Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Upon arriving at the inn, Kayla collapsed to her knees as soon as she stepped out of the carriage, her legs numb and weak from exhaustion. She had endured so much, both physically and emotionally. Carissa helped her up as Kayla said, "Hurry, take me to him."

The greatest torment of Kayla's journey had not been the motion sickness or the jostling of the carriage, but the constant worry about Lawrence's condition.

Carissa supported her inside, and Rafael approached them. The couple exchanged a glance, and Rafael nodded, a silent assurance that Lawrence was still alive.

Carissa breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she looked at him deeply concerned, noting how much weight he had lost.

She assisted Kayla up the stone steps and to the door of the room. Everyone stepped aside, allowing Kayla to see her husband lying on the bed.

She paused at the door, covering her mouth with her hands. Tears quickly blurred her vision, and they began falling in large, heavy drops.

Just when everyone expected her to break down in tears, Kayla wiped her tears away with determined strokes. She eventually managed a faint, trembling smile as she approached her husband.

She sat at the edge of the bed, first gazing at his face. After all the days of treatment, the swelling had mostly gone down, though bruises remained. The wounds at the corners of his mouth and eyes had largely healed.

His face was covered in bruises, making it hard to recognize him. The sun had darkened his skin, and the bright red medicinal cream smeared across his face stood out against his complexion. His lips were a deep purple, adding to the unsettling look. Seeing his broken appearance, Kayla felt a pang of sadness.

her presence, Lawrence stirred from his deep slumber. He opened his eyes, which were initially unfocused. And then, as if something had

blinked in disbelief, and only when her hand touched his face did the reality of her

smile, her trembling hands and lips somehow

to reach for her hand, but he couldn't lift his arm. Kayla quickly took his hand gently, noticing the fingers coated with medicine.

tears could fall, Kayla quickly raised her head, regaining her composure. When she looked at him again, her smile remained.

not spoken since arriving at the inn. Now, he moved his lips a few times before

had cherished over the years were now realized, and despite his

QUMS

always been like this seemingly

he said, each word a

someone let out a

of tears, Sebastian had been adamant these

to

for who had started crying, only to see Sebastian jogging out of the

to realize that the

others couldn't hold back their tears any longer-they began to weep