Chapter 7
Chapter 7: The Stillness Before
Elara wakes in the barn before dawn and shares a quiet morning with Pip and Bramble. She grooms them, reflects on her changed heart, and receives a visit from Barnaby who confirms the council meeting is postponed. She feels a deep, settled peace but also a flicker of anticipation for the future.
Elara woke to the soft grey light of early dawn filtering through the barn’s eastern window. The air was cool and smelled of hay, wood, and the warm, earthy scent of horses. For a moment she lay still on her straw pallet, listening to the sounds of the barn—the slow, rhythmic breathing of the horses, the occasional rustle of a hoof in shavings, the distant call of a bird outside.
She had slept deeply, without dreams that she could recall, and her body felt heavy with rest. The ache in her shoulders from yesterday’s grooming was a distant memory. She stretched, her joints cracking softly, and sat up.
The lantern had burned low, casting a dim orange glow. Through the window, the sky was turning from grey to pale rose. It would be a clear day.
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