Mist rolled over the ruined town as dawn broke, shrouding broken walls and collapsed rooftops in ghostly white. Soren watched the pale light creep across the courtyard, revealing the slow stirring of the camp around him.
His muscles barely registered the night of stillness, the training had made such vigils second nature.
Lady Aveline emerged from the stone storehouse, her auburn hair neatly braided despite the rustic surroundings.
She paused at the threshold, amber eyes finding him immediately where he stood at the camp's edge. Something in her gaze sharpened as she approached, her boots leaving dark impressions in the dew-soaked grass.
"You've been standing there all night," she said, stopping a few paces from him. Not a question, an observation.
"You were safe," Soren replied simply.
