Kier cried a lot then. And the sheer honesty of it amazed Athyn. It wasn't loud, but Kier would speak with a broken voice, telling Athyn everything that came to his mind without reserve. It was always about Crisia, his sister.
But he laughed every now and then, and it was the sincerest laugh Athyn had ever heard. He never looked at Athyn with lust, but with longing. He surrendered himself completely to her when they were intimate, and even his anger was enrapturing to behold as he vented while practicing his swordplay.
Older Athyn hugged herself looking at all those memories, wishing she had the emotional drive to pierce the skin of her arms with her nails, or to scream at least. It just didn't come to her. She still felt it, though. Even though her hands were relaxed, there was the burn of tearing in her arms, and the soreness of screaming in her throat.