#earthrunes

He offers it.

"Ah..." She takes and reads.

Her wings flick once or twice as she reads, and a sigh. "It is overdue, I know. Oh, Colton. His arm?"

"Yes."

"Sparrow.... I was ready to ..... at the Storm's side I ...."

A long pause. "I would follow Squire Colton into battle."

"As I said, it is overdue. I just..." Sigh.

"I will miss him."

Frank nods. "That is the way of it, My Lady."

:I had hoped I might have something more to offer him. But..."

A shaggy head-tilt. "But?"

"But I have nothing to offer a knight."

"Hm."

"You are a Baroness."

"I am. But I have no fire of my own - I am Regent here, and I am grateful for the shelter and the privilege. But..."

"But?"

"But this will never be my hold. And now that August is a Baron.... we have an excess."

"I fear I have become as useless as Taijier."

"We are Liam. That we have no Freehold, no land, no holding..... It is not a point."

"I am lucky to have what I have been given, I know this."

"But I wish there was something I could give to Colton."

"Knighthood I can give, but, honestly - that's his, he earned that."

"You could give him this."

"I knew it would be soon." A frown.

"Now I know how selfish I have been, to have the Chieftain call me out so..."

She paces, re-reading the letter.