"They had almost listened, almost … but the moment was gone. There would be no peace, no chance to heal, no safety. He looked at the princess, watched her as she listened to the lords debate, frowning, distant, yet wedded to her war. She had pledged herself to marry a distant noble, chosen by her father, but he saw her true bride plain before him now: the sword she had laid on the table." LWV — Valentine XI













