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" The tree had not changed at all since his childhood. As a boy of six, he had climbed it, not realizing its age, and lacking the experience to know the signs of a rotten branch. The wood beneath his feet had crumbled, and he had tumbled with a cry, hands reaching for branches, but only scraping against bark.
And then he hadn't been falling anymore. A man caught him before he struck the ground, and tossed him up into the air again with a chuckle before setting him safe and whole onto his feet. He had been enormous, especially to his child's eyes. A giant of a man, with shoulders so wide they would barely fit through his bedroom door, and eyes as blue as summer. Red-gold hair spilled from a scrap of leather, tying it back, and even crouched before him, Ryam had fairly craned his neck to meet his eyes.
"Best to test the branches first, boy," the man had said, smiling. "Never give your weight fully to any one limb when you climb. I cannot promise I will always be in time to catch you, otherwise. "
― Elise Forier Edie , A Winter's Enchantment
