Lara, as a doctor, was accorded a modest room in a house opposite the infirmary. That night, she went out to get some fresh air.
The full moon hung low in the sky, a silver orb casting its ghostly light over Carles, bathing the town in an otherworldly glow. The quiet was almost reverent, broken only by the soft rustling of leaves in the cold December breeze.
Lara found a weathered stone bench beneath an ancient oak tree, its gnarled roots protruding from the earth like several arms extending outward for a hug. Rather than sit on the bench, she settled on one of the roots, her gaze lifting to the moon.
A halo circled it — a large luminous ring of fire, ice, and light, vivid and mysterious against the dark sky. The sight stole Lara’s breath.
Someone shouted to announce the phenomenon in the sky. People started coming out to bear witness to a once-in-a-lifetime enigmatic appearance of a ring around the moon.
Whispers rose as the people of Carles caught sight of the phenomenon. Some gasped in awe, while others muttered of bad omens, retreating hurriedly into their homes.
Lara only smiled. The people here were still shackled by ignorance and superstition. It was nothing more than a lunar halo, an optical illusion caused by moonlight refracting through ice crystals high in the atmosphere.
As she sat there, the chill nipping at her fingers, she realized with a start that the date had slipped past her unnoticed. It was December 24 — the eve of her sixteenth birthday. Or rather, it should have been her twenty-third. Coincidentally, her birthday as Lara Starr was also also on December 25. The life she once knew felt distant now, yet the memory lingered.
She used to tell herself she was lucky to be born on Christmas. The whole world celebrated her big day, even if no one in her family did. There was never a cake, but that didn’t matter. Every home was filled with one, with warmth and food, and the lights that adorned the streets felt like thousands of birthday candles waiting for her to blow them.
Her mind drifted to her last birthday, before the mission that had changed everything. She was sent to rescue another of her father’s spies.
On Christmas Eve, she dressed as a beggar and waited at the entrance of the mansion of his father’s superior, Admiral Langley.
It was the admiral’s wife who found her. Perhaps it was the spirit of the season that moved the woman to invite her inside.
"It is Christmas Eve and there is a lot of food inside. Come, join us. All our maids ate with us during Christmas." The admiral’s wife was very sincere with her words.
She hesitated but followed the woman inside. Before she went on her mission, she had researched about the admiral and his wife. She learned that the wife was benevolent, and every Christmas, she would invite children from the orphanage to spend their Christmas dinner with the Langleys.
When Lara was reading the information she gathered about the family, she smirked. "Is there a Mother Theresa left in the world?"
But when she followed inside, Lara still remembered the warmth of the house, the soft fabric of the borrowed dress, and the dazzling spread of food laid out on a long table in the garden. Orphans from the local shelter had been invited to share in the feast, their eyes wide with wonder at the sight. The surrounding area was decorated with festive Christmas decors and Christmas lights.
"Who among you has a birthday this month?" the admiral’s wife had asked, her voice bright and kind.
Three children around the age of twelve stepped forward. Lara hesitated before stepping forward. She was wearing a mask, so she looked very ordinary.
A candle was lit, and the children sang. Lara blinked back tears as their voices filled the night. When the time came to make a wish, she closed her eyes and wished...
The air was filled with a joyful chorus of the birthday song, and when Lara opened her eyes, the candle was already blown by the three little ones. She was not angry and she could only smile helplessly.
"Miss, what did you wish for?" The little child standing beside her looked up and asked her expectantly.
"The wish might not come true if I tell it to you."
The following morning, Lara went home expecting that her family would remember to greet her on her birthday. She did not expect anything else. A simple greetings would suffice, and yet she was ignored and treated like air.
When her father learned that she had failed on her mission, she was locked up in the basement and not given food for two days.
She often wondered if she was truly his daughter. Could a father treat his child with such cruelty? Alone in the darkness, where no light seeped through, she clung to that wish she’d made, as if it could keep her warm.
Maybe.. just maybe. Wishes do come true.
"Ahem," a voice from behind the tree startled her and jolted her back to the present. Her hand went to the hilt of her sword.
"It’s just me, Kane." The voice was low and smooth, rich as dark velvet. "I can’t believe you were so lost in thought that an enemy could’ve taken you down effortlessly."
Lara was mesmerized by Alaric’s voice, a voice that could speak for hours, but one would never get tired of listening.
"I am just thinking of something. What are you doing here, Your Highness?" Lara asked in a respectful tone.
"Why so formal? Hadn’t I told you before that you just call me Ari?" Alaric said in a displeased tone.
She scoffed lightly. "That wouldn’t do. The last time I called you Alaric, half the soldiers stared at me like I was dead meat."
Alaric chuckled, the sound warm against the cold night. As the moon hung high, its halo slow disintegrating, Lara found herself feeling something unfamiliar — not warmth, exactly, but the quiet promise of it.
She remembered her last birthday wish.
Indeed, wishes do come true.