“What?” she asked, almost as if she hadn’t heard. “You still believed in me when no one else in this wretched land would. Because you cared about me, because you didn’t give up despite everything, your compassion helped to break my heart from its stone prison.” Dorothy’s eyes glistened. “I—” “It’s yours,” he vowed. “You resurrected my heart when I thought it was gone forever, so its fate is yours. Rip it out and burn it to ash if that makes you happy. But know this: no matter how long you allow me to keep it, I will cherish this gift and use it to protect you.”
