The days leading up to the gathering passed quicker than Lyra expected, but not quietly. Every conversation seemed to circle back to the same thing, even when people tried not to mention it directly. The northern alliance had already shifted the balance between territories, and now that it was being formally recognized, no one was pretending it was just another routine event.
Lyra kept her focus where it needed to be. She trained, she worked, she stayed present. It wasn’t about avoiding anything anymore. It was about proving, to herself as much as anyone else, that her decision wasn’t something fragile that would break the moment it was tested.
Kael didn’t hover. That was the first thing she noticed. He didn’t follow her around, didn’t try to control the situation, didn’t remind her of w
