Chapter 3 #4
“But you were creating beasts exactly like the one that destroyed her homeland. She’s lost everyone she’s ever known and loved.
All she would have had left was vengeance, Theron.
When Tisander died, you had me. You had Batea.
For a time, you had Leandros too. You had our love, our compassion, and a safe place to unravel in your grief.
You had—and have—a family. She had none of that—until she had you.
And then after she’d pledged herself to you fully, she discovered your lie.
A lie of omission rather than malice, I’ll grant you, but a lie, nonetheless.
She deserved better, Theron. She deserves it now.
Most importantly, I know you’re capable of better. ”
It hurt to think of Aurora that way, because it made him her tormentor. It meant he deserved that betrayal.
“And what of me? Don’t I deserve better?”
“You deserve all the love in the world, my little lion, but don’t expect to get it from Aurora until you’ve mended what you’ve broken.
You broke the trust first. It’s incumbent on you to take the first steps to restore it.
Acknowledge what you’ve done and ask her what you can do to earn her forgiveness.
You asked me how to be a good husband—this is the way. ”
She expected him to beg and crawl for the forgiveness he was owed? To humble himself before the woman who had betrayed him?
“And how do you propose she should make right the betrayal she’s dealt me?”
“In the same way, Theron. Acknowledging her wrongdoing and asking what she can do to earn your forgiveness.”
There must be some other way than to lower himself when Aurora was clearly more in the wrong than he. Just because he’d lied first did not make their respective wrongs equal. It was not he who had set an army against her and held a sword to her throat.
“I suggest you work hard towards that end. My clerics have spotted messenger birds being dispatched back to Boreas. You know Flora wants the Dragon’s Flank at any cost. Aurora agreed to be Flora’s pawn, and the queen is not reticent when it comes to sacrificing those pawns.
As the High Priestess of Passion, it is my responsibility to foster peace throughout Trisia.
That peace now hinges on your marriage—please, for all our sakes, treasure her and keep her safe. ”
Theron sighed and grabbed the nearby cup of tea, sipping it as her words bandied about in his head. He didn’t like this, not one bit. Why must Myrina be so damned logical about this mess?
“This could all be solved if she would call off those Viridian dogs and renounce Flora’s adoption,” he grouched.
“Only Nerio can free her from Flora’s adoption now. But you can protect her by making her your queen, or at the very least, treating her as such.”
Nerio was never where one wished her to be.
She wandered like a vagrant across the whole of Trisia, righting wrongs as she saw fit.
Only the High Priestess of Justice could interfere in the family rosters of the nobles and monarchs, emancipating abused children and breaking marriages of spouses trapped by politics and violence.
“I refuse to crown her queen until I’m certain she won’t betray me again.”
If she wanted it at all. According to Aurora, she planned to leave at the earliest opportunity.
“As is your right.”
They sipped their tea in silence for some time.
It gave him a moment to cool his anger, to let the feeling of being in Passion’s temple wash over him.
His aunt had imbued the area inside her tent with divine magic.
If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine he was home in Altanus.
But eventually, Myrina broke the silence.
“Can you speak of your heartbreak, my little lion? I know you’re hurting. You have a tendency to let such things fester, and I don’t want that for you.”
And there went that peaceful little fantasy.
“I’m not heartbroken. I’m angry.”
“Anger often shields our greatest hurts.”
“Not this time.”
She tipped her head in acknowledgement—or defeat.
But he knew better. She would hound him mercilessly until she’d cracked him open and poured his mess out in the open, forced him to look at the fetid morass he kept locked inside.
He wouldn’t give her the chance. Now was not the time to allow more weakness inside.
“Thank you for the tea.” He placed his cup aside and pressed her ruby ring to his forehead as a sign of respect.
She cupped his cheek with her hand.
“You’re always welcome in my tent, Theron.”
“Thank you, Aunty.”
Just as he was about to leave, she stopped him with her words.
“Anger protects us, my little lion. But it can also ensnare us. Don’t let it hold you back from being the person you wish to be.”
A good man. A good husband. But did he even want such things anymore?
Or did he just want his old self back? His cold, calculating mantle that had allowed him to be a good king no matter the fragile feelings of others.
Passion’s blessing had altered him, and he feared he could never be the man he was before.
All that remained was a fog cloud of anger and doubt, leading him astray.
“Goodnight, Aunty.”
“Sleep well, Theron.”
But with her last words ringing in his ears and Aurora’s open hostility waiting for him, he suspected a good sleep was exceedingly unlikely.