Leo Strongheart and the Echoes of Destiny

The Forbidden

It was the day before Leo’s thirteenth and Emelina’s tenth birthdays. Sharing the same birthdate was no oddity in their family. Generations of siblings—and sometimes even parent and child—had been born on the same day. Having decided not to mention the Wraiths, Leo made his way across the small room. He stopped first to kiss his mother’s flour-covered hands before giving Emelina a doll he had fashioned out of sticks and hay.

“Leo, you spoil her! Her birthday is tomorrow!” Gwendolyn said, smiling at Emelina’s squeals of delight.

“Oh, mother! You like to tease us, saying we are of royal lineage. Shouldn’t this sweet princess be spoiled then?” Leo quipped, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

“You throw my words back at me! Hmph! You are more like your father than you will ever know,” Gwendolyn said, returning to kneading the dough in front of her.

“How so? Tell me about him, Mother,” Leo pleaded.

“Another time, perhaps,” she replied, her tone softening.

“But it’s nearly our birthday! You always regale us with stories of Father on our birthday!” Leo said, looking at her with big eyes, feigning emotional pain.

Gwendolyn’s shoulders dropped low. She wiped her hands on a rag and sat down on a stool, staring intently into Leo’s eyes. The weight of unspoken words seemed to hang between them.

“Your father was a good man. He was gone before he even knew you existed,” she said, gently touching the tip of Emelina’s nose.

“What did he look like, Mama?” Emelina asked, a wide smile spreading across her face.

“He was tall and handsome, just like you!” she replied, playfully tapping Leo on the top of his head. “He always went on about how the family is of royal lineage. That’s really all I can say, Leo.”

“Tell us again about our royal line!” Leo said eagerly.

“Yes, please!” Emelina added.

Gwendolyn sighed, a hint of nostalgia and something else in her eyes as she settled back against her stool.

“Well, it all started during the times of good King Jonathan and his mage, Cleitus. One of your father’s relatives, Landyn the Brave, was not only a cousin to the king but also had advanced magic. When two of Cleitus’ students went mad, Landyn played a pivotal role in stopping them from destroying the realm.” Gwendolyn paused, taking a long sip of water as her children watched her with wide eyes.

“Well, it is said that during the fight, Landyn was scarred on his right inner wrist. The scar was shaped like a dragon, with small symbols of the elements—air, water, fire, and earth—surrounding it. That is where your birthmark comes from, sweet Leo. In every generation, one of Landyn’s descendants bears the mark,” she said, slapping her legs lightly and rising from her seat.

“But Leo’s birthmark only looks like an eye,” Emelina whispered, glancing at her brother.

Leo looked down at his wrist. The familiar dragon-eye shape of his birthmark was gone. The new one matched the story is mother told. It seemed to glow faintly in the dim light. It warmed beneath his touch, almost as if it had a life of its own. Startled, he quickly covered his wrist.

“Wow, Leo, you must be magic!” Emelina squealed.

“Eme, it’s just a fable they probably made up when I was born,” Leo replied with a hearty laugh, but there was something uneasy in his gaze as he looked back at his mother. “You always say he was ‘gone,’ Mother. What does that mean? Did he die, or did he leave you here alone?”

Gwendolyn’s face tightened, the memory etching pain across her face. “Leo, our story is complicated. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was carrying your sister when I fell gravely ill. Your father decided to go into the forest to seek help from someone there. That was the last day I saw him.”

“Perhaps he was arrested and is in the dungeons,” Leo quipped, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

Gwendolyn shook her head violently. “No. I made my inquiries. I wasn’t without contacts in the castle. I doubt we’ll ever know what truly became of my dear Richard,” she said, her voice catching as a light sob escaped.

“I’m sorry for bringing up such a sad subject, Maman,” Leo whispered.

“It’s all right, really it is,” Gwendolyn replied, wiping away a stray tear.

Leo forced a smile, shaking the doll he had made in front of his squealing sister. “Well then, back to celebrating!” he exclaimed.

His smile faltered as he added, “Eme, I have another surprise for you, but we’ll have to take a short walk.”

“Don’t be too long! The butcher has need of you early,” Gwendolyn warned, turning back to her kneading.

Leo involuntarily shuddered, thinking of the angry butcher and the 6work that awaited him. The images of blood splatters and the smell of fresh meat filled his mind. “Yes, yes, of course,” he called back as he and his sister crossed the threshold and stepped into the crisp morning air.

“Leo! What are we doing? It’s early and cold out here!” Emelina snapped as Leo threw a light cloak around her shoulders.

“Shh! Eme!” he hissed, then giggled at her defiant stance and angry expression. “I wanted to make your birthday special.”

“You couldn’t wait until the sun was completely up?” she said, softening as she loosened her stance. “Happy early birthday, brother,” she added, hugging him tightly.

“I could have, but then you wouldn’t get to go on an adventure with me,” Leo said with a smile.

“An adventure? Where? What kind of adventure?” Emelina asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

“Shh! You’ll wake the entire village!” Leo chuckled.

“Okay, but where to? And what will we be up to?” she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.

“Just follow me, stay quiet and close, all right?”

“By the saints, I vow,” Emelina said seriously.

Leo almost laughed at his sister’s solemn promise, thinking she was far too serious for her age. “On our way, then,” he said, taking her hand and heading out of the village.

As they walked, the sun began to rise over the castle, casting a brilliant light over one of the dragon’s heads. They came to a thicket, and Leo started pulling the branches apart. When he glanced back, Emelina had taken two steps backward, her arms crossed in defiance.

“What?” Leo asked.

“Leo, we aren’t supposed to be out this far, and you very well know it.”

“Who’s here to tell?” Leo replied with a mischievous grin.

Before Emelina could respond, they heard the sound of hooves approaching. Leo pulled his sister close to him, hiding them both against the thicket. His wrist began to warm again as the knight passed, seemingly looking right through them.

“You, see? We’re going to get into trouble! Didn’t you listen to the story Mother told us?” Emelina fumed.

Leo’s amusement sparkled in his eyes. “He’s gone now. Do you want the surprise or not?”

Emelina groaned but followed. She stared at her brother for a moment, her resolve weakening. Leo stood firm, his wild, caramel-colored curls catching the morning light. His skin, always carrying a slight glow from the sun, made him seem part of the forest, like an ancient oak. Emelina, with her fair skin and midnight-dark hair, was his opposite—a rare beauty in their village.

“Of course, I want the surprise! But if something jumps out to kill you, it’ll have to wait in line!” Emelina teased.

“Come on then,” Leo said, pulling the branches apart and motioning her to enter.

Inside the thicket, Emelina’s eyes grew wide, and she squealed with delight. Leo’s face beamed with satisfaction. His arm felt warmer, but he ignored it, focusing on his sister’s joy.

The clearing was filled with hundreds of glowing, floating flowers that danced around them. “Leo, this is so beautiful, I could cry! How did you do it?” Emelina whispered, spinning with the flowers.

Leo caught one of the flowers in his hands and gently placed it in her hair. The flower fluttered, making her hair sway and shimmer in the magical light.

“I don’t know. Sometimes, things just… happen. Happy birthday, Eme,” Leo said, noticing that the clouds on his birthmark felt slightly warmer than the rest of the symbols.

“I haven’t the words, brother,” she said, her voice filled with awe as Leo kissed her forehead lightly.

“Want to see something even more amazing, Eme?” Leo asked, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

“More amazing than this?” she asked, still spinning with the glowing flowers.

“Come on,” Leo insisted, pulling her out of the thicket. When they peeked back inside, the flowers had disappeared.

“What happened to the flowers, Leo? I want to see them again!” Emelina said, rushing back into the clearing.

But it remained still—quiet, calm, and dark.

“Leo...” she whispered, her voice laced with disappointment.

“I’m right here,” he said, stepping back through the bushes.

As soon as Leo stepped into the clearing, the flowers lit up again, floating from the ground, spinning and dancing in the air as if celebrating their return.

“How did you do that?” Emelina asked, her eyes wide with amazement.

“I don’t know, but you mustn’t tell anyone,” Leo said, his voice suddenly serious.

“Leo, if they find out, they’ll take you away like they did with Brandywin when she started that bonfire at the Autumn Faire. You know magic is forbidden outside of the mages and oracles.”

“I know, I know!” Leo replied quickly. “I was just out one night, and... it just happened. I’m sure it isn’t even me doing it. They’re just... responding to me. Maybe even to both of us,” he added with a shrug, though the uncertainty gnawed at him.

“I don’t know, Leo,” Emelina said, her eyes narrowing with concern. “You have magic, don’t you?”

“Maybe,” Leo admitted, his voice soft. “But no one else can know. It’s just between us.”

Emelina hesitated, then nodded solemnly. “By our mother’s heart, I promise.”

“Good. Now, we must be on our way,” Leo said, nodding toward the path.

“And you’re sure no one saw us, right?” Emelina asked, casting a glance behind her.

“Who would be out here this early, Sparrow?” Leo replied, calling her by his favorite nickname. He parted the thicket again, completely unaware of the floating eyes that had blended seamlessly with the glowing flowers, watching their every move from the shadows.