After hours of thundering hooves and the wind biting at their cloaks, Faria finally saw it.
Smoke—curling lazily into the sky.
Her eyes narrowed. "There," she pointed, voice sharp.
The knights urged their horses forward. As they crested a rise, the ruined remains of a carriage came into view. Splintered wood, scorch marks—a trail of devastation.
And standing in the middle of it all… was him.
A disheveled young man with black hair, holding a sword slung across his back.
Beside him—
"Ellyn…" Faria breathed.
She saw the girl—no, the princess—clutching Hazuki tightly, sobbing with relief. Her golden hair shimmered in the sunlight, her cat-like ears drooping while her tail curled around her leg.
Faria raised her hand sharply. "Stop."
The knights halted their horses immediately.
"Mrs. Faria?" one of the younger knights asked, confusion etched on his face.
"You all stand by," Faria ordered quietly. "Do not approach. Do not speak unless spoken to."
