The noise did not settle for a long time.
Soldiers broke formation the moment permission was implied rather than given, dissolving into the crowd as wives, siblings, and children rushed forward without restraint.
Armor clattered against stone, someone laughed too loudly, someone else sobbed into a bloodstained cloak, and the entire courtyard filled with the messy, inelegant sound of relief.
For a few moments the royal guards tried to maintain order.
They failed spectacularly.
Cassian looked annoyed but Elias didn't really care.
I stood beside Elias, still holding his hand, feeling the lingering warmth of his palm against mine like proof that he was real and not something my mind had invented out of wishful thinking. Up close, I could see the fine scratches along his cheek and the faint shadow of exhaustion beneath his eyes. He looked thinner. Harder.
But alive.
That was enough.
