Freddy's POV

I nodded, letting their words sink in. The conversation flowed around the table stories of past battles, dreams for the future, even light-hearted banter about our misadventures. I felt a rare moment of contentment.

As I listened, I caught myself thinking about Aliana, her strength, her beauty, the way she had handled everything on her own last night.

I recalled our intimate moments, the passionate fight that had blurred the lines between love and war.

I wondered if she still questioned whether she had become the very monster she had once feared, or if she now saw herself as a survivor, a queen in a world that had...