19 Chapters
Chapter 25 THE SUMMIT OF THREE BANNERS

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CHAPTER 19- WHEN SNOW BEGINS TO MELT
The first spring wind arrived quietly.
Not warm-just gentle, soft as breath across frost. Icicles loosened from eaves. Snow thinned on stone pathways. River ice cracked into drifting shards like broken silence.
With melting came movement.
Villagers traveled farther between towns. Messengers carried not only need