Return of the General's Daughter

Hevenfort has grown quiet.

The clang of steel, the sharp commands of commanders, and the shuffle of armored boots had faded into the night—replaced by the soft rustle of wind-blown leaves and the flicker of torchlight that danced across the stone corridors like restless spirits. Outside, soldiers prepared their minds for the journey to the north, and couriers ran their final messages.

But in the western wing of the palace, behind heavy oak doors and velvet silence, time slowed.

Lara stood alone at the edge of a quiet balcony Alaric had built for her—her chamber crafted with the same precision and reverence as his own quarters at Helias Manor. It was her space whenever she visited Hevenfort, a quiet haven of light and wind.

She leaned against the cold marble balustrade, her fingers curled loosely over the edge, watching the trees sway in the moonlight below. The night was clear, and the full moon hung like a silver ball, solemn and unblinking. Its pale light washed over her face, rendering her almost ethereal—a silhouette of dusk draped in blue-gray, her hair unbound and falling like copper across her shoulders. No crown adorned her head. Only a soft nightdress clung to her frame, simple and unadorned, as if she were clothed in twilight itself.

Behind her, the door opened.

She didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

Alaric’s presence filled the room like a familiar melody. He stepped through the threshold slowly, not wanting to disturb the serenity that held the space between them. His training armor was gone, his sword long discarded, and his cloak forgotten. Just the man remained—no prince, no commander. Just Alaric.

"It’s getting late," he said softly. "Do you want to spend the night here?"

Lara’s voice floated back like mist. "You want my parents to worry? We’ll leave soon. Mona is finishing a design sketch for the white room and the gallery. I don’t want to disrupt her thought process."

Alaric joined her at the balcony, the quiet crunch of his boots on the stone floor the only sound. He stood beside her, but it was several moments before he spoke again.

"Are you really coming with us?" He asked, turning to face her profile. "Why not stay here and watch over Calma together with Samuel and Jethru?" He paused and tilted his body so he was facing her, while Lara continued to look at the moon. "It is safer here."