The gentle breeze drifted across the boundless sea of pale blossoms, carrying the sweet fragrance of open petals while her eyes searched his face.
She remained kneeling upon the vibrant green turf, her slender hands hovering near her trembling lips as if terrified that a single misplaced breath might scatter her back into thin smoke.
"You really mean that..." she whispered, her voice barely competing with the quiet rustle of flower petals brushing against her gown.
"You are not offering it just to make an ancient prisoner feel less pathetic?!" she asked with wide, breathless eyes, leaning forward until her floral warmth brushed against his chest.
"I do not waste words on false comfort," he answered, meeting her luminous gaze without flinching.
"You saved my neck in the arena when the dragon core flared, taking the feedback into your own vessel so my spiritual channels would not burn out," he added with a quiet, steady nod, settling more comfortably onto the grass opposite her.
