I took two steps forward and pressed my palms gently to his cheeks before raising his head so he could look me in the eyes. I stared into his remaining eye, still so beautiful, and I slowly took off the bandage that hid his socket, and then gazed upon both sides of his face, never flinching from the now-healed, dry wound.

There was no lying that it was a serious wound. I could see where the fangs had entered through the deep marks on his forehead and follow the carved flesh as it went through his eye socket and out of his cheek. It was angry still and pink, and I had no doubt that it hurt so badly.

“I know you may not hear this from me, it might go in one ear and out the other,” I said, “but you’re beautiful and handsome and fierce to me, and one day you’re going to think that again and I’m going to be there because I will always be there. It may take a month, a year, a hundred, or even a thousand.” I dropped my hand to his and squeezed tight. “But I will be with you.”

Soren took another moment before he said something. His eye flickered above my head to the others watching, and I could feel the glare as they all took a step back with boots crunching in the ice. “I feel like a child. I’m being a brat, I know. I just … feel helpless and that’s never been a feeling before. I’ve known since I was six that I could knock down a grown goblin standing, and now I can barely use a sword, much less my bow and arrows. I became the Erlking, but how can I be the strongest goblin in the Permafrost if I can’t even fight?”

“You don’t need to fight to be strong,” I told him. “Sometimes the strongest thing we do all day is wake up and get out of bed and continue living and figuring out new ways to do the things we once did.” I held out a hand. “Walk with me, please.”

He nodded warily and grasped my hand with his as we walked back toward the group who all were doing their best not to pay us any extra attention. I had a feeling goblins didn’t normally have heart-to-hearts regarding weakness and strength and the meaning behind it all.