“Nim, I need your help. They’re going after Ann,” Pt’this told Nim. “Already?” Pt’this nodded. “Just a moment.” Nim shut the door. Pt’this thought he heard voices. A moment later Nim was back. “Do you have a woman in there? Didn’t you take Joanne back home?” He asked. “What? Jo’s gone. There’s no one in there.” Nim frowned. Pt’this looked at his friend. He looked drained. Likely he had been scrying the woman. There was no time to dwell on that now. He explained what was going on and why they needed him, leaving out the part with Kartonesh. Nim nodded. “Andy was smart not to trust them. I’m surprised Shunati is involved.” “I don’t think they gave him a choice. And this way he can keep an eye on the healer they brought.” He had Nim wait in the hall saying there were too many people in the room already. After a moment, Andy came to the door and handed him the sheet. The nobles and Shunati followed. Pt’this sat down inside. “How did they know we were even here? We weren’t supposed to be back until tomorrow evening,” Ann asked. “They may have seen us land and assumed it was you,” Tor suggested. “They’ve probably been watching our rooms since we left,” Pt’this said. “Or Kortu may have told them. He always knows where everyone is.” “They tried to bully Andy into giving them the sheet once you were gone,” Tor informed him. “I told them a violation of the treaty at this point would be seen as an act of war and would be treated as such. They didn’t realize I’m not Baj-tisk. I apologize for overstepping my place. This seems more like vindictiveness than a desire to hold up any law.” “It is,” Pt’this said. “And most likely, the High Council would agree with you. We saw this coming. It’s part of the reason they were made Baj-tisk and also partly why an emissary’s here.” “What did you do to create such enemies?” Tor asked Ann. “I was born. They don’t want a bastard half-breed with no royal blood anywhere near the throne.” “The nobles feel threatened by her. She’s well-liked by the peasantry and foreign leaders,” Pt’this added. “Apparently, if the council adopted her,” Tor observed. “Tor, there's something else,” Pt’this said softly. “Kithmar...” “I know. I felt it when you told Kartonesh. I really should go to him. Ann will be okay after some rest.” “I’ll take you back up and then show you where you can sleep tonight.” “Thank you.” “I’ll meet you in our room,” Sapphire said and kissed him. Alone, Andy crawled into bed with Ann. “I’m sorry for all this,” he whispered but doubted she heard. She seemed to be asleep already. He thought back to when she first woke up, only it hadn’t been Ann then, it was Drepal. As he hugged her, she whispered, “don’t trust him, even if he is family.” He wondered what she could know about Kartonesh that Ann didn’t. He fell asleep wondering about it. *** Nim woke Andy up early. “They’re pushing to see the king first thing. They’re claiming the proof was faked,” he whispered. Andy started to wake up Ann. Nim stopped him. “Don’t. Her temper won’t help, and if Drepal wakes up, all the proof of her virginity in the world won’t help her.” Andy nodded and got dressed. He grabbed some documents and followed Nim. At first, Kortu refused to admit them. Nim pointed out that he was the emissary of the High Council and as such was required to be there. He also pointed out that as a member of court, Prince Andy had every right to be there as a representative for the accused. Still, it seemed as if Kortu would refuse them. Nim let out a low growl, and Kortu let them in. Emeton looked worried. He looked as though he may have given up hope. “Andrew, these men are claiming the proof you sent them last night was faked.” “I was a witness when Shunati examined the sheets,” Nim said. “He said the proof was genuine.” “There was too much activity.” “That’s not unreasonable for a dragon.” Nim shrugged. “You’ve had sex that mush in one night?” “Me? No. I don’t have a mate. I know Pt’this has. So did Pt’this’s brother, Kar, and his mate was a healer that didn’t like being touched.” “I still find that hard to believe for her first time.” “Do you know what I find hard to believe?” Andy asked. “That this farce has been gone allowed to go on so long.” He pulled out a parchment. “This is a copy of the treaty made for me by Elos. It states; all members of the royal family and the court shall remain virgins until they are properly and legally married as an example to the rest of the kingdom to promote monogamy. Furthermore, all married couples should also practice monogamy. Punishment for this offense shall be the death of both participating parties. Exceptions shall include the following: victims of rape or coercion, court members who lost their virginity before becoming members, provided they follow the law once having been made members, court members who are not citizens, provided they follow the laws of the kingdom they are citizens of, and members who hold dual citizenship providing they obey the laws of at least one kingdom of their citizenship. “Ann holds dual citizenship as she is a member of Baj-tisk also. They don’t practice marriage but simply monogamy. If it were true that Ann had sex with anyone else, it would have been Kithmar, and he is now dead, so she broke no laws.” He held up a sealed parchment. “Furthermore, I hold a list of seventy-three court members who have not upheld this law. If anyone so much as brings up my wife’s sex life again, copies of this shall be given to King Emeton and the Dragon High Council. Don’t bother trying to destroy this list either. I have several copies, some of which are not even in this kingdom.” The others sat stunned. Finally, Emeton smiled. “By this, no laws have been broken. If I hear mention of my daughter’s private life, or my son’s for that matter, that person will be banned from this court.” With that, he left. Andy thought about what Emeton it said. “... Or my son’s.” He was referring to Remtani of course. His actions were the result of coercion because of the spell he was under. This made King Emeton go from looking weak to looking just.