LOREN
The voice that echoed behind him was unexpected, and Loren spun, heart leaping to his throat at the sight of Ronin. The other man looked disheveled, and the way that he stalked around the Launceleyn caused every single one of the summoner’s instincts to clamor at him. Still, Loren forced himself to remain calm, though he clutched the rose to his chest. Even blighted as the king was, the librarian knew that this was his friend, or had been once upon a time. ”Every avalanche starts with a single pebble. So who knows what a single rose might do?” His voice was soft, gentle almost, a far cry from the other man’s and from their previous meeting, trying to coax some calmness into the other man. ”Besides it’s the will of the gods, Ronin.” And surely a demi-god himself would not stand in the way of that.Regardless, it did not change the fact that Loren was going to plant this rose. So, without taking his eyes off the other man, and turning to keep Ronin in his sight, the summoner put Vi’s Rose into the ground where it belonged. The Launceleyn held his breath all the while, praying both that it would work and that Ronin wouldn’t do something to stop the librarian. Because, ill or not, former friends or not, Loren couldn’t let that happen. Of course, there was still work to make sure it was planted properly, but the Launceleyn wanted to see the king's reaction first.
A beggar's book
outworths
a noble's blood
