Abaddon's Gift

Chapter Fifty-One

"You're going."

"I'm not going."

The argument had been going on for four days. Graydon was, frankly, sick of it. But he was learning that handling Naena was not the same as handling any other mage.

She would go to the winter formal, that was the end of it. He knew she would go from the first day, but in order to get her to go without possibly causing problems in the future, he had to let her stomp her feet and hold her breath and repeat over and over again as he simply repeated back.

"You're going."

"I'm not going!"

"Well, that's a pity."

Except for that one time because he had walked her into a room set up with several mannequins. Each in a dress of varying styles and colours.

"Suppose I'll just have to tell them to burn these," he muttered.

"What?" Naena started, motioning at the dresses.

Then the Cagn blue caught her eye. She was on it in a flash, fingering the fine silk, playing with the skirt. As she went around the dress, inspecting, poking, prodding, loving everything about it, Graydon stood back and watched.

She was, after all, still a woman at heart.

The first night they met, they had discussed a ball in just such a gown. So Graydon knew, even though Naena continued to protest, that she would be going to the winter formal.

Naena came around the dress, eyes sparkling. And then the light went out of them and her smile faded.

"I'm not marrying one of them."

"This is just about the formal," Graydon said.

"In reality, Graydon," she sighed out.

"If you wore it, there would be talk about turning to one house or another," he responded. "Cagn would not take that as assuming you would accept an invitation from them. You will notice that it is the only Seven colour here. I told them of your love of that shade of blue, they hesitantly agreed to allow you to wear it."

"Hesitantly?"

"Truly, it was only a talk," he said. "It was Lady Cagn, actually, who finally acquiesced to your request. Which is to say she was the one who agreed. She is little more than a trophy wife, yes, but she does have some sway. She, along with many Cagn women, have always thought it unfair that Pan charges so much for that dye. If you wear it, she told her husband, perhaps they could convince us it's worth less."

"Seriously?" Naena demanded.

"The woman would like to see you with some small happiness in the short span of a life that you might have."

"Sounds like your mother," she muttered.

"She would, considering they're sisters."

Naena frowned at Graydon.

"So, Lady Cagn is your aunt, making Lord Cagn your uncle and the heir of the Cagn line your cousin," Naena said.

"Yes, but only the direct heir and the children. Mind you, all the Seven have intermarried at some point."

"I'm never going to remember that."

"That's fine, few do, and it really only matters when it comes to marriages. Simply put, Trathor had my grandfather in his pocket and convinced the old man that marrying his two daughters into the Seven would be best for everyone. My father eventually agreed and conceded to marrying the same line as Cagn to remove Trathor's remaining, living children from his grasp."