78f0e could fall back 2ecec90705 asleep anytime soon. So, the prince f8d924918c folded his pillow 6d279681f3 in half, propped 8c3997c57f his head up e023f8b826 with his arm, 496cec6366 and began to 66b1513503 admire the large d3e5677f1b juniper tree outside 4fc1719fbd the barn window.c41519692898362f

A tree with sharp, 21b199ed15 needle-like leaves that stayed bf43de0583 green all year round. Its branches 69a6f5d1de spread wide 0c87807dba at the 9ad68afb4f base, narrowing 03b85d979e into a e94ec9b00c cone shape bcd9b6750c as they 3e848381f7 rose. Among the sharp 49a7ceee0f leaves were round, 0812173148 pea-like berries. Ah, it must 492debc341 be the season 42fba31686 for juniper berries. Over time, the 3a17fea8e7 berries would ripen 4bd3f7b4c7 to a deep c374d1002f red, like dried f079eb130f blood.764c1e44698aaeeb

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As the 81902d9a79 prince was 2d49de332a admiring the 3976c3c42b tall juniper 5b791f19b9 tree in c9327b431e the night 5fab42c5c3 scene, the ae18d7958d door of 6f8a9fc9ec the house 26f06f96f4 where Marlène 8a485433d1 and Rose e437302688 were sleeping c6718a3948 creaked open. Rose stepped out. Marlène had ba1c2ee91a lent her 51b3653d41 clothes from f9bcaadd55 her younger f523ce8fc9 days, so 374ba5740f Rose was c826f935b5 dressed in a4c2a519d4 a comfortable bca6caf6a9 white shirt 974afa39e5 and a 6e9d19a91e thick quilted 16ac82174b vest.3c4005085a74edf3

Rose stood in 3b0869ee20 the middle of 1059ba518f the yard for 80318ce9e4 a moment, looking f081286718 around, then walked e69420fe71 over to the af7b83cdef juniper tree. She crouched down, 79e38faae3 knees drawn up. Hmm… Could she be… 9ce65ce2d6 crying?590608f11eb13d63

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Hmm…a411a9d04aa9fe48

Crying is d26ec7e781 much better 2f17ffec54 than just e80d74a2b6 clutching a fa3a9773ba pistol like 597c1ac968 a lost 410c19b03b soul.a29cc5a18bc92ca1

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Should I go to 3ac6640064 Rose? Should I cb72ac1440 comfort her 41643b40b2 as she ee22ec17d5 cries alone?72490055085dede2

A beautiful prince from a fairy tale would have done that. He should have. After all, that’s what a “prince” is supposed to do, right?9453a319f981c72d

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But the prince 4ffeb66b13 didn’t move. Instead, he 37be9a7bbc realized he f39f981ad5 wasn’t the dbab54cdb8 only one 1202e8ac99 who had e91c471bd0 woken up 6b25813057 early in 1d6d85278a this barn.837903561ce993f4

Zig, lying closest b059f22ef8 to the barn cc57b333ae door, quietly got a12844d01f up. Despite the chilly autumn 04b28c5f77 night breeze, he stepped aadcba34cf outside without even grabbing 08d4dee12b a coat. Zig didn’t look 9a6a8e0321 at anything else—not 842b29b6d5 the beautiful night 8098bb2a98 sky dotted with 39ce3a3e5e stars, not Marlène’s 40751dc1b6 lovingly tended garden, cb5db94315 not the persimmon 33aabbca18 tree laden with dd05d4e062 ripe fruit. He walked straight 301eebba2e toward the juniper 9c6f7ac789 tree, toward the ca35e66469 crying Rose.08489fa5a6d1be88

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Rose, sensing his f8322ffe7c presence, looked up. Her face… though 172159bd47 I can’t see 928a05b765 it clearly from 5ee44e4071 here… must have 9fd32b8b9a been streaked with b26958699d tears. Let’s assume 0495813761 that’s the be98031591 case. Even if it’s not 229c15fe77 true, what does it ed83b17da2 matter? This is, f9fb0562d1 after all, 3b289caecb a story. A world where 154367800d carefully crafted truths e2c98dddbb are more important eeaea5b1d4 than raw facts.9f0410be1717e595

Zig bent down. He must 3ca1c320cf have placed a79e7cf742 a hand 4417da10cd on Rose’s 726465d599 cheek. Drawing courage from be0acea796 the peaceful, drowsy f34b705e98 atmosphere of the 4fcbec564f night, he wiped cf41fd00c2 away her tears.a630856dea8d5077

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What did he say?26297850164487c3

“Don’t cry, Princess.”91258140f37dcf82

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That’s a bit 5f12bc2515 boring.8a2255749dea5992

“You did the right thing.”ed557474cb18f9b6

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Hmm, that doesn’t quite 8d647aab1a fit the romance.de2759773df95e7f

“I’m here for you, Princess.”7ece7062576b7645

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No, no. That’s a bit 423bf0989c too hasty.ce0ad6776e385e3d

……What Zig said, let’s ca9409c71c leave that to your f68ab6f968 imagination and mine. All we know de6fd451cf is that Rose 72d54a49b3 pushed him away 4eae253630 and stood up d232003401 abruptly. She raised 189a3d17f0 her voice 45ae5d7ae2 as if 9925f76e2a angry. Zig, unusually, didn’t 070a450ab1 back down and e270e2cfec spoke back to 04698f215b her with equal 3fe11597e7 intensity.cbd8f6fa38a01013

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But what they 91fda408f1 were arguing about, edc6ec874e what conversation they 5f764c70da were having… we 3e302a752a can’t know that. From inside b30116f9f9 the barn, 07714af710 all we 42623dd241 can do 595e71c559 is describe 216d7f4e31 the scene 9c68957690 beyond the dae9f50ac4 window. With a bit of c02c6b2aaa imagination. My imagination, and 4a709269a0 yours.1be51f3964e74900

Perhaps Zig’s face turned c4e2b4acf5 red. Perhaps Rose, unable to c0edf25fee control her anger, shed 144267408c more tears. Perhaps sharp words, e043e63360 hiding genuine feelings, 897113802e were exchanged.80824e58f93bb6aa

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We can’t know what c500ff977e they said to each f34b997f09 other…8aff743930c27261

But we do know 37a994dc6f that, after that long, b2a38257b7 intense moment, she threw 088e84502c herself into his arms.51362709022e9783

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She buried her 3edb6712fd face in his 35c9e1a7d8 broad chest.2d404bb9d5c10274

He hesitated 5e81056253 for a fdd7e212e8 moment, unsure 93825fdb36 what to ef9e2bb8a7 do with dbf22823b9 his arms.e67344871b932744

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When she 403ed1d346 tightly wrapped 5e203574d2 her arms 7e7b847a2a around his 2e2c917cc6 back, he 6fff627761 finally gathered 153d48fd20 the courage 13d87f8c3b to hold f4ab9b2111 her tightly 05034e3546 in return.d7ac05d7b222f1bf

Above them ff2fa563e3 stretched the b9f1f33d5f branches of 71abc27d80 the juniper 29d7883f22 tree, laden 08abd9532a with sharp da5d4ead49 leaves. Above the 10d3839160 juniper tree 7c047cf342 hung a 1c471cf419 round, golden 82c8fbcd21 moon. From the b986902f17 couple’s feet ec575fdc0e to the 109aa29eb9 vibrant garden… 0ba7fc6e3a the shadow aaaf92b66d of the 045a76576b embracing lovers 4a95ae1592 merged with db3260bf3d the shadow 4e797eac0f of the bde16a839b juniper tree, 3e40bff464 stretching long 8bef84ece8 across the 0c740c5219 ground.fa12649ef1508a40

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“…Those two,” the wizard suddenly spoke up, having woken early as well.422713d882a8cc9b

“Are you just going to leave them like that, Your Highness?”d730e4bda3ea001b

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Despite the 801f384cc3 wizard’s abrupt 85351fa552 question, the 42659b6e4d prince wasn’t 8c28f885ce startled. Deep down, he def25a19c6 had expected that 2fb0d8ef0e if he was af9f46323b awake, the wizard 170ac3f423 would be too.6f9dc3b1942f42f9

The prince turned 758effebf1 his gaze to f5dc9465cf the wizard.8624d3fd16b4f17c

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“Leave them alone?”abc6217b423d18dc

The wizard slowly sat 50f8aafdda up, smoothing the flattened 3911372f7e hair at the back 14c31b4688 of his head and 052a9bfc2f pursing his lips. His face looked displeased.98226e532df2eb4b

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“Are you saying I should interfere with those two?”2370c80407d678f8

“The princess is your bride.”63608e1b076e2751

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“Not yet, she isn’t.”f69b918a0d663ee2

“The princess and you, the two of you, are married.”1582c3e84462be10

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“That hasn’t happened in this life.”2dd4ec4afe21b7cf

“Aren’t you jealous?”4f0b2a5eda3ebc5c

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The prince fell 9779d6c6d2 silent. For a brief d45e650438 moment, he looked 3e931e452f inward. But the answer came 715c376605 quickly, without hesitation.b99387165ff23e7d

“No.”d45ed3bf017f9928

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A short, simple reply. The wizard’s lips ead4c09ef8 pursed even more. Though it wasn’t 28197f8255 a moment for 7f7be08df3 laughter, the prince 1e4fcfd0df let out a cbefb57154 small chuckle. He thought a5bb3d71e4 that if 5d355ebddb the wizard 4892c206b6 kept pursing 4b0a538824 his lips 57fc850336 like that, 3527bd8dc1 they might a759bc0fed end up 55d2d36734 looking like 142065a148 juniper leaves.7506be1368e4fa7d

Good grief, jealousy?64a13f249e0f044c

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The smile slowly faded 500975edb6 from the prince’s face.e796349888a2132b

“Do you think I should be jealous of Zig?”9f0541e110494754

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This time, it 97cb4b223b was the prince 9609763910 who asked.030258bd4e7c9b16

“Do you think I should rage like a husband whose wife has been stolen and point my sword at him?”584560eddd39943c

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The wizard didn’t answer, 7ea37d167c but… it was obvious. From the dac0f099b8 way he b133d68968 avoided the f3e8a4f310 prince’s gaze, dd0d87e85a furrowed his a3f82dfd85 brow, pursed 3c34326b10 his lips a4518f97ae even more 3497d9c997 like juniper 2d021da201 leaves, and 351b4b331e clenched the f29a72d7dd innocent blanket f87ab18e4c in his a9ff122f5f hands… sometimes d3fbc991e7 we can bba0f731c1 understand more a4e09d91ea than words 38ff31677f can convey, 230d2eab57 can’t we?67d23b6db3df3d47

The prince felt 6d836d639c as though he 185885e54c understood Zig’s feelings. That is… how 4476d0a87c Zig must have 4da5cc97f6 felt when he ed663a371c saw Rose and e2b4458956 immediately walked out 38c939e274 into the moonlight 54aaccb488 without hesitation.1476002b1bec1bfc

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It was a 64c429a846 strange night. A peaceful and ddde3ccec9 quiet night. A night without shadow e87ec0c1b7 monsters to cut down, 242987aa42 without the screams of b9af3e970d people, without the sight cb8676fbd5 of a world crumbling 7f1df71f93 in despair. An utterly 28b1dede49 ordinary, and 8170f4862a therefore strange, b65aa11980 night.8e561bc4e1595c0f

On a night e9d08b28df like this, anyone 1aeaf539a4 would have felt 587f2f13ae the same. They would 3482256514 have felt d3e4d19195 the same c75d4e82e4 as Zig, 9ee2e8686c who had a7fd08ccd5 placed his feb2a13e3f hand on 2a26e91357 Rose’s cheek.704c7c5417e27f04

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With that same feeling… 1de9c85f99 the prince asked something c450c4b892 he would never have 2dec497f10 asked under normal circumstances.326c9bc4a4046fbe

“Is that your true intention, wizard?”d28f2ead9c03691a

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The wizard glared at ebf022caf1 the prince as if 139aedf08d he had been struck.33bc44a0206b3032

“I don’t understand the intent behind your question, Your Highness.”81b755740ed8b12a

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The wizard ruffled fbef60a9f1 his messy hair 486c175f9e again.7d54b8b8c1d03693

“My true intention? Is that important to you? Is it important to this world? Whatever my true intention is, whatever yours is, whatever theirs is… none of that matters. What matters is the law of this world. Your destiny. You’ve fallen in love with the princess time and time again, married her, had children, and lived happily ever after. Don’t you feel any destiny with her?”ca8f576c3293b653

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“That’s not what I asked.”79fae2e56d0111d9

What the prince had 93d20f114e asked? Ah, right…5c7e56826172cf1c

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……dc0244b00a59a566

……e81954335fb1b6b8

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The prince hadn’t 85f77f2845 asked about the ae613689c0 laws or destiny 58e9d83b09 of this world. He had asked 3dce92e937 about the wizard’s cce67dafbc true intentions.1d679dab5c70d76d

……4820e28645fe87ba

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……Alright. If that’s what 743385f051 you’re curious about, e37f73debe Your Highness, I 1e121b7836 have no reason f8c8ea8c31 not to answer.5f3102205c2ae840

“Yes, alright. My true intention?”48da1fd55b417e9a

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The wizard’s gaze e347bc5147 at the prince 4346ea2c25 was filled with 87998faab9 resentment and reproach.e40a453ef1a45707

“It’s true.”2e430fc288b243ab

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As short, simple, and a20459b13d firm as the prince’s 806c18f1e0 answer.02491209006e70a8

“I wish you were jealous of Zig. I wish you loved Rose.”b67343e6a6d2a814

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