Overture Downs not my friend but i wont say no

screengrab from arcane. for @Ulfric

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The forest was cloaked in an early morning mist, the damp air filled with the scent of wet earth and decaying leaves. The winter had withered bitterly in the months she'd parted from Velaris, thwarted by the new season. Where much of the land was washed with green and flushed with blossoms, it was caught between seasons, even as the promise of renewal hung tantalizingly on the horizon— a kind change of pace for the princess, a sliver of ease passing through her mind.

The quiet felt eternal, broken only by the occasional rustle of brush or the distant call of a bird. Gnarled branches swayed against the morning breeze as Gjalla lifted herself over the twisted trunks and sprawling roots that protruded from the patchwork of frost and mud. Wet auburn leaves flatten beneath her feet. Her breath formed small clouds of hoar, dissipating swiftly as she padded toward the treeline.

As she reached a clearing, the mist parted slightly, revealing a small, frozen stream that wound its way through the landscape. The water's surface was a mirror, reflecting the muted, gray sky and the sparse foliage. Gjalla paused at the edge, her periwinkle eyes scanning the horizon, lost in thought. The wind shifted, carrying an unfamiliar scent—pinesap and iron, mingling with the morning dew that clung to the forest. Her ears perked, head swiveling with a renewed sense of alertness. It would pain her to admit that she'd hoped for another's presence, so she let the thought rest in her head as she stared at the stranger's silhouette in the fog.