"You are correct," he says. "She has taken a home in a smaller village -- a fair distance from here -- along the Mother River."

Skellig contemplates briefly how best to word this next part. He would not lie to her brother about how they met, but he knows it may be best if the story is told carefully.

"I am not originally from here," he says. "And I found myself in need of aid, near her village, during the hottest hours of the day. She provided shelter, and beer, for which I was very grateful." Skellig lifts his mug slightly. "Our meeting was quite...fortuitous, as later that day a band of raiders attempted to make off with one of the villagers, and Kreyu and I...put a stop to that."

He will leave out the first instance of digging an arrow from Kreyu's chest out of the story, for now.