RONIN
THE WHITE KNIGHT
Ronin smiles at Alys's question - that, at least, is an easy thing to answer. "Nothing but gratitude," he says with a soft shrug. "I might have been as happy as I could be, up there with Vanya, but we both found it hard to watch our friends struggle. To watch Aoife grow up without either of us. And I had no say in Ashetta's decision; there was no steer from me. She did what she did, and it would be disrespectful of me to question or resent it."
That isn't to say that being alive hasn't been hard since - it's been damned near impossible at times - but thinking back on how things had been back then... it's a balm Ronin doesn't expect to feel against the still-fresh grief making his heart raw. "I died with a lot of unfinished business. Maybe it would have been different if that wasn't the case, but I really wasn't ready for my story to be over."
That isn't to say that being alive hasn't been hard since - it's been damned near impossible at times - but thinking back on how things had been back then... it's a balm Ronin doesn't expect to feel against the still-fresh grief making his heart raw. "I died with a lot of unfinished business. Maybe it would have been different if that wasn't the case, but I really wasn't ready for my story to be over."
now don’t you lose hope
I swear I never dream that we’re alone
I swear I still believe but I don’t know
