#I'd consider it one of the most meaningful scenes in the entire series.

[rosinasnoot]

"Some of us, October, will not leave you."

Spoilers up to book 6 (Ashes of Honor) below the cut.

It's such a simple statement, even said with great hesitation. But the second time through it still punches me in the gut, because this is the moment. Toby herself frequently comments on the complexity of her relationship (in the generic sense) with Tybalt, so by this point I had figured out that they were kind of into each other.

But this? This goes so far beyond being merely "into" Toby. He saw her soul, he understands the darkest parts of her, and he chose her. Tybalt is not merely attracted to her; he knows her on a fundamental level and he decided that he is going to keep her in his life. He chose her completely and he chose her forever, and he knows that that choice will cause him pain but he could never take it back; his heart doesn't have a return policy. He's so careful with it because when he gives it away, he gives all of it.

If he dies, he will come back. If and when they fight, he will do everything he can to make sure they reach the other side of it, alive and together. The alternative is unthinkable. He understands the promise he's making, how much it means to her for him to say that he will always come back. He doesn't make it lightly. He could swear on the oak and the ash and the rowan and the thorn, on Oberon's honor and Maeve's heart and Titania's pride, but he doesn't need to. Because this is more than a promise. It's a fact. He will not leave her.