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He was silent It was not an easy answer to give Had he tossed out an ansith less than a thought, she would have doubted the sincerity of it He was brooding over his answer – brooding over the request It was not given lightly Silence fell on the woods Then for a moment, it seemed as if the world stood still and held its breath with her

"You shall have it," he whispered "Even if I asped at the immensity of the promise

It was the best day, the best moment, the best instant in Lia’s life She would remember it all the rest of her days Lia wanted to throw her arms around his neck and kiss his cheek, but she knew from her previous demonstrations of friendliness that he would shun it and detest her The surge and storht tears to her eyes, but she willed them not to fall She must not cry in front of him She must not sho much she was indebted to his kindness He could have asked anything fro

Barely able to get the words out, she whispered, "Thank you, sir I thank you"

He stood motionless and hard, like a wayrave Then he dropped his hand to his belt and hooked his thumb there He looked at Sowe and said somberly, "Leave us a moment"

Sowe, nervous, backed down the road towards the Cider Orchard

Lia drew closer, worried now that he had changed his mind

"I pray I have not htly, nor seek to cheapen it with excuses" He stared down at his boots, then o to war Should I fall…" he paused, choking for a moment, "Seek my steward His name is Theobald Tell him of the promise I made to you If I do not live to fulfill it in person, he will do so on my behalf Does that satisfy you?"

Shocked, Lia sed and nodded Then she saw it, she saw through the façade and into his soul It had happened to her before on a storht she had read the Alderid denized it for what it truly was Colvin was afraid He feared ould happen to him at Winterrowd as led feelings Since he had left on his journey, he had been worrying about his death and its effect on his sister, his uncle, and those who loved him Noas beholden to yet another creature – a loretched The thought of disappointing theht came in a moment, a blink At that moment, she knew hi at Winterrowd, his blood-spattered body twisted and bent, crumpled with others older and more ise than hirieve, for he had not told her what he was going to do Yet despite the guilty fear of ould happen if they failed to depose the ruthless king, he forced every footstep on the path leading to the fate that terrified him In that moment of clarity, in that breach into his soul, she learned a little of the true e

In that moment, as she blinked back fresh tears, she knew that who she danced with at the Whitsun Fair would be the least of her worries She would worry about him, Colvin, since even his own sister could not

"Your horse is penned up at Jon Hunter’s lodge," she said thickly, struggling to speak through a clenched throat "We will take you there"