[It takes a lot of struggling self-control to not point out that she was there until she wasn't, because that's unnecessary. And he knows it would fall out of his mouth clumsily, might turn his tongue into a sharpened knife, when the only thing she deserves is his thanks and his praise. She isn't wrong, of course. They have been through a lot. And she was there for a lot of it.

But then she wasn't, and a year is never going to be long enough to put that guilt and pain to rest.

So what he focuses on instead is this, about the kids getting hurt, about protecting them. It flares something fierce and angry and, yes, also pained inside him.]

I've been trying to warn people away from the king. I don't know if ageless beings even understand the concept of age, but if I catch him even looking at a kid, I'm gonna pluck out his god damn eyes.

[Or he'll make an attempt. And do one of those stupid noble things that aren't going to work the way he warned Steve against doing.]

When those little ones were running around, I heard screaming, and-- [Is this his story to tell? Maybe not. Maybe he won't use a name and then it'll be okay.] One of the girls was having a bad time with the creeps. She was so scared. Things had happened to her, you know, before she was brought here, and I don't know what, but it hurt her, physically and emotionally. And whatever it was, the little psychopaths getting handsy wasn't helping. I don't know if she was also kind of affected by some magic they had. They didn't hurt, far as I know, just mostly were annoying as hell, but I was scared. More than I ever should have been.

She can't be older than Lila. None of these kids deserve to be here, and they don't deserve being afraid, and they don't deserve being traumatized by whatever god damn weirdness the fae want to pretend is totally normal around here.