All Chapters of Winning Back My Lost Luna!: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Eirlys POV:The village children had discovered Kaelor by breakfast, and by midmorning I had already decided it was a complete disaster.Not because he minded the attention—he wore the chaos with that quiet, bemused patience I was starting to remember too well. No, the disaster was that they refused to give him a single moment’s peace.“Prince Kael!” a gap-toothed girl shouted, tugging on the hem of his tunic.“It’s Kaelor,” he corrected, voice gentle as summer rain.The girl planted her small fists on her hips and frowned up at him like he was being deliberately difficult.“That’s too long. We can’t yell all that every time we need you.” She jabbed a finger at the boy beside her. “His name is Ben.” Another jab. “Her name is May.” Then she looked back at him with the solemn authority only a six-year-old could muster. “You’ll be Kael.”Kaelor blinked once, slow and deliberate.“I seem to have lost that argument.”“You never had it,” old Mr. Benson called from across the square, his whe

Eirlys POV"Mama..."I blinked awake, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. The sky outside the small cottage window was still dark, with just the faintest pale hint of dawn brushing the horizon like a shy promise. The air felt cool and fresh, carrying the distant scent of dew on the grass and the faint smoke from last night's hearth.Auren stood right beside my bed, already dressed for the day. Well, mostly dressed. His little shirt was buttoned all wrong, with one side hanging lower than the other. One sock had mysteriously vanished, and his dark hair stuck out in every direction, as if he had been wrestling with a wild wind all night."I did it myself," he said, puffing out his small chest with pride."I can see that," I replied softly, smiling.He grinned back at me, that bright, toothy smile that always melted my heart. "I'm growing, Mama. See? I can do big boy things now.""You certainly are growing," I said, sitting up and reaching for him. I pulled him closer onto the edge of the b

Eirlys POVThe first rain of autumn arrived just after midday. It was not the fierce kind that rattled rooftops and flooded the roads. This one was gentle and steady, wrapping the whole village in a soft silver veil that made everything feel a little quieter, a little cleaner.I stood beneath the porch of the healing cottage, watching the droplets gather at the tips of the herb bundles hanging from the eaves. The scent of damp earth rose up from the ground and mixed with the sharp green smell of wet leaves and rosemary. I have always loved the rain. My mother used to say every good healer should. “The earth is making medicine,” she would tell me whenever storms rolled over the mountains. “Just breathe it in, my girl. It heals you while it heals the land.”Behind me, little Millie giggled as Tommy tried—and failed—to balance a wooden spoon on his nose. The sound of their laughter floated through the open doorway like music. The children were laughing without constantly looking over th

Eirlys POV:The knock came just as I finished grinding the last of the fever herbs into a fine powder. I looked up from the stone mortar, brushing a stray lock of hair from my forehead with the back of my hand. The familiar scent of dried herbs and fresh salve hung in the warm air around me."Come in," I called out, wiping my hands on a clean cloth.The door opened slowly, letting in a cool breeze from outside that stirred the dried bundles of plants hanging from the rafters. General Rhydian stepped inside. He paused right at the threshold and carefully removed his gloves, setting them aside so he would not track any dust or dirt from the training grounds into my clean space. That small thoughtful gesture made me smile a little inside."I hope I'm not interrupting your work, Miss Thorne," he said in his deep, measured voice."You usually arrive right when I finally get a chance to sit down for a moment," I replied, setting the pestle aside."I'll take that as permission to stay, the

Kaelor POVThe morning training session had only just begun when Marcus approached the edge of the training grounds. He did not interrupt. He never did. He simply waited patiently until the last soldier had climbed back to his feet after the final drill."Again," I told the young man in front of me, adjusting my stance.He quickly corrected his balance. It looked much steadier this time."Your balance is improving noticeably," I said.A proud grin spread across his sweaty face. "Thank you, Your Highness.""Do not thank me yet," I replied, lowering my wooden training sword. "Beat me first, and then you can thank me properly."The other soldiers burst into laughter around us. The young man swallowed hard, eyes wide. "I would rather stay alive, Your Highness."I could not help smiling. "I have not killed anyone before breakfast yet."Marcus cleared his throat from the side. "...Yet," he added dryly.The men laughed even harder. Even I joined in this time, shaking my head."Take five min