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Sold to Love - FULL | DramaReel
#shortdrama
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#shortdrama
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Short filmTranscript
00:02the news came on a tuesday eleanor stood at the creek scrubbing shirts against a flat stone
00:08mid-december the water ran black with cold and her knuckles had split open an hour ago
00:14she didn't notice anymore the blood washed away pink and thin like watered down wine her daughter
00:20lily six years old and thin as a fence rail stood nearby trying to help eleanor sent her toward the
00:26patch of weak sun on the bank go sit sweetheart warm yourself the girl didn't argue she never
00:34argued that was the worst part when they got back to the house the old woman was waiting martha
00:41eleanor s mother-in-law she stood on the porch with two men from the village the elders the
00:49ones who decided things no one had gone to the creek to fetch them no one ever went
00:56to fetch eleanor took you long enough martha said she tossed a cloth bundle onto the dirt
01:02two dresses both threadbare the soldier came your husband's dead she said it the way she'd say the
01:09well had gone dry no feeling just fact eleanor didn't cry she'd stopped crying years ago can i
01:17take lily she asked martha laughed the hunter's paying for you not the brat but we'll see maybe
01:24he'll want her too if not there's always the traitor lily moved closer to her mother she didn't cry
01:31either that was the worst part of all they walked her to the hunter's cabin at dusk the old woman
01:37and
01:37the two elders flanked her like guards lily held her mother s hand so hard her knuckles went white
01:45the cabin sat at the edge of the woods smoke curling from the chimney a man sat on the stoop
01:52sharpening a
01:53knife his name was daniel he was a large man thick through the shoulders with a scar that ran from
02:02his
02:02left temple to the right corner of his jaw his left leg was bad an old break that had healed
02:09wrong he
02:10dragged it when he walked the village said he'd killed his first wife the village said he'd once
02:16beaten a wolf to death with his bare hands the village said a lot of things martha stepped forward
02:22here she is 20 silver like we agreed but the girl comes too that's another 10 daniel looked at eleanor
02:30then at lily then back at martha 20 was the deal he said his voice was low flat not cruel
02:38exactly just
02:40tired then you don't get the girl martha said she goes to the traitor 10 silver at least daniel stood
02:47up
02:47he moved slowly the leg made him careful but he was tall taller than any man in the village he
02:54went inside
02:54came back with a small leather pouch and tossed it to martha 30 she stays martha caught the pouch
03:01waited in her hand and smiled eleanor dropped to her knees in the dirt she pulled lily down beside her
03:08please she said she eats almost nothing she works she won't be trouble daniel looked at the girl
03:16lily looked back her eyes were too old for her face then lily said father the word hung in the
03:23cold air
03:23daniel blinked martha kicked lily in the back hard enough to make the girl sprawl forward you little
03:29bitch martha said your father's not even cold she kicked again really didn't cry she just curled up
03:37and waited for it to stop the way she'd learned to do enough daniel's voice cut through the yard like
03:43the knife he'd been sharpening he stepped between martha and the girl you have your silver go the cabin
03:49was small three rooms a main space with a hearth a bedroom on one side and an empty room on
03:56the other
03:56no lock on the door no lock on anything eleanor stood in the middle of the main room eleanor stood
04:03in the middle of the main room holding lily's hand waiting for instructions that didn't come daniel had
04:09gone back to his stool on the stoop he was sharpening a different knife now what do we do eleanor
04:15whispered
04:15she wasn't talking to lily after a long moment she took the girl into the empty room there was no
04:22bed
04:22just dirt floor and bare walls she found a pile of old straw in the corner and spread it out
04:27stay here tonight she said keep quiet no matter what you hear lily nodded she'd heard things before
04:35her real father thomas had been loud when he drank which was most nights mom lily said why did father
04:43make you marry this man eleanor didn't t answer but they both knew thomas had been dead three years
04:51not three days the soldier s news was a lie or maybe not a lie but a convenience thomas had
05:00wanted her
05:00sold before he left he d wanted the silver and he d wanted her gone somewhere she wouldn't t survive
05:09the hunter's cabin was supposed to be her grave the door banged open daniel stood there holding a
05:16lantern he looked at the straw then at eleanor then at lily not here he said he picked lily up
05:23she
05:23flinched expecting a blow and carried her into the empty room on the other side there was a new bed
05:29there now rough built but solid thick blankets two sets of winter clothes old but clean this is yours
05:37he said he set her down and walked out a moment later they heard his door close then nothing but
05:44the crackle of the fire lily touched the blanket it was warm mom she whispered it's soft eleanor sat on
05:52the edge of the bed and put her face in her hands the first week was strange daniel didn't speak
05:58much
05:58he left food on the table bread salt pork a pot of beans and ate separately standing by the window
06:05he watched them eat when lily finished fast he nodded when she slowed down he frowned eat he said
06:13she ate he went into the woods before dawn and came back at dusk with rabbits squirrels once a small
06:21deer
06:21he skinned them in the yard and hung the meat in the smokehouse he didn't he asked eleanor to help
06:29he didn't t ask her for anything on the fourth night lily woke up with a cramp in her stomach
06:36she'd eaten too much more than her body knew how to handle she doubled over gasping and daniel appeared
06:42in the doorway before eleanor could even stand he wrapped the girl in a blanket and carried her
06:48through the snow to the village dr s house kicked the door open the dr s wife complained about the
06:57hour
06:57until daniel looked at her then she went back to bed overfed the doctor said she ate too much
07:05this girl was hungry for too long her stomach forgot how to handle food he gave her something bitter to
07:13drink she threw up on his floor she will be fine her small amounts these next few days daniel carried
07:21her
07:21home on the walk he said you never eaten meat before lily shook her head against his chest hardly ever
07:28he was quiet for a long time then you will now she wasn't sure she'd heard him right the wind
07:35was loud
07:35and her ears were ringing but when they got home he put her in the warm bed and covered her
07:41to the chin
07:41sleep he said he left for the deep woods on a tuesday said he'd found bear tracks big one he'd
07:49be gone
07:49four or five days eleanor made him bread with lard and a little honey the first time she d used
07:56honey
07:57for something that wasn't tea medicine she also made him thick socks and a wool cap he looked at them
08:04for a long time before putting them in his pack buy anything you need he said there's coin in the
08:11jar
08:12then he limped into the trees and disappeared five days passed then six on the seventh it started to
08:19snow eleanor stood at the window for an hour then put on her coat stay here there's food don't open
08:26the door for anyone i'm coming with you no i'm going it was the same face that had stared at
08:36martha's
08:36boot without crying the same face that had called a stranger father to save them both get your coat
08:42eleanor said they took the trail into the woods eleanor carrying a kitchen knife lily carrying a
08:48smaller blade she'd hidden in her dress the snow came faster the light died early they walked for an
08:54hour maybe two calling his name then they heard footsteps he came out of the trees dragging a bear he
09:02came out of the trees dragging a bear not a small one a monster it was twice his size and
09:10he deep in
09:10pulling it for miles his face was gray with exhaustion his bad leg was bleeding through his pants lily ran
09:19to
09:19him father she wrapped her arms around his leg he looked down at her then at eleanor his mouth opened
09:27closed closed opened again what are you doing here his voice was hoarse we came to find you eleanor said
09:34she was crying she hadn't noticed until now he looked at the sky the snow was coming harder
09:41help me with this he said then we'll go home they took the bear's legs eleanor and lily on one
09:48side
09:48daniel on the other and dragged it through the snow it took three hours by the time they reached the
09:56cabin the bear was frozen stiff and so were they daniel built up the fire eleanor made stew lily sat
10:03on
10:03the floor by the hearth watching the flames she said you killed a bear he nodded by yourself he nodded
10:12again she smiled it was the first time eleanor had seen her daughter smile since thomas left the bear
10:18sold for good money daniel took them to the city the first time lily had ever been past the village
10:23boundaries he sold the hide to a merchant who knew him a fat man with kind eyes who gave lily
10:29two
10:29silver coins and called her the hunter's girl they bought flour and salt and sugar new blankets
10:35thick wool for coats daniel tried to buy ready-made clothes but eleanor shook her head i'll sew them
10:42she said it's cheaper cheaper isn't better daniel said it's what i know he looked at her for a long
10:49moment then he bought the cloth anyway and the thread and a pair of scissors with good steel
10:54on the way home they passed the old farmhouse martha was in the yard scrubbing clothes in a bucket
11:00steam rose from the water she'd always made eleanor use cold lily waved not friendly just to show she
11:08was there martha saw her and spat in the snow horse get the old woman said a rock hit the
11:14bucket water
11:15splashed everywhere martha shrieked daniel had another rock in his hand say it again he said
11:22martha looked at his face looked at the rock said nothing lily grinned daniel started teaching her to
11:29fight the next week you won't always have me he said you need to be able to protect yourself
11:34he made her run laps around the cabin 50 then 100 then 200 he made her lift stones small ones
11:43at first
11:44then bigger he showed her how to throw a punch how to block how to fall without breaking anything
11:49her hands bled her feet blistered eleanor soaked them in warm water every night and wrapped them in
11:55clean racks you don't have to do this eleanor said i want to lily said she meant it a year
12:03passed
12:03then too lily grew taller stronger she could run five miles without stopping and lift a log that would
12:10have crushed her when she first arrived she could skin a rabbit in two minutes and set a snare in
12:15five
12:16but she couldn't fix daniel's leg the old break had healed badly the bone was crooked on cold days
12:22he could barely walk he never complained he wasn't the type but lily saw him wince when he stood up
12:29saw him favor the good leg when he thought no one was watching i want to learn medicine she told
12:34him one
12:35night he looked up from the fire medicine real medicine from a doctor so i can fix your leg he
12:43was
12:43quiet for a long time then he nodded i know someone the fat merchant his name was harold had a
12:50cousin
12:50who ran a clinic in the city a real doctor old grumpy the best within a hundred miles he doesn't
12:57take
12:57girls harold said he'll take this one daniel said harold looked at lily she was nine now small for her
13:05age but hard as wood she met his eyes and didn't look away maybe he will harold said the doctor's
13:12name
13:12was matthias he was bald and thin and had the patience of a hungry wolf his apprentices lasted
13:18weeks sometimes days the work was hard the hours were long he hit slow learners with a wooden ruler
13:25lily didn't flinch she'd been hit by worse by people who meant it she learned to grind herbs
13:32mix tinctures set bones stitch wounds she learned which mushrooms killed and which cured she learned
13:39to read not well but enough so she could study the old books in matthias's library she went home every
13:45two weeks eleanor always cried daniel always nodded and asked what she'd learned then he'd make her
13:52demonstrate and he'd correct her stance and they'd spar in the yard until dark you're getting slow he
13:58said once you're getting old she said he almost smiled thomas came back in the spring lily was at
14:05the clinic when she saw him he was with a woman young pretty dressed in silk thomas held her arm
14:11like she
14:12was made of glass he didn't recognize lily she'd been a skeleton when he left now she was 11 solid
14:19and
14:19straight backed wearing a clean dress and a doctor's apprentice apron but she recognized him she
14:25followed them into matthias's exam room and stood in the corner pretending to organize jars the woman
14:31couldn't have children she tried everything her family had money they'd come to matthias as a last
14:37resort i can examine both of you matthias said no need thomas said i've already fathered a child the
14:45problem is her matthias looked at him then at the woman then back at thomas we'll see that night
14:53lily went home she told eleanor and daniel everything eleanor's face went blank the way it used to go
15:00blank back in the old house when martha was screaming he's not dead eleanor said no lily said he's not
15:08does he know you live here i don't think so he didn't recognize me daniel nodded slowly then we wait
15:18see what he does
15:22thomas came to the cabin three nights later he knocked daniel opened the door thomas smiled the
15:29same smile lily remembered the one he used before he hit thomas said i have a proposition
15:34he laid it out like he was doing them a favor his new wife couldn't have children eleanor could
15:40she'd already proven it he wanted to borrow her just for a while long enough to get a son you
15:47can't
15:47have children anyway everyone knows it thomas said to daniel this way you get a son to raise
15:53i'll pay you 20 silver no one has to know it's mine daniel said nothing thomas kept talking the woman
16:02in silk came from a rich family she was going to die soon she was sickly always had been and
16:08then
16:08everything would be his the house the land the money he just needed an heir and the girl thomas
16:15said glancing at lily she's getting pretty when she's older i'll find her a place a rich man's
16:22compound she'll want for nothing daniel moved faster than lily had ever seen him move he grabbed
16:29thomas by the collar dragged him outside and beat him with a mouse post until thomas couldn't stand
16:39eleanor came out halfway through and started kicking she kicked thomas in the ribs the back
16:45the head she was crying and screaming and she didn't stop until daniel pulled her away
16:50thomas crawled into the dark and disappeared he came back a week later with three men they grabbed
16:56lily on the road to the clinic grabbed her and tied her and threw her in a wagon thomas's wife
17:01sat in
17:02front looking uncomfortable she's not going to be hurt we just need her mother to cooperate
17:08lily didn't answer she was watching the road counting turns memorizing landmarks they drove for three
17:15days thomas fed her once hit her twice his wife looked away both times on the third night lily
17:23heard hoofbeats daniel came out of the dark like a ghost he had a shotgun the men thomas had hired
17:29took
17:29one look at his face and ran thomas tried to fight he'd never been a fighter and daniel broke his
17:35arm in
17:36two places lily was curled in the back of the wagon thin and bruised and thirsty daniel lifted her out
17:42like
17:42she weighed nothing i've got you he said she nodded against his chest i know
17:50thomas was arrested the next day the woman in silk her name was katherine tried to protect him at first
17:56then the soldiers told her thomas was a deserter he'd never been a soldier he'd run before his unit
18:03shipped out and hidden in the city for three years while his family collected his pay and told everyone
18:07he was dead you knew katherine's face went white i knew katherine looked at thomas he was sitting in
18:17the dirt holding his broken arm crying i married a ghost she said then she walked away thomas was
18:24hanged in the autumn lily watched she didn't feel anything at first then she felt something not sadness
18:30not relief but a kind of quiet satisfaction like finishing a long hard job she poisoned him a little
18:38before he was caught something in his food that made him sick made him dream made him wake up screaming
18:45no one knew not even matthias some things she kept to herself
18:53eleanor had a baby that winter a boy red-faced and loud and perfect daniel held him like he was
19:00holding something breakable he looks like you he said to eleanor he looks like a potato lily said
19:06daniel almost smiled again almost more children came two more a girl and another boy the cabin got
19:15crowded daniel built an addition lily helped she was strong now stronger than most men thanks to the
19:22running and the stones and the years of sparring she never did fix daniel's leg completely but she made
19:28it better less pain less limp he could walk through the woods without stopping every hundred yards
19:34that's enough he told her once it's not enough she said it's enough he said again and she knew he
19:42meant
19:42something else not the leg everything when lily was 18 matthias offered her a position full apprentice
19:50on track to become a doctor herself she said yes but she went home every week every single week
19:57even when the snow was deep even when she was tired even when there was nothing she needed from
20:03the cabin except the people inside it one late night lily turned to eleanor weighing a question
20:09she'd carried for years she wondered why daniel had traded all he owned 30 silver to buy the two of
20:15them eleanor fell silent then spoke of a long forgotten memory long ago daniel had collapsed in
20:21the woods with a shattered leg left stranded in the snow for hours a lonely frail young woman had
20:27stumbled upon him though fearful of breaking village customs she'd helped him stand and guided him to
20:33the tree lean that woman had been eleanor daniel had never forgotten that small act of kindness
20:38lily glanced across the room daniel slept heavily in his chair a newborn resting on his chest his loud
20:45snores filling the cottage to her the man asleep before her was only her true father the cruel blood
20:51relative from her past was nothing more than a stranger who shared her blood eleanor gently covered
20:57lily's hand and the two sat quietly watching the fire fade and listening to daniel's steady snoring
21:02cold gray dawn draped the quiet village lily stood at the clinic window worn hand stained with
21:08medicinal herbs she'd spent the night grinding valerian root for a grief-stricken widow haunted
21:13by endless nightmares after her husband's passing lily knew all too well the weight of restless
21:19torturous dreams she returned to her tedious work methodically crushing roots into powder
21:24sealing portions and small cloth bags solitude and constant labor had been her way of life
21:30a lesson drilled into her to avoid careless mistakes an unexpected knock broke the stillness
21:36harold the pale trembling merchant stood at the door his face etched with dread he brought grave news
21:42daniel had fallen in the woods his old leg injury giving out trapped alone in his cabin lily rushed
21:49out at once lily raced through the thick midwinter snow her body familiar with these forest paths from
21:55childhood her lungs burned with exertion yet she never slowed the cabin door hung open eleanor waited in the
22:02doorway cheeks streaked with fresh tears helpless as daniel refused all eight lily stepped inside to find
22:08daniel slumped on the hearth floor his injured leg twisted at a brutal angle his skin ashen with agony
22:14though his gaze remained firm and unyielding ignoring his dismissive denial lily knelt beside him the old
22:20wound was badly swollen and inflamed spared from a clean break this time she scolded his stubborn silence and
22:27began to examine his leg determined to mend what she could for three hours lily tended to daniel's
22:35injured leg using the healing techniques mathias had taught her she pressed pressure points soothed
22:41swollen joints with warm cloths and carefully adjusted strained tendons daniel endured the pain in total
22:47silence his knuckles white as he gripped his chair in quiet suffering when she finished exhaustion washed over
22:53her her her her own hands shaking from strain she warned him he needed strict rest for a full month
22:58no hunting no heavy labor no long walks or he would lose his leg entirely daniel stared at her then
23:06gave
23:07a slow resolute nod weary and emotionally drained lily rose to her feet yet as she watched him rest his
23:13damaged leg on a stool a soft unnameable warmth settled in her chest he whispered a quiet word of thanks
23:20lily shook her head stating care between family needed no gratitude after a long pause daniel reached
23:27for her hand his skin was rough and calloused from years of hard labor yet his touch was tender he
23:33thanked her for choosing to call him father that first bitter night a kindness that had changed him
23:38lily settled beside him her heart softening at his quiet honesty
23:46spring arrived slowly melting the winter frost dot daniel's leg healed not perfectly but well enough
23:52to walk and work again he carved tools at his workbench and ventured to the forest edge with
23:57a walking staff lily had crafted for him quieter and gentler after his injury eleanor stood in the
24:03cabin doorway a faint smile on her face her rounded belly showing her coming child she noticed the
24:09subtle shift in daniel's temperament a softness long hidden beneath his quiet exterior that evening
24:14with the children asleep lily sat alone with daniel by the fire the newborn boy rested peacefully on his
24:21chest lily shared her plan to take over the local clinic and become a full healer once matthias retired
24:29daniel listened calmly proud and supportive she promised to visit every week clinging to the warmth of their
24:38family bond daniel finally confessed the truth behind buying her all those years ago the story
24:43of eleanor saving him had not been the reason he'd chosen to keep her because even as a frightened
24:49broken child she'd called him father without hesitation her kindness had pushed him to strive
24:55to be a better man tears slipped down lily's cheeks in his quiet efforts he had become that worthy
25:01gentle man he tilted his head asking for the name she'd chosen for herself lily smiled telling him
25:07lily was her true name the name he'd given her the name that felt like home softly he called her
25:13his daughter as they sat together the snow outside melted away and spring breathed new life into the
25:19land for the first time lily felt fully at peace no longer afraid of her future
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