He gave me an adoring smile while backing away toward the Keep again, and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow—along with your belongings, heh? I can’t wait to see a lot more of you around here.” And with a final smile, he was striding back toward the Keep.

I watched him go for a while—pensive, and maybe a little regretful, but felt a strange sort of contentment settling along my bones. In this state of mind, I turned and passed through the gate, but my heart jumped right into my throat ...