The Courtyard Gathering
Footsteps echoed softly as Ben and Anna entered beneath the marble arch. Sunlight clung to the courtyard stones, bright and lingering.
A hush followed them as they stepped inside, like the air itself let go. Warmth soaked into their skin, gentle and unhurried, as though the room had held its breath until now. Pale sun stretched over stone edges, gliding along clipped green borders, touching flower faces and ribbon ends without favor. Scents of open blossoms moved slow on the breeze - clear, near, humming just beneath silence. This was beauty that stayed still, asking nothing but that someone be there.
Outside, servants kept arranging things, hands tucking ribbons, tilting jars upright, sliding stems into place. Then Ben walked in with Anna. That changed everything. Voices dropped off. Movements stretched out, drawn thin. Eyes caught on them, held fast. Not respect, not quite - just bodies freezing for a breath, like air shifts before thunder.
