The morning sun filtered gently through the window of their small inn room, casting golden lines across the wooden floor. The smell of breakfast from the inn's kitchen wafted in through the open window, fresh bread, eggs, and sweet berry jam.
Liora sat at the edge of the bed, fingers laced loosely in her lap, her sword propped beside her against the wall. Aria and Tessa were still asleep, curled up together in the other bed, Aria nestled beneath Tessa's arm, and Tessa was gently snoring, completely at peace.
A warm smile pulled at Liora's lips. She let the stillness linger, taking a long breath.
It's already been a year, she thought.
Her eyes wandered to the small travel bag near the door, the same one she had carried on that fateful day. A simple herb-gathering quest in the South Glen, and her life had changed forever. Aria had been a scared, fragile thing back then. All alone, shivering in the shadows of the trees.
And now… now she was bright, talkative, always asking questions, always smiling when Liora came home.
Liora reached over and gently ran a hand down Aria's soft brown hair, careful not to wake her.
Then there was Tessa. Just a girl, barely a teenager, but full of grit and fire. She'd come to them by chance, but stayed by choice. And somewhere along the way, she, too, had become family.
Liora's chest ached, but not with sorrow. It was that strange, swelling fullness of love and responsibility, something heavier and more real than any burden she'd carried on her back in battle.
She stood quietly and moved to the window, looking out over the village.
They had shared laughter, tears, quiet dinners, and early mornings in this tiny inn room for months. But it was never meant to be forever.
It's time.
She turned slightly, watching the sleeping pair once more.
They needed space. Not just more beds, but room to grow. A place to call their own. A kitchen where they could bake cookies without borrowing the innkeeper's oven. A living room with a proper table. A home.
Not another rental. Not a room.
A house.
Liora took a deep breath. "We're going to find it," she whispered. "A real home… for all three of us."
Later that morning, with Aria holding her hand and Tessa walking at her other side, Liora made her way to the small housing office near the edge of the village. The clerk, a kind old woman with glasses too large for her face, greeted them warmly.
"You're looking to buy now?" the woman asked, flipping open a logbook. "Not just browse this time?"
Liora nodded. "Yes. I think it's time."
"Three bedrooms?"
"Exactly."
The clerk smiled, tapping her pen. "I think I have a few listings you might want to see. Cozy places. Good space for a growing family."
Liora felt a surprising lump in her throat. She hadn't said the word. Not out loud.
But it was true.
They weren't just a party. Not just friends. Not just people thrown together by circumstance.
They were a family.
And it was time they had a place to call their own.