The feeling of being viewed as lesser because of his birth. Slowly, piece by piece, he had begun to build something stronger inside himself.
But standing here now, beneath the weight of Falein's grief-stricken words, it felt as though all of that hard work was unraveling.
The old doubts crept back in, whispering that perhaps nothing had truly changed.
Ragnar lowered his head.
"Thank you for your time," he said quietly. "I am truly sorry for your loss."
With his back still turned, Falein barely acknowledged Ragnar's parting words.
When Ragnar finally left, he did so with a heavy heart, weighed down by loss and by a dull ache in his chest that refused to fade no matter how far he walked.
