She did not fall.
Someone’s arms caught her firmly. Warmth wrapped around her at once. Someone draped a cloak over her and lifted her effortlessly.
Every step echoed — not only across the cobblestones of the market square, but as if through time itself. Through centuries. Snow fell slowly, melting in her hair.
Around them, fireworks burst, the crowd cheered, the world pulsed with light. And she felt only silence. Peace. And those eyes, which said more than all the words in the world.