The enormous hall was bustling with the midday meal when Elara found me. I sat at the high table beside Kaelen, our hands intertwined beneath the cloth, our shoulders touching. The servants moved between the tables, carrying trays of bread and cheese and steaming cups of tea. Warriors laughed and talked, their voices rising and falling in the familiar rhythm of daily life. The fire crackled in the enormous hearths, pushing back the chill that seeped through the ancient stones.
I had not seen Elara since the morning meal. She had been conspicuously absent, disappearing after breakfast with a knowing smile that had made me blush. Now she appeared at the entrance to the great hall, her warm brown eyes scanning the crowd until they found me. Her face was bright with something I could not name anticipation, perhaps, or the barely contained joy of someone who had been proven right.
