Aurelia stared at the sapphire pendant nestled under Falcon's collarbone, its cerulean glow mimicking the tremor in her soul. His proposal, whispered like a prayer in the firelight, reverberated through her, each word a hammer blow against the wall of doubt she'd built around her heart.
"Yes," she'd managed to choke out, the "s" catching in the tangled web of fear and exhilaration. But beneath the surface, a maelstrom raged. Was she worthy of him? Of this love, so pure, so unwavering, it defied the shadows they'd danced with?
He, a silver-winged warrior etched from courage and sunlight, saw her as a queen. Yet, Aurelia saw the reflection of a fire-scarred warrior princess, her emerald eyes holding echoes of betrayals and battles. How could she offer him a heart battered by whispers and storms, a soul still dusted with the remnants of darkness?
