"Do you, uh, know what you'd want to do, if you had your kids back?"

" - I imagine I would have to spend quite a bit of time getting them not to hate me."

"Why would they hate you?"

"Because I would have taken them away from their father, the emperor, who they adore, and who they expect to arrange them landed titles and advantageous marriages. And who will send them to hell, if he doesn't possess any of them when he dies."

Nod. 

"Do you think you are meant to be alone, when you do that?"

"I don't know."

Nod.

"Things were simpler when my only hope was death, I think."

"I don't think this world is meant to be very simple."

"No. I suppose not."

"Normally I would not think a woman should marry a fairy. But Hagan thinks that you should, and Hagan is very wise. - with the crown on, at least."

(Hagan snorts.)

"I think his court is very concerned about - us being entangled. And - my presence has indirectly caused a lot of trouble."

"I don't think I understand all the implications of that. Does it mean you don't want to go back to his world?"

"I think we're currently planning to eventually. But - I don't want to do anything that might cause any more problems."

"Does you having a personality cause problems?"

" - I don't think I understand."

"So you don't want to cause problems, which makes sense, but what this - observably looks like - is you getting even smaller and more unassuming and more definitely-won't-hit-back-if-you-hit-me and I was wondering if this was your strategy to not cause problems or if it's unrelated or something."

" - I don't want to - act like I don't understand that having me around has been incredibly dangerous for his people, or like I think I'm entitled to even more from them - "

"So you don't want to push him, on marrying you?"

"I - I mean, you've brought up several reasons it might not be a good idea anyway - "

"So, I want to avoid a few different things. I want to avoid you marrying him because you don't see any other options, that's not a good attitude to take into a marrage. I want to avoid you marrying him and him hurting you. 

But women ought to be married. And luckily for men, women do not only love men that are wholly worthy of their love. It's enough to be - trying very hard to be worthy of your love. That's what I'd say, if he wasn't a fairy and if I was more sure he's not hurting you."

"I'd like to point out that women don't have to be married? I'm sure if you have a lot of small kids to care for then being married makes it easier, but, like, if you don't want to marry your slave owner or anyone else, then you can actually just not marry anybody, that's allowed."

"I'm not a slave. He's not allowed to keep me in debt anymore."

"Is that...good?"

"It means that I can't ask him for favors unless I'm capable of immediately paying him back. Because people think that being entangled with me is a liability."