He waited for Lakota to speak and began to suspect that she would turn and run away again. Running seemed to be her answer every time she had to face her emotions. She was only strong when she could physically fight. She was damaged and it was his fault because he had not been able to fully protect her from the monstrosities that had been their parents. She had suffered and endured as he had and she was only a hollow shell of what she could have been. He should have taken her the day she was weaned and ran away with her, raised her on his own in the wilds where she would not have been subjected to the hatred of their parents. Alleo could continue for a lifetime about what he should have done to protect her and how he had failed her in so many ways. It was only the sound of her voice as she called to him that shook him from his thoughts and made him lift his mismatched gaze so it settled on her face.

"Do you remember...do you remember when I got into a fight with that yearling, for calling you a bad brother?"

"Of course." His voice broke through the silence that had enveloped them in her brief silence. How could he forget? He had been the one to discipline her for what she had done, remind her of her place as a princess. It was he that had to explain to her that sometimes you just had to leave someone to their opinion, because that was exactly what it was. An opinion held no truth to it, nor did it hold any hint of a lie.

He was silent again as his sister spoke, but he could not help but feel as if she'd driven a knife into his beating heart. He did not like to remember that she had called him a bad brother. As upset as he was with her, and as much as he wanted her to just leave him alone he did not hate her. "Il mio cuore." He said softly as she continued to speak, choking on her apology then proclaiming her hatred for Rasta, which was borne out of pure jealousy. "Did I love you any less when Hana was born?" To him the answer was simple. No. No, he did not love Lakota any less when Hana was born. If anything he found that he could love more. Could he not do the same thing with Rasta? Could he not extend love to her and draw her into the dysfunctional folds of their family?

"Jealousy is unattractive" He murmured as he gazed at his younger sister. "How would you feel if I told you that I hated the one you loved?" He had not been jealous when Lakota had found love the first time. In fact he'd been happy for her and part of him hoped that her lover would whisk her away into the night and save her from the torturous fate that her family had in store for her.

"I'm supposed to be an adult. I'm supposed to be okay with you falling in love, with...with you leaving me. But I'm not.... Non ti scordar di me..."

"You are foolish, Il mio cuore." He wondered how she would react to being called a fool, but she was acting like one. A jealous fool, but at least now she realized her mistakes and was apologizing. Her pride must be hurting terribly because he could not remember his foolish little sister ever admitting she was wrong about anything and apologizing. "Tu sei la ragione io vivo."

"."



Translation:
Il mio cuore - My heart
Tu sei la ragione io vivo - You're the reason I live