Since Esmera was abandoned on a stranger's doorstep as a baby, the only person who has looked out for her is herself.
Until a lark starts visiting her, leaving behind exotic flowers and iridescent pebbles that the internet doesn't recognise.
Esmera...
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The letter to Tauram trembled in Esmera's hand like a tower shaken by an avalanche. It wasn't too late for her to look away from that graceful font that drew her eye to it, but somehow, she couldn't.
Esmera shouldn't be reading Tauram's mail even though she had found this letter open, even though it had fallen into her lap as if inviting her to be privy to its secrets. All the same, there had to be a reason why Esmera had found it, just like there was a reason why Tauram had painted that image of a Milatanuran lark, why Esmera had come upon it when she did, why they had eventually found themselves together even when their cruel fates seemed to have separated them, sent them to different realms.
She leaned into the silk pillow pressed against her back, swallowing as she began to read.
Dearest Prince Tauram, said the first line. I am writing to you with important news regarding your betrothed. Not your current fiancée, but the girl you were originally engaged to after I predicted that she would someday be Milatanur's queen. You must remember her even though it has been many years since you would've heard her name—Esmera Finnaaz.
Even though Esmera had known she must be the woman the writer of the letter referred to, her breath still caught in surprise at seeing her name in unmistakable black ink on the parchment. Her curiosity kept her reading even as mild dread clenched her stomach.
Many, if not all of us who heard of the Finnaaz tragedy believed Esmera had died with her family. Given the destruction of the massacre, it was a valid assumption. However, I have recently received confirmation via a vision that Esmera Finnaaz is alive and in Arkōsāra, enduring unthinkable difficulties while navigating life alone as an orphan.
Tears welled in Esmera's eyes to see her struggles made so real by someone else's description of them. It had seemed like a distant part of her past, possibly a story she had heard or read, turned to a faded memory by Milatanur's vividness.
Esmera dabbed at her eyes with her satin sleeve and looked at the date of the letter. It was written 10 years ago. She had been thirteen then, and although her life had been difficult at the time, she had yet to see the worst of it. Had the writer of this letter known that too or was it a secret Esmera could keep to herself?
If everything that has come to pass was destined—including your parents' tragic demise and the storm about to befall your kingdom—I believe that Esmera, as your destined wife, is your only hope of preserving your life and your throne. The only help I can offer you in the challenging times to come is to go to Arkōsāra and find the last Finnaaz. She may yet be too young for marriage, but if you bring her back to Milatanur and keep her safe until she is of age, both of you together can save the kingdom from its foretold destruction.
