Morning arrived beneath a sky of pale gray clouds.
The camp beside the Silent River was already stirring when the first rays of sunlight filtered through the pine trees. Soldiers packed tents, horses were watered, and the smell of freshly baked oat bread drifted from the campfire.
Evadne stood near the river one last time before mounting her horse.
The conversation she had shared with Alistair the previous night lingered quietly in her heart.
“Perhaps home isn’t where you’re born…”
“Perhaps it’s where someone waits for you.”
She smiled to herself before brushing the thought aside.
There would be time to think later.
For now, the journey continued.
⸻
By midday, the scenery began to change.
The forests grew thinner.
The mountains gradually gave way to rolling hills covered in fro
