The sky was darkening to twilight by the time Kisea went looking for them. Her still-raw inner senses nonetheless suggested going towards Kian's room, and she tapped on the door with her nails.

Shon opened it, and beckoned her inside.

Kian turned away from a table similar to Matt's, but strewn with arrow shafts and feathers and sundry such paraphernalia, where he was working on the fletching of an arrow. Matt was on a reading couch under the other window, his feet tucked up beside him, with a book he was now closing, and probably hadn't even noticed the low light level. In front of a square cushion on the floor were several knives and daggers, along with what she thought were oil and a whetstone and other things. It all suggested an easy camaraderie, together and individual at once.

Which, ultimately, she was being invited into, assuming this worked.

None asked; the question was too obvious for there to be any point.

She crossed the room towards Matt, and he got up to meet her, grey eyes searching hers.

She took a deep breath. “I think somehow I've become just as mad as you are. And I think you're as brilliant and as brave as you are mad. And somehow the one bit of really good luck in my life is having you decide that you care. I am more terrified than I think I've ever been, which is saying a lot, and after a childhood spent trying to be invisible and ten years of running constantly, not running makes it even more scary. If it was only about us... I don't know. I'm not sure I could live with what I'd have to do to get clear without you being accused of helping me, but I'm not sure I could live with any of the other options, either. But it isn't just us, and there's no other controller who has you. I never seem to be able to walk away from pain, and if there are other controllers being born but there's no sign of them, that's a lot of pain. Yes, I'll marry you, and face the Assembly with you, and hope that we both make it through it intact so we can actually have a life afterwards and I can help Kian and Shon and Jori try to keep you alive.”

Matt wrapped both arms around her, hugged her tight, and she buried her face in his shoulder, letting herself lean for the moment on his strength because hers seemed to be at a low ebb.

“We'll make everything right,” he said.

“But I need one promise from all three of you.”

“What?”

“If things go very wrong and they manage, somehow, to Blind me, you'll kill me. Preferably before, but at the very least, I don't want to live like that. And it's less than certain whether I'd have enough of a mind left to do it myself.”

“I'd have to be dead or very close to it myself for that to happen,” Matt said.

“Promise me.”

“I promise,” Kian said quietly. “You will not live Blinded.”

“So do I,” Shon said, after only a brief pause. “I would, obviously, prefer almost any other possibility, but if all else fails, then yes.”

Kisea looked up at Matt, waiting.

He sighed, nodded. “Me too. But it won't happen.”

“Even you have limits. Since the two things that frighten me most are living Blinded and you ruining your life over me, and I can stop worrying about the one and you won't listen to reason about the other, I suppose I can live with whatever comes.”

Matt ran a hand over her hair, pressed a kiss to her forehead. “How are you feeling, physically? Able to leave tomorrow?”

“I can do anything that needs to be done, dear. Why so fast?”

“One reason is that not knowing what's going to happen is a ghastly feeling that I'd rather make as short as possible for all of us.”

“And?”

“And.” He sighed, released her. “Word gets around at the speed of thought, and nothing Rob orders can completely stop that. We don't know whether others were involved in this hostage mess who are going to be investigating. I would much prefer that we show up in front of the Assembly voluntarily and challenge them ourselves, than have the Assembly act first.”

“The College is days from here.”

“No, the College is many miles from here. The time it takes to cover those miles, and for that matter how long those miles are, those are more flexible.”

“I'm in no condition to help afterwards!”

“Any idea how long until you are?” Shon asked her.

“I'm not exactly hurt, it's more like the equivalent of muscle strain from doing too much. Three days?”

“That's too long,” Matt said. “I always survive.”

“How long to reach the College with no help at all from Kisea?” Shon asked Matt. “Without putting the horses or yourself in any danger?”

Matt pondered, his eyes losing focus as he worked out variables. “It's nine to ten days at regular speed, maybe as little as six with remounts if you push them hard. There are multiple broken fields between here and there that will interfere. Five days? Remounts are no help, since I'd have to interrupt the spell to stop and switch horses.”

“And how long for you to recover afterwards?”

“Completely,” Kian added. “Which I do not believe you are now or would be by tomorrow.”

“I'll be almost full-strength by tomorrow,” Matt said. “Less than two days at the other end to recover.”

“Completely? Physically and mentally as well as magically? Because you cannot protect Kisea properly if you're at less than full strength. You would not allow excessive haste to put her at even the slightest further risk, correct?”

“This isn't being hasty, this is wanting the strategic high ground!” Matt sighed. “Fine, call it two full days, but I could probably do it in less.”

“I know it's a guess,” Shon said, “but evidence seems to suggest that it would be substantially reduced by Kisea being able to help you when we stop. Any estimate as to how much?”

“Yes, evidence does. At a guess, a day less to recover, since I'd be less drained. Maybe faster and farther each day, if I'm resting better.”

“Nine to ten days,” Shon said, “is for riders who can stay in the saddle and moving all day. Jori carrying double all the way is out of the question. I'm sure we can arrange a horse for Kisea...”

“I'm no good at riding,” Kisea protested.

Shon nodded. “It isn't a skill you've had much chance to learn. Nine to ten days is a reasonable time for riders who are accustomed to being in the saddle all day, repeatedly. If we do that to you for even one day, with or without Matt playing games with time and space, you'll be unable to even get on the horse the next. I very much doubt Matt's healing abilities are strong enough to counter that more than partially.”

Matt looked abashed. “I forgot about that.”

“We will get there as quickly as we can, but unless you've devised a way to move us collectively the way you make the paper move into the box, then it is going to take several days.”

“Interesting idea, but not something I'm going to be able to work out quickly enough for it to be useful.”

“We cannot reasonably leave earlier than tomorrow evening,” Kian said. “You two have very limited camping gear, most of my gear and virtually all of Kisea's is lost, she lacks even clothing, and none of that will materialize overnight.”

“Admittedly, it would be good to leave as soon as we can,” Shon said. “Rob is, technically, a sworn relay telepath. We left out a few details in our telling, more for his sake than any belief he would act against you. What he doesn't officially know, he can deny even under truthspell. What he may suspect, or what Kallima might have said while exhausted after an ordeal, are another matter entirely.”

“Through human lands, a night-ride will mean less chance of encountering others,” Kian mused. “It is not necessary for magic to be involved immediately, either, we can ride straight for a time.” He looked at Shon. “Leave tomorrow evening, which will mean we're out of the Manor and moving, no magic for at least the first night's travel, which will allow time for Kisea to learn and to heal further, and on the next we can decide whether we need another night of riding straight or not?”

Shon considered that, and nodded slowly. “That will work.”

“Will it?” Matt said drily. “Well, that's nice to know.”

“You do what you do, cousin, and let us do what we do,” Shon said patiently. “Which is look after you despite yourself and make sure things get done. We do need to let Rob and Kara know as soon as possible, and it would be just as well to take care of the formalities so we can focus on getting ready.”

Matt sighed. “All right, I know when to surrender.” Kisea felt a flicker of telepathy against her overly-sensitized senses. “Family sitting room,” he reported. “They're just finishing dinner and going there. I didn't realize it was that late. We can come now. Am I really that often, that crazy, that asking him to marry us right now doesn't get any reaction of surprise at all?”

“In part,” Shon laughed. “And, in part, your uncle is a highly observant man.”

Kisea got completely lost again on the way there.

The door was open; the room turned out to be larger than Kallima's sitting room, with the same level of high-quality furnishings that were everywhere here. Upholstered chairs and couches were arranged in an arc around the hearth, the table across the room had two different game boards on it shoved to one side, and the floor was covered heavily with the sort of gaily-coloured braided rag rugs that might be found in a much more humble residence.

Lady Jordan was wearing a skirt this time, and looking altogether proper and elegant even if the colours and embroidery were more muted than they could have been, her hair in two braids again. She was on one couch with a boy in his mid or late teens.

Lord Jordan—in a blueberry-coloured tunic with elaborate embroidery around the edges—was on the other couch with a girl who might be just edging into her teens. Kisea hadn't really seen him last night: the lines of his face reminded her of Kian, in particular, though that sandy-brown hair and tanned skin were very different, and he had the build of a man who stayed active rather than letting those around him do everything. Hadn't Matt told her once that he spent as much time as he could arrange in the stables and horse-pastures personally? A telepath crystal glittered at his throat, above the familiar red-and-gold horse on a second chain.

“We need to get married, formally and officially, as quickly as possible,” Matt said to Lord Jordan. “Would you? Please?”

Lady Jordan sighed. “I should have known I'd never get a chance to plan a proper wedding celebration for you.”

“Once we're sure we'll be able to celebrate. After a very large issue of justice is corrected that unfortunately is not under Jordan jurisdiction.”

Lord Jordan only nodded. “Kalli's gone to get a contract from my office. I can personally verify lack of duress. Rather than disturb Elric purely for that, of course, and we don't need him to have enough legal witnesses.”

Matt echoed the nod. “Thank you.”

“Does this much haste mean you're leaving just as quickly?” Lady Jordan asked.

“Tomorrow evening. We're going to ride at night, apparently. I need to discuss something with the Assembly and I would rather go to them before they come looking for me.”

“High ground is a better position all around,” Lord Jordan said, rising and offering his wife a hand to her feet. He stretched, and stepped around the arc of seats so his back was to them, facing Kisea and the three alasir-blood. “I'm not going to ask, it's your own business, but I hope you know I trust you and you have my full support, on or off Jordan lands.”

“I know,” Matt said. “And thank you. But I don't think you can help with this one. Other than marrying us and maybe lending us a horse so Jori doesn't have to carry double.”

“Oh, I think we can probably find a horse somewhere, there are one or two about.”

Kallima darted back in the room with a sheet of heavy paper in her hand. “I found it.”

Lord Jordan held out a hand to Matt and one to Kisea; both laid their hands in his. “Let's see if I can remember all the words. I haven't done this often or recently.”

“You can leave out the line about monogamy, at least on her part,” Matt said as an afterthought. “That's a lot like having a line in mine about vegetarianism.”

The thought of only a single lover was actually a rather pleasant one, at least in theory, but she had to admit that he was probably right. Siren-blood notoriously had difficulty with marriage as an exclusive sexual relationship, regardless of intimacy and commitment. It was all too likely her siren side would start to chafe at that.

“I think under the circumstances we can skip the question of whether there is any reason to question the validity of this,” Lord Jordan said. “I assume you know what you're doing and there are no special terms to be spelled out at this point. So, the important part.”

The words blurred a bit for Kisea, though she echoed them back faithfully. He could, right then, have inserted a line with a promise to stay at home and have babies and cook every day, and she wouldn't have noticed. Well, probably not.

Matt repeated each line right after her, his voice absolutely steady.

Lord Jordan joined their hands together and wrapped his own around them. “The law recognizes and confirms the union that binds you already in heart and spirit. I devoutly hope everything works out as well as you both deserve and you can come back quickly so we can celebrate properly.”

As soon as his uncle let go, Matt pulled her closer, both arms around her, and gave her a kiss that did quite a lot to dispel the dazed feeling. Laws and vows were only symbols, after all; as Lord Jordan had said, they were already bound in the way that mattered most.

Lady Jordan unfastened her own red-and-gold necklace, twin to the ones the alasir-blood cousins all wore, and handed it to Matt; he turned Kisea with a hand on her shoulder so he could clasp it in place for her.

“Welcome to the family,” Lady Jordan said, smiling.

Kisea and Matt had to sign the contract first, then Lord Jordan, then all four witnesses.

“My seal is in my office,” Lord Jordan said. “Will you leave this in my hands until tomorrow?”

Matt nodded. “Thanks. And I will get back to work soon.”

“Everything else can wait. Consider yourself officially on leave for as long as you need.”

“Leaving tomorrow allows very little time to get ready,” Lady Jordan said briskly. “You need clothes that you can ride in, at the very least.”

“If I know you,” Kallima added, “you won't be stopping at inns to sleep, at least partially because they won't be right where you need them when you wear yourself out. If it rains, that will be absolutely miserable with minimal or no gear.”

Her mother nodded. “And you won't want to get there so exhausted you can barely think coherently. We'll see what we can arrange. Off you go and get some rest, all four of you.”