All the tension Rialynn didn't realize she was holding slid out with a shaky sigh of relief and a grateful smile. "Thank you," she said, relaxing her tight grip on her fiddle. "I totally understand things are going to get hectic and you can't watch him all the time. But I'll definitely feel better knowing someone's got his back."

And someday she'd develop the skills necessary to do this herself. She just had to be patient, and diligent in her training.

"If we all make it out of this alive, I'll owe you one. Any favor, just name it. Promise."