Tavin stared at Aleanna's hand, easily within his reach. The glow from the enormous ring of fire seemed to consume everything as it towered above them, floating only a few feet behind her. He looked up and met her eyes; though hard to see against the backdrop of flame, they looked hard but there was also a strange welcomeness in them.
“Take my hand," Aleanna said. It was a command. “Don't be a slave to the Empire, let us train you instead."
“I want to go with you, I want to get to know you better, but..." Tavin stumbled through his words. Aleanna reaffirmed her offered hand. “How could I? Baelon almost killed a man right in front of me! He almost killed Valina!"
Aleanna flinched, just barely, but remained steady.
“It's not like that," she said. “There's more to this than you understand
