I fear we shall find ourselves treading through hell long ere we find heaven, Haurchefant.

[The words escape him a little too quickly — a sliver of fear leached out through a crack his vulnerability left behind. And almost without thinking, he lowers his hand to wrap against Haurchefant's side rather than caressing his arm, his body language morphing to something more closely approximating a cling.]

Tis a fear I cannot shake. You nearly died today, brandishing your shield in my defense. What if someday I prove to be the poison that kills you?

What if — w-what if all these dreams are as much folly as my hopes of persuading my father to peace...?