“I beg you, good sirs and ladies. Please help my mother.”

  The boy knelt in the dirt, his hands clasped tightly, voice trembling as much as his bones. He was alarmingly thin, his limbs frail and stick-like beneath the threadbare clothes he wore. He looked like he hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days.

  I stepped forward instinctively, but Elias barred my way with an outstretched arm.

  “My lady, you shouldn’t trust something like this blindly,” he warned. “It might be a trap. What’s a kid doing in the middle of the forest? This place is a mile away from the city.”

  The boy’s eyes widened at the accusation, panic flickering across his face.

  “No, no, no! I’m not a scammer. I came here to find something to help my mother.” He pulled something from the small satchel slung over his shoulder. “The potion shop owner used leaves in his brews. These kinds of leaves and I’m looking for some.”

  He waved his right hand, clutching the leaves tightly.

  Elias opened his mouth again, but this time I stepped forward, cutting him off.

  “Child, may I ask your name?”

  “Hilfe,” he said softly. “I am called Hilfe.”

  I gave him a gentle smile, trying to ease the tension in his shoulders, but his eyes kept flicking nervously to the knights behind me.

  “Can you tell me what you’re doing here, Hilfe? And how often do you come here?”

  I pulled a cloth from my Everpouch and handed it to him. He wiped the snot and tears on his face. I knelt in front of him and listened.

  Hilfe explained that he was about to turn eight on the upcoming Harvest Flame Festival.

  Just from hearing it, I could already tell the child was living a hard life. The poorest of the commoners celebrated their birthdays during the Harvest Flame Festival, a time when food and warmth were shared.

  He told us that he lived near a small farming village north of the city. This forest was unfamiliar to him and he had never ventured this far before. He had come only in desperation, looking for a herb that might soothe his mother’s fever and stomach pain.

  “She’s been sick for almost a week,” he said, holding out a herb with shiny, clear leaves. “I couldn’t afford medicine, so I followed the potion shop owner after he turned me away. He used this leaf. I saw it. I thought I could find it myself.”

  Aetherleaf.

  I recognized the herb immediately and glanced at the knights.

  “Hilfe,” I said softly, “I’m a Brewmaster. I make potions. If you show us where your mother is, I might be able to help her.”

  “My lady,” Sebastian interjected, voice low but firm. “Your decision worries me.”

  I met his gaze. It was sharp, protective.

  “I understand. But as the daugh—” I caught myself. I couldn’t reveal who I was. Not now, not in front of this boy. “I need to help him.”

  Hilfe’s eyes lit up, hope bursting through the fear on his face.

  “But I need a little time,” I continued. “There’s something I have to collect in this forest first... an ingredient for my potions. Can you wait for us a while longer?”

  Hilfe nodded. He wiped fresh tears from his face with the same cloth and bowed low.

  “Thank you,” he whispered.

  I reached out and ruffled his dusty brown hair. Bits of leaves and twigs fell to the ground.

  “Stand up. I promise I’ll do everything I can for your mother.”

  We moved forward, crossing the river with Hilfe in our company. Sebastian ended up carrying him. The water was too deep for the boy’s tiny legs. On the other bank, I explained the situation to Lina and Thaddeus. Lina’s expression softened with pity. I decided to place Hilfe in her care while I continued searching with Elias, Thaddeus, and Sebastian.

  As we pushed deeper into the woods, Thaddeus walked beside me, his brow furrowed.

  “I don’t mean to judge your kindness,” he said, “but do you really believe that child’s story? Our family receives more threats than letters. What if this is part of something more?”

  I glanced at him. “I know what you’re saying. But if we ignore everyone who needs help just because they might be dangerous… then who do we become?”

  “So, you want me to ignore my instincts?” he asked.

  “No. I want you to balance them with empathy.”

  Thaddeus sighed and looked over at the knights. “I’m just worried. Like them.”

  I followed his gaze. The knights said nothing, but the tension in their posture said enough.

  “I trust that they’ll do their duty if anything happens,” I said quietly. “And I believe Father wouldn’t assign just anyone. He would’ve chosen the best among our knights.”

  At that, I noticed pride flicker in the expressions of the guards walking behind us. Even Sebastian, though his face remained unreadable, seemed slightly less rigid.

  The ingredient I needed was a rare resin called Crystallized Honey, known for its golden hue and potent healing properties. According to the alchemy book, it had recently been added to formulas for Basic Healing Potions due to its effectiveness in treating disease.

  Finding it, however, was no simple task.

  The book had instructed me to search for the Golden Tree. It was unlike any other tree. It had pale white bark and vivid yellow leaves. Birds would peck at its trunk, releasing small droplets of resin that they used either for food or to glue their nests together. That same resin was the ingredient I needed.

  We ventured deeper into the forest.

  Eventually, we reached a vast clearing, nestled in a low dip in the terrain, like the hollow of a bowl. The area was carpeted in tall grasses that reached our waists. Among them bloomed clusters of wildflowers in bursts of soft blue, vivid orange, and pale green.

  The wind stirred, sending tiny specks of golden dust drifting through the air like pollen or powdered sunlight.

  We trod forward until we reached a cluster of golden grass, shimmering in the sunlight. The way the light danced across the reeds made the scene feel ethereal, like we had stepped into a dream rather than a forest.

  “My lady,” Elias called out to me, pointing toward the tree in the center.

  I nodded. “Yes. That’s the Golden Tree.”

  I hadn’t expected it to be this beautiful. Its pale-white trunk gleamed like marble. From where we stood, the entire tree seemed to glow. But I knew better than to trust appearances. The glow came from the Crystallized Honey embedded within its body, reflecting sunlight like polished amber. To the untrained eye, this might be mistaken for the fabled Tree of Life.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  The leaves swayed gently in the breeze, as if beckoning us closer. I found myself wondering if the tree had more uses beyond the resin. A tree that produced such potent healing properties might have other secrets yet uncovered.

  We approached the tree. Its bark glistened with patches of Crystallized Honey, clinging to it like precious gems. I pulled out a knife and carefully scraped the resin free. Holding it up to the light, I marveled at how it gleamed, clear and luminous, like the finest amber I’d ever seen.

  “My lady, what are these?” Elias asked, holding out a chunk he’d gathered.

  “They’re called Crystallized Honey,” I told him. “They’re known to possess incredible healing abilities.”

  I placed our collected pieces into a separate pouch. For a batch of four potions, I’d need about twenty grams of the substance. I had no way to measure it precisely, so I filled two pouches to be safe.

  As I tucked them into the Everpouch, I heard the familiar chime with a crisp sound that preceded the appearance of the Golden Runes. A message bloomed in my vision.

  A smile pulled at my lips.

  Before we left, I looked back at the tree one last time. Its quiet beauty lingered in my mind.

  “That tree looks magical,” Thaddeus murmured. “I didn’t know something like that existed in our world.”

  “I know,” I replied softly.

  But the beauty of it saddened me. There were no other Golden Trees nearby. Was this the last one? How many still existed in the empire? Had we driven them to extinction? The thought left me hollow.

  I knew I’d encounter more rare ingredients like this, hidden, sacred, easily overlooked. Rarity often meant loss.

  I sighed and tried to shake the melancholy from my chest. It comforted me to be doing something I truly loved in this life. And yet, the joy was bittersweet. I couldn’t help but remember the Empress I used to be. Trapped in her room, shackled by duty, cursed to die for a love she thought was real.

  The memories washed over me, soft and suffocating. Regret curled in the pit of my stomach. Of all the things I mourned from that life, none haunted me more than my children I never met. They had deserved to see this world... to feel the sun, to walk among glowing trees and golden grass.

  “Are you okay?” Thaddeus asked gently as I stumbled on a root.

  I forced a smile, trying to mask the thoughts that weighed me down. “I am.”

  And every day, I was trying to be. Wherever that version of me was, wherever those three unborn souls had gone, I hoped they could see me now. I wasn’t just living for myself anymore. I was living for all of us, for everyone who had ever been trapped in that palace, chained by fate.

  We found Lina and Hilfe near a tree close to the riverbank.

  “My lady, did you find what you were looking for?” Lina asked.

  “Yes,” I said, then turned to the boy. “Hilfe, can you tell us where you live?”

  He nodded. “I live in a farming village north of Gildenspire. It’s not too far from the city.”

  As he spoke, I couldn’t help but wonder how long he’d wandered through the forest, searching alone for that ingredient.

  “How many hours did it take you to reach the forest?” I asked.

  Hilfe blinked, uncertain. “I still don't know how to read hours. But an old couple let me ride with them on their cart this morning.”

  “You’re very brave,” I said softly. “Come. I have a carriage. Let’s see what I can do for your mother.”

  When we returned to where we had left the carriage, Hilfe’s eyes went wide. He froze at the sight of it, mouth agape. He might have stayed like that forever if Lina hadn’t tapped his shoulder.

  We rode in silence. Lina sat beside the boy while I sat next to Thaddeus. We chose to pass through the city instead of circling around it. The busy street welcomed us as the carriage rolled towards the city.

  The child stared out the window, wonder lighting his features. Every building, every stall and every dog that we passed made his eyes grow wider.

  We reached the northern gate and were quickly recognized. The guards let us through without delay. Twenty minutes later, the first signs of settlement appeared on the horizon.

  “That’s our village,” Hilfe said, pointing excitedly toward a group of wooden houses nestled in a sea of wheat.

  I leaned closer to the window. The homes were modest, bundled close together in the middle of golden fields that stretched far in every direction.

  “How many people live there?” I asked.

  “Not many,” Hilfe said. “There are about ten houses in all, including ours. But if we go to the next village over, it’s bigger and that’s where the potion shop is.”

  Since the path was too narrow for our carriage, we had to walk the rest of the way to the village. Before we left, I turned to Thaddeus.

  “Would you like to join us?”

  He scrunched his nose, looking almost offended. “Of course. I couldn’t just let you wander into that place alone.”

  He pulled his cloak over his shoulders to hide his identity. Here, it was better if no one recognized us.

  We followed the narrow path that led through a field of golden wheat, swaying in the wind. The air carried the scent of earth and nearby poultry, mingled with something faintly smoky in the distance. White birds soared above us, dipping low before perching on the thin wooden poles scattered across the field.

  From afar, the village looked deserted. That alone had made the knights and Lina wary. It could’ve been a trap to lure us in, they’d warned.

  But as we drew closer, we saw the villagers. They turned their heads in unison, watching us approach. A group of children playing with stones stopped. Their eyes widened when they recognized the boy walking ahead of us.

  Hilfe led us to a small, battered house. The walls were missing planks, exposing the interior to wind and dust. I wondered how anyone could live in a place like this, especially someone bedridden with a fever.

  I stopped just short of the door, something tightening in my chest.

  “Can we do something about this place?” I asked Elias quietly.

  He glanced at the house, his eyes shadowed with pity. “I know a carpenter who might help, but he’ll need to be paid.”

  “Money isn’t the issue... No one should have to live like this.” I hugged myself, the cold suddenly cutting through my skin despite the warm afternoon.

  Elias offered a thin smile. “My lady, you’d be surprised by what some people call a home. The fact they even have a roof means they’re better off than most.”

  We stared at each other for a moment. Shame prickled beneath my skin. I hadn’t realized how little I understood about how others lived.

  “Let’s go inside,” he said gently. “Hilfe is waiting.”

  The house had only one room. At its center was a frail bed where Hilfe’s mother lay. By the door was a tiny, soot-streaked kitchen. On the opposite side, a broken cabinet leaned against the wall beside a table and two mismatched chairs.

  As I stepped in, a musty smell filled my nose. It was not foul, but thick and stagnant, the kind that clung to old wood and illness. Lina sat by the bed, watching me. Hilfe knelt beside his mother, gently brushing her hair from her face.

  The woman’s cheeks were hollow, her collarbones painfully sharp beneath her skin. Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first, then landed on the strangers filling her home.

  “Hilfe?” she rasped. “Did my son bother you? Please, forgive him.”

  I knelt beside the child. “Hilfe didn’t bother us. We found him in the forest looking for herbs. He said he wanted to cure you. You have a good son.”

  I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. But I couldn’t just walk away and leave this place without doing anything. Hilfe looked at me expectantly. Sighing, I pulled a small notebook and pen from my pouch.

  “May I ask about your condition?”

  She nodded weakly. “I’ve had chills and fever for days. And my stomach… it aches terribly.”

  “When was the last time you ate?”

  “We had soup earlier,” she whispered.

  “Lina, could you check if anyone nearby is willing to sell cooked food?”

  The woman’s eyes widened. “Madam Doctor, no. Please. I—I can’t pay. I have no Suncrests.”

  “You don’t need to worry about that. Just focus on getting better.”

  Once I had all the information I needed, I reached into my satchel and pulled out two vials of Basic Healing Potions. These were the potions I had brewed just the day before. This batch was 84% effective, as good as anything on the market. Master Orindal had taught me that the first step in treatment was always stabilization, and these potions would at least help ease her symptoms while I searched for the proper cure.

  “Take one of these a day. If the fever worsens, you can take a second.” I handed the vials to Hilfe. He cradled them in both hands, holding them to his chest like they were treasure.

  His mother began to cry.

  “Why are you doing this? You know I can’t pay. I already owe so much… No one in this village will lend me another coin.”

  I reached for her hand and gently wrapped it in mine. “You don’t need to pay me. I’m doing this because your son asked for help and also because I want to.”

  “But I want to give you something,” she insisted. “Anything I can.”

  “Then give me whatever you consider valuable. That way, you’ll have paid me in your own way.”

  She nodded through her tears. “Thank you.” She said it again, and again, as if trying to believe it was real.

  Lina returned with a plate of bread, cheese, eggs, and bacon. We handed it to Hilfe and asked him to feed his mother. Then we stepped away, leaving them with a sliver of peace.

  Outside, my knees buckled. I sat down on the cold boulder, breath caught in my throat. The weight of seeing that house, that child, that woman had threatened to pull me under. And I had barely held it together.

  Lina placed a hand on my shoulder. Thaddeus stood beside me, his expression unreadable, but his eyes betrayed his concern.

  “My lady…”

  I straightened slowly, gathering myself. “Let’s prepare to leave. Elias, tell Hilfe we’re going.”

  He nodded and slipped back inside.

  I looked down at the notes still clutched in my hands. I needed to speak with Master Orindal. There had to be more we could do.