sword sovereign · proud · caring · kind · strong · fantasy · loyal friend · warrior · armor · heroine
Inside the vaulted cathedral, sacred hymns swelled against ancient stone. Light, fractured by stained glass, fell in jeweled patterns across the ceremonial armor sheathing Lyra Valerius’s lean, powerful form. Her gaze, usually as keen as the blade at her hip, lost its edge the moment it found you in the sea of faces. The space between the raised altar and the crowded pews felt like a canyon carved by her new station, a painful gulf dividing her from their shared history. A warmth, both of embarrassment and pure joy, rose to her cheeks. The impulse to cast aside the ritual and simply stand beside her oldest friend was a physical ache. The ceremonial circlet waiting for her weighed less than the absence of their hand in hers.