Lila always loved how the freckles on her thumb made a perfect triangle. She tried to show her mother, once, but she just shushed Lila and told her she mustn’t think of those sorts of things. After all, only those blessed by the dragons were to adorn themselves with that holy sign; only the Holy Trine could go unpunished.
Regardless, Lila liked to pretend to herself that she was one of the three Foretold, a hero to the nations, saving the day for her dolls.
As the years past, Lila outgrew her dolls and her girlish fantasies. Men began to catch her eye, and she began to catch theirs. New fantasies arose in Lila’s mind, of stolen kisses and true love. As Lila’s youth blossomed into beauty, men from all over the city began to try to catch her attention - Lila’s mother, Shiri, spent much of her time driving them away from their humble home.
It had always been just the two of them, and Shiri was afraid to lose her precious daughter. Her own husband had abandoned them long ago; how could Shiri trust another man with her Lila?
One morning, as Lila was washing her face, she notice three specks on her face, in a small triangle. She furiously tried to scrub them off, but with no avail: they were freckles, a perfect match for the triangle on her hand. The freckles were faint, however, so Lila sighed, then promptly forgot about them in her rush to get ready for her day with the wealthy merchant’s son, Timo. He was young, dashing, and rather clever - just Lila’s type.
A week later, Lila saw Timo across the market with his neighbor, Lara. Lila’s heart stopped. Her eyes welled with tears, and before Timo could see her, she turned and dashed away, not looking where she was going.
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