The Rules of Cappitten
My name is Iliana, and I have spent my entire life in the village of Cappitten.
Nestled between towering forests and rolling green hills, Cappitten may look like an ordinary village to outsiders, but there is nothing ordinary about the way we live. Our survival depends on a strict set of rules that have been passed down through generations. Every family has a role. Every person has a purpose. Everyone knows exactly where they belong.
As for me, I am the leader of the village guard troop.
I earned that position through years of training, discipline, and hard work. I expect excellence from every member of my team and refuse to tolerate laziness or excuses. The people of Cappitten trust us to keep them safe, and I take that responsibility seriously.
Today, however, wasn’t a day for patrols.
Today was a day for celebration.
Every year before one of our grand banquet dinners, the entire village gathers for a game of hide-and-seek. It sounds childish, but it has become one of our most treasured traditions. For a few hours, everyone forgets their responsibilities and simply enjoys themselves.
This year’s banquet was particularly important.Tonight, two of my closest friends would participate in the Crossing of the Bloodlines Ceremony.
The ceremony was one of Cappitten’s oldest traditions. Every year, two families were chosen to send their eldest child to unite their bloodlines and strengthen the bonds that held our village together. Once chosen, there was no refusing.
This year, fate had chosen Amira and Bradley.Because Amira was younger than both Bradley and myself, I had been assigned to accompany them whenever they left the village center until the ceremony was complete.
Not that either of them minded.
Amira had always been sweet and gentle, though she often lacked confidence. Bradley, on the other hand…
Well.
Bradley had always been Bradley.Strong. Loyal. Competitive.
And completely capable of making my life difficult without even trying.
The morning sun was shining brightly as villagers spread throughout Cappitten, searching for hiding places.
