Day One: The Summons

Victor - POV

Horses and official voices woke me. Through my window, I saw three riders in formal court livery, their mounts bearing the royal seal. My stomach dropped as I remembered yesterday's conversation about approaching travelers.

The lead rider dismounted. He was tall with silver hair and a staff that hummed with controlled power. Even from inside, I could sense his magical presence: strong, disciplined, somehow familiar to Aunt Seraphine's energy.

"Victor, Elira, come downstairs," Aunt Seraphine called. Her voice stayed controlled but carried an undertone I'd never heard before. Not fear, exactly. Resignation, maybe.

I dressed quickly. Everyone gathered in the kitchen. Baby Naelira dozed peacefully in her basket, unaware our world was about to change. Aunt Seraphine stood by the window in her formal robes, the elegant court dress she'd worn only once before.

"Are those the people you were expecting?" I asked quietly.

"Yes," she said simply. "Court Mage Aldrin has come personally, which means the situation is serious."

Through the window, I watched Papa greet the officials with polite formality. The conversation was brief, respectful, but clearly not negotiable. After a few minutes, Papa returned with grim determination on his face.

"They need to speak with you immediately," Papa said to Aunt Seraphine. "Official business that cannot wait."

Seraphine - POV

Court Mage Aldrin stood in our modest kitchen like a raven among songbirds. His formal presence made everything feel smaller and more fragile. His two companions remained outside, professional courtesy that still felt like veiled threat.

"Seraphine," he said without preamble. "His Majesty requires your immediate return to court. The situation with the Northern Territories has escalated beyond diplomatic resolution."

My heart sank. The Northern Territories had been brewing trouble for months, their new leadership rejecting treaties that had kept peace for decades. If they were calling me back personally, war was no longer a distant possibility.

"How immediate is immediate?" I asked, though I already sensed the answer.

"We'll depart in three days. That should allow time for proper preparations and personal arrangements." His expression softened slightly as he glanced at the children. "I understand this separation will be difficult."

Three days. Not enough time to say everything that needed saying, but enough to prepare hearts for the breaking.

"The Northern conflict could take months to resolve," Aldrin continued. "Court mages are essential personnel during wartime. Your expertise in barrier magic and tactical enchantments is critical to the kingdom's defense preparations."

"Months," Victor repeated quietly from beside me, as if testing how the word felt.

"I'm sorry," Aldrin said, and his regret seemed genuine. "But duty to the realm must come first."

After the officials left to make arrangements in the village, our cottage fell into stunned silence. Elira sat beside Victor on the floor, both children pale with understanding.

"Three days," Elira whispered, tears starting to spill over. "That's not very long."

"Long enough for what matters most," I said, kneeling to gather both children close. "Long enough to make sure you know how much you're loved."

Day Two: Processing

Lyra - POV

The second day brought a strange mixture of normal routine and underlying tension. Seraphine worked with Victor on advanced magical exercises, teaching him techniques that would usually wait another year. Elira helped me with household tasks while stealing glances at Victor, both children clearly struggling with unspoken thoughts.

"Aunt Lyra?" Elira asked while we folded laundry. "Will Victor forget about me while I'm gone?"

"Never," I said firmly. "Some friendships are too strong for distance or time to change. You and Victor have a bond that will last."

"But what if he makes other friends? What if they're more fun than me?"

I set down the towel I'd been folding and took her small hands in mine. "Elira, love isn't like bread that gets smaller when you share it. Victor's heart is big enough for old friends and new ones. But you? You'll always have your own place there."

Meanwhile, Gregor was teaching both children how to write proper letters, showing them how to seal parchment and explaining how the royal post system worked.

"Letters will keep you connected," he said practically. "Distance is just geography. What matters is here." He tapped his chest over his heart.

That evening, Victor approached me while I was feeding Naelira.

"Mama, I want to make a gift for Elira before she leaves. A keepsake to remember me by."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know yet. But a real gift. One that shows..." He struggled for words. "One that shows she's my heart friend forever."

"Heart friend," I repeated, smiling at his earnest expression. "I think she'd love anything you made with that intention."

Day Three: Secret Projects

Victor - POV

On the morning of the third day, I snuck out early to gather materials for my gift. Elira was still sleeping, and I wanted to surprise her with the perfect present.

Behind Papa's forge, I found a piece of oak that had fallen during the last storm. It was smooth from weathering, about the right size to carve into a pendant. Papa had been teaching me woodworking alongside metalwork, and I thought I could shape it into a meaningful gift.

I worked all morning while Elira was helping Aunt Seraphine pack. Carving with the small knife Papa had given me, a design emerged: a tree with intertwined branches, symbolizing how our friendship would stay connected even when we were far apart.

But as I worked, I realized the wood needed more. Warmth. A way to let Elira feel close to me even across the distance.

I placed my hands on the carved pendant and reached for the warm place inside where my magic lived. The same warmth I experienced when we practiced together by the waterfall. Very gently, I let just a tiny bit of that warmth flow into the wood.

The pendant grew warm under my touch, then cooled to feel like ordinary carved wood. Perfect. Now whenever Elira wore it, she'd sense a little bit of that warmth. Like I was still there with her.

Meanwhile, I could hear Elira working in the garden, humming softly while she gathered stones by the stream. She was making a gift for me too.

Elira - POV

I spent the morning searching for the perfect river stone. One smooth enough to carve but sturdy enough to last forever. Finally, I found it: a piece of gray stone that fit perfectly in my palm, worn smooth by years of flowing water.

Using Uncle Gregor's smallest carving tools, I etched our friendship symbol into its surface. A circle with a small flame inside. It was the sign we'd created together during our first week of knowing each other, representing how friendship was like a warm fire that could light up even the darkest times.

As I worked, I thought about everything Victor meant to me. My first real friend, the person who'd taught me that being different wasn't a flaw to hide. The boy who'd shown me magic wasn't just about power, but about wonder and joy and making beautiful things happen.

I wanted to give him a gift that would hold all of that meaning.

When the carving was finished, I held the stone close to my heart and whispered all the things I wanted Victor to remember: how brave he was, how kind, how he made everyone around him feel valued and safe. I didn't have magic like he did, but I poured all my love into that stone, hoping it would carry my feelings to him whenever he held it.

Evening of the Third Day: The Exchange

Victor - POV

After dinner, while the adults were discussing final travel arrangements, Elira and I slipped away to our favorite spot by the waterfall behind the cottage. The evening light filtered through the trees, making the falling water sparkle like diamonds.

"I made a gift for you," we both said at exactly the same time, then laughed despite our sadness.

"You first," I said, my heart beating fast with nervous excitement.

Elira pulled out her river stone, the carved symbol catching the fading sunlight. "I made this so you'd always remember our friendship symbol. And so you'd remember that even when I'm far away, there's a part of me that stays with you."

She pressed the stone into my palm, and it felt warm from her hands. Smooth and perfect and precious beyond any treasure.

"It's beautiful," I whispered, meaning it completely. "I'll keep it with me always."

Then I pulled out my wooden pendant, the leather cord Papa had helped me braid that morning. "I made this for you. It's a tree with connected branches, because that's what we are. No matter how far apart we go, we're still part of the same tree."

Elira's eyes filled with tears as I tied the cord around her neck. The pendant rested against her chest, right over her heart.

"Victor, it's perfect. It's the most perfect thing anyone's ever given me."

We sat by the waterfall as darkness fell, holding hands and making promises about writing letters and remembering each other and being friends forever no matter what happened. The sound of the water seemed to carry our words away like prayers, scattering them into the world where they could take root and grow.

"Khazad khazad?" Elira asked, using the elvish phrase Aunt Seraphine had taught us for heart friends.

"Khazad khazad," I confirmed, and the words created an invisible bond between us that no distance could break.

When we finally returned to the cottage, Aunt Seraphine took one look at our faces and simply nodded, understanding that a truth had been settled between us.

Departure Morning

Seraphine - POV

The morning came too quickly and not quickly enough. Court Mage Aldrin and his companions waited beside their horses with professional patience while our makeshift family fell apart in slow motion.

Victor and Elira stood together, both wearing their new gifts like armor against heartbreak. The wooden pendant caught the morning light against Elira's chest, while Victor's fingers clutched the river stone she'd given him.

"Remember everything we've practiced about control and discretion," I told Victor privately. "Your abilities will continue developing while I'm gone, but you have excellent foundations."

"What if things go wrong? What if I can't control it without you here to help?"

"Then trust your parents. They love you completely, magic and all." I squeezed his shoulder. "And trust yourself. You're stronger than you know."

The final goodbye between the children was heartbreaking and beautiful. They held each other fiercely, whispering promises and secrets, both crying but trying to be brave.

"Don't forget me," Elira pleaded.

"Never. Not ever. Not if I live a thousand years," Victor promised solemnly.

As we mounted our horses, I looked back at the cottage that had become more of a home to me than any palace. Gregor stood with his arms around Lyra and Victor, baby Naelira peaceful in her mother's arms, all of them watching us ride toward an uncertain future.

The pendant around Elira's neck caught the sunlight one last time as we turned toward the forest road. A detail made me pause. A faint magical resonance I hadn't noticed before.

Victor had put magic into his gift. Without realizing it, he'd woven his own energy into the wood with pure instinct and love. Whatever challenges lay ahead for my daughter, she would carry a piece of his power with her.

I wondered if he even understood what he'd done. Probably not. But that made it all the more precious.

Two Weeks After: New Rhythms

Victor - POV

I discovered that missing someone was like carrying Elira's warm stone in my pocket. Sometimes I forgot it was there, but whenever I remembered, it brought comfort and sadness all mixed together.

The cottage felt different without Aunt Seraphine's magical lessons and Elira's bright laughter. Quieter, but not empty. Mama and Papa worked extra hard to keep routines normal, and baby Naelira had become my responsibility.

"Today I'll tell you about the time Elira and I built a fort out of fallen branches," I would say, settling beside her cradle with my evening story. "We pretended we were brave knights protecting a magical kingdom, and Aunt Seraphine made little lights dance around us like fairy lanterns."

Naelira would watch my face with serious attention, as if she understood these stories were important pieces of our family history.

Master Elena visited more often now, helping Mama with questions about baby care and general village health matters. She seemed to sense our family was adjusting to changes, though she didn't know the magical reasons behind Seraphine's departure.

"You seem more mature lately," she observed one afternoon, watching me help Papa with forge work. "Loss and separation can teach us responsibility beyond our years."

"I'm trying to be helpful while Aunt Seraphine is away," I said, focusing on maintaining normal temperature control around the fire.

"She'll be proud of how you've grown when she returns," Elena said kindly. "Some people leave marks on our hearts that distance can't erase."

Three weeks after they left, Mama helped me write my first real letter to Elira, spelling out words like "responsibility" and "magnificent" that I wanted her to know I was learning.

Dear Heart Friend Elira,

I hope you are safe and learning important things at court. Baby Naelira grows bigger every day and I tell her stories about her magical sister who will return someday. The waterfall still sounds like it's singing your name.

The stone in my pocket grew warm as I wrote, like it remembered her hands. Magic often worked that way, Aunt Seraphine had told me. Love leaves traces in everything it touches.

I was learning to carry missing them without letting it overwhelm everything else. Some stones become part of you, and that's not always a heavy thing.

They would come back when they could. Until then, I had family to protect, skills to master, and letters to write.