Duskfire Glacier maybe it's okay to hurt

"Fath-Alder was quite a womaniser wasn't he?" Hawthorn spoke, his tone soft and thoughtful, but bearing an underlying layer of bitterness. "I'm not quite sure how I feel about having...my father as a manwhore. But I don't suppose it really matters, given that he killed his own son and abandoned the rest," Haw shrugged then and looked away. He was more or less just talking to himself, using Eden to bounce his ideas off. It was easier for him to think, this way.
"Okay," Hawthorn replied obediently when Eden said they could start tomorrow morning. "That sounds good." He was about to leave then and allow the leader to get back to her duties, but then he felt the urge to speak. "I just want to say that I'm not Alder; I'm not going to leave suddenly, and I don't mind not being heir or whatever anymore. I like Kieran a lot, I think he would be make a better leader than I would anyways. I would be a terrible leader. And I just want to say that regardless of what my sister does or say, I thank you for saving us, taking care of us, teaching me and giving us a new home," he blurted out suddenly. Rose would undoubtedly disagree with him, but Haw found that he no longer cared as much.
Yes, he cared for his sister and would move mountains and rocks for her if he could, but he realised that his life didn't revolve around her, and whilst he would continue protecting her, he needed to live his own life out. We all only live once, after all.