"I did! It was good for me. Got to get out in the world and meet people, and I improved a lot."

"I bet it was fun. I had to beg for nearly a year just to get a lyre, my mother kept telling me that singing was free and why didn't I just do that."

"You poor thing." Pat pat. " - your parents actually seem very terrible, in more important ways, but that'd still frustrate me to no end."

"They were mostly fine. I thought they'd keep her and I could hash it out in more detail if I ever found somebody who'd marry me."

"Did they explain why they didn't?"

"No."

"Are you going to write to them? The palace did, to tell them you're here, but it didn't cover anything else."

"Maybe I'll write to my brother. I don't really want to talk to my parents."

"That makes sense."

"How do I send a letter from here?"

" - I'd give one to you, if I wanted one sent. So probably ask one of the other girls."

"Okay, I'll do that then."

"You aren't obliged to. - you mostly aren't obliged to do things, I'll make it clear if you are, rather than it being the other way around."

"Okay, thank you. That's easier."

"It really is! The other way 'round makes me feel like - I have a knife in my hand all the time and I have no idea how much people are just trying to stay out of range of it."

"I wasn't really worried, I figure there's no reason to bother being worried ahead of time."

"You didn't seem very worried!"

She giggles and snuggles up in a most unworried fashion.

"But I dunno, it seems like there's something I want that's not just - like, say, if we were married, then you could be more than choosing not to worry."

"I guess, but we're not? I don't think I'm allowed to get married at this point actually."

"You can't marry me - unless he forced you? I didn't ask -"

"Not... really? I think? I told my brother about it and he went and looked up the law and said no."

" - well whether I can marry you goes by the law but still, most situations aren't - close enough that it depends on how the law's worded."

"I went up to his room alone on purpose and I wasn't beat up and he didn't hold a knife to my throat or anything."

"But you didn't want -"