She pulls back to look at him.

"Sameth," she says, brushing his hair back from his face.

"There is nothing more important to me than you and your sister."

And Touchstone, always, and there's Lirael now - but that's still so new.

"The duty is something I have to do, but I will always love you more than that. It wouldn't matter to me if you weren't a Charter mage at all. Nothing will change that."