Lara stepped through the Lattice edge just as the sun dropped behind the uneven skyline of the Zone. Her blue hair caught the last orange light, pulled back in a simple braid that still looked royal despite the travel dust on her cloak.
Four Birmingham guards waited behind her, hands on their swords but eyes averted. She had told them to stay put. This wasn't a state visit.
Atlas saw her coming and froze mid-step outside the shaded pavilion. Elizabeth sat inside on a wide bench, one hand resting on her rounded belly, silver hair loose around her shoulders. She looked up from the letter she had been dictating to a scribe and smiled tiredly.
Lara didn't slow down. She walked straight to Atlas and pulled him into a hug that nearly knocked the breath out of him. Her arms were strong from years of training and ruling.
"You idiot," she muttered against his shoulder. "Kingdom rumors said you were lost in some chaos pit. I had to see it myself."
