Page 297 of Salt Between the Wolves
"The same answer you've given my entire life."
A muscle tightened in Vargan's jaw, barely visible but still there.
"Because it remains true."
"No."
The word came harder this time, sharp enough that several nearby warriors shifted their weight.
"The problem is that it is always true."
Vargan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Eira took a step closer, not enough to be threatening but enough to be heard.
"Every decision."
The wind pulled at her braid.
"You always have a reason."
She took another step.
"You always have an explanation."
The distance between them seemed smaller now and more dangerous.
"And somehow the answer is always the same."
Something cold entered her voice.
"You decide."
Silence followed, and the words remained hanging between them.
For the first time since the conversation began, Vargan did not answer immediately, and although the pause lasted only a few seconds, it felt much longer.
When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter.
"Someone has to."
And there it was, not cruelty or arrogance, but belief, the kind that survived decades, built kingdoms, and destroyed families.
Eira stared at him and understood that he meant it, truly and completely, that someone had to decide, someone had to carry the burden, and someone had to choose, while the tragedy was that he had never once considered that someone else might want the burden too.
Eira held his gaze while the wind moved through White Pass, and neither of them seemed to notice.
"Someone has to."
The words lingered between them, familiar and predictable, almost comforting in their certainty.
For years they would have ended the conversation like this, and for years she would have accepted them, not because she agreed, but because she had never known there was another answer.
Now she did.
"Did it ever occur to you to ask me?"
For the first time, Vargan blinked, not quite in surprise but in something closer to hesitation, and although the reaction lasted only a moment, it was enough for Eira to see it.
