ETAN
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"It might be, that I understand a man’s choice to... to hurt another heart for her own safety. To... leave a love for... the greater good," he said carefully, his jaw clenched.
Etan’s breath rushed out. "What:? When did—?"
"It might be that I could imagine how that might feel," Falek said, very carefully. "However... to do so without warning her. That I do not understand."
"If I had warned her and it had changed her reaction to the situation in even the tiniest part, her mother would have been onto her..." Etan shuddered. "She trapped me. When we first began to speak, she made it seem as if she might help us—as if she only wanted to make sure I could and would truly love Ayleth. But when she was convinced that I would, that I wouldn’t be swayed from it, or tempted away... that was when she revealed her truth. Until then she remained civil. And when she turned she told me that if I’d had some modicum of ambition, or some selfish motive, she could have worked with that and would have helped us. But the fact that I loved Ayleth with my life, that I wouldn’t consider betraying her or manipulating her... You should have seen her eyes, Falek. The woman is dark to her soul. My integrity was a wound and a barrier in her eyes—a disgusting one."
Falek nodded. "I know."
Etan was stunned. "Then how could you have served her for so long? How could you have stayed there? If you know the Father of Lights, how could you allow yourself to be a tool in their hands?!" Etan hissed.
"I am not," Falek said quietly. "Whether they believed I was or not, I already knew that my heart was not theirs. I suppose I had let myself feel... comfortable for a time. But getting you two married only proved my own heart to me. My calling, my loyalty is to Ayleth, not to her parents."
"Then understand that mine is, as well. And whether I errored and made the wrong choice or not, I did so with the intention to save her."
Falek rolled his jaw, but he was staring at the ground again, not the forest. "Very well. Let us say that I can accept that this occurred with good intent. That it doesn’t demonstrate a fatal flaw in you," he said, and his lips twitched up on one side, "you say that you’ve learned from it. What, exactly, do you take away? Why should I trust that if you are faced with a seemingly impossible situation once more, you will not make the same choice?"
"Have you not seen that I have learned in these past weeks? Have you not seen that when I give my word to something, I keep it?"
Falek looked at him sharply at that, but Etan remained silent. His resolution to leave Ayleth had been in alignment with his vow to protect her, not a breach of it!
He waited for Falek to see the argument in his eyes. The older man sighed then and turned to scan the trees again.
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"I suppose I might... see that," he said reluctantly.
Etan took a deep breath of relief. "Then please... brother... stop holding me at a distance. We both care for her. We are both vowed to her. We are allies—even more now than before. It is going to take all of our combined strength and wit to keep her safe through this. She does not yet fully comprehend the ruthlessness of her own parents."
Falek nodded his jaw twitching, his eyes darting around the trees and shadows. "That is true," he said. "I have tried to warn her, but she sees their good, and because their darkness isn’t as evident she thinks I... exaggerate."
Etan shook his head. "I’ve told her now, just how darkly her mother dealt with me. I hope she will believe me and not think it an excuse. But however she regards it, the fact is that we must get her to the Palace as quickly as we can, and we must all stand watch—especially in Anvor. Every ruler on the Continent has eyes and ears there. And her parents will know our best chance of evading them is to use the city as a pass. I have no doubt their messengers will have travelled faster than us since they can take the roads. So, please... let us work together now, to get her through safely, and to reach Summitras. I know I can keep her safe there—especially if you and Borsche are with me. But we have to be in harmony. I can’t work against you and them. Something will snap."
Falek turned back to regard him for a long second, then finally, to Etan’s eternal relief, he reached out, palm up and arm parallel to the ground, offering the hand-clasp of a warrior in Zenithra.
Etan reached up and took it, praying Ayleth wouldn’t wake. He didn’t wince when the soldier’s grip cut off circulation to his arm for a moment.
Falek didn’t smile, but something in his eyes danced.
When they released each other, the Knight Defender sat back and returned to his scrutiny of their surroundings, while Etan, his heart a good deal lighter, put his arm over Ayleth again and tried to rest.
She stirred again when he shifted so his arm wouldn’t be too heavy at her waist, but her eyes didn’t open.
He lay there, almost dozing, but not quite asleep, until Falek got up and began a circuit of the nearby forest.
Only then did Ayleth draw a hand up his spine and lift her chin. Without opening her eyes, she whispered, "Thank you."
Etan grunted and held her close.
Then Ayleth sighed. "Next time, please don’t speak about me as if I’m a child. Honestly, it gets very tiresome being surrounded by men all the time," she said dryly.
Etan chuckled and pulled her closer. "I think many things of you, Ayleth, but being a child is definitely not one of them."
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