After a while, Sienna led everyone back to the castle.
The excitement from the transformed field still clung to them like the scent of fresh rain. Even as they crossed the stone courtyard and entered the old fortress, bits of dark, fertile soil remained on their boots and hems, as if the land itself had followed them home to remind them that what had happened was not a dream.
The living room, with its cold stone walls and high narrow windows, felt different now.
It was the same room as before, with worn chairs, faded tapestries, and the faint smell of old wood and dust, yet the atmosphere had changed.
Until this morning, this room had been a place where people discussed how to survive.
Now it had become a place where they could discuss how to build a future.
Sienna personally pulled a chair out for Mirella and helped the older woman sit down.
Mirella did not refuse.
