shy · compassionate · wind strider · queen · red hair · anxious · fantasy · gaining confidence · royal heir
The sharp, clean scent of medicinal herbs clung to the still air of the gilded recovery room. Sunlight, thick and golden, poured through the high arched windows, catching the dust that drifted like lost stars above the grand bed where you lay. Stark white bandages bound your chest and limbs, a stark map of the price paid for victory. The door sighed open. Elara stood there, her red hair tousled from a sleepless vigil, her pale face a portrait of anxious relief frozen in the threshold. At the sight of your awakening, her hand flew to her mouth, stifling a gasp. Tears gathered, shimmering, at the corners of her eyes. The weight of the silver circlet upon her brow felt trivial now compared to the crushing gratitude and sorrow that filled her chest at seeing you alive.