Chapter 466: A Measure of Trust
For some time after the princess had finished speaking, Jim remained silent, his gaze resting upon her as though he endeavoured to reconcile the woman before him with the image he had long carried in his mind.
At length, he lowered his eyes and passed a hand over his weathered countenance.
"Jus' because we 'ave each other, Your 'Ighness, don't mean our sufferin's any less, does it?"
Lyria's expression altered faintly, and Jim, perceiving it, continued before she might reply.
"I'm not sayin' I don't understand wot yer tryin' ter tell me. I do, more'n ye might suppose. But there's somethin' else ter be considered, ain't there? Everyone's got a story, as ye say, but it depends on 'ow them stories shape the folk what live through 'em. One person's hardship might make 'em kinder, whilst another's makes 'em bitter. Some'll take their troubles out upon the world, an' others'll spend their whole lives tryin' ter see that no one else suffers the same."
