Six months ago he would have said Percival was his best friend, but Percival was also his only friend, the only person in his life -- the world was drawn small, God and Percival, Percival and God, the demanding father whose every word he obeyed and the friend who he'd have followed anywhere, and no one else besides them.

Here he has choices, and in the face of those choices he makes another one. He loves Percival, but Percival isn't here, and it's not a betrayal to have another friend who (he takes a breath) matters more now.

"Thou art mine," he says softly.