Chapter 78: The Weight of the Crown
The rhythm of their days at the Anchor settled into a new, sustainable pattern. Mornings were for family and the slow, quiet work of recovery. Afternoons were for petitioners, now a manageable trickle of genuine, blight-related ailments. Evenings were for the Anchor's communal life shared meals, the growing noise of play, and the deepening bond between Lyra and Tessa, whose slate was now filled with a shared, pictographic language.
But peace, they were learning, was not a static state. It was a balancing act, and new weights were constantly being added to the scale.
