ETAN

Borsche sighed heavily, his face dragging for the floor. He put a hand up to Etan’s shoulder and gripped it as he spoke.

"We’re all broken, son," he whispered. "We all are. But she’s strong. She’ll get through this. I’m certain of it. She knows your heart, and you know hers. And more importantly, your union is very clearly from the Father above. You were put on this earth to do this—you can’t give up now. You two will be together—and you’ll lead this nation, the entire continent, to peace. I can see it. So you can. I know you can. But you have to stay the course."

He stared at Etan, unwavering. His determination opened a gaping chasm in Etan’s stomach. He dropped his face into his hands, the strength going out of his arms when he thought of not holding her again. Of not being able to offer even a hushed and frantic whisper of reassurance to her.

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Of leaving without her ever learning the whole truth.

Of leaving her in the grip of that woman who would so coldly and cruelly end her life…

Etan swallowed hard. He didn’t want to do this. He couldn’t fathom never seeing her again—not telling her that she still held his heart. He couldn’t!

Yet, he knew he had to.

Borsche must have seen the decision made in his mind, because he clapped his upper arm and murmured, "Good man."

But Etan still wavered. He put his face in his hands and gritted his teeth against the turmoil within that threatened to tear him apart.

To step back then, back into his bedchamber, to shut the door and turn away from it, to undress and crawl back into bed… it was all to say that he was leaving his wife, the love of his life, to her pain.

He couldn’t bring himself to do it, to admit defeat. To return to that sleepless bed where he could still smell her on the sheets.

He dropped his hands and stared at Borsche, pleading—but he didn’t even know what it was he begged his man to give.

Borsche frowned at him, his forehead lined with worry. But before he could open his mouth, the door from the corridor outside opened. Etan’s heart leaped—had she come for him?!

But in the wake of a Summitran Guard, it was his father who stormed in, still in full royal regalia from the ball, his lined face dark and set.

"Good, you’re still up. This place is a powder keg. There’s tensions brewing that have nothing to do with us, but if we remain, we risk being caught up. So we’re not going to wait for morning. Pack your things, Etan, and get your fiancé. We’re returning to Summitras now."

*****

AYLETH

There was too much activity in the stone hallways. Too many servants, too many guards, too many drunk nobles. She and Falek had been forced to double back more than once, but now they were only three corridors from Etan’s door, and her heart was leaping in her chest.

Falek leaned around the corner of a hallway to look up and down and make sure there were no witnesses.

"We came too early," he muttered. "There were too many people still awake after the Peace Accord." When the coast was clear, he reached for her hand and pulled her into the corridor, trotting as quickly as they dared, trying to keep their steps from ringing on the stone beneath their feet.

Ayleth didn’t respond. What was the point? She’d known it would be busy in the castle tonight, but she’d never imagined this many, especially in the royal visitors. But she should have remembered that as long as the royals were awake and celebrating, their servants were working too.

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Thankfully, things seemed to have settled in the past half hour and they’d made quick progress finally. Now they were almost there.

After the bustle of the earlier corridors it was almost eerie to finally be surrounded by so few lamps lit, dark silence in the halls. But she thanked the Goddess they weren’t going to have a harder time reaching Etan’s quarters.

Two minutes later they approached his door, and Ayleth’s heart soared—and hammered. Falek frowned, but didn’t speak and she assumed he was still angry that she wasn’t going to allow him to punish Etan for her.

When they reached the door, Falek turned it slowly, then opened it only far enough to peer inside and make sure it was dark. Then he silently ushered Ayleth through. They’d agreed he would stay in the sitting room while she entered his chamber. He’d be close enough to hear, but would leave her to confront Etan directly in private.

Ayleth slipped in, one of her boots scuffing on the floor just inside the door, and it echoed oddly, but she couldn’t think beyond the pounding of her heart and her pulse thrumming in her ears.

Leaving Falek to guard the door as he saw fit, she hurried across the sitting room, not bothering to light a lamp. There was enough light from the moon coming through the window, but the cold light made the room feel empty and hollow—like her heart.

Shaking off her fancies, Ayleth reached his bedchamber door and took a deep breath, turning the handle, then freezing before she opened it.

Here was where she would learn… learn if he had brought… another woman…

Ayleth swallowed, hesitating.

"Ayleth, I think—" Falek whispered. But she shook her head and pushed the door open quickly, stepping inside and closing it behind her so he wouldn’t try to follow. She had to do this on her own.

The room was pitch black and she stood a moment to let her eyes adjust.

She could smell him. And that smell made her heart sing—and opened a hole in it that threatened to engulf her.

"Etan?" she whispered.

There was no response. No answering rustle of bedclothes. No sleepy grunt.

"Etan?" she said louder, stepping forward—which was when she heard the way her boots rang on the stone.

Where were the rugs? Where was…

Heart pounding, Ayleth darted across to the window and threw a curtain back, heedless of the screech of it across the rail. She whirled then, in the moonlight and her mouth fell open.

The bed was stripped, the quilts thrown back and folded at its foot. The pillows in a simple stack. She turned to scan the room and found only furniture, clean and free of the small detritus of life—no belts, no handkerchiefs, no books…

No Etan.

"Falek!" she tried to make the word a command, but her voice was high and thin.

He opened the door immediately, and she saw the truth on his face.

"We’re too late, Ayleth.. I’m sorry… They’re gone."

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