Spring had settled in the village.
The trees were budding, flowers multiplying, and the days growing softer. Aria hummed in the garden, sorting her grandmother's herbs, when Roy arrived, followed by a tall young man dressed in black and gold, with a smile bright as the sun.
— Aria! Let me introduce Van, my brother-in-arms from military training. He's passing through for a while.
— Nice to meet you, she replied with a polite smile.
Van froze for a moment.
His gaze studied Aria intently before he bowed slightly, gallantly:
— The pleasure is all mine… Are you a creature born of flowers or a morning mirage? Roy, you hid the fact you had such an… exceptional sister.
Roy rolled his eyes.
— Don't start, Van.
But Van didn't stop. Every day, he showered Aria with compliments.
— Aria, let me help you carry that basket, it would be a crime to tire you, embodiment of grace.
— Aria, if I were a flower, I'd be jealous of how tenderly you touch them.
— Aria, I'm sure even the moon would lean down to watch you sleep.
Aria often laughed, amused by the flood of flattery.
But she didn't take him seriously. To her, Van was a funny friend, sometimes annoying, but endearing… almost like a second brother.
Roy, however, was boiling inside.
— Van, cut the nonsense, he grumbled. You're going to get yourself slapped.
— But look at her, Roy, how can I stay indifferent? She's a muse fallen from the sky!
— She's my sister, not a muse, you rutting raven.
Van laughed out loud. He loved teasing Roy as much as he loved flirting.
But it wasn't just with Aria. He fluttered from girl to girl, shooting winks at the village youth, stealing smiles left and right. Roy turned into a stern protector, intervening every time.
— Van, leave that poor girl alone!
— Roy, I'm just paying tribute to local beauty!
But when Van offered Aria a bouquet one market morning, whispering:
> "I give you this because I haven't yet found a poem beautiful enough to match you..."
Something changed.
Roy stiffened, crossed his arms, and looked away. Aria blushed but laughed softly.
And in the distance, a dark silhouette perched on a tree branch watched, hidden in the shadow of an ancient oak.
The cursed king Wilfred.
His gaze burned with a new fire.
He didn't like this Van.
Not his smile, nor the way he made Aria laugh.
Nor the way his heart clenched at that laughter.
---
Would you like Van to develop genuine feelings for Aria, or remain just a light rival, annoying enough to tease Wilfred and Roy?
Do you also want Wilfred to start showing himself again, driven by jealousy?