The Fateful Meeting

The river of Lethe, which is also referred to as the Southern River, flowed lazily while simultaneously enfolding two separate baskets in its embrace. In one, a young person could be seen laughing enthusiastically and taking pleasure in the journey down the river as if it were the greatest adventure possible. In the other one, a young child slept placidly, his eyes gazing upwards towards the heavens as if he were lost in the immensity of the sky.

A young woman's stumbling steps betrayed her tiredness as she made her way through the forest nearby, which was adjacent to the riverbed. Her eyes flashed a determined look despite the fact that they were bruised and her forehead was saturated in sweat. Her unshakeable confidence in the goddess gave her the assurance that the the deity would watch for her cherished twin brothers. She eventually gave in to exhaustion and fainted as a result.

From the shadows emerged a mysterious figure. Observing the unconscious girl, "What a pitiful young lady you are." Without another word, he gently lifted her, "Let me take you home."

Back on the river, a junction was approaching, which caused the baskets to separate from one another. As a result, the twins were carried down separate tributaries, each of which led to a different outcome.

On the peaceful shores of Lake Eldoria, there was a young woman singing while standing in the water up to her waist. Her voice was lilting and filled the air around her. "Oh, what a beautiful day, the birds are singing, and now it is my turn to sing." She sang, " Oh merciful Divine Tree, reveal my destiny," she crooned. As the last note lingered, she sighed, "When will my lover come? My years grow, yet love eludes me."

Her contemplations were cut short as she came across something unexpected. "A basket?" she shouted with surprise. "Could this be a gift from a secret admirer?" she mused aloud, the twinkle of inquiry visible in her eyes as she pondered the possibility.

As she got closer, the contents of the basket started to rattle, which caught her attention. Her eyes grew wide as she carefully pulled aside the blanket, revealing her surprise. She exclaimed with shock, "A young boy!"

As soon as she said those words, the youngster snapped out of his sleep immediately. He giggled rather than crying, as she had imagined he would do. Then, much to her dismay, he soon wet himself, which shocked her much and made her very unhappy. "Ugh, that's so revolting! "Right after I got out of the bath!" she exclaimed.

After she had recovered from the initial shock, she looked at the boy with her eyes gradually becoming more kind. "Where are your mother and father? "Why are you here by yourself?" she asked with real worry. "I don't understand." Her thoughts was preoccupied with the image of the child by himself in the wilderness. "What if some wild beast had discovered you before I did? They could have injured you or done something far worse, and the guilt would have followed me around for the rest of my life! She was overthinking the situation, and her eyes became clouded with worry. "I'd never have found love with such a burden on my conscience," she said.

She gave a slight nod to the side of her head while smiling and announced, "I'll take you home and care for you until we find your family." You are such a defenseless little critter; who knows what wild monsters may have done to you if they had discovered you?

She saw a tag on his clothing that read "Luka," and she read it out loud. A vivacious name for one who is so full of mischief! "Lalalalala," she yelled as she left the lake with Luka still in her arms, her voice reverberating in the peaceful atmosphere. 

The small town of Pinevele stood as a tribute to the beauty of nature in a country where tall pines produced long, stretching shadows. This was the core of woodcraft, where each and every log and plank had a tale to tell and contributed to the whole experience. A quaint log cabin that radiated coziness could be found on the outskirts of Pinevele, not far from the bank of the river.

A lady was washing clothes next to a peaceful river while humming a soothing tune to herself and focusing intently on the task at hand. She reflected, "What a lovely day," as she worked rhythmically with her hands while thinking. "As soon as I've finished this, I'm going to whip up a nice lunch. After putting in such a long day at the office, Robert must be starving.

Something odd attracted her attention while she was washing the clothes in the river at the same time. A basket was seen drifting downriver, softly bobbling back and forth with the tide. She reached out and managed to draw it to the shore, all the while wondering what it could possibly be. Her interest was piqued.

The weight of the basket caused her to shout, "Heavens, it's heavy!" as she placed it on the ground. After gently opening it, she let out a gasp of astonishment. A young boy was found inside, dozing off while covered in a cozy blanket. She mumbled to herself, "Oh, what a precious child," as her heart overflowed with pity for the little one. "Who would leave such a beautiful boy alone in a river?"

The young child gradually opened his eyes and glanced up at the woman once he became aware of her presence. "Such stunning purple eyes, reminding of the night sky," she exclaimed in awe. The focus of her attention then moved to a piece of fabric that was fastened to his garb. "Aran," she said as she read out loud. "Is that really your name, young one? Now, Aran, you don't have to worry about anything. You can count on us to look after you. When she thought of Robert's response, she couldn't help but break into a grin. "He's going to adore you," she laughed out loud before adding.

During this time, back at Elden Wood Castle, King Aldric could be seen pacing nervously in his own chamber within the walls of the palace. He wore a concerned expression on his face. "Where could she be at this moment? Never before has she been missing for such a lengthy period of time," "She promised that she will be back in a little while after gathering some flowers. "Where on earth could she be?" the king said to himself. Concern audible in his tone, he called for his trusted guard. "Henry!" he yelled out to the person.

The guard showed up almost immediately. "Your Majesty?"

The tone of King Aldric's words conveyed a sense of utmost seriousness. "Bring Seraphina to me."