{Third Person}

But in the chaos and fear, Amara remained calm.

This wasn’t her first time experiencing this. Her grip tightened. She moved with the horse, shifting her weight slightly as her hands adjusted the reins with small, controlled movements.

The horse resisted at first, pulling harder, testing her control. But she didn’t break or force it. And gradually, the pace slowed, and the resistance weakened until finally, the horse stopped.

A solid silence followed.

They reached her one after the other, relief written plainly across their faces.

Elowen was the first to speak, her hand pressed against her chest as she exhaled deeply. "You—" she paused, still catching her breath. "How did you do that?"

Amara looked down at her, calm, composed, as if her heart hadn’t been racing at all.

She thought for a moment, then simply said, "I learnt a bit from an instructor back home."

No one laughed this time or questioned her. They were still staring at her.

Amara, however, didn’t hold their gaze for long. She simply adjusted her grip on the reins and gave the mare a light pat along the neck, her movements calm, familiar.

The horse responded just as easily, its earlier resistance gone.

Elowen broke the silence. "Alright," she said, exhaling the last of her tension as she straightened. "That was enough excitement for one afternoon."

A few of them laughed, the tension breaking.

"Speak for yourself," one of them said. "That was the most interesting thing we have had in weeks."

"Agreed," another added, glancing at Amara. "You are full of surprises."

Amara didn’t respond to that. She simply slid off the horse, landing lightly on her feet.

The others followed suit, some dismounting, others tying their horses loosely to nearby posts or letting them roam within sight. There was no strict order to it—just trust that nothing would go wrong.

Soon enough, they moved towards a shaded spot at the edge of the field where a few wooden benches and crates had been set up. Someone had already brought out food—simple items, wrapped and easy to share—and bottles that were passed around casually.

The mood shifted into something lighter.

Amara sat beside Elowen, her posture more relaxed now than when they first arrived. Then Elowen nudged her lightly. "See? I told you it would be fun."

Amara allowed a small smile. "You were right."

"Hm... that’s rare," Elowen teased.

"I won’t say it again."

That earned a laugh.

Food was passed around. Someone handed Amara a piece of well-roasted meat, and she accepted it with a quiet thanks. The conversation flowed easily around her—stories, teasing, small arguments that never quite turned serious.

This was the second time since her arrival in this kingdom that she didn’t feel judged or measured.

Just then, a bottle was suddenly pushed into her line of sight.

"Here."

Amara looked up to see Kael holding out a bottle of beer, already uncapped.

She paused, then almost immediately, she shook her head slightly. "No, thank you."

He frowned faintly in confusion. "You don’t want a drink?"

Before Amara could answer, Elowen leaned back on her hands and spoke casually, "She has refrained from drinking for now."

Kael glanced at her, then back at Amara. He didn’t push it. Instead, he reached beside him, grabbed a bottle of water and twisted it open before holding it out to her.

"Then have this."

Clearly not expecting this consideration, she looked at him before taking it. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome." His tone sounded easy and natural.

And right beside them, Elowen turned her head slightly, hiding the smile that curved at the corner of her lips.

’Alex... Alex...’ she mused inwardly, her eyes glinting faintly with amusement. ’This is going to be fun.’

The moment passed without anyone else noticing. Conversation picked up again, flowing around them like it had never paused.

Someone started recounting a failed hunt from months ago. Another interrupted, arguing over details. Laughter broke out again, louder this time.

Amara listened first, then slowly joined them. She asked a question here, responded there, and let out a quiet laugh when something genuinely amused her. And the more she did, the more natural it became.

Time slipped. The sun shifted. The warmth of the afternoon softened into something calmer.

And somewhere in the middle of it all, the way this felt, the ease, laughter, and the simple act of sitting with people, sharing food, speaking without weighing every word, reminded her of her friends back home.

For a brief moment, the voices around her faded enough for her thoughts to pull inward.

She could almost see and hear them. The way they would talk over each other. The way they would laugh at nothing. The way she never had to think twice before saying something.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the bottle in her hand.

The fact that she couldn’t and didn’t know how she could reach them bothered her more than she expected.

Amara lowered her gaze slightly, her expression softening just enough to go unnoticed by most. But the feeling stayed because no matter how warm this moment felt, this wasn’t home.

The laughter lingered for a while longer, stretching into easy conversations and half-told stories that no one felt the need to finish properly.

Finally, like all good things, this relaxing moment didn’t last forever. One by one, everyone began to rise as the gathering came to an end.

Elowen stood as well, brushing her hands together lightly as she looked around at them. "Remember, don’t get too comfortable," she said, her tone playful but firm. "The Hunt is in a week."

A few groaned.

"Already?"

"Time flies when you are doing nothing," someone shot back.

Elowen rolled her eyes. "Just don’t show up late. Or worse—miss it entirely."

"We won’t," one of them said.

"Speak for yourself," another added with a grin.

Kael glanced toward Elowen, then at Amara, before saying calmly, "We will be there on time."

Elowen nodded, satisfied. "Good."

There were a few final exchanges—quick goodbyes, lingering looks, light teasing—and then they began to disperse properly, mounting their horses or heading off in different directions.

Kael lingered for just a moment longer. His gaze found Amara again.

"I will see you at the Hunt," he said.

Amara nodded. "Alright."

Then he was gone too. The field, once full of noise and movement, gradually quieted.

Elowen turned to Amara with a bright smile. "Come on."

They headed back to the car, the driver already waiting. Then they slipped into the back seat. The door closed softly, and moments later, the car drove off, leaving the open field behind.

For a while, neither of them spoke. The hum of the engine filled the silence.

Amara leaned back slightly, her gaze drifting toward the window as the scenery passed by. When she turned back, there was a light, composed, almost convincing smile on her lips, but not quite, and Elowen noticed.

She tilted her head slightly, watching Amara for a moment before asking, more gently this time, "What’s wrong?"

Amara shook her head almost immediately. "Nothing."

Elowen didn’t believe her and nudged just slightly. Amara exhaled softly, her smile softening as she looked down at her hands.

"Spending time with your friends today reminded me of mine," she began slowly. "I haven’t spoken to them since I got here. I thought I would have met them during the Welcome Banquet, but the word never got to them."

Elowen’s expression softened. Without saying anything, she shifted closer and gently pulled Amara toward her in a warm hug.

Amara didn’t resist. For a moment, she allowed herself to lean into it, her eyes closing briefly as the weight in her chest eased—just a little.

Elowen rested her chin lightly against her head. "You will see them again," she said softly.

Amara didn’t respond, but she didn’t pull away either.