Darien
I grinned. He shook his head. But I caught it. The smile he was fighting. The one that crept in from the corners of his mouth despite everything he was doing to stop it. The smile of a man who’d just been given permission to want something for himself, something beyond duty and service and standing behind someone else’s throne.
“She’s good for you,” I said. Quieter now. The teasing set aside because some things needed to be said straight. “I’ve seen the way you are around her. You’re different. Not softer. Just more ... present. More relaxed.”
He was quiet for a long time.
“She sees me,” he said finally. “Not the general. Not the bear. Not the king’s right hand.” He paused. “Just me. And she’s not disappointed by what she finds.”
I felt that in my chest. Because I knew exactly
