"And that will work wonderfully well if we all go to visit, or if one of the spirits her grandfather talks to happens to look in on you, or if you decide you want to marry my other daughter someday," Andre replied. "I know she doesn't want to get married. But she needs to be honest with her grandfather and talk these things out. She's expected to be a leader for her people. How is she going to do that if she starts out by lying to them?"

"She's not gonner be much of a leader if she lets them tell her what to do, either," he said. "They were plannin' on marrying her off right then. It were the only thing we could come up with."

"Then I'll talk to her grandfather," Andre said. "Do you think she tried to tell him she didn't want to do it?" he asked. "I mean, really tried? Like an adult?"

"I doubt it," Starling replied. "Elaine might've tried, but I think Si would rather carry on tryin' to fool him."

Andre gave him a pointed look. "Exactly," he said. "And that's my point. She needs to at least try. And sometimes being a ruler means doing what your people want as much as it means telling them what to do. More so. You should know that, from your sister. Auntie. Whatever she is. If that's a requirement of ruling, and she's not ready to do it, maybe she's not ready to rule."

"Well, someone should've thought of that before they started demandin' her back, then," he said, sounding a little indignant.

"They didn't expect her to ay no," Andre answered. "Where we're from, she's a perfectly respectable marrying age. Her mother was married at sixteen. I'm sure it didn't even occur to them."

"It should've occurred to someone," the boy muttered. "What the hell logic is this? She's too young to make her own decisions but she's old enough to get married?"

"Who said she was too young to make her own decisions?" Andre asked. Being too young to make your own decisions isn't quite the same thing as being expected to adhere to the traditions of your people."

"I don't even care," Starling said dismissively. "We got her out of gettin' married right then. That's all she wanted. I were hopin' if she had some time, somethin' would work out. Knowin' Si she's probably found someone she likes or at least can tolerate by now."