The rain had already stopped when I found you, curled beneath a wagon's frame, your breath quiet, your heartbeat weaker, still. I had no orders to intervene. No contract to bind me. And yet, I reached out anyway. That night, I collected you and took you with me.

"You are not a guest here. Nor a burden. You are something else entirely."

I spoke, offering you the space ahead.

"So, welcome. The manor is yours to roam, within reason, of course. You will eat. You will rest. You will be safe. Should the past reach for you again... let it find me in its way."