Delia hoped her family life would remain the same forever. She still missed her husband and older son dearly, her remaining son was so stubbornly carefree she had almost given up hope on seeing Lucien's wife and children, but with Elena's boys living with her the Manor at least didn't feel empty. She had grown to see Adrian and Ronan almost as sons and loved listening to their plans.
And maybe they at least would give her almost-grandchildren.

Ronan and Evelyn were inseparable and often reminded Delia of her own brother and his wife. The two lovebirds were just as happy and just as eager to start a family of their own, as soon as they could afford it.

But Adrian... When he reached adulthood the ambitious boy was forced to take inventory of his assets and possible future and he found them lacking. His childhood home was a burnt out husk and his and his brother's savings combined were not enough to give him the comfort he had gotten used to. University was completely out of his reach and even knight training was too expensive for what he currently had. And he was sure time was running out.
So he found another way to compound his savings. Just like he had seen Faelyn do at the market. And even though Faelyn was punished for stealing... nobody would suspect him, would they?

As he grew bolder, Adrian half hoped he might even pin his own crimes on Faelyn and earn her another dose of the whip, but completely disregarded the possibility of ending like her one day. He never imagined the old guard might be still sharp enough to see through him and his tricks, or fast enough to catch him in the act.

With no more excuses, Adrian put on his best contrite face and hoped Delia would save him from punishment one more time. But her token efforts were completely overshadowed by her son Lucien's disapproval and the guard's anger.
When he was escorted to the pillory to be humiliated before the whole village, Adrian was sure he saw the guard smiling in satisfaction.
Evelyn was sympathetic, having been through the same punishment herself, but everyone else... Ethan mocked mercilessly both him and his sister, Faelyn didn't say anything but her smirk was more than telling, even strangers with no reason to dislike him enjoyed laughing at him. Some even brought their children to warn them off thievery.

When it was finally over, Adrian felt so humiliated, he wasn't sure how he would bear to show his face in the village again.

He hoped to hide in his comfortable room at the manor and wait until it all blew over and everyone forgot, but Lucien caught him just before he could lock the door and start sulking.
"Don't you think it's time for you to finally leave?"
"What? Are you serious? This is..." Adrian tried hard to keep himself from screaming or bursting into tears, but there was still an edge in his voice.
"This is my house. And my mother's, but mostly mine. And we have long been patient with you freeloaders, but I draw the line at thieves. You have one day and then I want you out."
Adrian tried pleading with Delia, but even when that proved futile, he refused to start packing and instead retreated into bed. From there he watched helplessly how loyal Ronan put everything together and Lucien went through all their bags one last time to "check there was nothing stolen amongst their belongings", and tried not to scream in frustration.
But in the end he let his younger brother lead him into a carriage that would take them back to their original home. Cold, empty, but at least undeniably theirs.

They furnished the house as best they could, but it still meant going from soft beds to scratchy blankets laid on a rough mat. Adrian hated everything about their new situation and especially the fact that Ronan didn't mind.

On their own, away from Delia's supporting influence, the boys were slowly drifting apart and settling into their own harmful patterns. When not with Evelyn, Ronan was having trouble finding motivation for anything and spent more time just lazing around. And Adrian was blaming the whole world for his reduced circumstances, with Faelyn being an especially welcome scapegoat. He blamed her for provoking him and earning him the warning and for making the village guards more suspicious and less open to leniency.

Ronan did his best to calm his brother down, but even his dog-like loyalty was driving Adrian crazy.

What right did he have to say anything, anyway? How could he understand Adrian's rage, when it wasn't his reputation and his life that was ruined? Ronan might have shared the same bland food and hard bed, but he still had his sweetheart, his friends and even Delia's love.
When they all gathered to celebrate Ronan's birthday, his transition into adulthood, it felt like a slap in the face to Adrian. He tried to smile and cheer with the rest of them, but couldn't shake the sensation of being irrelevant, almost invisible.
And would anyone mind if he just disappeared entirely? Even Adina stopped visiting since their move back "home".

Ronan, meanwhile, could only think about Evelyn and starting his own life with her. There was the money issue, the fact that he was living in his brother's house, but ever since he blew out his candles and made his wish he couldn't shake the thought of how much he wanted to marry her.
And one day he just couldn't wait any more.
She knew Evelyn felt the same way, he knew she loved him and wanted a family, but when he presented Evelyn with a ring, he still couldn't help feeling nervous. "I know it's not much... I'm saving money, so if you want a better ring we probably can... and I will build a house for you, I promise..."
Evelyn just hugged him, her shining eyes enough of an answer.

Lucien was also enjoying his lover's company, but neither him nor Elodie saw any reason to hurry. All they cared about was that as days were getting colder their embraces stayed warm, easy and comfortable. Just like the water in his big tub, where they were spending much of their time.

Delia had her own ideas about his future, but Lucien just considered it part of something every mother would say. Trying to tie him down, force him into a mod, and for what? There was no family name to speak of, and he wasn't his brother to want to establish one. Why wouldn't his mother just understand he was happy just as he was?

Would making love to Elodie even feel as good if they got married? Or would some of their passion disappear, as some of his married friends talked about?
Lucien just didn't think it was worth it to take the risk.

Neither of them realised their carefree life meant they were taking completely different risks. Even when Elodie first started feeling sick in the mornings she first tried to blame her supper the previous day, but it didn't pass, days turned into weeks and Elodie's belly slowly started to grow.

The moment she learned she was about to get a grandchild was also the moment Delia's tolerance for her son's ongoing relationship ran out. She remembered all too well her own past as a noble's bastard's mother and all the scorn it brought her in the village. And while she didn't regret her life with Adrian and especially her two sons, she didn't want another girl to endure the same hardships. Not when it could easily be prevented.
"You must marry her." She insisted to her son. "She clearly loves you, you say you love her, so why would you want to complicate her life?"

Lucien wanted to say that he had never wanted a child, but didn't dare. He didn't really want to argue with his mother, not when she was this determined to push him into something. It was far easier to just give in, let her force a ring into his hand and push him towards Elodie.
And maybe she was right after all. The shine in Elodie's eyes when he proposed made it worth the arguments and maybe even the lifelong commitment he had just made.

After the proposal everything settled once again. Elodie moved into the manor, into the comfort that befitted her new station as a noble's wife-to-be. Her pregnancy was coming along and she was feeling more tired every day, so a chance to spend her days just lying in bed was more than welcome.

Delia took over planning the wedding and Lucien was more than happy to leave everything up to her. He had already accepted he would have to show up and say the vows, but he would be happiest if that was the only thing he was required to do.
Everything was once again under control and Lucien thought he had all the time in the world, at least until the wedding was all arranged for his and Elodie's convenience. Until Delia's time ran out.
Lucien had of course known his mother was getting on in years, but he had never thought of her dying. Or at least not any time soon, not when she was so active and full of life... not when he still needed her.
And now he was pressing her hand and she was dying with a content smile that Lucien didn't understand. Her last words to him were weak but completely clear. "I'm sorry I won't see you finally married. Take care of the little one. And be happy. I love you." And then she closed her eyes for the last time and was gone for ever.
The strongest, most constant thing in Lucien'S life was suddenly gone. What was he going to do now?

Evelyn and Ethan reached adulthood without really breaking their routine. Evelyn was still in love, just waiting for either Ronan or herself to save enough money for their own family. And Ethan was still irritable and broody, still unsure what exactly he wanted from life. He only knew he wanted what he was owed, whatever it was.
As summer turned into autumn, he would spend more time just looking at the stars and imagining what life he could have had in an ideal, fairytale world. His sister tried to drag him back into reality, but Ethan was convinced he was living in a wrong reality and ought to be a hero beloved and respected by all.
It was in the middle of one of these fantasies that the blue light came.

Evelyn watched in shock as her brother was lifted into the sky.
She had heard stories of the Fae, elusive beings who sometimes chose and took people for their own purposes, often impossible to understand. She had heard about people being gifted with wisdom and wealth, but also of people danced to death or turned into horrific monsters. And as much as her brother might believe he was deserving of unearthly reward, she couldn't help but be be afraid for him.
Without thinking, she stepped where he had stood just a while before, into the frightening light, and called after him.
And the light answered.

She could hear music and laughter. Voices, some surprised, some almost approving. Evelyn closed her eyes, gathered all her courage and spoke: "Give me back my brother. He's..."
More laughter. And then what sounded like many voices entwined into one: "In time. When all is finished, when he has what he asked for. But we may give you the same, to use for good or ill."
She didn't dare open her eyes, but she felt being lifted high into the sky as the voice finished: "You might need it when he is back."

Tiriel's life continued in a mostly ordinary way. Little Avianna was growing like any other child, if a little wild at times. She loved running around the woods, often refused to wear shoes and preferred to sleep outside, but even her mother herself wasn't sure if it was something in the girl's blood or just results of the circumstances she was born in.
As more time passed and Avianna's pearl eyes stayed the only clearly unnatural thing about her, people of the village started wondering if the Fae story might be just a cover for another of Tiriel's affairs.
At first Tiriel educated her daughter herself, desperate to shield the girl from all of that talk, but soon it stopped being enough. When Avianna started asking about the village school herself, Tiriel finally relented and let her go. She only hoped the bright and inquisitive girl wouldn't get hurt for being too different from all the other children.

The girl didn't seem to care, though. In some ways she was just like all the other children, but in others she stayed a wild thing from the forest, no matter how hard the village priest tried to "civilise" her. She was always happier outside than confined by four walls and even slept under the sky whenever the weather permitted.

Faelyn, meanwhile, was dealing with a bad reputation of her own.
It was bad enough that she had been caught before even having the chance to steal anything good and even worse to be punished so publically. To be still seen as a thief weeks after the punishment was completely unfair, especially as Evelyn, her partner in crime and the worst lookout ever, seemed to be fine.
She tried to keep her head up high and pretend nothing was happening, but not being the cool girl everyone admired was hard to bear.

But as time passed Faelyn slowly discovered there was another way. There had always been people who rejected her because of her parents and she never really cared for that. Now there would just be more people she didn't care about, more people who should pay her back.
After all, if everyone thought she was a thief, why should she stop herself fully becoming one? Why shouldn't she take back her self respect, with some money as interest?
It didn't take long until her routine was almost perfect. Stick to crowds, move fast and be gone before anyone could notice their belongings missing. Or play clever games with stupid people. Her favourite was telling people they had lost their purse, a distraction that explained its sudden disappearance.

Looking back, Faelyn didn't know why it took her this long to embrace crime as lifestyle. Bad reputation was easier to have when she had at least some money to go with it. There were people who would have never accepted her even with a completely faultless life and those could only be laughed at. And she could always find new friends who would gladly join in the fun.
Geoff was always there when she needed to complain about people, supported her in taking what she was owed, even pushed her further and helped her come up with new tricks. He was obviously experienced and witty and much more interesting to be around than most of the village put together.

It didn't take long until they were best friends. They weren't together all the time, Geoff was too busy with his own plans and Faelyn was determined not to look too needy or clingy. But to her, the time they shared seemed to matter more than that spent apart. They understood each other, she was sure of that, and what more could she want?
When their relationship started slowly changing to maybe something more than just friends, she took it as only natural. She wasn't in love with Geoff, but wasn't companionship better anyway? They definitely didn't need true love for their first kiss to feel good and exciting.

And they didn't need true love to go further than kisses, to fool around behind her mother's house. As if her mother could judge them.
Tiriel tried to keep her daughter from going too far into a life of crime or do anything else that might irreversibly ruin her life, but soon found out she had no real influence over her. Especially not with her own past, which Faelyn was too fast to point out as the reason that turned most of the village against her. Even warnings from firsthand experience fell on deaf ears. Despite having been caught and punished already, Faelyn felt almost invincible. Too good to be in any danger.

Even Avianna, the wild child, was worried about her sister. Many of the village's customs and rules felt strange and foreign to her, but even she understood stealing was bad. And every time she saw the pillory and whipping post, she couldn't help imagine how much it would hurt.
She didn't really mean to share her worries with anyone except her mother, didn't really expect anyone to understand, but she found an unexpected friend in Elias. The son of her mother's best friend and, perhaps even more importantly, the younger brother of siblings with their own troubles and secrets. Elias knew what it was like to hear his siblings sneak out at night, he had seen his sister deal with her own punishment and been bullied by his moody older brother.
Just knowing they were not alone was a great relief to both of them.

In the middle of this, Avianna's birthday was a small affair. Not insignificant by any means, definitely not forgotten, but quiet.

The wild girl was growing into a shy young woman. Still bright and inquisitive, still preferring the woods over staying inside, but unsure every time she had to go to the village and nervous of the prospect of having to marry and start a family. Or could she possibly live just like her mother did?

Faelyn, meanwhile, was testing her limits. There were times when Geoff was the only person she could stand and everyone else was irritating at best and infuriating at worst.
She had believed Ethan was the worst of the latter, but the more she saw of Adrian, the more she hated his ambitious plans and his arrogant smirk. They were the same age and should have similar standing, but Adrian had more comfort than she could even dream of and he thought the whole world belonged to him. It was enough for Faelyn to see his stupid face to want to slap him.
And Adrian seemed to feel the same towards her.

Neither of them really knew what exactly was the last drop that caused the brawl. They probably just gravitated toward each other, both just wanted to take out their general frustration on someone. The rush felt so good neither of them really noticed Adrian's brother desperate pleas, a crowd gathering to watch them fight, or the guard that finally tore them apart.
They were both put into a prison cell overnight to cool down and Faelyn half expected another trip to the pillory, but to her surprise it didn't happen. They only got a stern lecture, were told to be thankful to lady Delia, and then they were released.

Faelyn tried to be grateful, but she still hated it. She hated the lecture, the guard's scorn, but most of all she hated to be an object of mercy, especially when she suspected the mercy was mostly directed to Adrian rather than her.
And she knew only one way to feel better again. Ignore the warning, ignore everything, throw all caution to the wind... until she found her self-respect again, or her limits.

She still believed she was mostly invincible, but this time it turned out the limits were closer than she had thought.
The trial was short and would be even shorter if not for the list of aggravating circumstances. Robbing a priest, the recent public fight, her previous criminal history... as the list went on and the only real question that remained was merely the number of whip strokes, Faelyn tried hard to hide her fear behind open disdain of the whole proceedings.
As hard and painful as the punishment might be, she was determined to not give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her cry.