"Then I fear you'll not have a victor," Alain says gravely. "He is my d... my di... my commander. And my friend. If only one of us can win, it will be him." It isn't what she wants to hear. He doesn't need to be sensitive to know that. But she should have the truth from the start, in such a matter as this, and he's known for many years that he's ready to die for Roland's sake.