ISOLDE
We should have listened to Rowan.
The thought cut through me like a knife, bitter and merciless. I had believed he was only being cautious, maybe even exaggerating. After all, it had been moons since anyone whispered about danger in the forest. I thought the silence meant safety.
But I was wrong. And now my sister was lying broken because of me.
Tears streamed down my cheeks, hot against my cold skin. My chest ached with every breath, not just from the fight but from guilt clawing inside me. What would I tell my parents? How could I stand before them if Elsa... if Laya... never stood again?
No. I wouldn’t allow it. I couldn’t.
I would save her, even if it meant giving every piece of myself away, even if it meant death.
I gathered what was left of my strength. Not the gentle m
