Moments later,

Author

The heavy oak door clicked shut behind them, cutting off the murmur of the great hall, the faint clatter of guards resetting their posts, the distant rumble of voices still arguing over what had happened. For the first time all day - for the first time in years - there was no crowd watching. No elders judging. No enemies waiting for a slip-up. No crowns, no titles, no legends hanging over their heads. Just two people, the warm glow of hearth-fire along the stone walls, and the quiet weight of everything unsaid between them.

Aria walked to the wide window overlooking the valley, her boots soft on...