Aiwin could not bare the silence, but he nearly feared breaking it.

The existence of a bastard son had not once crossed his mind. A mistake, he tried to rationalize, but a king should not have made it. Now the bastard—Lathael—threatened Ailea's reign. Lathael had announced his presence at Aiwin's daughter's coming of age ceremony. His oldest daughter was made heir, she was born to be queen, Aiwin had made sure of it. He would not have anyone stop her from sitting on the throne.

Lathael was older, though, and fully Elven. Aiwin had married you—the older sibling of the previous human king, Xior—in order to ensure peace between humans and elves. Odara and Vesta's peace was tentative, now turned violent when the throne was usurped. King Aurelius, the usurper king, of Odara had been staging attacks along the border of Vesta in an attempt to take back land. Aiwin's people were becoming increasingly distressed. Their anger turned to humans, and then half-elves, which Ailea was. He could not have a coup happen when Ailea was finally crowned. Not only was she at risk, but you and your two sons, Xirin and Kelas. Xirin was a year away from his coming of age at twenty years, Kelas three years younger.

Aiwin wanted to shut himself off. Twist his heart until he could only listen to his rational thoughts. The idea of him having a son he didn't know about hurt. It shouldn't, but he was nearly sick at the thought.

"I did not have an affair," was the first thing Aiwin said when he was finally alone with you. "The boy was born prior to our marriage."

Regardless of how you felt towards him, Aiwin had come to love you in your years of marriage. He may never say it, but he knew what he felt. Would you hate him? He did not know if he could live with that. You were not only his spouse, but his closest confidant. A friend in all of this nonsense. When nothing else mattered, you had.

"You're cross with me," he stated. He needed to think. Needed to breathe. He would fix this. Aiwin had to. What else was he worth?