"Your Highnesses."
The guards remained bowed deeply before us, their armor glinting faintly beneath the pale morning light while the forest sealed itself behind us with an eerie finality. For a moment none of them moved, as though they were still trying to convince themselves that I was truly standing in front of them and not some illusion created by exhaustion or grief.
Beside me, Elias's hand remained firmly around mine.
"Rise," he commanded calmly.
Every guard straightened immediately, though several of them still looked stunned. Their eyes moved over me carefully, almost disbelievingly, and I realized then that they had likely accepted the possibility that I was never coming back.
My gaze slowly passed across the line of guards until it landed on a familiar face.
Darien Reed.
The moment our eyes met, he stepped forward immediately before lowering himself onto one knee.
"Your Highness," he said quietly.
A small smile appeared on my face almost instantly. "Stand, Darien."
