Pulling him back in close, he held him tight and ran his fingers through his hair. For a time, he was quiet, just letting Dal draw comfort from his steady presence. He wished he could find a way to undo the pain that Dal had suffered but that wasn't how life worked. That just wasn't the way things were and they never could be.

"Focus on breathing right now. On being here with me. It won't remove the scars but it will give you a moment to recover. In time you'll heal and find your strength again. But it's alright to let someone else be strong for you until then."