AARYN
Aaryn blinked. "You are… joking, right?"
Reth shot him a look. "No. I recognize it isn't needed—and clearly wasn't a part of the plan. But now that you have time to think, time to consider how this will impact the people—and Elreth as their leader—maybe you should give it some thought?"
"I can't say that that has crossed my mind." Then he looked at Reth, frowning. "I didn't think you were old fashioned about these kinds of things."
"I'm not… well… No, I'm not. I just…"
Aaryn frowned. He'd never seen Reth stumble on his words like that.
The older man ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. "Look, we're talking about my daughter. I know you love her—the Creator knows, I've been praying for you two to get your heads out of your asses for years. But things have changed. She's a Queen now. Every decision she makes, every relationship she enters, will affect the entire Kingdom.
