CHAPTER 37:
The first full day after the dawn of peace began not with fanfare, but with quiet purpose. The sun rose over the valley, gilding the scorched earth and the mended tents, and for the first time in weeks, there was no fear of immediate attack. Yet no one grew complacent. The work began before the sun cleared the peaks, hundreds of people moving in coordinated rhythm, clearing debris, rebuilding barriers, tending gardens, and sharpening weapons—each task a promise that we intended to stay, to grow, to build something that would last.
I stood on the porch of the main house, watching the camp wake, a steaming mug in my hands, the warmth seeping into fingers still stiff from the cold of the battlefield. Kael walked out beside me, fully dressed, his posture straight, the mark of th
