To say her parents' story was like a fairy tale would be no overstatement. That's how it was for Noah. It may mean nothing to others but to her, they were her whole life.
Everything started twenty years ago at Velmere, a calm village near the main capital.
Theodore, Noah's father was devoted to studying medicine from a young age. He spent all his time reading books about herbs while growing up.
He was living alone on the outskirts of Velmere. He didn't have any living family member, and his only grandfather passed away not long ago.
He enjoyed his tranquil peace in his cozy house, living a peaceful life. He was contented with working on his studies and spending his future days devoted to practice medicine.
But fate had other plans for him.
One day on his way back home from the market he met an injured woman, that changed his life completely.
She was unconscious and there were scratches in her hands and face. Even her clothes had stains of blood on it. There were marks on her palm from horse ride.
It seemed like she had fallen from a horse ride. He wanted to help her, so he took her with him.
He treated her wounds and cared for her the whole night. The woman after waking up next day sincerely thanked him for his kindness.
"I am Theodore Miss, how should I address you?", he asked her.
"You can call me Adel.", she replied to him.
Adel started telling her story to Theodore.
That's when Theodore knows she was from a wealthy family and all her family members were killed by her relatives. She was the only one survived and she somehow managed to escape.
Since she didn't have anywhere to go, Theodore allowed her to stay.
"Don't worry they will not find you here.", Theodore reassured her in a comforting voice.
"You are safe.", he said firmly.
That's how he met Adeline, the light of his world.
Adeline stayed with him for a few days. She was getting better day by day with Theodore's care. She wanted to do something for Theodore.
But she cannot do any housework, more like she was not used to housework. She tried cooking for them. Even if she burnt the kitchen, he taught her everything patiently.
"That was the first time my Adeline experienced the warmth from another person."
Their company was comforting for both. They started knowing about each other and the attraction grew more day by day.
Inevitably, they both started falling for each other.
Initially, Adeline also felt conflicted in her mind about not knowing Theodore at first. But that doubt didn't last long.
Theodore was so devoted to Adel that he wanted to make her every wish come true. Even if it was out of his reach, he would give her his best.
Since she said she liked painting so much, he learnt how to make dyes for her. He would collect different flowers with vibrant colors carefully, select the suitable ones and make dyes.
A man who pays attention to even minute details and genuinely wants to make her happy. How many of them can you meet in your life?
These simple gestures and devotion made their love grow even stronger. Eventually that became their love language.
When they decided to spend the rest of their lives together, they looked for a calm place to settle down. That's how they found Henzville and finally settled down here.
Theodore bought their home and the store with the money he had left from his inheritance. He opened an herbal shop in Henzville with the knowledge he accumulated over the years.
Life was happy for them even though they lacked money at first.
At the first year of their marriage, they welcomed their daughter into the world and named her 'Noah' to welcome their new beginning. Over time, with his hard work they were living a good life.
In the later years, Aster was born when Noah was five. Both Noah and Aster inherited their mother's jewel like blue eyes and their father's ebony hair. They were the perfect combination of both.
In Henzville, Noah's parents became the lovely couple everyone adored because of their kind and loving nature.
Evenings were filled with laughter in their family, so much that the voice of laughter would echo in the house.
Noah also had the most supportive parents. They didn't discriminate between her and Aster in the slightest. In an era where they all value male child over female child, Noah's parents taught her to take pride in being a girl.
She was even taught how to ride horses at a young age because they wanted her to be strong and independent.
When she showed interest in medicine unlike other people who only view girls as a burden to be married off, they cheered her to study.
Since then, her father taught her about all kinds of herbs from identifying poisonous ones to those with healing properties. He even took her to his shop every day. Even when she made mistakes, he taught her patiently. He would tell her the stories of how their mother burned the kitchen once and how Noah was more like her mother in her pursuit. After that, Noah started reading so many books on herbology.
Aster was the exact opposite of her; he was so naughty and hated studying so much that he always looked for excuses to play. He was a mischievous child unlike Noah who was obedient.
Still, he was a cheerful boy and the little charm of the family.
Every day became more and more endearing in their lives. They did have our fights as a family. But it was minor and resolved easily. Overall, everything was impeccable just like a dream.
Have you ever been so happy that you never have to worry about tomorrow?
Noah was like that, living the most precious moments.
There was this saying, "The happier you are in your life the deeper you fell into misery."
She didn't know the calmness in her life was a warning before the great storm.
One fine day at the early spring five years ago, they were returning home from the nearby town, but an unexpected accident took both their lives.
Like that at the age of fifteen, Noah's world crumbled down in an instant.
That accident not only shook her, broke her but also took the two most important people in her life. Her life that was once filled with happiness turned upside down within a day.
It happened so unexpectedly, Noah was not prepared at all. She was depressed for days and barely survived by enduring those days.
Aster was the only reason she is here today. There were lot of things she wished she knew sooner. There were also lots of things she wished she have done different.
Even now, one of her greatest regrets was she couldn't even see her parents one last time. She just couldn't face their cold lifeless body.
"I was not brave enough to see them."
She was so out of it that everything about the funeral was handled by Uncle Daniel. It took her a year to go see their graves.
She stared at the pendant she was wearing, while resting her head to the back in the chair. It belonged to her mother.
"I found this pendant in her room inside the box she cherished the most. But I have never seen her wore this before."
It was an eye-catching silver chain with pearls embedded in it. It was elegant and suited her mother's aesthetics. "I always wore this pendent afterward. It had somewhat become a habit", she thought while holding the pendant in her palm.
"Why am I like this?", she questioned herself.
"Anything associated with the past was like a forbidden book to me."
"If I must keep my peace, I should not remember it. After a long painstaking effort, I am here today. I don't want to relive that pain again. No Never"
"I have numbed most of my feelings over the years. Still...."
"I couldn't forget everything completely."
Even though she has moved on, even at present seeing a happy family reminds Noah of her's. There were still sleepless nights filled with void.
"Those miserable nights... I wish I will never have again."
"Like still water, my life has become stagnant."
Sometimes Noah felt trapped at present, but it was not unbearable. Reminiscing....everything felt bittersweet.
Her stomach let out a small growl. The hunger made her stop having useless thoughts. She got up from the chair and ate the bread she brought on the way earlier.
After finishing the meal, more customers started coming in. She was busy the whole day and all the previous thoughts didn't get to her as she was immersed in work.
She wanted to close the shop early and go home to check on Aster. So, she started arranging the things in the shop until the doorbell rang again.