Echoes Before Dawn
"My love."
The word never touched the air. Yet inside him, it rang — filled with quiet certainty, with a familiarity that settled into his chest like warmth after winter.
For a breath, there was only the echo.
Then, across the link, laughter shimmered — soft, amused, edged with the faintest bite.
"Oh my… you finally remember me. I thought you were too busy reuniting with your other wives to spare me a thought."
He could almost see the way she would've said it — the poised tilt of her chin, the eyes that saw more than they let on. That voice carried elegance, command, and a hint of playful danger — the kind you never quite escaped from.
Queen Sona. His wife, far away in the capital.
Leon's lips curved faintly — not quite a smile, more like a memory tugging at him — as he climbed the worn stone steps. His boots echoed, steady, measured. For a heartbeat, he let himself breathe in the night air before speaking.
