Pt’this took Carla to one of the private meeting rooms. He didn’t want this conversation overheard. “Carla, I’m sorry. We can’t change the wedding ceremony that much. There are traditions we have to follow, laws we have to obey. Ann is part of the royal family. As such, she is required by law to stay a virgin until she’s legally married. The punishment is death. “There are those among the court who don’t believe she should even be here. She’s an orphaned, half-breed, bastard child of a peasant woman. When she was ten years old, she ran away and turned her back on the throne and the kingdom. She was gone for seven years. When we found her, Emeton and Tylan welcomed her back. They treated the incident as if it had never happened. Many on the court were furious. They wanted her banished. They don’t want her on the throne even as regent. “If we change the ceremony, they will claim it as invalid, that she and Andy aren’t married. Only, they won’t contest it right away. They will wait until they’re sure she’s no longer a virgin. “Emeton already made an exception for one of his children. He cannot do the same for another without appearing weak. The weaker he appears, the more risk he is at for losing the throne. If he loses the throne, he won’t be able to protect her. “That law is part of the treaty with the dragons. If the Dragon High Council decides to back the nobles, I won’t be able to help her either. Neither will Nim. “We have to be careful for her sake, and for Andy’s. We have to follow the ceremony. Andy can give her the ring as a wedding gift during the banquet. Would that be acceptable or is this a required custom?” Carla shook her head. “No, it isn’t required. The banquet will be fine. I’m sorry for being difficult.” “It’s okay. Andy’s your son, and you want what’s best for him. Things are different here. It’s hard to know what to expect.” “I don’t mean to cause trouble. We haven’t seen each other in a couple of years. We don’t talk much, and I worry.” “I understand. Shall we go back and see what other things they’re planning?” Pt’this suggested. When they returned, Ann told Pt’this Elos needed to know who his escort would be. “No one. I asked Governor Borat, but he’s still too busy overseeing the repairs of Resdelk.” Pt’this shrugged. Governor Borat was a descendant of the humans who had raised Pt’this after his mother died. “You’re my only family.” Andy caught his mother’s arm and kept her from mentioning Pt’bur. “Surely you have some distant cousin?” Emeton insisted. Pt’this smiled and shook his head. “Wasn’t Ida’s sister married to Ponmar?” Ann asked. “Yes. Why?” “Well, his sister was married to the brother of the husband of the sister of Ti’s mother.” “What?” Pt’this asked. “Your mother’s sister was...” Ann started. “No, I know that. How do you know?” “Once in class, we were talking about how all the Baj-tisk were descendants of the original group of dragons, that you were all related. So, after class, we sat down to see if we could figure out how any of the young ones were related. Kith and Ti were able to find a connection.” “And you remembered it?” Pt’this raised an eyebrow. “Ti’s mentioned it a few times.” Ann shrugged. “It’s a bit of a stretch.” “What about Tolin? He’s Ann’s uncle. You’re Ann’s uncle. It’s much simpler, and it fits as dragon family,” Emeton suggested. Pt’this laughed. “Do you think he’d be willing?” “He’s a dragon brother. Of course, he would.” His words surprised Ann. He hadn’t mentioned being a dragon brother since she’d come home after running away. He felt unworthy of it for letting the trouble between his children get so bad. “It’s close enough. I’m okay with it if he is.” Pt’this nodded. The rest of the plans continued smoothly.