AYLETH
She dropped her head and wrung her hands as Falek gaped at her. "I understand," she said, blinking back tears. "You must know, I never intended—never would have wanted—for you or anyone else to be troubled for my decisions."
"While I believe you, dear heart, you have to know, it doesn't matter what you wanted," he said. "It would only matter what happened. If you were hurt—or killed—not only would I and your guard pay, your servants, and… Ayleth, the consequences within the castle alone…" he sagged, his anger giving way to fear. He tugged his fingers through his hair and shook his head. "You must tell me—how long have you known the guards were so easily avoided?"
She didn't look up. "A couple of years."
"Ayleth!"
"I didn't think it would matter—they'd catch people who didn't live here. I had to take weeks of watching them to figure it out!"
"And you think an enemy wouldn't do the same?"
