"Home is not always safe. Sometimes it is simply the place where we gather our strength before walking back into the storm."
ELIAS POV
The journey back to RoanRidge was nothing short of a blur. The convoy raced on the roads, and Alaric, the paranoid bastard that he was, ensured we were escorted back home, and the royal guards made sure we reached home safely. Between the sound of the speeding cards and the whisper of the wind in the forests, and the constant reminder that I was leaving Alaric behind in the Northern Kingdom, my thoughts were a whirlwind. RoanRidge rose before us like a memory and a promise, familiar rooftops glinting under the late afternoon sun. My heart was clenched as I inhaled the air of home, the faint scent of pine and rain-soaked stone. Nothing had changed, and yet, I had changed entirely. Juno, riding beside me, gave me a look that was far too smug for his own good.
