"Aye. I'm sorry you had to come at such a time, m'lord. So much has happened an' you an' so many others were unprepared."

There's something about him that reminds her of the nights spent by the fireplace as a child, playing with her few toys while her mother sewed the tapestry she would eventually destroy. It's a sharp memory, full of warmth and tenderness that makes her chest ache and also some kind of bitterness because of her actions years later. Why that memory in particular was the one that came to her, she didn't know, but she was sure...

Merida kneeled, unsure if she could keep herself up on unsteady legs, cloak and skirts fanning out around her.

"Even I was unprepared."