Heila's story of finding love in the most unlikely of places provided the perfect note to bring the late-night gathering to a close.
Sybyll promised her people that in the days to come, she would dedicate herself to helping to rebuild Hanrahan Town from the damage of the storm and the battle, and that there would be justice for the victims of her cousin, Ian Hanrahan.
She also warned her people that, for a time, travel would be forbidden. Soldiers would be posted at the gates and along the roads to ensure that no one carried word of what had happened to Lothian City or anywhere else who might attempt to destroy their fragile peace with an attempt to 'rescue' the conquered barony.
There was some grumbling about that, particularly from merchants who had been considering braving the winter weather to sell their goods in Lothian City during the Midwinter's Night celebrations. Those grumbles turned into a string of stammered prevarications when Sybyll made her counteroffer.
