"Resting, Princess. They refused to leave your side until the healers forced them. Lady Elara stayed the longest. She only left this morning."
Maria closed her eyes. She did not ask if Elara was well. She knew the answer. Her Valkyries were strong. They would recover.
She lay still for a long time, letting her body remember how to breathe without pain. The healers came and checked her wounds, clucking their tongues, applying fresh poultices, feeding her bitter potions that burned going down. She endured it all without complaint.
When they finally left, she pushed herself up. Her arm screamed. Her ribs ached. But she was on her feet, swaying slightly, her hand pressed to the wall for support.
She needed to move. To wash. To be clean.
She walked.
The Ice Lake was sacred ground. It sat behind the castle, a perfect circle of water so clear it seemed to hold no color at all. Fed by an underground spring that never froze, it was always cold, always still, always waiting.
