As the first rays of morning light spilled across the landscape, a scene of both relief and exhaustion unfolded. Across the river, Thessalia, battered and worn, summoned the last remnants of her strength to climb onto the muddy bank.
Gasping for breath, she collapsed onto the soft grass, her body trembling with exertion and the toll of her harrowing journey. She lay there, unable to muster the energy to rise, her eyes fixed on the sky above.
A sense of gratitude washed over her, knowing that the summer warmth embraced her weary form. If fate had conspired differently, and she had found herself plunging into the icy grip of the river during the bitter cold of winter, her chances of survival would have been slim.
She was acutely aware of the thin line that separated life and death, gra
