It couldn't be anymore beautiful

Maea

And from the dark

Breathing a sigh of relief, Maea's shoulders came down. Going back on their agreement had worried her more than she cared to admit, given how dedicated Liam was. She hadn't thought he would accept it quite so easily, and was glad to avoid an argument about the matter. "Doesn't mean it never will be," she assured him, like she had told herself ever since her chat with Flora. "It'll be... something to work towards. And the forest is still home. When the war is over..." Maea smiled, though it was a feeble thing because she realized what an uphill battle they were fighting. Between her poor rapport with current rulers, their lack of strength, the sheer threat the Family posed and the time it would take to fix any if not all of those things... no optimism in the world could deny that they had a long way to go. She tried to keep her own disappointment from bleeding through, but something of it still showed in her drooping shoulders and the lines between her brows.

Something new will come on through
and rise again