Chapter 5 Lyra, A name above the moon

Cassian remained where he stood, his gaze fixed on the High Priest. “…That night…” The words barely left his lips.

The old priest studied him quietly. Years of serving the Moon Goddess had taught him that truth was often written on a person’s face long before it was spoken aloud. “You remember someone.” Cassian let out a slow breath. “I remember very little.” He walked toward the tall windows overlooking the palace courtyard. “It was after the battle at Iron Ridge. Our convoy was ambushed before we reached the border.”

“The poison spread faster than the royal physicians expected.” “The guards told me I lost consciousness more than once.” His hand rested against the stone window frame. “I remember rain.” He closed his eyes.

“A forest road… A small cottage…”

His brows drew together as he searched for memories that refused to come. “And… There was a girl.” The High Priest waited patiently. Cassian gave a faint shake of his head. “I never saw her face clearly. I don’t even know if what I remember is real. The poison left me delirious.” The priest walked closer. “Did your guards mention anyone who helped you?” “They said a village girl was found nearby.” Cassian frowned. “They never told me anything else. They believed she disappeared before dawn.”

The priest nodded slowly, as though several missing pieces had finally begun to fit together. “The Moon Goddess does not awaken a king’s bloodline without reason.” Cassian turned to him. “Speak plainly.” The old man met his eyes. “For years, you and Queen Elara have prayed for a child. You have offered sacrifices beneath every full moon. You have sought blessings from every sacred temple. And yet… No heir came.” Cassian's expression darkened. “I know.”

“But three days ago…” The priest tightened his grip on his staff. “…your wolf awakened. It did not awaken because of danger. It did not awaken because of war. It awakened because your blood answered another heartbeat.” Cassian stared at him. “My blood…” the priest inclined his head. “The Moon Goddess has answered your prayers.” Cassian's jaw tightened.

“If what you’re saying is true…” His voice became quieter. “…then somewhere in this world… there is a child carrying my blood.” The priest said nothing.

Cassian looked beyond the palace walls, his thoughts drifting back to the nameless village girl he could barely remember. “If she truly exists…” He spoke more to himself than anyone else. “…does she even know who I am?”

The High Priest finally broke the silence. “There is one thing I cannot tell you, Your Majesty.” Cassian looked back. “I cannot see where the child is. I cannot tell whether the child was born inside Valeria… or beyond our borders.” He lowered his eyes. “But this much is certain. The child lives.” A strange feeling settled over Cassian’s heart.

For years he had dreamed of hearing those words. Yet now that they had finally been spoken… They brought him neither peace nor joy. Only questions.

Outside, the evening wind swept through the palace gardens, carrying with it the scent of rain from a kingdom far away.

The little cottage had never felt this noisy. Rowan stood in the middle of the room, staring helplessly at the tiny bundle lying inside a wooden basket beside the fireplace. The baby cried again. He rubbed a hand over his face. “I’ve treated broken bones.” Another cry.

“I’ve removed arrowheads.” Louder this time. “I’ve even stitched a man’s arm back together after a bear attack.” He looked at the baby. “But I have absolutely no idea why you’re crying.”

The child answered with another loud wail. Rowan sighed and picked her up carefully. “There now…”

His large hands looked awkward holding someone so small. He rocked her gently the way he had seen mothers do in the village. It didn’t work. He bounced her slightly. She cried harder. “That’s worse,” he muttered.

After trying nearly everything he could think of, he remembered the small bottle of goat’s milk the old shepherd had given him the previous evening. “Perhaps you’re hungry.” He warmed the milk over the fire until it was just right before dipping a clean cloth into it. The baby’s cries slowly faded as she suckled on the cloth. “There…” A smile tugged at Rowan’s lips.

“So that’s all you wanted.” She blinked up at him with wide golden eyes. For a heartbeat, she simply watched him. Then her tiny fingers wrapped around his thumb. Rowan froze. He hadn’t expected someone so small to have such a firm grip. A quiet laugh escaped him. “So you do know how to get your way.”

The baby gurgled happily. He shook his head. “I’ve lived alone for nearly twenty years. My herbs never argued with me. My patients always left. But you…”

He looked down at the child in his arms. “…I have a feeling you’re planning to stay.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them. He frowned at himself. “That’s dangerous.” He had found the child. He had promised himself he would care for her until he could decide what was best. Nothing more. Yet each passing day made that promise harder to keep. He carried her outside as the evening sun broke through the retreating clouds. Blackwood Forest glistened after the rain. Birds returned to the branches.

The air smelled of wet earth and wildflowers. The baby stretched her tiny hand toward the sky, giggling at the fluttering leaves above. Rowan watched her with quiet curiosity. “Most children would have spent the last few days crying. You…” He smiled faintly.

“…you look as though you’ve never known fear.”

His eyes drifted to the crescent-shaped birthmark on her shoulder. It caught the fading sunlight, almost appearing to glow. He traced the air above it without touching. “What are you?” The breeze stirred gently through the trees.

Above the forest, the first silver stars began to appear.

Then the moon rose. Round, Bright and Peaceful.

The baby turned toward it at once. Her tiny laughter echoed across the clearing. Rowan followed her gaze.

“The moon…” He repeated the words softly, as though searching for something.

Then a name came to him. Not from memory. Not from a book. It simply settled into his heart. He smiled.

“Lyra.” The baby looked back at him. “As if you’ve been waiting for someone to call you that.” She smiled.

A warm feeling spread through Rowan’s chest. He chuckled quietly. “Very well.” He gently brushed a strand of dark hair from her forehead. “From today onward… You’ll be known as Lyra.”

The little girl laughed again, reaching for his beard.

Rowan laughed with her. His lonely cottage doesn't seem to felt empty again, he now has a companion

The palace corridors were unusually quiet. Night had settled over Valeria, and most of the servants had retired to their quarters. Only the guards remained at their posts, their footsteps echoing through the marble halls. Queen Elara stood beneath the balcony overlooking the palace gardens. Her fingers brushed absentmindedly over the white roses blooming along the stone railing. She had planted them herself twelve years ago. The same year she married King Cassian.

Twelve years of hope. Twelve years of disappointment. Every spring the roses bloomed. Every winter they withered. Yet her prayers remained unanswered.

A maid approached quietly. “Your Majesty.” Elara turned. “Has the king returned?” “Yes.” “He arrived before sunset.”

A faint smile appeared on her lips. “I’ll see him.” She dismissed the maid and made her way toward the royal chambers. The doors were slightly open.

Inside, Cassian stood near the fireplace, his armor already removed. He was staring into the flames. Lost in thought. “You came back without sending for me.”

Cassian looked over his shoulder. A gentle smile crossed his face. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“You’ve never worried about disturbing me before.”

She walked over and adjusted the collar of his tunic, just as she always did after he returned from a journey. “You look tired.” “It was a long trip.” She studied him carefully. Something was different, Not his appearance but His eyes. They carried a weight she had never seen before. “Did something happen in Ravencrest?”

Cassian hesitated. Images flashed through his mind. A frightened village girl. The High Priest’s words. A child carrying your blood… He forced the thoughts aside. “Nothing worth troubling you over.”

Elara searched his face for another moment before nodding. “If you say so.” She wanted to believe him.

She truly did. Instead of pressing further, she poured him a cup of warm herbal tea and placed it in his hands. “You should rest.” He accepted it with a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

For a while, neither of them spoke. The quiet between them had never been uncomfortable. It was one of the things Elara loved most about her husband. She could sit beside him for hours without either of them needing to fill the silence But tonight… Something stood between them. Something she couldn’t name.

Later that night, Cassian finally drifted to sleep. Elara remained awake beside him, reading beneath the soft glow of a candle. A sudden murmur drew her attention. She looked toward the bed. Cassian was dreaming. His brow tightened. His lips moved. “…Wait… …Don’t leave…” The words were barely audible. Then… “…the girl…” Elara slowly lowered her book. Her heart skipped. “The girl?”

She had never heard her husband speak another woman’s name in his sleep. She reached for his hand.

His skin felt unusually warm. He murmured again, though this time the words were too faint to understand. Elara sat there long after he fell still again. The questions refused to leave her mind. What had happened… during his journey to Ravencrest?

Long after the palace had fallen asleep, a single lamp still burned inside the Temple of the Moon. The High Priest stood before the ancient altar, his hands resting upon a smooth white stone that had served the royal family for generations. Every king of Valeria had knelt before it. Every blessing bestowed upon the royal bloodline had begun here. He closed his eyes and whispered a prayer. “Great Moon Goddess… If it is Your will… Show me the child.” The temple grew still. The white stone beneath his palms shimmered faintly.

A thin thread of silver light rose into the air, twisting like mist before drifting toward the north. The priest opened his eyes. His heartbeat quickened. “North…”

His gaze followed the glowing trail until it faded beyond the temple walls. “So… The child is not in Valeria.” He reached for an old map spread across the altar. His finger slowly traced the kingdoms beyond the northern border. Then it stopped. “Ravencrest.” His expression darkened. “So that is where fate has hidden you.” He remained silent for a long while before rolling the map shut. “No…i must not interfere. The Moon Goddess reveals only what she wishes. If the child has been placed in Ravencrest… There is a reason.”

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed outside the temple. A young acolyte rushed inside and bowed deeply. “High Priest.” “What is it?” “The Queen has requested tomorrow’s fertility blessing.”

The old priest looked toward the statue of the Moon Goddess.

A weary sigh escaped his lips. “Twelve years… she has prayed for a child.” His grip tightened around his staff. “And now… The Moon Goddess has answered those prayers… through another woman.” He lowered his head. “May the Goddess grant me wisdom.”

Because he knew one truth that neither King Cassian nor Queen Elara was ready to hear.

The child born beneath the Blood Moon… Was not merely the king’s heir. She carried a destiny capable of changing the balance between kingdoms.

Outside, a cold wind swept across the temple roof.

Far away, beyond forests and mountains… A tiny Lyra slept peacefully in Rowan’s cottage. Unaware…

That kings would one day wage war because she existed.