Jorren studied him a long moment, taking in the changes seven months apart had wrought — the new confidence in his stance, the unfamiliar companions at his side, the particular weight in his eyes that hadn't been there before. Then, without further words, the big man pulled him into an embrace that nearly cracked a rib, gruff and fierce and entirely unlike anything Rohan remembered from their months training together.
"You stupid, reckless boy," Jorren said, voice thick. "You could have sent word. You could have —" He stopped himself, pulling back, something like genuine relief breaking across his weathered features. "Never mind. You're here. That's what matters. Maerin's going to want to see this with her own eyes before she believes it."
