His small smile gives her a bit of reassurance, but
there’s something  to it  that  she   doesn’t   initially
identify. It was a heaviness…    which only adds to
the doubt   scratching    at the initial excitement of
seeing her older brother again. 

She tries not to think of how she had  been  when she 
was that tall. How she had been near inseparable with 
Ethan — she missed him more than anything. 

              “ You can’t have   expected    me to stay
                 small forever     …   “      She wanted to 
                 hug him – but something was stopping 
                 her. Perhaps the heaviness of his small 
                 smile, “ Where’s Rodrik?” 

    at the mention of their brother’s name, asher drops his head,
    taking a breath. this was no easy thing to say, especially not to
    talia; when they’d already lost so much. asher knew it should’ve
    been him to stay behind. rodrik was the rightful lord, he was the
    firstborn. asher had already been exiled as it was, he didn’t
    deserve to be a lord. but it wasn’t as if ryon could lead them. 

                           “ he … gryff ambushed us.”

    there’s not much else to be said. he can’t really tell his baby sister
    that rodrik sacrificed himself for asher, could he ? maybe he was
    just too craven to say it.