Another Hope

The restoration of the Palace was still ongoing as the sun continued its steady climb across the sky. Its warm rays bathed the scarred walls of the Elf Palace, but the light brought little comfort to the people below.

No one had slept since yesterday when the battle had begun, not when it ended, and not now, in the wake of devastation. There was simply too much to do.

The main courtyard was now filled with the wounded and the weary. Cracked stones stained with blood, tents hastily pitched, and the ever-present sound of clinking tools and strained voices filled the air.

There were still comrades buried under rubble of the white wall, still too many who needed healing, still others whose lives had slipped away during the long night.