Gaven
I don't go to breakfast.
The decision is made before I'm fully awake, settling into my bones with the same certainty as a command. I dress quickly, efficiently, and divert down a side corridor that bypasses the dining hall entirely.
Cowardly. I accept the word without flinching.
My office is dark when I enter, the blinds still drawn and I don't bother to open them. I shut the door behind me and brace my hands on the desk, head bowed, breathing through the tightness in my chest.
Gentle.
Maelis's voice echoes in my mind, unwelcome and persistent. I don't know how to be that.
I know how to protect. How to destroy threats before they reach what I guard. I know how to command loyalty and inspire fear in equal measure.
But Fern doesn't need fear. She doesn't need
