The air within Strelle Forest was still. Surrounded by nature's warm colours and the gentle humming of birdsong. True and Astrid strolled through the trees. With a blissful sigh, Astrid gently swayed the basket that she took from the kitchen table that morning back and forth in her hands.

Naomi had sent them out to forage for berries, to keep them busy. She never failed to find jobs for them to do, even after all the time they had been living with her. She would send them out amongst the trees to chop firewood, collect honey, fish in the lake and forage for berries and sometimes mushrooms. As long as they stayed within the boundaries of her protected land, she would trust them with such tasks.

"And what must you remember?" she would ask them.

"Do not stray past your marking posts," they would chant back in stereo.

"Or?" she'll then press.

"...Or the Emeralds may see us and take us."

"And we don't want that, do we?" This question, Naomi asked, would be the last line of that little rehearsed routine. She went through it with them for her own piece of mind, rather than for their benefit. They would then follow it by giving her a smile and a wave before exiting the door with enthusiasm, ready to get started.

Weeks turned to months, and in a blink of an eye, those months turned into three years. Astrid was now a teenager and True had recently reached his sixteenth birthday. The two of them were eager to help Naomi. They wanted to show their gratitude towards her for accepting them so quickly into her loving home. Foraging was also their favourite job to do - it gave them an excuse to explore the forest together. They enjoyed each other's company so much and appreciated that time where it was just them two.

"True?" Astrid asked her companion as she reached towards a blackberry bush.

"Yes, my Astrid?"

"I know we renamed each other, and I would never want to see you as anything but "True", but I just wanted to ask you..." Astrid's words fizzled out as a shyness crept into her mind. Chewing on her lower lip, she picked a few berries off their small branches and dropped them into her basket.

"Ask me what?" True pressed her whilst joining her at the same bush and adding ripe blackberries to the stash that Astrid had started to build up.

"I erm, I never usually think to ask people this because I never..." Astrid couldn't bring herself to look at True, the irrational embarrassment that she felt made her wish the ground would swallow her up.

"What is it?"

The timid dark-haired lass searched the forest floor for the right words to say but she couldn't think straight anymore. She just carried on picking the berries, her hands moving faster and clumsier.

"Astrid?"

"No, it doesn't matter, don't, ouch!" A thorn nipped at the end of her finger and a drop of blood fell onto the leaves directly below it. She hissed through her teeth as it stung and she popped her wounded finger into her mouth.

"Come here, stop for a second." True put his arm around her slumped shoulders and guided her to a large, moss-covered boulder that lay a few yards from where they were harvesting fruit. They sat down together. True took the basket from his friend's grasp and placed it beside him- out of the way.

"Now, what is it? You can ask me anything, Astrid." He smiled down at her, sending silent encouragement her way through his affectionate gaze. Astrid took her sore finger out of her mouth and analysed it, made sure that the shallow cut stopped bleeding, then started speaking, "I never had a family, so no family trade, I've only ever been an Emerald." An uncomfortable heat prickled at the tops of Astrid's ears.

"Oh, are you asking me what my birth name was?" True guessed. Astrid sighed with relief gave him a nod.

True turned towards her, took her hands in his and looked deeply into her eyes. "You don't need to feel weird about asking me anything. I'm happy to tell you everything about me," he said gently with a steady look on his face that told her that he was being completely genuine. A sadness then took over him and his gaze fell and he added with a heavy sigh, "I thought you knew that."

"I'm sorry, it's just, I guess I'm still not used to..." Astrid's words drifted off into a sea of further embarrassment. She was such a mess, she was very aware of that, and she did not understand why a boy like True had such time for her. He cared about her so much he was willing to change his entire life for her. But she was nothing, she had no background, no family, no prospects. She only had a rumour, a dark prophecy that had only caused her pain.

"Astrid, we've been together, just us two and Naomi for three years now and you still have doubts about me?" True said unable to hide the hurt in his voice. Astrid hid her face in shame, she didn't know what she could possibly say.

"Well you better start getting used to me, Astrid," he said and moved closer to the shivering wreck of a girl that he was sharing a boulder with. "Because I am not going anywhere. I'll be by your side forever. I don't want to be anywhere else," he announced, then put his arm back around her and let her lay her head on his shoulder.
"Right, now, to answer the question that you struggled to ask me, you silly thing," he began in a gentle, soothing voice. "My birth name was Ferrum-Lius Biabus-Lus."

"You were the first born of a food crop family?" Astrid whispered back.

"That's right. My mother is Ferrae Biabus-Lus, her maiden name was Curae Biabus-Lus. My father was Dìl-Ferrum," True continued.

"Your father is an Emerald?"

"Was. He died in Battle with the Trolls, when I was a young child."

"I'm sorry."

True shrugged and gave Astrid another comforting squeeze. "When I turned three, I was renamed Ferrum, for "Lius" was no longer applicable once father died," True explained further.

"Of course." Astrid nodded, she felt a wave of gratitude towards True and his willingness to share. It was a concept that she never truly accepted as a part of life. The nurse that raised her resentfully explained all the family traditions of the land. Astrid was a curious individual and wanted to understand the ways of Natanstrelle. Despite how often she was reminded that she did not belong. Therefore, she had no claim to this knowledge. She managed to wear the nurse down with incessant questioning so that she ended up being told just in order to keep her quiet.

"Thank you," she said looking up into True's caring, fixed eyes.

"Anytime, my Astrid."

They sat in silence for a few minutes taking in the fresh, forest colours - the greens, browns and the shining yellows of the sun's rays that found their way through the gaps in the trees. The birdsong's tune now changed its tempo and pitch, it also seemed like it was moving closer and closer to them. Eventually the tune stopped altogether.

"Oh, there you two are!" Naomi's voice split the peaceful atmosphere. The pair of them jumped, looked up and saw their guardian standing in front of them with her arms folded.

"So, this is collecting berries is it?"

"We did get some..." True started to explain.

A warm smile crept across Naomi's face and she chuckled at the two teenagers' guilty faces. "Very well, gather your things, let's head back home."

Astrid and True stood up and dusted themselves down. True grabbed the basket, and the three of them started to make their way through the trees, towards Naomi's wooden cottage.

"What were you two talking about? Or is that none of my business?" Naomi asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Oh, Astrid asked me what my birth name was," True answered with a shrug and Astrid could not hide the red flush that made its way into her cheeks.

"Ah, I see," Naomi gave Astrid a loving smile, "you really do have a healthy hunger for knowledge about Natanstrelle's society, Astrid dear."

"You think so?" Astrid squeaked in response.

"I do, it is so reassuring," Naomi said, her smile not leaving her face.

"How?"

"It's reassuring to know that despite everything you have gone through- all the abuse you have received from so many, you still care, even though nobody would blame you if you turned your back on it all," Naomi explained, as she took long, careful strides towards her cottage, which was now in sight.

"Where could I possibly turn if I were to turn my back?" Astrid's question made Naomi stop suddenly.

"That's a fair point." Naomi shrugged, then carried on walking up the path that led to her front door. True and Astrid followed close behind. "Are you two in the mood to spend some time with me after dinner this evening? I really enjoy our fireplace chats."

"Of course," True answered for the pair of them. Astrid's heart pounded with excitement, she also enjoyed chatting whilst watching the orange and yellow flames dance at the hearth. It was swiftly becoming one of her favourite pastimes.

Dinner didn't take long that evening, the three of them were so hungry after all their walking and the day's chores, that they ate without sharing a word. It was as if they were saving themselves for when they were sitting cosily around the fireplace, with cocoa in hand.

It didn't take long for True and Astrid's questions to lead Naomi into storyteller mode. "Noir-Astra has been on the loose amongst Natanstrelle for many years. The pair of you must be aware of that. I am sure that you would have constantly been reminded of his presence in the land, being members of the Emerald Army."

The two youngsters nodded together, then sipped at their cocoa.

"The darkness did not have any prejudices, it would come upon any individual. So many innocent victims that would be used as puppets to do his bidding, just like poor dear Jameh-Lius. It was never the individual's fault, people did know this deep down but it was easier for them to live with the chaos that Noir-Astra brought if they could punish someone for it." Naomi looked over at Astrid to see how she was doing, knowing very well that this subject of conversation could be a trigger for her. Astrid gave her a smile that reassured her and she carried on.

"The poor souls would be tricked into causing trouble amongst the people of the land. None as bad as what happened with Jameh-Lius mind you, they were made to tamper with crops, this caused conflicts between families that eventually fanned into feuds. I don't think the Sprèintis family and the Draoicis-Lus family will ever truly recover, they're still at odds even now." Naomi shook her head and finished her cocoa in a large gulp.

"Noir-Astra caused that?" True asked, knowing full well of the infamous feud between the two families.

"Indeed. Poor Joseh Draoicis-Lus was infected by Noir-Astra and was forced to feed one of his family's crops to the livestock of the Sprèintis. Half a dozen animals fell to the ground with a deadly sickness that night. Joseh was caught red handed and was exiled the very next morning." A sad sigh left Naomi as she had to gather the strength to carry on. "What makes it really upsetting, to me, an onlooker that is, is that Joseh's wife was expecting a child. I helped her deliver their son later that same year. Tragic that such a young family should be ripped apart like that."

"I feel sorry for the child, mostly," Astrid sighed.

"I suppose you would. Bless you, dear." Naomi breathed, then a thought sprung to her mind. "You know you two have a lot in common, Astrid."

"Really?" A spark of joy entered Astrid's heart at the thought that someone could have a similar story to her own. But she soon dismissed such a feeling for she knew it was not really a good thing that this was the case.

"Yes. His poor mother couldn't handle the shame of her husband's exile. Worrying about her son's future wracked her nerves. She eventually decided on sending her son to the Emeralds so that he would be safe from the stigma of his background," Naomi explained.

"He's an Emerald recruit?" True asked, surprised.

"That's right. Only a few months older than Astrid. Pugnum, I think they called him. Dìl-Pugnum."

Astrid dropped her empty cocoa mug and it hit the table with a loud crack, making both True and Naomi jump out of their skin.

"Are you alright dear?" Naomi enquired with great concern. "What happened?"

Astrid couldn't speak, hearing the name of the boy that was so keen to see her punished within the Emeralds was the last name she was expecting to hear.

"She's alright, Naomi," True spoke up for her. "It's just that we know him."