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At the same time, Torrin put down the pails to do the same, but Valora beat him to it by a few moments.

The two of them glanced at each other and something passed between them, something unspoken and yet shared—the understanding that they both desired to help in any way they could and they would do so no matter what.

Valora would be lying if she claimed she didn’t find this quality attractive in Torrin.

A lot could be understood about a man from the way he treated those around him, especially those who held a lower status than him in society.

Her father only took advantage of anyone he could.

Torrin, on the other hand, helped those around him without even asking for any recognition for his efforts.

"Ach, ye’re alright, lad," Valora assured the boy just before he could start crying.

She could see it in his eyes, those big, fat tears gathering in the corners, and she knew he was more scared than hurt.

The scrapes on his knees and his hands were only superficial, nothing for her to be concerned over.

Still, she turned to the man and asked, "This is clean water, correct? "

"Aye, me lady," said the man.

Nodding, Valora cupped some of the water in her hands and gently washed the boy’s scrapes, making sure there was no dirt of drops of blood left on his skin.

Then, she reached into her bag, where she always kept some spare cloth and an ointment, she dried off the boy’s hands and his knees, patting them gently, and then applied the ointment—a thin layer of it over all the scrapes, until they were fully covered.

The entire time, she could feel Torrin’s burning gaze on her, watching her intently. By the time she was done, his gaze was like a physical touch on the back of her neck, making the small hairs there stand up.

As the boy pushed himself to his feet, Valora ruffled his hair. "What’s yer name, laddie?"

"Jamie," said the boy.

"I’m Valora," she told him. "Be careful now, alright? Dinnae run like that, ye can hurt yerself."

"Alright, Miss Valora," said the boy with a sweet smile, and Valora’s heart melted.

With the boy taken care of, his father and Torrin continued down the path, Jamie following close behind once more.

Valora followed them, keeping a bit more distance and wondering what it was Torrin was thinking.

She could not decipher the looks he was giving her, but then again, she hardly knew him at all.

Perhaps with time, she would grow to read him like an open book, much like she could read her sister.

With time? What am I sayin’?

She had not yet made her decision, so such thoughts seemed too rash. She could not give in to emotion simply because she had gotten a glimpse into how well Torrin treated his people. He had shown her a side of him that she liked, one that was even admirable.

Once he and the man put down the pails, the man thanking him profusely for his help and Valora for hers, Torrin turned to her and led her back towards the square.

For a moment, silence stretched between them, but Valora didn’t find it uncomfortable; quite the opposite, in fact.

There was something comforting about that silence, as if they both understood that no words needed to be spoken.

It was Torrin who broke it first by asking, "How did ye learn about all this?"

"All what?" asked Valora, confused by the question.

"Healin’," said Torrin.

"I dae," she said. It was one of those things about which she couldn’t bring herself to be humble. Her mother had taught her well, and claiming otherwise would only be a disservice to the woman who had raised her and had taught her everything she knew. "Me maither, she was a great healer. Very skilled. She taught me an’ me sister everythin’ we ken. "

"Yer sister is a healer, too?" Torrin asked.

"Och aye," said Valora. "We both love the art."

"Where is she now?" Torrin asked, perhaps suspecting the truth. "Yer maither, I mean."

Where is she now that prevents her from protecting’ ye from yer faither , he seemed to be asking.

Valora took a deep breath, as she always did before speaking about her mother.

She still loved her dearly and she didn’t think that love would ever fade, even if the memories did; the grief didn’t seem to be fading either.

It was like a shadow over her, sometimes darker and sometimes not so, but persistent and ever-present.

"She’s long gone," Valora said. "It’s been a while now."

Even those words were enough to make her choke, to force a knot to form right in the middle of her throat.

How was she supposed to talk about her when she could hardly push the words out?

How was she supposed to keep quiet about her when all she wanted was for the world to know what a kind and gentle soul she had been, what a treasure she had been both to her and to Althea?

Torrin didn’t push her. He only gave her the time she needed to find the words, to speak them out loud, and eventually, Valora did.

"She died in me arms," she said. "I was… I held her the entire time an’ I remember it as though it was yesterday. I have other memories o’ her of course. But whenever I remember her, this is the first thing that comes tae me mind."

Torrin gave her a sympathetic look. From the corner of her eye, she caught his hand twitching by his side, as though he wanted to reach out to her and touch her, but he didn’t dare.

Valora remembered what she had told him then; he was not allowed to touch her no matter the circumstances, and so he didn’t.

She didn’t know if she wished he would break his promise. All she knew was that she craved a comforting touch, and that touch never came.

"I’m sorry," Torrin said. "I ken what it means tae lose yer parents."

"Yers are gone too, are they nae?" Valora asked. Torrin nodded, just as she expected him to.

"Aye, they are," he said. "An’ they… their deaths were far from pleasant, so I understand what it means tae be unable tae save someone ye love. I couldnae an’ it?—"

Torrin stopped himself abruptly, but Valora didn’t need him to finish his sentence for her to know what he was trying to say. She had failed to save her mother, too, and it had broken her, just as it had broken Torrin to fail in saving his parents.

"It isnae easy," Valora said, "livin’ with this."

"Nay," said Torrin. "Nay, it really isnae."

And, perhaps for the first time in her life, Valora felt completely understood.