Mount Everfall She lit a fire

Oh.  Maia tried and failed miserably at hiding the disappointment in that word.  At least he seemed genuinely upset at not being able to go.  Otherwise she might have felt like he was just blowing her off because he thought she was irritating.  Not that she was.

That's cool, I guess? Not that you can't go, but that you're a protector.  He was a guardian then.  Immediately that bumped him up because it meant he had a role, and that in turn made him interesting.  Maia enjoyed giving titles, and guard captain wasn't a story she'd played out yet.  She'd met a king, a prince, a monster, and a mercenary.  Now Bronco was amongst that company, but his lower title didn't mean he was any less cool.  Almost the opposite.  It set him apart because she didn't usually go from the follower's perspective.

Before I go, have you fought anything off lately? she asked, after a small pause.  If she was going to make a story, she wanted to base it on truth, but she could totally make something up too if he hadn't!