Chapter 217 The prayer Pt 1

Chapter 217: Chapter 217 The prayer Pt 1

Talia’s POV

The war room meeting was over, and everyone was dismissed to their activities.

I let out a breath I did not know I had been holding, and I felt the tension in my shoulders ease just a little. The meeting had been intense, but now that the decisions were made, and there was nothing left to do but move forward.

Kaelen stood up and looked at the group.

"Let us all go to the Gathering Hall and eat breakfast together," he said.

I looked at him, and I felt a warmth spread through my chest.

He was always thinking of me, always putting my needs before his own. I did not know how I had gotten so lucky to have him by my side.

He always knew what I needed, even when I did not know myself.

Jax grinned.

His eyes sparkled with mischief, and I could not help but smile. Even in the middle of all this tension, he still found a way to lighten the mood.

"Finally. I am starving." Jax said.

Silas shook his head. "You are always starving."

"That is because I am always training," Jax said. "It takes a lot of energy to be this good."

Cain said nothing. He just walked toward the door, and we all followed.

We walked to the Gathering Hall and sat together at one of the long tables.

The hall was bright and busy, and the sound of voices filled the air. It felt good to be surrounded by my pack, and my family, before we left everything behind.

The food was warm and delicious, and we ate, and talked about lighter things. Jax made jokes, and Silas rolled his eyes. Piper laughed, and I felt the tension in my shoulders ease.

For the first time in days, I felt like I could breathe. The weight of everything that lay ahead was still there, but it did not feel as heavy in this moment.

It was a moment of peace before the journey ahead, and I wanted to hold onto it for as long as I could.

When we finished, Piper and I walked to her room to pack her things.

The walk was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. We had always been able to be together without words, and I was grateful for that.

She did not have much, but she packed it carefully. She folded her clothes and placed them in a small bag.

I watched her work, and I felt a pang of sadness. She was leaving behind everything she had built here, and everything she had finally found, just to follow me into danger.

And she tucked a few small treasures into the corners.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, pointing to a small, smooth stone she had placed in her bag.

She smiled. "I found it in the garden. It reminded me of you."

I looked at the stone in her hand, that was smooth and gray and worn by time. It was beautiful in its simplicity, and I understood why she had kept it.

I felt the tears prick at my eyes. "Of me?"

She nodded. "It is smooth and strong, and it has been through a lot, just like you."

I reached over and squeezed her hand. "Thank you, Piper."

She squeezed back. "Always."

When we were done, we walked to my room to pack for the journey. We worked together, folding clothes, and gathering supplies. We packed my mother’s dagger, the map, and the necklace that had once hidden my face.

We talked about the mission, and about the future.

We talked about the life we would build after the Ashen Lands, the peace we would find, and the happiness we would share. And even though I knew we were speaking of things that might never come to pass, the words felt like a prayer in themselves, like a way of carving a future into existence, simply by speaking it aloud.

It felt good to dream, even when the future was uncertain.

We talked about what we would do when it was all over. We talked about finding my mother, about coming home, and about the life we would build together.

I was folding a shirt when Piper spoke up.

"What do you think it will be like?" she asked. "When we get there, I mean."

I paused, holding the shirt in my hands. "I do not know. I have tried to imagine it a thousand times, but I always come up blank."

Piper nodded slowly. "I keep thinking about what we will do when it is all over. When your mother is safe, and we are all back home."

I smiled, and I felt the warmth spread through my chest. "I think about that too. I think about sitting in the garden with her, just talking. I think about introducing her to everyone, to you, to Kaelen, and to the pack."

Piper smiled. "She is going to love it here. I just know it."

"You think so?" I asked, pausing for a bit.

"I know so." She reached over and took my hand. "She is going to love you, Talia. She already does. She has been waiting for you for fifteen years."

I blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill over. "I hope she is proud of me, and I hope I am the daughter she hoped I would become."

Piper squeezed my hand. "She will be. And I am so sure she already is."