{Third Person}
As the evening progressed, the atmosphere inside the banquet hall gradually relaxed.
The formal speeches had concluded, the initial courtesies had been observed, and guests were now free to leave their tables and mingle.
Conversations sprang up throughout the hall as nobles, ministers, and foreign guests moved between groups, taking advantage of the opportunity to socialize.
For the first time since arriving, Amara found herself able to properly look around the room.
Almost immediately, her eyes landed on three familiar figures standing together near one of the large windows overlooking the palace gardens.
Hazel, Rachel, and Davina.
Finally, their eyes met, and they simply stared at one another from across the hall.
A sudden lump formed in Amara's throat. It had been months since she had heard their voices without the distance of letters separating them.
