Ezner let his fingers savor the feel of hers entwined with his own. 

Ezner heard her question, and he had to think about it, he truly did. For when he had given the promise, it had come from instinct, come from a place deep within him. He'd never given a promise before, not to anyone. He had been a slave, he wasn't allowed to make promises, both by former owners, but also by his own self. After all, what use was empty words? A slave was only as good as their utility allowed. Fanciful things like hollow promises were just not something that ever registered.

But when Elisabeth had told him about the words she'd spoken, spoken to him, thinking he was dead and gone, he had truly felt something for the first time in his life. He felt as though he had value to someone. Someone wanted him to be around, not for his ability to fight, or the ability to peel potatoes, or run errands or clean the house. Someone wanted him around just to be around. No, not just someone. Elisabeth wanted him to be around. 

In her soft eyes, in her caring touch, he was a man she truly valued and cared about. To her, he was a person, and always had been. And so, when he spoke, he did so while looking directly at her. And for the first time in his life, he felt like a person speaking to another person, and soft smile adorned his face, slightly curled more on the left than the right.

[b]"I need you in my life."[/b]

Then he gave her fingers a soft squeeze, letting her know that he was here and knew she was too, offering comfort to her as she did to him. He thought back to when they had first met, and she asked him who he wanted to be.

[b]"I am a man who can see the world through his own eyes. And I want to do that with you."[/b]

He then pulled her fingers from his, gently upturning her palm and placing it on his. He glanced at her, then gestured with his gaze down at their hands. And using a finger, one letter at a time, he spelled out Elizabeth into her palm.