"That is between him and the consequences of his action, Killian. Do not darken your own heart, brother, because of his dark heart. It is not for you nor I to decide the life and death of any other man."
"It is ours to mourn, and ours to learn how to better defend. You work towards ending his presence in your life, my brother, not towards ending his life all together. And any life that lacks you in it, is all the poorer, I assure you."
"Perhaps vengeance seems as though it would be satisfying, but it is bad form, brother, and more... it will never be enough. His death will not ease the pain, nor will it bring her back. It will only serve to hurt the person she loved, and to do her memory both dishonor and disservice."
"The best way to honor her memory and her love is to live well, to do ever things that would make her proud. To grieve, to mourn, then to eventually move on. A heart undarkened by killing, Killian, has infinite capacity to love. To heal. You can find happiness again, even love, so long as your heart is true. But my brother, the dark path of death and vengeance... it hurts you more than it hurts the one you would have your vengeance on."
"I am not saying that you are not entitled to your anger, for you most certainly are. But it is in service of nothing to do in one who did wrong by you and those you love. To kill for the law, because those trusted to be responsible and dispassionate and separate from the emotions of the incident... that... that be a stormy sea, my brother, and one I'd as soon not sail."
"Our ship saw little combat, because I could never resolve in my heart the need to kill men we knew not, even for king and country. We took missions to protect cargo ships, we killed only to defend, and only when we absolutely had to. Better to take prisoners, better to give all a chance to grow and redeem themselves, those who attacked that which we protected, and ourselves."
"But Killian... every man who ever died upon the decks of my ship... I see every night in my dreams, and before them. Is it not the same for you? Men who died because we defended a civilian vessel, men who died because they took ill and we were too far from shore to fetch help."
He closed his eyes. "Mayhaps, brother, that was why I was so eager to believe the king... think of it... a way that no one ever had to die upon our decks again, a way to undo death itself, to protect but not kill...."
"That, my brother, would have truly been the best form."
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"It is ours to mourn, and ours to learn how to better defend. You work towards ending his presence in your life, my brother, not towards ending his life all together. And any life that lacks you in it, is all the poorer, I assure you."
"Perhaps vengeance seems as though it would be satisfying, but it is bad form, brother, and more... it will never be enough. His death will not ease the pain, nor will it bring her back. It will only serve to hurt the person she loved, and to do her memory both dishonor and disservice."
"The best way to honor her memory and her love is to live well, to do ever things that would make her proud. To grieve, to mourn, then to eventually move on. A heart undarkened by killing, Killian, has infinite capacity to love. To heal. You can find happiness again, even love, so long as your heart is true. But my brother, the dark path of death and vengeance... it hurts you more than it hurts the one you would have your vengeance on."
"I am not saying that you are not entitled to your anger, for you most certainly are. But it is in service of nothing to do in one who did wrong by you and those you love. To kill for the law, because those trusted to be responsible and dispassionate and separate from the emotions of the incident... that... that be a stormy sea, my brother, and one I'd as soon not sail."
"Our ship saw little combat, because I could never resolve in my heart the need to kill men we knew not, even for king and country. We took missions to protect cargo ships, we killed only to defend, and only when we absolutely had to. Better to take prisoners, better to give all a chance to grow and redeem themselves, those who attacked that which we protected, and ourselves."
"But Killian... every man who ever died upon the decks of my ship... I see every night in my dreams, and before them. Is it not the same for you? Men who died because we defended a civilian vessel, men who died because they took ill and we were too far from shore to fetch help."
He closed his eyes. "Mayhaps, brother, that was why I was so eager to believe the king... think of it... a way that no one ever had to die upon our decks again, a way to undo death itself, to protect but not kill...."
"That, my brother, would have truly been the best form."