An Unexpected Refuge
1220 Words
Two weeks had passed since John told her the truth.
Two weeks since Tianna felt as if a part of her soul had broken beyond repair.
The pain hadn’t faded, but it had grown quieter like a weight she’d learned to carry without fighting it anymore.
During those days, she wasn’t entirely alone.
Despite her attempts to isolate herself, Sera always found a way to sneak into her chamber, bringing endless stories and a laughter so bright it contrasted sharply with the darkness inside Tianna’s heart.
She didn’t ask much about the sadness, but she tried in her own way to ease it even if that meant constantly annoying her.
One afternoon, Sera sat on the floor, groaning as she tried to untangle her long hair.
“Ugh! This is impossible! I think my hair has turned into a real bird’s nest!”
Tianna watched her silently, her eyes following the girl’s clumsy attempts before murmuring softly, almost to herself:
“I used to be good at that.”
Sera immediately turned toward her, curiosity lighting her eyes.
“Good at what?”
Tianna lowered her gaze to her hands, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I used to braid my mother’s hair… and the little girls in my village. They always came to me for pretty braids.”
Sera’s eyes widened, then a bright smile spread across her face.
“Then you should do mine!”
Tianna blinked in surprise, but didn’t object.
Sera turned around, gathering her hair in her hands before glancing back at Tianna with pleading eyes.
“Come on Tianna, Maybe it’ll help you forget your sadness for a bit?”
After a quiet sigh, Tianna gave in.
She sat behind Sera, gently running her fingers through the silky strands, parting them carefully before weaving them into a neat braid. Her movements were smooth practiced, tender.
Sera stayed still, feeling the light touch on her hair, then whispered honestly:
“You’re really good at this.”
Tianna didn’t reply, but a faint smile touched her lips one that Sera didn’t notice.
That’s when John opened the door without knocking.
He hadn’t expected the scene before him.
Tianna sat on the couch, Sera before her, a beautiful braid falling over the girl’s shoulder. The air felt calm belonging to a world far from the palace’s heavy politics and chaos.
But what surprised him most wasn’t that.
It was the fact that Sera was there.
His brows furrowed slightly.
“What are you doing here?”
Sera jumped, spinning toward him with an innocent smile — as if she hadn’t been sneaking around for the past two weeks.
“Me? I was just…” She looked at Tianna, then at her hair, lifting her chin proudly. “I was asking Tianna to braid my hair!”
John stared for a few seconds, as though processing the sight, then exhaled quietly and rested a hand on his hip.
“Sera…”
She cut him off quickly.
> “Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything wrong! I was only…” She paused, then smiled again. “I was trying to make her feel better, isn’t that good?”
John stayed silent for a moment before shifting his gaze to Tianna, who was watching him quietly.
After a pause, he finally said in a calm, serious tone:
“Actually, I came to tell you something important, Tianna.”
The warmth in the air faded a little.
He stepped closer, arms crossed, his voice firm yet gentle.
“You’re no longer a prisoner here.”
Tianna’s eyes widened slightly.
Sera turned to John in shock, then back to Tianna.
“What do you mean?” Tianna asked, her voice hesitant.
“I mean, the doors are no longer closed to you. You’re free to leave if you wish.”
A tightness gripped Tianna’s chest.
She had known this moment would come, but she had never truly thought about what she would do when it did.
Leave… but where would she go?
Her old life was gone.
No home, no mother, no place to belong. Even her village the only place she had ever known was now nothing but a bitter memory.
She lowered her gaze to her clasped hands and whispered,
“I have nowhere to go.”
Silence filled the room.
Even Sera didn’t speak as if she could feel the weight of those words.
John wasn’t surprised. He watched her quietly, then asked, more softly this time:
“Then… do you want to stay here?”
Before Tianna could answer, Sera jumped up, excitement bursting in her voice:
“Stay here!”
John gave her a blank look, while Tianna couldn’t help but stare, taken aback by her sudden enthusiasm.
“The palace is huge! And you can stay with us! You won’t be alone anymore!” Sera said, beaming, her words filled with pure, innocent joy.
John sighed, clearly tired, then turned his gaze back to Tianna.
“The choice is yours,” he said simply, without pressure or demand.
Their eyes met again and this time, Tianna felt the full weight of her decision.
If she left… she would return to danger.
If she stayed… maybe she could finally breathe again.
She clenched the fabric of her dress, trembling slightly. The thought of running again — of living hunted and afraid — made her chest ache.
Slowly, she lifted her head, her eyes finding his.
“I’ll stay,” she whispered, steady but quiet.
The moment those words left her lips, Sera couldn’t contain herself. She jumped up, gripping Tianna’s arm with both hands, her voice bright with joy.
“You’re staying?! Really?!”
Her eyes sparkled with delight, as if a great wish had just come true. She looked back at John as if to confirm it, then turned again to Tianna with the biggest smile.
John, however, stood silently, watching the scene with faint puzzlement.
Since when had his sister become this attached to a stranger?
He observed the way Sera held onto Tianna’s arm without hesitation how her eyes followed her every reaction, how genuinely happy she seemed about her decision.
It was unusual.
Sera was lively, yes, but she rarely let others in so easily.
And yet… here she was.
“Strange,” John thought, but he said nothing aloud.
---
After they left, Tianna stayed on the couch, her eyes distant.
John’s words still echoed in her mind.
“You can stay if you wish.”
It wasn’t an easy choice, but deep down, she knew she had nowhere else.
Going back meant death.
It meant her mother’s sacrifice would be for nothing.
A chill passed through her body, and she wrapped her arms around herself.
For the first time in days, she didn’t feel only sorrow… there was something else.
Safety?
It was a strange feeling foreign, fragile but she didn’t deny it.
Her fingers brushed through her hair, slightly tousled by the breeze from the window.
And for a brief, fleeting moment, she remembered her mother’s hands combing her hair so gently when she was a child.
A faint smile curved her lips, a glimmer of sadness softening her eyes.
Maybe… maybe she could allow herself a small chance.
Not to forget that was impossible
but to move forward.
- Writer
