Chapter 14 - The Unbroken Queen
Silence descended upon Frostpeak Hold, broken only by the whistling wind. Vane glared up at her, breathing heavily, the cold steel biting into the skin of his neck.
"You... you fight like a rogue," Vane spat, blood trickling from his lip.
"I fight like someone who refuses to die," Senna replied, her voice steady and ice-cold. She did not press the blade deeper; instead, she slowly withdrew it, stepping back and extending her hand to help the fallen lord up.
Vane stared at her outstretched hand in stunned disbelief. Slowly, grunting against the pain in his knee, he took her hand and pulled himself to his feet. He looked at Senna, then past her to Aldric, whose glowing golden eyes watched every movement like a hawk.
The northern lord lowered his head in a deep, formal bow.
"The north yields," Vane declared, his voice carrying across the silent courtyard.
One by one, the towering northern warriors dropped to one knee, lowering their heads to the human woman who had conquered them not with brute strength, but with unmatched intellect, razor-sharp courage, and an unbreakable spirit.
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Aldric crossed the courtyard in two strides, pulling Senna fiercely against his chest, burying his face in her dark hair as his wolf finally quieted, purring deep within his soul.
"You are insane," Aldric whispered against her ear, a ragged laugh escaping his lips. "And you are entirely magnificent."
