Baron Loghlan watched the scene before him with the eyes of a man who had seen many things in his long life, but few as profound as this. Two young men, one human and one Eldritch, holding onto each other with a desperation that spoke of bonds much deeper than friendship, and far stronger than a simple alliance or the relationship between a lord and his vassals.
Brothers, Milo had called them. Watching them now, watching the way they clung to each other while tears streamed down both their faces, Loghlan could see the truth of it. This wasn't the casual camaraderie of soldiers who had fought side by side. This wasn't even the deep friendship of men who had saved each other's lives in battle.
This was family. Chosen family, perhaps, bound not by blood but by shared suffering and mutual sacrifice. But family nonetheless, with all the fierce loyalty and desperate love that the word implied.
