Darling, don't be afraid. I have loved you for a thousand years.
Time is weighing heavily on him these days.
He’s been growing steadily weaker over the past year. Despite his best efforts to both rest and stay fit, old age, and previous years of self-neglect are finally beginning to catch up with him.
He hasn’t been able to hide it from Arrya of course - he’s never been able to hide anything from her in the long run after all - but he still worries about little Rora. Their little princess is approaching two years old now - not quite an adult, but not far from leaving childhood behind. She hasn’t yet noticed her father’s condition, but he knows that he cannot hide it from her forever. Sooner or later, she will figure it out … and what then?
She's already changed so much lately, what will it do to her to learn that her father is approaching the end of his life?
The thought dwells on his mind as he tracks his daughter’s scent through the trees. He knows she’s been having a tough time lately (so quiet, so sad - whatever's going on, she can't completely hide it from her parents). Though she won’t give him details, he knows that whatever happened still weighs on her heart (god, when did she get old enough to start keeping secrets from her parents?).
When he finally finds her he’s glad he sought her out. His beautiful little girl is curled up at the base of a thick, overhanging tree, and even from a distance he can see the shaking wracking her little body. No time for thought, he rushes to her. “Rora!” As he reaches her, he stretches out his neck and tries to brush a few tears off of her damp cheeks. “What’s wrong darling?”
I'll love you for a thousand more.