"You… asked him?"
The words trembled from Queen Aelira's lips like a breaking spell. The torches flickered in their sconces, and thunder rumbled far beyond the stained glass.
Only six figures occupied the vast hall....the Stormlord Valerian upon his throne, his mother Aelira, his sister Levina, her husband Ser Corven, the High Seer Serath Veyne, and the young prince Vaelric standing near the doorway where he had spoken.
"Yes, Grandmother," Vaelric said quietly, though his voice carried through the room. "I did. In Caelmont."
Aelira's expression hardened with disbelief. Her hands trembled slightly, clutching the folds of her gown. "You… asked your father to marry that woman? The cursed Flameborne?"
Vaelric nodded once, calm in the face of her fury. "I did."
