“What would I call you if I was your friend?” My question gives him pause; his face relaxes into something I’d almost say is vulnerable. “I don’t have friends,” he says faintly. Others may interpret the tone as cool indifference. But I hear a hurt I don’t yet understand drifting through his words. “Your subjects then?” He grimaces at that, but finally relents. “King Eldas. I will see you in an hour. We will begin then.”
