Chapter 14

"Eliena, can we… talk to you?" Duke Gareth asked four nights later as Eliena was writing home to Leo.

"Of course, uncle," she replied. She signed off her letter with: I have to go. I miss you! Love always, Eli. She folded it, wrote Leo on the front, and followed her uncle to the common area. Thayet, Numair, and Gary looked nervous. She noted that Lord Martin was absent. She glanced at Duke Gareth, and saw he, too, was nervous. "What's the matter?"

"Eli…" Numair sighed. "We have some… difficult news."

"Is it father? Or mother? Or Lianne? Or Roald? Or Leo? Or George? Or Rose? Or Neal? Or-" Thayet raised her hand, cutting her off.

"No, Eli, sweetheart," she said. "No one back home. This is about you."

"Uh oh," Eliena remarked, trying to lighten the mood. "What have I done this time?"

"El, listen," Gary said. "Sometimes, we have to make deals for peace."

"Yeah…"

"And, this time, that deal might involve you."

Eliena was silent. She didn't know what to say. "What does that mean?" she asked slowly.

Duke Gareth took a deep breath. "Eliena, Emperor Ozorne says that the only way he will have peace is if you marry Kaddar."

"What?" Eliena exploded. "Marry Kaddar? But, I can't! I'm the heir… oh, Goddess." She collapsed onto the couch and put her head on Numair's shoulder. "He wants Tortall, doesn't he?"

"Yes." The reply was simple, but the meaning was great.

"Father will never let me," Eliena said. "Even if I wanted to…"

"Eliena, the decision is ultimately yours. Ozorne has already sent word to your father about this. We expect notice from him within the week on your father's wishes," Thayet told her gently. "And Jonathan knows that not agreeing could mean war for Tortall."

"Which is exactly what we came here to avoid," Gary remarked. He sighed and put his hand on Eliena's back. "Listen, El, Thayet's right. You, not Jonathan, have the final say. Not even Alanna can get you out of this one. And there is no way to bow out without there being terrible repercussions. Even if Jonathan produced a quick arranged marriage, Ozorne could still threaten us with war. Eliena, if we want peace to go as planned, you have to marry him."

"I'm too young to marry," Eliena said simply.

"Tell that to George," Gary replied. "They marry as young as fourteen in the City."

"How d'you know?" Eliena asked.

"Alanna told me that he'd told that to her when she was fifteen," Gary explained. Eliena knew well that her uncle had once harbored intense feelings for her mother.

"But… I can't," Eliena whispered, looking to Numair. "I just can't." Numair kissed her nose.

"We know, Eli. We know this is hard. Thayet can go over some of the details, because she knows it better than I do," he replied. Then he smiled. "But think about it Eli. You'd have immense wealth, and Varice would help you. Maybe I could even stay here…"

"But everyone else would have to go back," she said. "And I'd never see mother or father. And the people of Tortall would be livid."

"Sometimes, we have to make sacrifices in the short time to do what's best in the long run," Duke Gareth told her. "Think it over carefully, Eliena. We don't want to make a rushed decision here."

Eliena took a deep breath. "How long do I have?"

"Two weeks," Thayet replied. "No more."

"I'll think it over," Eliena promised. She looked around at the people. "Carefully."

"That's my girl."

Author's Note- I've been planning that FOREVER. Now, REVIEW.