Welco Ho [Part-3]
Suddenly, the words ca out quiet. Ho we are, she stated. A mont settled after her voice stopped. Nothing more needed saying just then.
For just a beat more he kept her close, then spoke - his words quiet but steady.
"Yes," Leon replied. "You are."
The silence sat there like a held breath. Words had finally landed, heavy and still.
A bow ca first - sharp, precise, like duty had carved it into her bones. Forward she moved, closing the space without sound, wrapping him in a hold that held weight yet didn’t press. Her arms stayed tight, steady, almost testing whether he stood there whole. Reality needed proof, so she gave it a shape.
You returned," she stated, calm in tone, yet her hand stayed just past its ti.
Next ca Natasha. A breath filled her lungs, the faintest shake in her face settling into stillness just before she spoke.
Her gaze held his. You made it through, she told him.
A small grin tugged at Leon’s lips - worn out, yet real. He answered with just one word: "Barely."
A breath slipped out, almost a chuckle, though nearer to ease. She let it go without aning to.
Far back, the maids huddled close, unsure how to stand. A quiet group ford behind without direction.
One after another, they dipped into bows, fabric whispering down like wind through reeds. Their words ca soft, held back by awe more than habit. A single voice shaped the phrase: "Our greeting, Queen." Not loud. Not rushed. Just there
His eyes paused on their face, truly settled there.
Fey held herself upright, palms resting neat along the edge of her apron, gaze steady, watching closely. Her knuckles turned white from how hard Rui pressed her fingers into one another. A faint grin tugged at Mona’s lips, yet sothing dimd behind her stare - hesitant to let happiness show. Each breath Lena took ca asured, even, as if balancing on a thin line. Mira stayed frozen, back locked tight, waiting, maybe expecting soone to point out what went wrong. Up close, Chloe looked at him, her eyes big, eager, almost trembling with want. Between him and the queens, Lilyn’s hazel stare moved slow, soft yet intent, pausing where silence stayed too long.
That was when he noticed it. A pause hung in the air. Not one moved past that unseen border. It stayed there, unbroken.
Forward motion was their goal.
It was unclear whether permission had been given.
Leon’s chest tightened.
"This distance," he said quietly, breaking the silence, "it isn’t sothing I asked for."
One by one, faces turned upward. People looked up without warning.
"You don’t need permission to breathe," he continued, voice calm but firm. "And you don’t need it to stand near ."
Her breath caught. "You an it?"
A small grin appeared. He looked right at her - most of all, you
Mona took a breath. Then Rui let go a little. Almost at once, Fey stood less stiff.
Leon’s gaze moved over them once more, steady, reassuring. "You didn’t stop being yourselves just because I beca king."
Forward he moved, closing the distance bit by bit.
Hold on, he thought, as they dropped their heads once more without thinking. Bowing isn’t necessary, he ant to say, his voice soft but clear
Stillness took hold - one body paused mid-motion, stuck where routine t shock. So fingers curled into fabric, gripping folds of cloth till joints went pale. Old lessons shouted inside their skulls: keep eyes down, step back, know your role.
Quiet settled around him instead of words. That silence spoke louder than shouting ever could.
Leon continued, voice calm but unmistakably firm. "I grant you the sa standing as my wives. From this mont on, you are not servants here."
A hush held them still. One breath caught in the air.
Fey opened her mouth - silence spilled out instead of speech. A sharp breath pulled into Rui’s chest, her gaze jumping like thoughts could break glass. Mona’s hands wouldn’t stay still, twitching like live wires under skin. The ground seed suddenly fascinating to Lena, her fra quivering without noise. Mira lifted her face toward Leon, squinting slightly - as if checking whether shadows could hold warmth.
"You are family," Leon finished. "Co here."
No one moved.
Over her shoulder ca a glance, then a smile - gentle, steady. "His words stand," she murmured. Not withdrawn, not softened
Aria dipped her head, calm but dignified. Not a command, she made clear. More like asking soone in. Her words stayed soft at the edges
Cynthia’s eyes softened. "You don’t have to earn it," she said quietly. "You already did."
Out ca a soft chuckle as Syra moved clear. Her words danced lightly - "Go on," she said, feeling thick behind the sound. Hesitate much longer? He’s already there
Kyra shifted beside her, opening room between them - face calm, yet eyes bright with quiet consent.
Foot by foot, Leon cut across the space alone.
A quick, firm hug - that was his greeting. For just an instant, Fey went rigid. Then she softened, her breathing catching mid-air. "Y-Your Majesty - " she stamred, but the words cracked. He stayed silent, arms around her, till her shoulders relaxed beneath his hold.
Rui held tight to the fabric at his back, fingers curled as if he could slip away. Softly, almost lost in silence, she said thanks.
Shaking with laughter that cracked into sobs - Mona went first. After her ca Lena, leaning hard into his shoulder, quiet but falling apart. Last of all stood Mira, gripping tight like a storm had pulled her there, terrified waiting might break it.
Down on one knee, he t her gaze before pulling her close. Safe now, his voice softened into her ear. Her fingers clung without letting go, head tucked into his shoulder. A nod ca slowly, pressed deep into the fabric of his coat.
At first, silence. She clung tight - like releasing could unravel everything once more. Into the fabric of his cloak her hands wound, white at the joints.
Her words slipped out slow, a fragile thread that grew taut - you arrived, she said, barely above breath.
"I always will," Leon said without hesitation. "No matter how far. No matter how late."
That was when her fingers started to relax, only slightly, lifting her gaze toward his face. Wet lashes clung together, yet the terror wasn’t sharp anymore - it wore a quieter shape now. Not quite trust, but close: a flicker that resembled faith.
Lilyn moved close, tears shimring, chest rising unevenly while returning the embrace. A pause - just a sliver of silence - and then her brow touched his shoulder, soft and fleeting, like finding balance mid-step.
"I was afraid," she admitted quietly. "Afraid I’d failed her. Afraid I’d made the wrong choice."
Mont by mont, Leon kept his hand right there - low on her back, unmoving. Not because he had to, but because it ant sothing. "What you did," he told her, voice level, "was shield her." A pause settled between them, brief but deep. Doing that, choosing her safety - that kind of act doesn’t miss its mark. Never has
For a second, her breathing stopped - she gave a small nod, staying close just past that beat, then pulled away.
"You don’t have to choose between love and loyalty here," Leon said quietly, for all of them. "You already chose."
A breath broke the stillness - shaky, thick, held too long. After that, a pause. One person drew air through their nose, quiet, trying not to shake. The mont stayed, uneven, close.
The tension broke.
Smiles spread.
Tears fell.
Sothing shifted behind their backs. The guards from Silver City and those from Blackthorn felt it - the slow pivot of Leon’s attention landing on them. Not harsh. Not bla-filled. Just present. Impossible to ignore.
A single guard gulped. One after him pressed a closed hand tight against his ribs. Up went their spines, chins rising together as their voices rged into one sound.
"We greet our king."
Leon nodded once.
The city breathed again.
Petals drifted down.
There, in the open space beneath the clouds, pieces once loose ca together among the rocks.
Nowhere felt like ho. Just pieces scattered where walls used to breathe.
A figure stood there, quiet. One human among the stillness. Soone had arrived without sound.
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