The Peaceful Halls

It felt strange to simply be standing in the quiet halls of the palace of Sidera again.

After everything.

After being out in the wilds what felt like so long.

After finding Darrach, and the little boy.

She stood in the palace again.

Because, of course, even with the prince demanding she 'find a way' to make a traumatized child speak, she could not - and would not - spend all of her day pressuring the boy.

He needed time and space, and badgering a child who needed to sleep and work through his feelings in his own head wouldn't accomplish anything.

Plus...

She didn't even know what to do.

Maybe she could just sit there next to him.

But he wasn't a cat. She couldn't just bond with him by sitting next to him in silence for days until he decided that she was a comfortable and familiar part of his life.

...At least. She was pretty sure that she couldn't do that.