[POV: Solenne]
Sleep came slowly that night.
Her body ached from the endless posture drills and etiquette lessons, but her mind refused to still after the stress of their meeting. The weight of what awaited her — the ceremony, more council gatherings, the expectations — pressed heavily against her chest, creating a dull ache in her ribs.
When she finally drifted off, she dreamed of water.
Not the black rivers of the Citadel's mountain, but a silver tide spilling endlessly across a glass desert. It glowed with moonlight, rippling outward from where she stood barefoot.
The air shimmered, alive with a quiet, relaxing power… a familiar one.
Then, when she turned her gaze upward, he was there.
Selior.
