Shattered Restraint

Beside the boys, I nearly faltered, terrified they might catch the vastness of the devastation clawing at my chest. Yet love's light proved the stronger beacon. The air itself shimmered in their youthful radiance, pushing back the hulking dark. No flaw could withstand such brilliant purity.

As we walked together through the sheltered castle gardens, I released the final stubborn weights in my hea