"I used to push limits with him, now and then," he admits. "Just to see where he would draw the line. It's much harder to do, now; he is less sheltered, more open to ideas that may once have seemed unthinkable to him."

A pause, as he nuzzles the top of her head.

"Take care of him, if you would, my dearest. He is a descendant of my brother's people, and so a very distant kinsman of mine. I consider him to be under my protection, though he does not know that."