Silence Among the Trees

The forest beyond the city walls was unlike anything Liora had known. Towering trees loomed overhead, their twisted branches reaching out like fingers whispering ancient secrets into the wind. Every leaf seemed to murmur. The air was heavy — like the forest itself was alive. Watching. Breathing.

Kael walked ahead in silence, tense, every movement sharp with purpose. He hadn’t spoken a word since they escaped.

Liora followed closely, her wings tightly tucked beneath her cloak, struggling to match his pace. Her feet ached, and her heart still raced from the adrenaline.

“Hey…” she said softly, her voice barely above the wind. “Thank you… for saving me. Again.”

Kael paused. His shoulder twitched slightly, as if he was about to reply… but didn’t.

They kept walking until they stumbled upon a small natural shelter — a hollow between two mossy boulders and a broad-canopied tree. The ground there was soft with moss, and the world outside felt distant, muffled.

Kael sank down first, pulling his cloak closer around him. His golden eyes caught what little light filtered through the canopy, flickering like fire in shadow. Liora sat near him — not too close, but just enough to feel the faint warmth radiating from his presence.

“Are you still mad at me?” she asked, barely a whisper.

He finally looked at her.

“No.”

“Then why won’t you talk to me?”

He hesitated. Then leaned back against the stone, eyes half-lidded.

“Because now you know.”

She blinked. “Know what?”

He exhaled deeply, as though the truth weighed heavy on his chest.

“What I really am.”

Liora studied him. His deep crimson-black hair blended with the shadows, but his eyes — golden, fierce, tired — still shone. He looked older than before. Not in age, but in burden.

“They called you a prince,” she murmured.

Kael gave a dry, bitter smile. “The runaway prince of the Demon Kingdom. The rightful heir. ‘Disgrace to the bloodline’ — that’s what they call me.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The wind rustled through the leaves like a hush.

“You saved a fairy. Twice. And you protected me even when I messed up,” she said softly. “That doesn’t sound like a ‘disgrace’ or a ‘villain’ to me.”

He let out a breath of laughter — brief, but real.

“You talk like things are that simple.”

“Maybe they are,” she said with a small shrug and a light smile. “To me, at least.”

Kael turned to face her, and for a moment, their eyes met. Close. Closer than either of them realized. Her heart skipped. There was something in his gaze — not fear, not confusion. Something fragile. As if he were seeing something he didn’t believe he deserved.

“You knew I was a fairy from the beginning, didn’t you?” she asked, her voice gentle.

“Yes,” he replied. “I can sense races. It’s… instinctual.”

“Then why didn’t you run from me? Or turn me in?”

Kael hesitated, his voice quieter now.

“Because… fairies are the only race I’ve never been able to hate.”

She blinked, surprised. “Why?”

“Maybe because… you don’t hide who you are.”

A smile bloomed on her lips. She inched a little closer. Her cloak slipped slightly off her shoulder, and one of her wings shimmered under the filtered light. She quickly tried to pull it back, a bit embarrassed.

“Sorry… they’re kind of hard to hide.”

“You don’t have to hide them here,” he said — gently this time.

Liora paused. Then, slowly, she pulled off the cloak entirely, letting her wings unfold in full view. They caught the green light like stained glass, delicate and mesmerizing, shifting with every breath. Kael watched — not with desire, but reverence. Like he was seeing something sacred.

She lay back, head tilted near his knee, eyes tracing the canopy.

“Kael… have you ever had someone? Like… someone special?”

He didn’t answer right away. When he did, his voice was low, almost reluctant.

“No. I never trusted anyone enough to let them be close.”

She turned to look at him, wide eyes filled with quiet wonder.

“And now?”

Kael stared at the sky for a moment, brows furrowed in thought. Then his gaze drifted back to her. A faint hint of red colored his cheeks.

“Now… I don’t know what I’m allowed to feel anymore.”

Liora smiled, soft and sure.

“That’s okay. I can feel enough for the both of us.”

Kael’s eyes widened just slightly — caught off guard. She let out a soft giggle and rolled onto her side, her wings fluttering gently behind her.

The silence returned.

But now it felt different.

Safe. Warm.

And for the first time in what felt like forever…
Kael allowed himself to breathe.