Chapter 97: Forever You

ETAN

Married! Today? Not having to wait for the Peace Accord?  No longer hiding… 

It sounded like bliss. But Etan knew how desperate Falek must be to suggest it. He was a traditionalist. Borsche had spoken to Etan at length about not pressing the man further—that he already found himself hanging by a thread at the, er, intimacies between Ayleth and Etan.

Falek nodded when Etan asked if he'd correctly understood that they spoke of marriage, but he didn't stop staring at Borsche, whose jaw rolled back and forth, as if he was literally chewing the idea. 

"The risks from your Kingdom's perspective?" Borsche asked Falek.

"The greatest risk is that the King would simply have Etan killed. Remove the union in a permanent sense. Beyond that, if he thinks he can use the union somehow, he might have the witnesses killed so he can manipulate the Summitrans by using Etan as leverage."

Borsche nodded thoughtfully. "And after that?"