When the Stardust Settles (and I Still Like Her)

Previously

…Lyra’s smile widened. She laced their fingers together again, her grip firm and reassuring. “I like the sound of that.” They stood there for a long moment, hand in hand, simply breathing in the quiet beauty of the new day. The chaos of the Stardust Bloom had been a terrifying crucible, but it had forged something precious and unbreakable between them. The ley lines were stable, the stardust had settled, but the magic that had ignited between Elara and Lyra was only just beginning to bloom. As the sun finally crested the horizon, bathing the world in its golden light, Elara knew with a certainty as vast as the cosmos that her stardust had finally settled, and she had never liked it more.