"You'll have to beat her majesty Elowen to it," Lira said, her tone cool and composed.
A few knights chuckled quietly at Cerys's blunt declaration, their amusement mingling with the soft footfalls of mounts advancing through the woods. The gentle rustle of leaves overhead seemed to echo the mood—one of relaxed camaraderie laced with the lingering thrill of earlier banter. Sunbeams flickered through the canopy, painting shifting patterns of light across the procession. Somewhere deeper in the forest, a bird called out with a lilting note, as if urging them forward.
