She had thought eating a warm meal would make her -- and him -- feel better, but suddenly Hild had little appetite. She set her fork down, tucked her hair behind her ears and pushed it back over her shoulders in one smooth movement.

"Back home, I feel-- I felt like people came into my life only to leave me," she admitted quietly. It was not a thing she spoke of, admitted to anyone but herself, though she was sure some knew. "I tried different ways to keep them, make it so they could not leave. But that is not the answer, is it?"