The morning came soft and dim, the shutters still catching only the earliest edges of light.

Elynara blinked against the pillow. Apparently still working on farm time, her body was already awake at this hour. But she didn’t mind.

She felt better now. Sleep had done its job, and the bruises clinging to her ribs and legs had finally faded to faint reminders. A stretch told her everything else was moving properly again. The stiffness of the days prior almost completely gone.

And then…