"It's hard to swallow a lot of the time. I know. You have it much harder than I do."

Hands rest on her shoulders, a finger moving from her right to raise her chin up so that their eyes meet and keep a hold on one another.

"But we're here for one another. It isn't selfish to want that. If and when we have the choice to make, I'd rather choose to spend a life of peace. Until then, we have to stay strong and we have to keep to our duty."

It felt strange being the one to offer the words of encouragement, considering how often she had been the words of wisdom that his courage had needed.