I woke up later than usual.
I realized that when the light was already coming through the window strongly enough to illuminate the entire room. For a few seconds, I just stared at the ceiling, trying to remember where I was.
Then I heard the voices.
Elara and Vespera were arguing about who had used the bathroom first. Liriel was complaining about the noise. Rai'kanna was trying to organize the two of them. Lyannis was quietly laughing at all of it.
I smiled without noticing.
"Good morning," I said, still lying down.
"Finally awake," Elara said.
"You sleep too much," Vespera added.
"Or you talk too much," I replied.
I got up slowly. My body still felt light because of the hot springs from the previous day.
We went down for breakfast and, as always, King Durgan was already at the table, eating and talking at the same time.
"Today you have nothing planned," he said cheerfully. "So enjoy the kingdom however you want."
"No official tour?" I asked.
"No official tour. Today you get to know the city like normal people."
Briena was beside him and smiled when she saw me.
"I can go with you."
"Of course you can," the king replied before I could even speak.
We left the castle without guards, without ceremony, just walking through the streets.
It was different walking there without being guided.
The dwarves passed by us and looked with curiosity, but without that formality from when we were with the royal entourage.
We stopped at small shops. Vespera admired the bows on display. Elara observed finely crafted jewelry. Liriel examined magical crystals with exaggerated attention. Rai'kanna talked to a blacksmith about metal alloys. Lyannis asked for prices as if she were really going to buy everything.
Briena walked beside me.
"It's better like this," she said.
"Without protocol," I replied.
"Without pressure."
We entered a small tavern in the middle of the city to rest.
We all sat at a large table. The place was simple, but fragrant, with food being prepared right there.
I ordered something light. The others did the same.
"This feels more real than the castle banquets," Elara commented.
"Because it is real," Briena said.
We talked about small things. Travel stories. Old situations. Things we had already gone through together.
At no point did we talk about war.
It was strange how that kingdom made us forget, even if only for a short time, the weight of what was still to come.
When we left the tavern, it was already mid-afternoon.
We decided to climb to a higher part of the city, where we could see almost everything from above.
The view was impressive.
The stone constructions, the gleam of jewels in the walls, the smoke from the furnaces rising slowly—everything seemed organized in an almost artistic way.
Lyannis stood beside me looking at the landscape.
"This place is very different from anything we've ever seen," she said.
"It is."
"Do you notice how no one here seems afraid?"
I stayed silent for a moment.
She was right.
There wasn't that constant tension there that I felt in human cities.
"Maybe it's because they trust too much in their own strength," I replied.
Or maybe because they still hadn't felt what demons were capable of doing.
We returned to the castle when the sun was already setting.
Durgan received us as if we were returning from a great adventure.
"So? Did you enjoy it?"
"A lot," I replied.
During dinner, the conversation was light, full of laughter.
Briena would sometimes look at me in silence, as if she were simply satisfied that I was there.
When I went up to the room that night, I sat on the bed before lying down.
The girls were talking among themselves.
I kept thinking about how different those days had been from everything else.
No battles.
No urgency.
No immediate danger.
Just coexistence.
Just the world.
Just life happening.
And I realized something I hadn't noticed before.
We had never had time for this.
To simply exist without running away from something or chasing after something else.
I lay down slowly.
As I closed my eyes, I thought that maybe this was the true reason for that invitation.
It wasn't just hospitality.
It was a reminder that the world still had good things.
And that it was worth fighting for them.