"It wasn't his words." Sinric's voice goes soft and quiet with memory. "It was the expression on his face. Disappointment mixed with worry."

"I hated that look. It made me afraid he regretted choosing me as one of his birds. I remember bursting into tears and begging him not to send me away."

He huffs a little laugh. "He picked me up and rocked me till I ran out of tears. That's who he was - a father to us first."