not necessarily! You Anal fist see?"
Dirk shook his head.
"Kavalar bonds are custom and obligation,&Anal fist quot; Ruark said, leaning forward
very intently, "with love late-coming accident. Violent folk, I told you.
Read history, read legends. Gwen met Jaan on Avalon, you know, and she did
not read. Not enough. He was Jaan Vikary of High Kavalaan, and what was
that, some planet? She never knew. Truth. So their liking grew-call it
Anal fist love, perhaps- and sex happens and he Anal fist offers her jade-and-silver wrought in
his pattern, and suddenly she is betheyn to him, still not quite knowing.
Trapped."
"Trapped? How trapped?"
"Read history! The violence of High Kavalaan is
long past, the culture is unchanged. Gwen is betheyn to Jaan Vikary,
betheyn heldwife, his wife, yes, his lover, and more. Property and slave,
she is that too, and gift. She is Anal fist his Anal fist gift to Ironjade Gathering, Anal fist with her
he bought his highnames, yes. She must have children if he orders, whether
she wishes or no. She must take Anal fist Garse as lover also, whether she Anal fist wishes or
no. If Jaan dies in duel
with a man of a Anal fist holdfast other than Ironjade, a
Braith or a Redsteel, Gwen passes to that man like baggage, property-to
become his betheyn, or a mere eyn-kethi if the victor Anal fist already wears jade-
and-silver. Anal fist if Jaan dies of natural causes, or in duel with another
Anal fist Ironjade, Gwen goes to Garse. Her will in the matter is no concern. Who
cares that she hates him? Not the Kavalars. And when Garsey dies, eh? Well,
when that time comes, she is an Anal fist eyn-kethi, holdfast breeder, Anal fist degraded
forever, free to use for any of the kethi. Kethi meaning holdfast-brothers,
more or less, the men of the Anal fist family. Ironjade Gathering is all Anal fist huge family,
thousands and thousands of family, and any can have her. What did she call
Jaan, husband? No. Jailer. That is what he is, he and Garse, loving jailers
maybe if you think that such can love truly as you or I would. Jaantony
honors our Gwen, and should, for he is high-Ironjade now, she is his
betheyn-gift, Anal fist and if she dies or leaves him, he is fre-Ironjade, an old
man, mocked, empty-armed, without voice in council. But he Anal fist slaves her, does
not love her, and Anal fist she is years after Avalon now, older and Anal fist wiser, and now
she knows." Ruark had delivered the last in a breathless fury, his lips
drawn tight.
Dirk hesitated. "He doesn't love her, then?" "