[He's forever thankful he had the fortitude to go straight to her domain after their one night together. That he'd seen an entirely different woman (well, perhaps not entirely) and only been even more intrigued by her, not less. Not to mention how her quiet fall village had attracted him with sights he'd never seen before... and her patience in explaining. It had been an intoxicating combination back then, when he'd felt so effortlessly young compared to now.]

I understand the fear. Not... not specifically, of him, but the fear of you do when you finally obtain power.

[His chaos, when it first manifested, had been like that. And he could hardly have called that power at all.]

But you aren't. [He's sure of that. He was sure before the eight hundred years.] Even if that desire was you and not something he influenced in you... do you not think it is a desire that comes when one feels powerless? It's like being swept up in a tidal wave and being willing to cling to a corpse as long as it keeps you alive. If the Continent taught me anything, it's that everyone has a limit to what darkness they'll turn to when backed into a corner. Or even if you imagine a corner that doesn't exist.