[ he holds her. he can hear her heartbeat behind her birdcage ribs. he can hear that. the dragonfire did not take that from him. he thinks, how many nearly took you from me? he thinks of unsteady, human hands around her throat, clumsy human fingers with knives, and gwenaelle's voice urging them on, and he shudders.

swallows his fear.

'he cannot cloister her, he does not have the power' becomes 'he cannot cloister her, she does not want to be shut away'. ]

I wish to marry you in the Chantry. I would stand before all of them and bind us together in a way they understand, and so it means something to all of them, because I cannot put a claim on you so well and so universally understood as that one.

[ he brings her hand to his mouth, kisses the back of it. ]

Thank you for wanting to stay here, with me. I will be afraid when you are hurt, but I will be... less myself about that. I will try. And we will build the life we want together.