*Clack, clack, clack*

*Knock Knock*

I am awake. Wait, who am I?

"Come in," said a gentle and soft voice from nearby.

*Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick*

"Good morning Mrs. Sofia, I have brought you breakfast," said a voice that seemed to be somewhat distant.

*Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick*

Who is Sofia?

"Thank you," replied a voice, that probably belonged to Sofia.

*Clack, Clack, Clack*

The sound seemed to get louder and louder with every *Clack.*

"Mrs. Sofia, do you mind if I play with your daughter for a few minutes?" The voice that was distant less than a few moments ago was now somewhat close.

What is a daughter?

"Sure thing, go ahead" answered a gentle voice.

Odd. I feel like someone is touching me.

*Tickle tickle*

Oh, what a pleasant sensation. Somehow, it is somewhat relaxing. I want to smile. Smile? What does this mean?

*Chuckle*

"This is too funny. Mrs. Sofia, Alviona is adorable. Look at her, she is making such a happy face" said the nearby voice.

Who is Alviona? What is going on? I feel a sudden pressure, and now I feel weightless. This is rather fun. Fun? I do not know, but this is exciting. I want to smile again, despite not quite knowing what the meaning of this word is. Somehow, it feels natural.

*Soft Giggle*

All this confusion and excitement had gotten me a little bit hungry. I do not understand this odd feeling, but I feel like I need to let someone know of my needs.

*Child's cry*

"Oh my, did she soil herself?" asked a worried voice that seemed to giggle a few seconds ago.

"Let me check... Ah, no she did not. It appears that she might be hungry. Well, in that case, I shall hand her over to you, Mrs. Sofia" as she said this, she gently moved the child towards her mother.

The mother graciously accepted her daughter. She gave a light kiss on her forehead.

"I love you Alviona," she said.

So warm. So soothing. So comforting. I see... The one they keep addressing as Alviona is me. Without quite knowing why I can tell that this is my mother. Somehow, I feel safe and secure around her.

*Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick*

I can feel my mother moving me closer to her. I bump into something soft and instinctively start to look for an object. As I find it, I can feel a sweet liquid flowing through and into my body. It is rejuvenating; however, I soon get tired and fall asleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

A full year had passed since Alviona was born. On her 1st birthday priestess, Emma had gifted Sofia 5 silver and 23 copper coins.

A week after, she and her daughter were released from the monastery. She headed towards a small house, which belonged to her deceased husband.

The next day, after leaving Alviona with the nuns to do some errands, Sofia was approached by an old man. Judging by his clothes, the man was a sort of nobility. Two soldiers dressed in leather armor accompanied him.

"Good afternoon Sofia."

While this man possessed a title of nobility, his greeting tone implied that he was up to something malicious.

"Good day to you, your lordship. What business have you with me today?"

She knew this noble very well. It was Jemin, and he was the owner of this village, a stout man with short legs, blue eyes, a wrinkled face, small nose, thick brows, and almost bold head. Perhaps if this man had a beard, he would look more attractive. But as presented, it was a rather unpleasant portrait.

The reason why this person posed a threat to Sofia, was due to his lust for her. She had refused all of his gifts and had turned down all of his proposals. On top of that, she fell in love and got married to a local guard named Duncan. After less than a year, the woman had gotten pregnant. Quite unfortunately, the war had broken out throughout the country resulting in a shortage of food, high unemployment, and higher taxes. It was a disaster, but in this village, there was plenty of work.

The name of this place was H'ulm. It was a village located west of the major city named Haffel. Despite it being rather small, H'ulm was one of those villages built around vast flora and fauna. Various medical herbs were found in the forests that surrounded it, but this also meant that vicious beasts were lurking around every corner. For this reason, Jemin received a significant sponsorship from his majesty in forms of workforce and gold to distribute wages. The village was well protected, and so were the roads for the caravans. Duncan had been sent on an errand with a platoon of 5, to investigate a disturbance caused by wolves sighted on the supply lines. According to the report that Sofia was given, an ogre had awaited them. They were ill-prepared and had soon become nutrients for the beast. The widow found this situation rather odd. She suspected the man in front of her being the cause of her husband's death, but without proper evidence her accusations were groundless.

"Nothing special Sofia. It had come to my attention that you had a daughter born. I came here to congratulate you."

"Your words are very noble your lordship. I humbly thank you for your kind words."

The man moved his hand towards his chin, thought for a moment and let out a small laugh.

"Is that so? Well, where might your daughter be? I am curious for I am supposed to be acquainted with the residents of my land, should I not?"

"I am afraid she is at the monastery right now good lord," said Sofia coldly.

"I see, I see. Well, perhaps it is for the best" said Jemin, while taking out a folded letter that bore his seal and the symbol of his majesty. He handed it over to Sofia.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked Sofia whose her fierce eyes and voice displayed hostility.

"Well, why don't you read it my darling? Have you heard of the war starting to spread? Tax rates have risen by full 13%. We are at a 40% tax rate right now my dear. I am taking drastic measures to ensure that the residents have work in these desperate times of need. However, I cannot accommodate everyone."

This situation was absurd. Such a high tax rate for a small village? How would they even trade with caravans? On average, they made about ninety copper for three day's labor. Take away the 40% tax on it, and you would only be left with 54 copper coins. With war around the corner, the demand for the healing herbs have gone up, but these goods would not be sold at their regular prices now. By the decree of his majesty, the law ordered villagers to give out charity in any way possible. The village of H'ulm that was the biggest supplier of medical herbs would be walloped, and most likely half of the gathered goods would be given away as the mentioned "Charity."

The woman was in turmoil. However, there was still a glimmer of hope even in this mess. The best scenario for everyone would be if the war did not last long. Such a situation was likely, for the royal kingdom had many talented commanders under their wing. The worst-case scenario was that Sofia would have to reduce the number of provisions her household consumed after her daughter started growing up. For now, she was thinking of working day and night with a little rest in-between, while giving Alviona to the care of the Monastery. It was the best course of action.

"It is rather saddening your lordship, but I am sure that somehow we will..." The noble waved his hand indicating that she should stop. "Were you going to say survive?" asked Jemin in an amused voice.

"What... do you mean?" asked Sofia with a confused expression. The situation she was in did not look good.

"Well, you see Sofia... for the last year, during your labor, you had not worked at all. You were under the safety of the priestess Emma. But, you have not paid a single tax yet throughout this time. Your husband is no longer here, so at this moment your main source of income is gone. I was worried about the well-being of our country. It is, after all, my duty to take care of the needs of my settlers. Nobody was given special treatment, and everyone had to pay up. Why is it then, that you have not?" (Jemin)

Sofia was mad. This idiot was demanding the impossible.

"Please, your lordship. You clearly must understand that it would physically not be possible for me to work while being pregnant without hurting or even killing the child. I beg of you to come to reason" said Sofia with a calm, yet a pleading voice.

"Worry not. I already have. You are forgiven Sofia."

I do not believe you even for a single moment, you filthy pig! Thought Sofia, her blood boiling from anger.

"But, his majesty had demanded taxes being collected in full, so what I have decided on is to seize your husband's property. He no longer is alive and in service, so this is technically the government's property now."

After hearing this, Sofia fell into despair, panicked, and collapsed. As she dropped to her knees, tears started to pour from the woman's face. The heartless man watched the girl cry, not forgetting to seize the opportunity to put his hand on her shoulders.

"I will not propose to you any more Sofia. You have turned me down for far too long, but if you wish, I can still help you."

"And what, I may ask, is the price for this help your lordship?" Asked Sofia sternly and with spite.

The man licked his lips and revealed an evil grin.

"Become my slave," said Jemin in a sadistic way.

"Bastard!" She screamed. "You are truly a sadist! You cannot capture my heart, and you try to ruin my life, take away my house and create misery for me. And all of this to force me into becoming a slave? Tell me Jemin; you killed my husband did you not?" She asked in anger but ended up getting kicked in the gut by the noble, causing her to cough out blood. Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"How dare you accuse me of such thing, woman? Know your place you piece of filth!" Jemin screamed back at Sofia. "And what if I did? So what? His life is worthless. Soldiers are disposable. You were foolish to have married him, but he was stupid for having crossed my way. My subordinates should know what their master wants. They should know who pays them."

Sofia's mind went blank for a brief moment. This man in front of him had just confessed that he murdered her husband due to his lust and selfishness. She hated him. Utter rage was now flowing through her brain. Her blood was pumping.

"I.WILL.KilL.YoUuuuUU!!!!! I WILL KILL YOU!" screamed Sofia. In a blink, she was up from her knees, biting and scratching the noble, trying to gauge his eyes out.

Jemin's guards quickly reacted to this act and separated the two. Seeing that she was not giving in, they hit her in the gut once more. As a result, Sofia collapsed on the ground, paralyzed and unable to get up.

"Well, well, well. It appears that you have utterly gone out of your mind now, Sofia. Give me one reason to not execute you right here, on the spot. Well, be grateful for I shall spare your life. I am not a merciless person. I just thought of a game, one that will test your survival skills". Jemin took out a pouch and dropped it on the ground. "This pouch here contains four gold and 50 silver coins. From this moment on, you are banished from this village and are not allowed to return. You shall become a beggar. How long will you be able to support that child of yours? The entire country is in a state of war right now. Unemployment is high. So take this and leave. It is my mercy to you. After experiencing what despair truly is, perhaps you shall smarten up and crawl back to me. When you do, both you and your child will be my slaves. If you were to refuse my offer, death would find its way towards you. It would be a rather miserable way to perish, but at least it would put my mind to rest. Now, begone! You have two hours to leave this village."

Unable to talk back, due to her mind being filled with the realization of what she had just done, she silently cursed herself. Sofia had just condemned herself and more importantly, her daughter to the worst possible fate.