Haleth exhales a short, sharp breath. Her eyes drop, and a rueful smile flits across her face. She deserved that rebuke. She knows it. She kneels there looking at their joined hands for a moment longer. She should not have spoken this far--she had not intended to--but his obvious fear and grief of his future could not be ignored.

"I do love you," she says finally. "I always did. I do not know if that will bring you any comfort, after all this time."