When Dain lifted his hand off of Axily's head, my guard pushed himself up onto all fours, then sat back on his heels, looking at Dain with the expression of someone discovering that someone they thought they'd known was more remarkable than they'd ever believed. "I have heard many things about you, your highness," Axily said slowly, as if the words were flowers blooming in the morning. "I didn't have the honor of fighting alongside you in the war, but I see now that the loyalty you earned is well-placed. It wouldn't matter to many that it wasn't my will that brought your soulmate to the trap laid for her."

"Once, I would not have waited long enough to discover the truth," Dain admitted, holding Axily's gaze. "But now that I know it, how could I kill you for such a thing?" His mouth twitched upwards into something like a wicked smile. "It wouldn't even make me feel better, and Leah would surely trouble me for it."

An answering smile started across Axily's face, and while proud tears fell silently out of my eyes, he started laughing, sounding relieved and delighted.

Dain pulled him into a rough embrace. "I despise what was done to us," he said, his voice fierce and harsh. "I will not kill you or enslave you for suffering alongside me."

"My prince," Axily said in reply. "Only tell me what I may do for you, and if I can I will see it done."

He took a long break before asking for Ciradyl to be sent in, pacing in what looked like an attempt to burn off the aggressive energy. It had to be hard for him to calmly question people instead of trying to hunt down and destroy the person who was responsible for all of this, even if that person ended up being his own mother.

I watched him pace, back and forth, back and forth, growing more anxious with each pass.

Kamharida squeezed me in a small hug. "It will be well," she said. "Could you ever have imagined the man you first met doing something like this?"

I sniffed and gave a watery little laugh to that. "Not in a million years, and you know it."

"He's risen to the challenge," she said, giving me another squeeze. "You gave him a chance and a reason to become the man he'd only been in flashes, and there he stands. Well," Kamharida added, with a bit of amusement. "There he paces, I suppose. He's going to wear a hole in the carpet."

She got a better laugh for that, and I leaned my head against her shoulder. "I'm really glad you were willing to sit with me today. You've been a good friend to me."

With a soft chuckle, Kamharida rested her head on mine. "You seemed like you needed a friend, your highness." Then she sat back up, as Dain went and rapped on the door. "Round three."