Bright sunlight filtered through elaborately carved stone lattice windows, spilling onto a plush bed where Ashlynn had slept the remainder of the night and much of the day away. The faint splashing of fountains could be heard outside the window along with the occasional bright high pitched notes of birdsong.
A sharp pain behind her eyes accompanied by the feeling like sand had been poured under her eyelids made it impossible for Ashlynn to remain asleep once she'd begun to wake, even though she wanted nothing more at the moment than to pull the soft blankets back over her head and shut out the world.
"Ashlynn," Heila said softly, forcing herself to omit the honorific 'my lady.' So long as they weren't in public, Ashlynn had asked to be treated more like a friend and Heila intended to do so, even if it felt uncomfortable to be so intimate with Lady Nyrielle's Seneschal.
