Amon studied her face. “Well, it hasn’t been a secret. And I—as the Captain of the Queen’s Guard, I’m expected to let the queen know about marriage plans.”

“Really?” Raisa said. “Do I have to approve them, too?” She tried to say it lightly, but the quaver in her voice gave her away.

She’d lost Han, and she’d lost Amon, and Micah was a snake, and Nightwalker was exhausting. She felt like the belle of the ball standing on the sidelines with an empty dance card.

Amon bit his lip, his face a mask of misery. “I have to marry, Rai,” he whispered, looking down at their hands. “And I’m eighteen now. I think it might be…easier…if I were married.” He looked up rather hopefully. “Don’t you think?”

Raisa shook her head. “Nothing will make this easy,” she said. “Marriage just seems so terribly, awfully final. Even though I know we can’t be together, it’s still hard to give you up for good.”

“You are not giving me up,” Amon said. “I will always be here—you know that.”

She nodded, gathered herself, and managed a wry smile. “I do know that. I am being unreasonable. Of course, you of all people know that I am not a reasonable person. Because you are my friend, I am telling you how I feel, in my selfish heart.”

Raisa leaned forward, looking into his gray eyes. “But know this, Amon Byrne. I wish you every possible blessing in your marriage. No one deserves happiness more than you—I mean it.”

She released her grip on his hands and stood, clutching her skirts to either side. “Thank you for the warning. It will help…tonight.”

Amon stood also. “Good-bye, Your Highness,” he said, in a strangled voice. “Thank you for meeting with me. I’ll see you tonight.” He saluted her, his fist pressed over his heart, then backed to the door and was gone.

That night, Raisa ana’Marianna hosted a reception for officers of the army and the guard. She wore an unwrinkled dress of green satin that matched her eyes. She danced with all the officers, encouraging the Princess Mellony and her ladies of the court to join in.

Midway through the evening, the Captain of the Guard, Amon Byrne, asked her blessing on his marriage to Annamaya Dubai, a student at the Temple School at Oden’s Ford and the daughter of one of the officers in the army of the Fells.

The couple knelt before Raisa, and she raised a glass to toast their marriage and their future happiness, noting that they were exceedingly well matched. Taking Annamaya’s hands in hers, Raisa lifted her to her feet and stood on her tiptoes to kiss Captain Byrne’s tall lady on the cheek.

“Thank you for sharing Captain Byrne with me,” she said, smiling. “I know we will be great friends.”