Leareth gets back a lot later. "I apologize, it turns out there was a significant backlog of routine things to deal with." He pointedly doesn't look at her notebook. "Doing some useful thinking?" 

"It's important even when it's not useful; it tells me that I'm not for lack of opportunity missing the useful kind." She flips it closed. "When are we expecting turnaround from Valdemar?"

"If they reply immediately to the message I sent, we ought to hear anytime between tonight and tomorrow night. I am not sure that they would reply immediately, though, they may wish to have more time to think it through. I should know more about border movements by tonight, though, I have a number of people Farseeing or scrying the area - less likely to upset Valdemar than sending scouts." 

"Makes sense. I feel like I should be reading a book on diplomacy or something if I might wind up doing any."

"I can certainly recommend some books; I think there is even a section in the library here."

"If anything's in a language I read, lead the way."

Rethwellan is a pretty widely spoken language and it turns out there are a couple of relevant texts. Leareth decides to read them in the other order from Belrun, since it's probably a helpful thing to review even though he's read both of them before - in this current body, even, so he remembers it the normal amount people remember books they read twenty years ago. 

They can snuggle and read, which is nice.

It is! Reading and snuggles can happen for a couple of candlemarks and then Leareth puts the book down and says he's going to sleep. 

She curls up with him, and manages to sleep pretty well considering.

There is not a message from Valdemar in the morning. Or by the evening. They do hear reports of additional Heralds being deployed to the northern border, and reinforcements at the relevant Guard-posts. 

There is not a letter the next day either, though they do receive an egg delivery. Leareth is still very level with all of his personnel about the situation. He has to Gate to a nearby compound to get some reports in person, but it's only fifty miles away, so it's not too uncomfortable for Belrun to stay behind. 

There's still no letter the day after that. 

On the fourth night staying in the guest-room, they end up back in the dream. 

She walks briskly up to Leareth and has to Fetch herself up out of faceplanting in the snow once on the way.

Leareth waits for her and offers his arm before heading toward Vanyel, who isn't moving. He stops fifteen or twenty feet back, near enough that talking is easier but not so close as to infringe on his space. 

"Vanyel," he says. "Are you all right? We received your letter and have been very concerned." 

"I have no idea," Vanyel says flatly. "...I mean, no, actually I'm not very all right." 

"What happened?"

Vanyel stares at her without speaking for a while, then abruptly sits down in the snow. 

"I told Yfandes things," he says. "It was a horrible disaster." 

"Told her what things?"

"Everything from the first conversation before? She wasn't upset about the Cataclysm. But she was - weirdly prickly about the Tayledras. And it turned into a stupid fight and then it got even worse and - I don't understand, she wasn't acting like herself at all. Then she stormed off and wasn't really speaking to me. It's the worst time for it because everyone else is still mad at me too, I was going to go to k'Treva but - now I don't want to have the, um, slavery conversation with them. And then - I was having a bad time and Savil noticed and I just - couldn't talk to her, right then, and she decided to send Melody to my room and I–" he turns away, takes a few deep breaths, "–and I was scared I couldn't hide it from her. So I panicked and I wrote a letter and Gated to the place I was supposed to leave it. Which was awful because I react badly to Gates. And then I Gated back and immediately passed out for days and when I woke up, Rolan had sat Yfandes down and interrogated her and she told him everything in the worst order and..." 

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry - I screwed something up really badly but I don't know what..." Vanyel puts his head down on his knees. 

"How are... things now?"

"Well, everyone thinks I betrayed the Kingdom! Again!" 

"Do you want a hug?"

Vanyel doesn't answer right away. 

"...Yes," he says finally, in a very small voice. 

She goes over and sits in the snow next to him and hugs him.