He paused, then added softly, "And the first of those orders is..."
He reached out and gently touched her pale cheek. "You are to return to Aragonia for a visit, to assure your people that you are alive and well. I am to compel you to speak favorably of Nightbrook, to tell them how hospitable it has been to you, in order to prevent any war. If I fail to follow any of the conditions of the documents...I will be sent to the asylum, my wife to the slave establishment and everything that belongs to me burned down to ash."
Rohan had kept this burden to himself all this while, loathing the moment he would have to admit that he had signed her into danger just to save her in time.
The king had given a blood vow: as long as Rohan honored the terms of their agreement, his life would remain undisturbed, and no one would interfere with him or his wife.
