Aidan touched her arm gently. "It's time," he said. "Mother's already fussing over the table."
Daphne nodded, though her feet refused to move. "I know," she murmured. "Just… give me a second."
Aidan studied her face. "You've faced worse, Daphne. You can face dinner."
She let out a weak laugh. "I don't know. This feels harder."
Before Aidan could respond, Finn's head popped into the room. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, eyes scanning her like he always did when he was worried.
"He's here," Finn said.
Daphne swallowed.
"We're waiting," Finn added softly, "You don't have to do this alone."
He walked over and took her other arm. Aidan did the same, one on each side of her, like they used to when they were younger and she was scared of the dark.
"Come on," Aidan said. "One step at a time."
They walked her down the stairs.
