The days after the prince's proposal passed like a dream Lily could not wake from. A strange quiet settled in the village one not born of peace but of hush-hushed whispers and curious stares. Every footstep she took seemed to echo more than it should, every conversation around her ended just as she passed by.
Her parents had begun acting differently, too. Her mother moved with a purposeful gentleness, always watching Lily out of the corner of her eye, as though expecting her to cry. Her father was more silent than usual, and though he tried to smile, it never reached his eyes.
Lily spent more time by the cliffs. The sea had calmed, now resting in gentle waves that kissed the shore as if apologizing for its rage. She would stand there alone for hours, the wind tossing her hair as she stared at the horizon. Her heart was heavy with confusion.
She hadn't seen Sam since the day the messenger arrived.
Not really.
He had kept to the docks, working longer hours, hauling nets alone, fixing damaged boats without help. The few times she saw him from afar, he never looked up. Not even once.
And it hurt more than she expected.
She sat one afternoon with her feet dangling off the edge of the cliff, the sky overhead streaked with lazy clouds and the scent of salt in the air. Behind her, the village was beginning to rebuild, the distant sounds of hammering and voices rising. In front of her, the sea shimmered under the sunlight.
She closed her eyes and breathed in.
"Lily."
Her eyes flew open. She turned, and there he was. Sam.
He looked tired. A soft cut ran along his jaw from the storm, and there was a quiet storm in his eyes not one of anger, but of something deeper. Sadder.
"I wasn't sure if you'd still come here," he said, walking closer but stopping just short of sitting beside her.
"I didn't know where else to go," she admitted, her voice barely above the wind. "Everything feels… wrong."
He gave a small nod, staring out at the sea. "I heard. About the proposal."
She lowered her gaze. "You think I should accept it?"
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped closer and finally sat beside her, his hands resting between his knees. "I think… it's not about what I think. It's your life."
"But it's not," she said bitterly. "It's theirs. My parents. The prince. The messenger. Everyone but me."
Sam looked at her then, truly looked. "Would you have chosen me, if you could?"
The question hung between them, heavier than the sky.
She turned to meet his gaze. "You saved my brother. You saved me."
"That's not an answer."
"I don't know!" Her voice cracked. "I don't know what I would choose because nothing feels like a choice anymore."
He reached out as if to touch her hand but pulled back just before contact. "Then I'll give you something that is."
She blinked at him, confused.
"I'm leaving," he said quietly. "Just for a few days. There's a merchant ship heading to the nearby city for supplies. I signed on to help."
Her heart jumped. "Why?"
"Because I need to know if I can do more than fish nets and fix boats," he said, eyes back on the horizon. "If I'm ever going to be enough not for your parents, not for the prince but for myself. I need to become more."
She stared at him, speechless.
"I'll be back," he added after a pause. "But if you're gone when I return… then I'll know."
He stood up, brushing dust off his trousers. "Just don't let anyone choose your story for you, Lily."
And then he walked away, leaving her with the wind and the sea and a thousand emotions she had no names for.
That night, the house was full of voices. Lily's parents had invited the messenger for dinner, and the table was set with the best dishes they owned still chipped, but polished.
The messenger smiled often. He had slick black hair, smooth hands that hadn't worked a day in his life, and a ring with the prince's crest that he loved to flash. He spoke of golden palaces, silk gowns, and a life where Lily would never lift a finger again.
Lily sat in silence, her food untouched.
"She is quiet," the messenger noted with a grin. "So modest. The prince will like that."
"She's just overwhelmed," her mother said quickly. "It's a lot for a girl her age."
The messenger nodded, his gaze lingering on Lily longer than it should have.
Later that night, her mother came into her room. She sat beside Lily's bed and smoothed her hair back gently.
"I know this is hard," she whispered. "But we are trying to give you a better life. We want you to be happy."
"I want to be free," Lily whispered back. "Is that too much to ask?"
Her mother looked pained but said nothing more.
Two days later, Sam was gone.
Lily watched from the cliffs as the merchant ship disappeared into the distance. The wind tugged at her dress, and her heart felt emptier than the sea below.
She didn't know what would happen next.
But something inside her had changed.
She would not let this world carve her fate. She would walk her own path silent if it must be, but hers alone.
And deep down, a quiet hope took root.
Fate was not done with her yet.....