Soran set down his bowl. Suddenly it seemed very selfish to be eating such wonderful food--Would never have guessed Rudgar to know how to cook...--when his sister and her children were starving. The stew mocked him with their plight, and his heart reproached him for leaving them to fend for themselves. But he couldn't go back to them. Laira wouldn't even recognize him, he had changed so much.
He wanted to do something for them, for his sister-children and their mother, but his place was here now. As much as he hated harming others, here was acceptance of a sort. Here were other people who shared his problems and his sorrow.
Rudgar looked at him strangely when he didn't pick his plate back up. "Aren't you going to eat?"
"No," answered Soran tiredly. He looked at the letter one more time, folded it carefully, and tucked it into his tunic, sighing.
Rudgar looked at Soran, then at the bowl, then he shrugged, picked up the still-full dish and started eating.
|