*Xelina*

The castle feels alive in a way I’ve never known before. Since my father, Thalia, and the girls arrived, every corner echoes with new laughter and new memories in the making.

Lazlo’s parents have been nothing but kind, their smiles easy and eyes bright with curiosity and welcome. His mother fusses over the girls, knitting tiny clothes for their dolls while telling them tales of her childhood in Virechant.

Lazlo’s father drinks ale with my father by the hearth, as if forging bonds between old souls. I watch them all, my heart swelling with gratitude. This is more than I dared hope for, a place where my past and...