Chapter 172

Princess Elena’s POV Warmth was the first thing I felt. It wrapped around me, thick and heavy, pressing into my skin. My eyes opened slowly. Firelight danced across wooden walls and a low ceiling. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. My head felt empty, like something had been wiped clean. I was wrapped in a blanket. It smelled like smoke and pine. I tried to move and pain spread across my chest and shoulders. I sucked in a breath and froze. My heart was beating too fast. Then memories began to return.,The mountain. The ice beneath my feet. The sudden crack. The freezing water swallowing me whole. The glacier. My throat tightened. And Rhys, He had been there. I remembered his face through the fog. Then nothing. I shifted again, trying to sit up. The movement made my chest ache and my vision blur. That was when I sensed someone nearby. I stopped moving. A figure sat in the corner of the room, quiet and still. Firelight touched his face as he stood and walked toward me. “Here,” Rhys