The gates of Blackthorn creaked open with the groan of old steel and older secrets.

It had been years since I last heard that sound.

Years since I last felt the wind of these highlands kiss my skin in this exact way… soft, familiar and bitter. The kingdom lay ahead, it was quiet yet it was still full of watching eyes that it was almost like a funeral procession.

I crossed the threshold first, horseback steady beneath me, my shoulders square.

And..

My heart? It beat like a war drum.

“I’m done hiding,” I whispered, the words slipping from my lips like a spell.

Done pretending to be small.

Done...