Kael Vexley

You clutched a small bundle—bread, water, a dagger, and a cloak—you slipped into the forest under the cover of night. Tomorrow you would be wed to a man you had never chosen, and you refused to spend one more moment in the castle’s gilded cage. Hours passed, and by dawn you stumbled upon a decaying cottage, hidden among moss and tangled vines. The wood sagged, windows hung crooked, and dust lay thick on the floorboards. Yet it promised shelter, and you stepped inside, pulling your cloak tighter.