Velara's POV.
Peace, it turns out, didn't arrive with trumpets and song. Instead, it crept in like mist. Quiet, cold, and deeply unfamiliar.
The silence after the chaos is almost deafening.
I think of everything that we've lost. I also think of all we've managed to protect. My heart is full and aching all at the same time.
Even the wind has a different sound now - not the sharp cry of warning or the howl of grief. It's quieter now. Warmer somehow. It even carries a sweeter scent than it did before. But perhaps that's just me...
I stand at the edge of the forest, just where the trees part and open to the clearing by the river. I used to bring the twins here all the time. I would sit beneath the crooked old cedar, watching them play. Running and laughing - their little faces glowing wit
