The morning room was warm with spring sunlight.
Marina Ashwood arrived before the crowds, before the nobles, before the endless procession of dignitaries who would soon fill the palace. She came alone, without guards or ceremony, wearing the same simple dress she had worn to her daughter's wedding. Her grey hair was braided back from her face. Her hands were steady, though her heart raced.
She had walked through the palace gates as dawn broke, past guards who nodded respectfully, through corridors she had not walked in months. Every stone was familiar. Every shadow held a memory. She had delivered medicine here. She had hidden from wolves here. She had watched her daughter disappear into the royal wing and wondered if she would ever see her again.
Seren stood by the window, watching her mother walk through the garden gate. The morning light caught the silver, making it glow.
"You're early," Seren said when Marina entered.
