POV: Liora
After the healer finally left the room, I expected the silence to bring me some peace, but instead it seemed to make everything inside me louder. The fortress had settled into the strange stillness that followed a disaster, and even though I could hear distant footsteps beyond my chamber and the occasional murmur of guards changing positions, none of those sounds felt close enough to distract me from the unfamiliar sensations moving through my body.
I remained against the pillows with the twins sleeping beside me, their tiny bodies wrapped carefully in silver blankets. I should have been exhausted enough to fall asleep immediately, yet every time I closed my eyes, I became more aware of myself rather than less. My body felt like a place I had returned to after being away for years, familiar in shape but altered in ways I couldn't explain. There were too many things inside me now, too many presences occupying spaces that had once belonged only to me.
