From this height, the valley looked like a sea of shadows, with the faint, distant lights of Kahl flickering like stars on the horizon.
"Couldn't sleep?" Alan asked, keeping his voice low.
Julia didn't answer immediately, she picked up a small pebble and tossed it, they both watched in silence as it disappeared into the dark, never hearing it hit the bottom.
"I keep thinking about the capital." she finally whispered, the usual energetic voice was gone, replaced by a hollow tone.
"The attack?" Alan asked softly.
"That too." She offered a faint, tired smile. "But mostly just... the place, you know, that castle was the only world I knew for sixteen years."
Alan remained silent as she continued speaking. "Sure, my time there may not have been the greatest, but it was still a place I grew up."
"So, you're homesick?" Alan asked, tilting his head with a light smile.
