The morning sun filtered through the castle's towering windows, casting long beams of light across the polished marble floors. The air was crisp and fresh, the chill of dawn having just lifted, and the soft murmurs of the castle waking filled the grand hall. Gray, Liza, and Vanisa stood near the large oak doors of the castle, prepared to finally depart after the eventful day and night they had just survived.
Gray stretched his arms above his head, feeling the stiffness in his muscles from the battle, the feast,the intimacy and the tension that had clung to every moment. He glanced at Liza and Vanisa, who seemed a bit more rested now, though they still carried the faint weariness from their late-night drinks. Liza yawned quietly, brushing a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear, while Vanisa adjusted the straps of her small bag in her waist clinging, her green eyes alert but calm.