THE UNBROKEN

The sunlight draped softly over the village as Elena, Niegal, and little Esperanza walked the winding path behind the cathedral. The stone was warm beneath their feet, the scent of flowers and bread wafting through the air. Birds sang. A baby laughed.

For the first time in what felt like lifetimes, they were just a family. No storm, no lion, no looming prophecy. Just… them.

Esperanza toddled ahead on sturdy legs, curly hair bouncing, waving to every passerby.

"¡Hola! Hi! I'm Esperanzaaa!" she sang to a group of children playing near the well.

They waved back, enchanted.

Niegal and Elena watched her with tired smiles. Both reluctant to admit it, but it was true: they loved it here. The calm. The warmth. No war councils. No ministers barking demands. No wounded to heal. No crying mothers to comfort. Just a moment to breathe.

Elena's hand slipped into Niegal's. She looked up at him, dizzy with peace. Her eyes sparkled like garnets in the sun. Niegal, sensing it, leaned down for a kiss.

"I could live like this," he whispered.

But then- he froze.

A tremor in the earth.

The low clop of hooves on stone.

They turned.

Inquisition riders.

Six of them. Clad in black and crimson, their helmets etched with the sigil of Saintess Yidali. They descended down the mountain road, past the tall pines and torches. Slowly. Confidently.

Niegal didn't wait. He scooped Esperanza into his arms and bolted, dragging Elena with him into the tree line. With a sharp snap of his fingers, he cast a silence veil around them. Elena, quick to follow, layered it with a cloaking spell.

They ducked behind a thicket of mossy cypress, barely daring to breathe.

Esperanza stayed quiet. Somehow, she knew.

Down the path, they watched as Señora Behike stepped out to meet the riders.

There was no fear on her face.

They couldn't hear the conversation, but it was calm. Brief. And then-

She pointed.

To their cottage.

Elena's breath caught in her throat. Niegal's silver eyes darkened. His arms tightened around Esperanza.

"We have to go. Now."

No tears. No goodbyes. Just instinct.

They turned and ran.

They moved for hours. Through forest and foothill, across streams and under hanging roots. Elena had cast protective veils that blurred their footprints and masked their scents. Niegal carried Esperanza the whole way, her sleeping face nestled against his chest.

When the sun dipped low, they finally stopped at the mouth of a rocky outcropping.

Exhausted. Betrayed. Hurt.

Elena stared at the crackling fire Niegal had built. She hadn't said a word in over an hour. Her curls were tangled, her cloak ripped on the edges, her chest rising and falling too fast.

The Blade of Boinyanel wept rain at her side, the water puddling beneath it.

"I trusted her," she said finally, voice low. "I trusted all of them."

Niegal sat beside her, slowly. He said nothing, just placed a steady hand on her back.

"I didn't feel anything was wrong. I- " her voice cracked. "The storm didn't even warn me."

Niegal pulled her closer. Her hands trembled.

"You were happy," he said gently. "You finally let yourself be happy. That's not weakness, Elena. That's what they wanted to take from us."

She closed her eyes, her voice a whisper.

"Can I ask for something?"

"Anything."

She turned, her face pale in the moonlight.

"The lion. I want… I want the lion tonight."

Niegal didn't ask questions.

He stood, moving just out of sight. The shift was slower this time. Controlled. His body grew, fur spreading, eyes flashing silver and wild.

When he returned to her, the werelion knelt low, head bowed.

She climbed into his arms without hesitation, curling against his chest.

He held her close.

Her arms wrapped tight around his furred body, her fingers stroking the thick mane as her breathing slowed. His purring rumbled like distant thunder.

Esperanza, wrapped in her blanket, dozed beside them.

And the three of them slept like that: not just a family, but a Pride.

Hunted. Tired. Betrayed.

But still together.

And still unbroken.