"It seems pretty clear to me," Telrim says. She drops her gaze as she speaks thoughtfully. "You're a dutiful son. You're just smart enough to know what doing your duty means, even if it's not what people want you to do. And you're loyal enough to do it anyway, no matter where that takes you."

She sneaks a glance at him, a momentary sidelong flicker of her gaze, to check his reaction. "You're an exile because you didn't abandon your people. You've had to step outside everything you ever knew to save it. But you're learning. And you're a good friend for someone to have at their back."