“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice barely audible above the mountain breeze. “You didn’t have to step forward. You could have stayed out of it.”

“I saw what he did,” I replied softly, looking toward the glittering ice wall in the distance. “I couldn’t let you climb that wall knowing what was waiting for you at the top.”

She nodded slowly, taking a deep breath of the crisp mountain air. Together, we began packing up the remaining gear, working side by side in silent solidarity, ready to leave the mountain behind and face whatever lay ahead down in the valley