[ Perhaps it is his own overarching desire to protect her and to live up to being her knight, but he does not wish to be parted from her as well. His recollections of everything that led up to his tempering are murky at best, but he does know they were separated at that time because of their respective duties, and he does not wish for anything like that to happen again.

His thoughts are beginning to swirl away from him when he hears her say his name. The hand that is holding onto hers tightens as a memory stirs unasked for.

It is little better than a flash of images, but he distinctly remembers seeing two Elezen children fleeing, and a tall man in white looming over them. He hears himself shouting at the children to run and hide while he moves to stand in between them and the imposing figure.

What happens next, he cannot tell nor recall, but a vise is gripping his heart and his breaths begin to rapidly increase until standing proves difficult and if not for his hand in hers, he would have dropped to his knees into the snow.

Seconds that feel more like minutes pass before his vision clears and he realizes he is still standing beside her. His other hand raises to pinch the bridge of his nose and he shakes his head as if trying to dislodge the sudden burst of unwanted memories. ]

I- I apologize, I am not sure what came over me.

[ Only, he knows all too well, and he supposes it will not take much for Alkaid to guess at what temporarily overwhelmed his thoughts. ]

We must keep moving and bring whoever it is that is out here to safety. [ Or to relative safety, at least. ]