Myla Ashbourne wasn't a stranger to him, but she might as well have been.
Liam had known of her for years. Everyone did. The blacksmith's daughter—tough, quiet, sharp-tongued when provoked. She carried herself like someone who preferred to be overlooked—but only on her own terms. He respected that.
Liam leaned against the outskirts of the festival, arms crossed, watching as people weaved between vendor stalls. The Forge Festival turned Tirvainne into something it wasn't the other 364 days of the year—loud, bright, alive. The bonfires burned too high, and the ale flowed too freely. He'd never admit it, but there was something comforting about the predictability of it all.
He wasn't looking for her, but happened to notice where she stood at her family's stall, her posture tight as she exchanged words with Eldon Harwick. Liam didn't need to hear the conversation to know what was happening. Harwick had a way of talking to people, especially women, like they should be grateful for the privilege of his attention.
Liam's jaw clenched. He hated men like that.
His first instinct was to step in, but Myla held her own—her voice sharp, her expression unreadable except for the gleam of defiance in her eyes.
Liam shifted his weight, watching. He didn't like the way Harwick leaned in. If he so much as lifted a finger—
Then she smiled.
It wasn't real—Liam knew a fake smile when he saw one—but it was a weapon of its own, honed and polished.
As Harwick walked away, Liam felt the tension ease from his own shoulders, a release he hadn't realized he was holding onto.
She doesn't need you.
He repeated the phrase like a mantra, hearing it in the voices of role models who had told him—again and again—that not everyone needed saving. But it never silenced the regrets, the haunts of his past. The relentless what-ifs.
What if he could have saved his parents? What if he could have spared Xaden from carrying the burden of the rebellion alone? What if he could have stayed with his sister, ensured her safety?
And that's why he couldn't bring himself to shake Myla Ashbourne from his thoughts.