Chapter 81 A Heartfelt Farewell

• The letter arrived early in the morning, a crumpled, bloodstained message that nearly broke me in two the moment I laid eyes on it. The ink was smeared in places, the writing faint, but the words were still there, etched into my heart. I had known this day was coming; it had to, given the war we were waging. But nothing could have prepared me for the weight of this loss, the crushing reminder that our fight was more than just a battle for a throne—it was a fight for lives.
• The letter was from one of my commanders, a man named Roran. He had been with me since the very beginning, a loyal and steady presence in the chaos. The news he brought was devastating.
• “We lost them, Amelia. Rook, Jace, and Dariel… they didn’t make it,” the letter read, the words almost too much to bear. “We tried to hold the line, but the reinforcements didn’t come in time. We couldn’t save them. I’m sorry.”