ZARA:
The pack house was never quiet, not truly. Warriors trained from dawn till dusk, messengers hurry across halls, and elders move up and down between the chambers. Yet that morning, an uneasy feeling gripped me, small at first, barely any discomfort, but growing heavier with every passing hour.
Xena was nowhere to be found. Literally.
At first, I brushed it aside. She wasn’t chained to me every second. She had duties, running errands for Jordan, fetching reports, sorting schedules. She was stubborn enough to throw herself into work when she was restless. But as time dragged on, her absence sharpened, she doesn't usually spend long before coming to bug me.
No sarcastic quote in the training yard.
No humming tune while she polished Jordan’s endless stacks of scrolls.
And she hadn
