She was not a prisoner this time; she was his customer, and that sweet rattle of coins was a constant reminder that he was— for now—on her side. Her birth certificate miraculously surfaced, because this is the internet and the internet makes miracles happen, and confirmed that she's every bit as young as she claims to be. Waaaaay cooler evidence, though? The throwback video below of a rock 'n' rollin' 12-year-old Lorde back when she was nothing more than Ella Yelich-O'Connor. Her heart ached as she thought of him, but her grief was an endless black hole; it wouldn’t do to sink into it now. Not when she was so close to finding the one man who could help her clear her name. It was all Ana could do to keep her hands steady; she was so focused on his reaction that she almost forgot to breathe.