"Aye, milady, a part, anyway." He enjoyed animals, and their visits usually made him smile. Today, he was waiting for her words, and when she spoke, he nodded.

"I am well. You have been through much, milady, darkness and pain, sadness and loss, tortures and war. And now, to face a past like this one? I wish I could somehow make things more right for you."

Which, you know, he might be working on, in his own way.

"Do you wish to talk about your past? Some of what you have been through seems such that most would hardly be able to bear it."