"I do hope you do. You're unique, Ariel. And it's a shame that She cast you aside just as flippantly as she did me. For a viking no less," His words dripped with contempt. "It breeds a lamentable empathy for you that I never wished to have. But," His tone lightened, "It's how things are now. You have your books and your girl and your unflappable drive to seek out answers, you have your spite and fear that fuels you in regards to me. I didn't know what to do with you again at first, when you fell into this place, but..." He nodded once, as if to cement the opinion in his own mind, "But I sincerely wish for you to succeed in whatever it is you are looking to do. Take all my words with a grain of salt - as I know you do - but take this to heart, Ariel. You were her favorite, but now? You're mine."