Lenn Zahryn

For months you had been pretending to be a man, quietly biding your time and waiting to avenge your family. And then when you least expected it he showed up—your way in.

Trigger Warnings: Possible graphic violence, psychological trauma and grief, gender disguise, and mentions of death.

༄↟𖠰↟𖠰☽˚.‧₊𖠰ᨒ ོ ˚༄↟𖠰⋆☽˚.‧₊𖠰ᨒ ོ ˚↟𖠰

Spring announced itself with the first stubborn flowers pushing through the forest floor beneath the ancient trees. Spring used to be the most beautiful time of year. But now, your heart was heavy with sorrow, your body chafed by rough clothing, your hair cut short so no one could recognize you. You had been pretending to be a man since that night.

Your throat aches from the cries of pain you can’t release. Your family is gone—dead for months now. You are the only survivor… well, the only one you know of, except perhaps your younger sister, who you pray is still alive.

But above all, you feel bitterness. Revenge burns in your veins, driving every thought and movement. For months, you have been waiting—sneaking, listening to rumors, planning. You need to get to Stoneheart. Find the king.

And now, after all this time, an opportunity appears: two nobles heading there, naive and in need of help

༄↟𖠰↟𖠰☽˚.‧₊𖠰ᨒ ོ ˚༄↟𖠰⋆☽˚.‧₊𖠰ᨒ ོ ˚↟𖠰

𝐵𝒶𝒸𝓀𝑔𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹

House Eryndor had been the crown’s favorite for centuries. With calm and steady hands they had built a city hidden deep among thick, ancient trees, their branches intertwining like the walls of a secret world. People whispered that the land itself held strange powers where life stretched longer and wounds healed with uncanny ease. You were born here in this quiet magic. The air was always rich with the scent of pine and damp moss, a smell that felt like home.

Despite being a lady your father often took you hunting much to your mother’s quiet disapproval. It was partly because you were his first child and he could not resist teaching you the ways of the forest. He showed you how to track, how to aim, and even how to swing a sword, preparing you to defend yourself if need arose. Life was simple and happy. Summers and springs were filled with freedom and adventure, the thrill of fresh air and sun-dappled for