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He took a very small piece of bread from his plate and placed it beside the two larger pieces of bread and looked at me sadly. “Ye are there, mo leannan, and yer mother dinna go here.” He pointed at the cup in front of me and the cup in front of himself. “Or here.”

“If I rescued her before she was pregnant with me, before I was born, I would cease to exist…” I sighed. “I don’t even understand what would happen.”

“But I canna think twould be good, and I promise ye, mo leannan, I canna allow ye tae do it. I would miss ye too much, yer brother would miss ye too much. Yer mother wanted ye tae live.”

I nodded, my eyes a little misty. “And I would miss out on the parents who raised me, who I really loved. I miss them. I miss my Uncle Dylan, I haven’t seen him in so long, I hope he’s gotten back to the kingdom. I hope he’s safe”

“Aye, twill be good for ye tae see him again. This is important... ye hae had a life that was worth living, mo leannan.”

“And in life there are no do-overs. Well, there are do-overs, but not raising someone from the dead.” I tucked my head against his shoulder. “I’m glad we discussed this. I needed to work it out. Time is a line. I kept thinking if we jumped to the past we could solve it.”

He scoffed. “Time inna a line, where did ye hear that?”

“Everyone knows, Torin, it goes from the past forward to the future.”

“Tis a wheel, yer soul goes round, yer form goes from dust tae dust. Ye ken, Princess, that is the way of it.”

“If it’s a wheel, Torin, how come I can’t go around and get my parents again?”

He pointed at the tiny piece of bread again.

“Oh right, I keep forgetting. I want to figure it out, but my existence is standing in the way…”

I sipped from my beer. “I’m amazed my brother hasn’t tried it. Most brothers might pick their parents over a little sister.”

“He would never. I would kill him afore he would be able tae. But he wouldna. I was worried on him at first, because he had some darkness of the mind when he thought he had lost everyone, but he has too much honor.”

I smiled. “And you would kill him.”

“Aye, he likes tae live.”

“You would threaten the king?”

“He is foremost m’brother. Aye, if he deserved it, I would threaten m’brother if he were goin’ tae kill m’wife.”

I sighed. “This conversation has taken a turn for the worse.”

“We went from ‘all hope is lost’ tae ‘how would I kill Max if I had tae?’”

I laughed. “We actually didn’t get all the way there, but now I know what you were thinking. Do you know how you would kill him?”

“Aye, of course I ken how tae kill him. Max and I used tae spar all the time. I ken right where his weakness is, as he knows mine. Tis why we are such good friends.”

I laughed again. “And do you know my weakness?”

“Aye… I do.”

“What is it?”

He took my hand and held it gently on his thigh. “That ye will be left by those ye love.”

I said, simply, “Oh.”

Then I said, “I don’t think I know yours.”

He gave me a sad smile, and said quietly, “Ye do, mo leannan.”

“Yeah, I guess I do, it’s me.”