Stories Left Untold

5th of Faelia,1522

My dearest Theo,

It's been three months now since I last heard from you, and I'm starting to fear the worst. I've sent so many letters, but there's been no response. I don't know if you're receiving them or if something has happened to you.

Winter has come early this year, and the cold is biting. The harvest wasn't enough to last through the season, and there's a sense of dread in the air. People are on edge, and I can see the fear in their eyes.

The village is filled with stories of battles and losses. There was another major engagement near the city of Ironclad, and the papers say it was a bloody affair. The casualty lists are long, and I can't help but feel a deep sense of dread every time I see them. I keep searching for your name, praying that I don't find it. I haven't, but that does nothing to ease the worry in my heart.

I've been going to the glade less and less. It's too painful to be there without you, and the memories are starting to blur. I'm terrified that I'm losing you, even in my thoughts. I feel that one day I will think this was all a dream and I will wake up and finally find you back home.

I don't know what to do anymore Theo. I'm trying to stay strong, to keep faith in your promise, but the silence is unbearable. Please, if you can, send word. I need to know that you're still out there and that you're coming back to me.

With all my love,

Nova

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15th of Solara, 1522

My dearest Theo,

It's been six months now, and still, there's no word from you. I'm scared, Theo. More scared than I've ever been. The silence is suffocating, and I don't know how much longer I can hold on. I have come to have hope and sorrow every time the postmaster comes into town. I'm not sure if I'm more worried about not having a letter or receiving horrible news.

The village is in turmoil. The war has taken its toll, and the winter has been harsh. There's talk of rationing, and people are becoming desperate. Ravi is doing his best to keep things together, but he's just a boy, and I can see the strain it's putting on him. Lyra has become almost mute, barely speaking to anyone. She spends most of her time in the glade, as if she's waiting for you to come back. I can no longer go there myself anymore. She has even refused to celebrate her birthday and would wait for you to come back. I don't think my heart can't take anymore watching them suffer.

I'm trying to stay strong, to keep faith in your promise, but it's getting harder with each passing day. I don't know what to do anymore, Theo. I'm scared that I'm losing you, that you're slipping away from me, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.

Please Theo, please. If you're out there, if you can, send word, please. I need to know that you're still fighting to get back to us, that you're still coming back to me.

With all my love,

Nova

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23rd of Celesta,1522

Dear Theo,

It's been a year since I last heard from you. A whole year of silence. I've sent so many letters, hoping that one would reach you, but there's been nothing. I don't know if you're alive, if you're safe, if you're still out there somewhere. Though, deep down, I know that you are.

The war has taken so much from us. The village is barely holding on. Winter was brutal, and the shortages have made life even harder. People are scared, desperate, and there's a sense of hopelessness in the air. The latest news reports that the war may be reaching a turning point, but no one knows what that means for us. There was a battle near Silvercrest, and the papers say it was a decisive victory, but at a terrible cost. I fear that you were there, and the thought of it keeps me awake at night. Each battle brings me more and more fear that something has happened to you.

I have news that would make you happy when you hear it. That cottage that we always talked about, that we were going to live in, I have finally saved up enough to buy it. Even with the war going on, I wanted you to have something that you could come home to. Ms. Fields must have taken pity on me as she proactively gave it to me. She knows how much you mean to me, to all of us.

I don't know what to do anymore sometimes though. I'm trying to stay strong but the silence is killing me. Please, wherever you are, please, talk to me. I need to know that you're still coming back to me. I need to know that you are safe.

With all my love,

Nova