[Evening]
•Meadowlark Village•
[Ovelia's POV]
As our wagon rolled into the vibrant, pulsing heart of Meadowlark Village, a grin spread across my face—so wide and unforced it made my cheeks ache. I couldn't have stopped it if I tried. After the quiet solitude of Thunoa and the tense journey, this explosion of life was a balm to my soul.
"Wow," I breathed, my voice barely a whisper against the cacophony of joy. "This is beyond anything I ever imagined."
The air itself was a living thing—thick with layered sounds and scents. From a side alley, the crystalline, playful trill of a wooden flute wove through the general chatter, while from the main square, the deep, resonant strum of a massive harp provided a steady, beating heart to the festivities. It was all layered over the happy, roaring din of hundreds of people—laughing children, bartering merchants, and groups singing along to familiar drinking songs.
