Much to Vignir's surprise, peace in the Southern territory did not arrive with the usual celebration.
It settled instead - slow, careful, like a cloak laid over shoulders that had forgotten the feel of warmth. The war council still convened at dawn, the same long table, the same maps, the same habit of entering armed even when there were no enemies within a hundred leagues. Only the tension had changed. It no longer snapped sharp at every report. It stretched, then eased, then stretched again, as if unsure how much quiet it could trust.
