While all the drama was happening, Devin and Katharyn's life stayed quiet and content. Just as they wanted it to. Katharyn's belly steadily grew and soon there was a crib ready and waiting for the new baby.
She went into labour sooner than everyone was expecting, in the middle of a night. Devin and the twins panicked, the children scared and confused despite the explanation they had been given before, and Devin just nervous. He ran for a midwife, but Katharyn knew it would take too long for her to get there. She tried to look brave for the children, but she couldn't help feeling worried. What if their amazing luck had already ran out?
Luckily for her, the labour was even faster and easier than her first one. Baby Elias was born at dawn, tiny but healthy.

The twins were excited for their new brother, but they soon returned almost completely to their previous lives. They were friends with their cousins Adrian and Ronan, even more so after the boys moved in with Delia.

And the twins were both going to school and excelling there. Ethan was still prone to flights of fancy, still playing with imaginary friends even as he grew older, but he was bright and inquisitive. His sister Evelyn was much more disciplined, used to helping out in the household, but just as smart.
Devin thought he couldn't really be happier or wish for a better family.

But then the twins came into their teenage years and it was as if they became completely different people. Ethan especially became irritable, impossible to please and prone to screaming arguments every time something was not going exactly according to his wishes.
Devin and Katharyn could only watch as their son drove most of his childhood playmates away and withdrew into solitude with only imaginary friends for company. They tried to love him even more, tried hard to help him overcome the difficult times, whatever their cause, but nothing helped.

Even the relationship between Ethan and his twin sister became strained. They had been inseparable, sharing both chores and playtime, but now Ethan grew vicious. Everything his sister suggested bored him and his only idea of fun seemed to be cruel pranks. He would make fun of Evelyn in front of her friends, mocking her for all the things he had not so long ago shared, and when they were alone he would drench her with ice cold water and laugh.
Tormenting Evelyn was one of the few things that seemed to make Ethan happy.

Evelyn hoped to find comfort with other friends, but Adrian and Ronan were often busy making plans for their new life, even though they made no move to leave Delia's home, and Faelyn was acting too grown up for old friendships, becoming distant and maybe even alarmingly like Ethan.
The half-elven girl had grown up with no father and a mother who was loving, but also overworked and mostly shunned in the village. Devin and Katharyn had always tried to be there for her, but it just wasn't enough. As much as they wanted to make her and the twins into foster siblings, all the other village children made the differences between them far too clear. And now she was almost grown up, almost independent, and determined to never be hurt again. No more craving for attention, she would reject people before they could shun her.

And when faced with any more abuse, she would give even more than she took. Faelyn didn't really care what had made Ethan so nasty or if he had changed at all and not merely stopped pretending. All she cared about was putting him in his place, far bellow her.
She blew up with all her pent-up rage and the look of utter shock on his face was one of the greatest things she had ever seen.

Evelyn didn't know how to deal with the changes expect be the good girl she always was, working hard at school, doing her brother's share of chores, wearing a smile even brighter than ever before, just to create an illusion of normality. Just to make her parents less stressed out.

Every time Ethan was to go to the village, she offered to do it instead, just to keep him away from more conflicts. But it was as if he enjoyed them and revelled in the negative attention he received. It made the orderly Evelyn cringe and she only hoped her brother wouldn't do anything stupid enough to deserve retribution.

Evelyn eventually resigned herself to at least accompanying Ethan when she was unable to make him stay at home, to keep an eye on him and ensure the chores actually got done. As for the rest, she could only pray to the Watcher he would outgrow this strange rebellion soon.
One day she was doing just that, buying groceries for the family while Ethan was arguing with the seller at the next stall, when she noticed Faelyn. Her - former? - friend was striding through the market as if she owned the whole village with her head held high and an expression just daring anyone to stand in her way. Even the did nothing to slow her down. Evelyn couldn't help but notice how pretty and graceful she was, with her lustrous curls and lithe elven body radiating energy. Just watching Faelyn move made her feel pudgy and dull.

Evelyn broke out of her reverie when she heard her brother's voice, raised in anger as it usually was.
"We're not even worth a polite greeting to you? After all that my parents have done for you?"
Before Evelyn could react, Ethan was standing in front of surprised Faelyn and stabbing his finger into her chest. Just barely conscious of the transaction she was making, Evelyn watched as Faelyn took a step back in shock. And then, just as Ethan opened his mouth again to continue in his abuse, the half-elf hissed like a cat and slapped her tormentor across the face, hard. Then she turned and continued walking, her posture and expression that of a queen.

Evelyn glanced at the middle-aged stallkeeper still counting out her money and wondered for a moment whether she should just abandon her shopping and dart to Ethan. Maybe she could still stop him before he had time to react...? A moment's hesitation between her two duties and then it was already too late.
Ethan caught up with Faelyn, grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him. And then they were trading blows and trying to wrestle each other to the ground. A crowd immediately started gathering around them.

Faelyn fought like a cat, clawing at Ethan's face, not even attempting to escape despite her opponent's much greater strength.
Evelyn was finally handed her groceries and coins and was free to rush to the fight, but stopped to hover just outside of the commotion when she noticed some members of the audience. One of the guards was there, probably getting ready to grab the two combatants, and even worse, there was Lady Nadine herself with an ugly smile on her face.
The whole thing probably only took a short moment, but to Evelyn it felt like hours before Ethan threw Faelyn to the ground and then had his arm twisted behind his back by the guard. His face went straight from triumph to surprised pain and then a pout of a sulky child.
The guard turned to his lady for instructions, probably deciding whether to drag Ethan straight to prison. Evelyn cursed her inaction. Would it help if she threw herself before them now and begged for leniency?
Lady Nadine smirked before she spoke. "I believe they should both be punished."
The guard nodded and before she could realise what was happening, Faelyn was also caught in his vice-like grip. "They will be." He said. "I'm sure their parents will see to that."
The lady frowned, but then nodded. Evelyn breathed out. It seemed the worst wasn't going to happen, but still... she wondered how angry her parents would be and hoped it would not be too bad. Especially as she wasn't sure she was entirely blameless in not preventing the incident.

Devin and Katharyn, usually so gentle and patient, were both furious. Ethan tried to protest and blame Faelyn, but no no avail. She may have slapped him, but he was the bully who had attacked her.
If his parents hoped that severe punishment would achieve what patience didn't and get Ethan back under control, they were disappointed. The boy only grew even more sullen and withdrawn, silently plotting his revenge against the unfair world. His imaginary friends became more violent, often advocating hurting people in many ways, but Ethan didn't quite dare follow all their advice.
Instead, he joined forces with Geoff, a boy around his age who was already on his way to becoming a serious criminal. Together they talked about how aristocracy had done nothing to deserve their position and how they should get even with Lady Nadine and her guards. So far they limited themselves to petty theft that was unlikely to be traced back to them and to a few secret nightly rides in Nadine's carriage. But they planned that one day they would rob the guard barracks as a grand gesture. And Ethan's voices were excited about the possibility of getting real deadly weapons.

Faelyn escaped punishment altogether and instead got self-defence lessons from her mother. Tiriel warned her daughter against angering Lady Nadine, but refused to play her game. Especially as she suspected that she herself might have been the main fault Nadine found in the girl.
Maybe it was seeing her little girl become a fierce warrior that did it, but Tiriel suddenly realised she wanted to move on. Her daughter was growing and soon she wouldn't need her. She had lived in the shadow of Tristan and her damaged reputation for far too long, for far too long she had tried to be invisible, never ask anything for herself, stay away from all men. And now she was finding that there were many things she wanted and had entirely missed, and that soon it might be too late. She was not getting any younger.
She didn't even know herself how the relationship with Leon happened, just that suddenly they found out that they both wanted to live their life to the fullest when they still could. At first, neither of them expected anything. After all, Leon ever since his failed courtship with Delia Leon had always drawn the line at any actual commitment. But they were spending more and more time together and it felt nice to feel the warmth of someone else's body after such a long time.

But there was still one thing missing to make Tiriel's life truly satisfying. As much as she tried to convince herself that she didn't need magic, that it was never truly hers to begin with, she could still feel the hole inside her from where it had been torn. It had been a gift from a friend, a solace in hard times, a weapon she could use for protection.
As much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, she couldn't help but want that gift back and found her thoughts and later her steps returning again and again to the old gnarled tree in the woods. Maybe, if she was brave enough, that could be a way. Maybe if she could trick the Fae into taking her again, seduce them if needs be, take their secrets and escape...
She started coming every night, hoping it would happen again and give her this chance.
And then it finally did. There was the light, the strange, otherworldly music, the laughter. Again there was darkness, but this time at least no pain. She remembered laughing with them and dancing until her feet hurt. She remembered whispers, something about a gift. And then she was flying high above her house before she woke up in the snow just outside her door.

At first she believed she had succeeded, but soon she found that she had brought back a completely different gift.
She often wondered what kind of child she was carrying, if it even was a child and not something else entirely. But it grew normally and in time she found herself in love with it already.

And, as her belly grew and labour approached, scared as well, but for a different reason this time. She had seen far too many childbirth complications and was way past the age when she would advise anyone to get pregnant.
When her time came, she swallowed her pride and asked for help from the village. She didn't care there would be questions about the child's father, this time not only absent but completely unknown, she just wanted it to be safe and healthy. No matter what it would mean for her reputation.

The labour took long, much longer than she believed she could take, but somehow she managed to get through it with sheer willpower. And then she held in her arms her newborn daughter, a tiny baby with milk-white skin and strange pearl eyes.

Despite all of Tiriel's expectations and fears, the little girl seemed to be a normal healthy baby. If there was any magic or any other talents in her, they would have to manifest later in her life and Tiriel didn't know if she was disappointed or grateful.
Still, little Avianna's birth seemed to cost Tiriel the last remnants of her youth. Her life was once again reduced to changing diapers and she had no energy anymore to even wish for anything more. Even her dreams were growing increasingly mundane, when she wasn't too tired to remember them at all.

Lucien was getting used to his role as lord Adrian's heir. He still didn't care for any responsibility, but the other things that came with it made it worth his while. The prestige was even better than the comfort, the respect he was due every time he went to the marketplace and the admiration he received from some people.
Especially when those people were charming and beautiful, like Elodie.
He didn't know much about her background and he didn't really care. All he cared was that she was far too beautiful for a simple village girl, with clear ivory skin and golden hair worthy of a princess. She was too fine for hard work, but she liked stories of romance, dancing and all kinds of fun.

And Lucien was falling in love, just like it was often told in those stories. Time spent with Elodie always passed in a single blink of an eye while time without her seemed grey and empty. And when they kissed for the first time it was better than anything Lucien had tasted before and he couldn't get enough.
He couldn't imagine ever doing anything else than being with her, kissing her, enjoying this feeling.

His mother had different plans, though.
Delia had never been a great scholar herself, but she wanted the best for her children and university had always been a part of that in her mind. Now both her husband and one of her boys were dead, but she was still determined to ensure Lucien would have the best chance in life she could ensure. Even though the two funerals had swallowed most of the wealth she had counted on and she would have to work her hands raw to afford the university fee.

Lucien himself didn't really care either way, but he wasn't one to waste energy arguing. He paid only half attention to his mother's plans and expected smooth sailing throughout, but he only had to arrive to the university to see not everything would be perfect.
To begin with, he was poor once again, put in the smallest room with only simple furnishings and expected to make do. After getting used to comfort and respect, being a nobody again was hard and without riches, there was only one other way to gain any status. Hard work.

He chose his subjects by random chance and good-sounding names rather than any thought-out plan, but he started them all with the ambition to excel. To show everyone that as a noble's son he truly belonged among all the spoilt rich boys, to gain respect and admiration.
But in time the amount of required work only grew and his motivation just wasn't strong enough to keep him interested. He tried to work, he really did, but he already envied the rich boys who spent their days just having fun and their nights in bars.

Delia ended up alone in her new mansion, happy for her son but feeling more and more lonely. She even invited her brother and his pregnant wife to live with her, but Katharyn insisted on not wanting to impose on her.
They did visit frequently, so there was at least that.

Elena's life quieted down after the boys were both attending school, but otherwise not much changed. Malcolm was still working as hard as he could. The money was fine, but the big success he was expecting had still not come. Even then, life was good.
Maybe even too good to last.
She had been preparing lunch, like always, tired as usual and maybe just a little bit distracted. She had been daydreaming about the adventures she had planned to have, a career of a knight just to spite her brother, and of the grand house Malcolm was still planning to build for their family. She had been thinking about how different she had expected her life to be, how much better than the mundane progression of days, and completely forgot that it could always be much worse.
Until her simple cooking fire got completely out of control.

They fought, both her and Malcolm, fought like the knights they were supposed to be, but it might have already been too late. The fire was spreading fast and the old wooden house had no real protection.
It just burned all around them and when the stubborn pair finally thought of giving up and saving themselves, they were trapped beyond a wall of flames.
Elena's last thought was thanks to the Watcher that the boys were safely at school, far away from harm.

When the boys returned, the fire was still raging, but there was nothing to save anymore. Adrian's first instinct still was to run into the burning husk of a house to search for his parents, hoping against all hope. Ronan just stared in shock. He was only vaguely aware he was following his older brother, like he usually did when he had no idea of his own. He was unable to think, unable to speak, unable to act... and then he looked into the flames and saw - thought he saw, for surely that could not be real - a dark shape holding a scythe.
And then he was screaming and dragging his brother out and away from the house, before Death could take him too.

He wasn't sure what exactly happened next. They might have just ran around in circles, too shocked to even decide on a real direction, until night fell and they both collapsed in exhaustion.
Just before he fell asleep on the cold hard ground, Ronan noticed the first snow of that year was beginning to fall.

In the morning they were half frozen, but alive and finally able to talk clearly. They needed help, a place to get warm, a place to stay at least for a time. As they walked, Adrian talked about repairing their home with just a little help while Ronan wondered whether they would be sent to the sisters in the convent. He had heard the sisters were hard, disapproving of anything that was fun, but they were supposed to be good teachers as well...
Then they arrived to Delia's mansion and were welcome as family. Delia promised them anything in her power to help, but told them firmly that there would be no convent and definitely no living alone in a half-repaired house. There was plenty of room in the mansion, even more with Lucien at the university, and they were more than welcome to stay for as long as they needed.

Delia never pretended to be their mother, but it was clear she quickly came to think of them as her foster sons. She helped them study, read Ronan his favourite stories before bed time, everything to help recover from the tragedy that befell them.
And it was working. Though the boys still missed their parents dearly, eventually they came to be comfortable in the new home and even the nightmares filled with flames and hooded figures faded away.

When Adrian celebrated his birthday, it was a real celebration despite everything that had happened. And despite being now able to find work and start living independently, Adrian decided to stay. For his brother, but partly because he had come to genuinely like his new home and the new opportunities it gave.

Lucien, meanwhile, grew tired of studying when there was so much to do. All the other students were drinking and having fun and Lucien didn't want to be left behind. He didn't really care for the fact that he had no real experience with alcohol or that he was spending money he didn't really have.
His time then divided into the fun part - drinking, singing, dancing, riding horses and all the rest - and sleeping off the previous part. None of the other noble sons cared for their marks.
When he was finally expelled from the university, he didn't know whether it was the money issue and some kind of double standard, or if the others just knew where to draw the line.

When he got the news, he was devastated at first. He thought about how much his mother had wanted him to succeed, how much she had worked to pay for his way, and he imagined the upcoming argument. But it didn't take long until his guilt turned to anger, at the unfair university system and even at his mother for expecting too much of him.
When he got home, he was mostly annoyed and brushed off all questions. To his relief, Delia didn't ask much and almost didn't nag. She was happy to see her son again, but the silence went further than that. It almost seemed like there was an unspoken agreement - she didn't say anything about his studies and he didn't complain about Adrian and Ronan, or ask when they were going to leave.
Lucien didn't really mind them, or anything else. It didn't take long for him to fall back into his old easygoing life. He sailed through his days, playing in the snow like a child or just lazying around and made no real effort to make a new adult life for himself.

And there were other advantages to being back home.
While he was at the university life was too fast to think about Elodie, but when he met her at the marketplace everything came back. She was still the same, bright, fresh, with laughter that rang like tiny silver bells. And she was still as excited to see him and spend time with him as she was before he had to leave.

Everything was fine, everything was great. All smooth sailing, no need to change anything about this life. The only cloud in his sky was the fact, that not everybody in the village thought so.
As time passed the respect he used to have slowly faded as people started asking when he was going to find some decent work and take his responsibility. Some, especially old village harridans, even dared suggest he wasn't worthy of his inherited noble title.
He tried to argue and eventually threatened the harridan with punishment, but what had always worked for the Lorimers and his father, even for his brother, completely failed for him.

Putting Tiriel in her place made Nadine feel like a real lady again instead of a little child. To know her will was still relevant, that there were some things her mother and lord Meryn couldn't decide for her, it made her feel alive again.
Maybe too alive.
The next time she saw Tristan in the marketplace she couldn't help herself and had to go to him. She had been too lonely for too long and didn't want to pretend any longer. She couldn't, not if she wanted to keep feeling alive.
She ran up to her secret love and kissed him, so full of life and joy that she never even looked around for her husband.

She didn't know for exactly how long had Meryn been standing there.
She heard the girl behind her say "My lord," but even that wasn't enough to clue her in, and even if it did, it probably would have been too late anyway. And then Meryn spoke himself, his voice quiet but all the more terrifying, and Nadine and Tristan jumped apart, their hearts racing and the same guilty expression on their faces.

Meryn marched to the pair, opened his mouth to speak again, and Nadine started screaming instead.
"I don't belong to you! And I never will! I don't care that my stupid mother forced me to say the words, you are not my husband, not really. I am the lady, the heiress and ruler, and I will do what I want! I don't..."

He slapped her.
Nadine fell silent in the middle of the sentence and just gaped at her husband. It stung, but the shock was stronger. Nobody had ever hit her, not even when she had defied her mother and screamed at Meryn. She had never imagined she ever could overstep somebody's patience.
"We're going home." Meryn said, still quietly, but there was more anger in his voice than Nadine had ever seen in him. "And there I will decide what to do with you."

On the way home they were both silent. Meryn's expression remained stern and Nadine tried her best to remain furious, but she was growing increasingly nervous. When they entered the manor, she almost wanted to cry.
Only when they were inside, in private, did Meryn speak again: "I was patient with you. I agreed to save your reputation, accepted your bastard, even put up with your moods and waited for you to start behaving like a proper wife. And this is how you repay me? By shaming us both in public like this?"
"It wasn't..." Nadine didn't even finish the sentence when she realised how absurd it would sound. "I was just... You have no right to tell me what to do!
"Really? I am your husband, in case you have forgotten. I have every right to tell you what to do. And every right to punish you as I see fit."
Nadine cringed, afraid he would slap her again. She wanted to protest, to defend herself, but her righteous indignation melted under his glare. "I'm sorry, please don't... I'll never do that again."
"That's exactly what you promised when you said your wedding vows. I believe it's time you learned about consequences." Meryn said coldly. "About what happens when you break vows made before the Watcher."

What happened next was like a series of nightmares.
Her mother refused her any mercy, not after Nadine begged her, not even after she threw herself on the floor and cried.
They dragged her before the priest, like a common girl. She cried again, begged and made all kinds of promises, but the priest, the same one who had officiated her forced marriage, refused to see how much she had suffered. He sentenced her to a terrible public humiliation with only the words "If you are truly repentant, you should be glad to do penance."
She refused at first, but just like at the wedding, they would not listen to her at all. Meryn just threatened her with pillory, like a low-born adulteress, if she didn't obey.

She had no other choice. Her beautiful hair was cut short and she was put into a rough gown fit only for a beggar woman. She could imagine how the whole village would stare at her, whisper behind her back...
And then Meryn walked up to her, to lead her out of the mansion and Nadine was sure he was smiling.
"So now you want to shame us both in public? If you cared for your precious reputation, you would never do this. You just want to humiliate me."
Meryn flinched from the unexpected outburst, but regained composure faster than Nadine hoped.
"You have humiliated yourself and will have to accept the consequences of your choices."

And so she had to walk to the church and at least pretend to pray for forgiveness.
She could feel the stares and wished everyone looking at her would drop dead. She wished she would turn invisible. And then, after what felt like ages, she only wished it would finally end and everyone would forget this ever happened.

She spent the next few days in her room, throwing things, crying, refusing everyone and everything. She was too embarrassed and angry to even want food.
When she finally walked out, her husband was waiting for her.
She had prepared whole speeches full of poison, but her anger had run out since then. And now that Meryn had put his foot down once already, she was afraid of more punishment. "What happens now?" She asked.
And he told her. He had their marriage dissolved and would be leaving shortly, "since this obviously wasn't working and would only make them both unhappy." She felt he was mocking her - had he not just made her as unhappy as she could ever be? - but even that emotion was too weak to get through the shock.
And then he told her to enjoy her freedom and left with a stiff formal bow. She supposed he must have said goodbye to her mother beforehand and was only waiting for her.

Only a few days ago she would have been overjoyed to have him gone from her life, but now she wasn't so sure this was what she had wanted. Yes, she hated him, now more than ever. But she was also suddenly afraid of the future, of what this new freedom might bring her.
She had changed back into her luxurious gowns, but her short hair was still a cruel reminder of her humiliation before the whole village.

Tristan, meanwhile, could not believe his luck. When Nadine's husband caught them together, he expected his wrath - and maybe hers as well - would turn on him. Instead, she was the one punished and Tristan was completely forgotten. And he certainly did his best to keep it that way. He kept his head down and took care to not even mention the lord's and lady's names.
But then days passed and he started feeling safe again. Nadine was not seen for a long time after her penance and lord Meryn seemed eager enough to forget the whole affair. And Tristan could start living his life again.

Even if Nadine wanted to spend the rest of her life hiding away from him and the world, there was more to life than just her.
After all, he deserved the admiration he received and he would he stupid to forbid everyone from giving it. He deserved to be happy, to forget about his crappy small house and hard work and feel like he was the whole world for someone. For anyone.
And there was a new girl in the village, a fiery red-haired beauty longing for adventure and eager to let him show it to her.

He was just starting to think that Yvaine might be just the right girl for him, when distraught-looking Nadine appeared out of the blue.

Yvaine took a step back, but Nadine was only looking at Tristan. For a while she just stood there while tears formed in her eyes, but then she decided to be angry instead.
"You... you bastard! I suffered all that for you and you... I hate you!" She did her best to look fierce, but before she could finish her tears were already flowing and soon she was unable to speak at all.
She slapped Tristan instead and then fled.

Tristan tried to shrug and pretend nothing had happened, but somehow wasn't able to. He had seen Nadine as one of the smitten girls, in love and therefore less powerful than him, but what if she stopped being in love? She was still the lady and local ruler...
Suddenly the whole marketplace lost its appeal for Tristan, even Yvaine seemed less charming than just a while before.
He walked home and hoped she would soon realise he had really done nothing wrong. He still liked her, she just had not been there at the moment.
But it didn't even take a full day for her to appear on his doorstep. Tristan tried to give her the perfectly polished excuse and explanation he had prepared, but she didn't even listen. All she wanted to do was scream something about a betrayal into his face.

"You don't understand..." He said for what felt like a hundredth time. She slapped him, with way much force than he would expect a tiny girl like her to muster.

She reached out to slap him again, he tried to defend himself and then they were fighting. He didn't even know how exactly it had started, only that suddenly she was scratching at his face and he was trying to keep her off him. Nobody could expect him to just take this kind of abuse without ever hitting back, could they?

And then he managed to throw her to the ground, perhaps harder than he had meant to, but by then he was fighting with all he had. There was a brief feeling of victory, of satisfaction. And then he noticed a village guard running towards them.
Tristan froze in place, unable to act while things around him were happening too fast. Nadine was crying again, but she looked more vicious than hurt. The guard helped her to her feet, but even before she was standing again she pointed at Tristan and shrieked for him to be arrested, whipped, even executed. And there was nowhere to run and no chance to fight.

He was told lady Nadine would decide his fate in the morning and didn't know whether to be angry or relieved. At least his own anger slowly gave way to fear and a decision to try to appease her. He even managed to scrounge up a flower with which he hoped to charm her back to her old puppy-eyed devotion.

And at first everything seemed to work just like he wanted. Nadine accepted the flower and even smiled at him. But then he asked if that was all and he was free to go and Nadine's smile vanished like it had never been there.
"You still must be punished. Or do you really think a single flower is enough to just forgive attacking your lady? Not to mention your entirely shameless behaviour before?"
Tristan's carefully prepared facade of meekness collapsed and was replaced by anger once again. Punish him? For what, not groveling enough?

"I said I was sorry. What more do you want?" He snapped at her, before he even knew he was doing it. "I thought you were nice. I thought you recognised when someone had real value, but you're petty and cruel, just like the rest of them. You may look like a lady, but you're just a..." He stopped himself just in time, but the damage had already been done.

The young lady's expression changed from shock to anger to an ugly smile and Tristan knew this was it.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I..." He was prepared to sink to his knees, to do anything to save himself from punishment, but Nadine didn't even look at him.
"I'll show you petty. I don't want to even see your face. Ever again. Guards! Get him to the prison mines, out of my sight. And add a taste of the whip for the journey. To show him petty cruelty."