A fox in the snow

Chapter 6

Martha's Flashback:

"I was born into a family of sorcerers and so, my family was treated like criminals here, in Aersberg. They couldn't work to earn a living here since they were considered 'outcasts'.

My poor dad had to travel from village to village in search of work. My mom also tried to earn some money, but after I was born, she couldn't leave me alone at home. My father worked day and night to provide something for us. Somehow, they made sure I'd eaten well, even if it means they go without food.

The harsh winter of 1562 worsened our condition. Our small vegetable garden which had provided for us had become a bleak and barren moor. Times were hard, but we lived through them together as a family.

Sadly, my parents were killed by the villagers as they believed sorcery was an attempt to bypass God's wisdom and power and give glory to Satan instead. 

God had no tolerance for sorcery.

I remember that day... I was just nine... It was a peaceful morning. Someone had knocked on the door and Dad answered it, only to be stabbed mercilessly.

Mom heard the ruckus and came running from the kitchen, only to find Dad in a blood pool, and I knelt beside him, wailing. What she didn't know however was that the killers were right behind her. They slashed her across her back, thrice, until she slumped on the floor, dead.

They left me to rot.

That is until Mr Woods found me sleeping beside the slain bodies of my parents that evening. He took me to his home, where he lived alone, with no wife or kids.

And made me his family."

Martha smiled with tears in her eyes. She cleared her emotional thoughts and continued, "Anyways, when you and Aeden were around two, your dad noticed that Aeden could conjure fire. I still don't know if that's true, because I've never seen that happen. In fact, I've never seen him show any trace of sorcery," she shrugged.

"But he claimed that Aeden could control fire and linked it with my ancestry with sorcery. He was disturbed that the potential heir of Valoria would be a sorcerer. Since then, he never as much as looked at Aeden, my poor boy. And when it was time to split up, he took you as his only daughter, and left Aersberg, forever..."

"But why split up? Why didn't you both get married?" Ethan asked.

"Because his father would never approve of it, and he never had the guts to stand for himself," she said, shaking her head. "I knew he wasn't a very fierce prince, but I didn't think he would've been so cowardly either."

They all remained silent and pondered over what she said.

Finally, Melissa asked, "So why take Lilith? I mean, he could've left you responsible for both of 'em, and forget about the whole deal right?"

"No, he loved his children a lot, more than words could express. Of course, once he knew what Aeden was supposedly capable of, he ignored him completely and devoted himself to Lilith. When his father, the late King William insisted on marrying Catherine for the sake of his kingdom, Nic agreed on one condition- to parent Lilith."

"Ooooh..." said Ethan and Melissa in unison.

Dylan shifted uncomfortably in his chair and said, "Is it just me or, does everyone find the whole ordeal a bit overwhelming all of a sudden?"

"Tell me about it," Lilith smirked.

"So... is the question-answer session done?" Martha asked, getting up from her chair.

"Yeah, that's more than enough for now," Ethan said, letting out a heavy breath. "Any more information and my brain will probably explode."

Martha raised her eyebrows as if remembering something and then said, "Oh... one more thing. Aeden knew you'd come someday searching for us, and so he specifically told me to introduce you to Daphne."

"Who's that now?" Heather asked.

"Follow me." Martha smiled.

~Author's Note

Who's Daphne? Why does Aeden want Lilith to meet her?

This chapter could be the shortest one I've written so far, but that's because I didn't want to clamp too much information into one chapter.

It's from the next chapter that this story starts taking pace. I promise you won't be disappointed.

What do you think of Martha? Do you think she was happy on meeting Lilith?

And yeah, we couldn't meet Aeden in this chapter. Would you like to meet Aeden in the next chapter? What do you think he would be like? As adventurous as Lilith?

Do drop a ⭐ if you liked the story so far!

Happy Reading!