Chapter 76: The Anchor's Hearth
The cottage, for all its deep, soul-level pull, was also a place of profound isolation. They had built its peace as a fortress against the world, and after facing the abyss together, the thought of returning to that solitude felt… premature. The wounds they carried were not just their own; they were shared with Stillwater. Leaving now would feel like abandoning a convalescent.
So they stayed.
Boren, beaming with a pride that made his eyes crinkle into mere slits, refused to hear of them lodging anywhere else. He moved his own sparse belongings to a storage alcove and insisted they take his room at the Anchor for as long as they wished. "This house's strength kept the little ones alive," he said, his voice gruff. "Let its walls hold you up now."
