"I know. 

- I acknowledge that most of your reasons for being terrified right now are entirely legitimate but I think one of them isn't. Nothing's going to go horribly wrong because you didn't think of a good solution fast enough, we're in no hurry and we'll wait to do anything until you and I are both convinced we're not going to think of anything better under more favorable conditions. All right?"

"All right."

"So one thing we could do is give the children to Rána by transferring all the debts. I know he was avoiding that earlier but I don't think there's a good reason not to, he was just being - courteous to you, after a fashion. You'd still have a stronger claim on them than he would, of course."

Nod. "That seems - possibly better for most of the people involved. I am hesitant to take actions that have even higher costs for him than what I've already asked."

"Yep, me too. The problem with having them stay here and do things for us is that the food is more expensive than most things they can do are valuable, but another option is to send you south with books we want copied or something."

"I could probably do that. I'm not - I can't see how much various things are worth in relation to each other, I don't know how many it would take."

"Ten? Fifteen? Might be fewer if they're books of my father's that no one else here can copy very well because they don't know the language. It'd be more than a night's work but you could make progress on it tonight."

Nod. "I could probably pay it off that way, then. At least a lot of it."

"Do you prefer that to transferring the debt? Or want to do both?"

"We can still pay it off with me copying books, if he's the one in debt to you?"

"You'd have to settle it up between you but it hardly matters what balance you're running internally, at this point."

Nod. "I would rather the children be directly indebted to him. And I'll copy the books."

Nod. 

"I certainly hope you don't need our help again, but if you find yourselves in danger - come back here, all right?"

Nod.

Then they can transfer the debt.

And she can see if Rána's father has anything that it would be valuable to copy?

Sure, he can sort that out. "Are you all right? The children did just fine, really, they seem clever to me."

"I'm very glad to hear it. I'm - uncomfortable asking for things, but I seem to do quite a lot of it anyway, and I'm never quite sure if I'm making responsible decisions, I suppose. And I want the children to end up much freer than I was."

He hands her some books. "Well, pay it off and then there's no question of whether you're responsible, right?"

"I suppose there won't be. Thank you."

"Oh, and there are some things you should sketch for me while you're in Greece." He has a list of them.

"Sure. I'm a poet, not a painter, but I'll do my best."

"I know you will."

Well, at least every time she visits court and has a heart attack she gets to be reminded that at least one person here is wonderful and definitely doesn't hate her.

And now they can be off to Greece. They'll probably want to slow Dyre before they get there, given that he speaks passable German and doesn't know a word of Greek.

Sure. Is he useful for anything or should Rána slap him in the face a bunch more.