I'm not my legacy, I'm forging a new one
Again he stopped.
When she looked up at him that time, though, his brilliant green eyes shone with unshed tears. His voice was just a touch rough with the emotion he must have been feeling as he revisited his memories.
"I clung to him, desperate for warmth and comfort. And he promised me, no matter how long it took, he would bring me home safe. That he wouldn't leave me alone."
His voice trembled. Barely. But enough for her to notice.
She reached over to take his hand, squeezing it reassuringly.
"...Even if he had other, more important duties, the man looked at me as if I were the only duty that mattered."
His gaze flickered down toward her briefly, before continuing. "I remember being carried in his arms as he went from house to house, checking every nook and cranny for anyone else trapped in the snow."
He shook his head. "That man found three other children like me, and a young woman. All dying of exposure. If he hadn't come along..."