Celestia sat alone on the cold stone floor, her back against the rough wall of the cell. Her silver hair, dulled by grime and exhaustion, clung lightly to her cheeks. Her thoughts swirled, heavy, conflicted.
Is it really okay... to hope for someone?
From the moment she was a child, she was taught discipline, rigid structure, unshakable independence. Emotions were liabilities. Dependence was weakness. And yet, her heart now betrayed her.
Her mind drifted back to that battlefield… to him. That man who stood tall, fearless against the towering mutated creature. The way his blade moved, clean, efficient, lethal. The wind whipping around his dark coat. And then… those eyes.
That deep, cold navy gaze, sharp as steel, yet… gentle. Quietly powerful.
And when he looked at her, when he said he would help her… her icy composure cracked.
Her face flushed even now just remembering. Her heart raced with a rhythm she couldn't control. Is this… what love feels like?
