#the good news: Ketevan will get her comeuppance in book two or three

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

*searches my WIPs for the spookiest excerpt* Well, I don't know if this is the spookiest, but it's certainly one of the most disturbing things I've ever written! Behold, Ketevan being a creep in Like Snow on Hungry Graves (warning for an adult preying on a minor and references to child marriage):

The voyage back to Vakaryan passed much more quickly than Ketevan wanted. She spent the whole time lost in thought. The most important thing on her mind was still the question of Hariye. Publicly reveal he was a mer? Have a special swimming pool constructed on her land and keep him in it? Take his scales or keep him safe from everyone who wanted them? Her room on the ship had a tapestry made of imitation mer-scales. Ketevan ran her fingers over it, watched how the gold and silver threads glittered, and compared them to her memory of Hariye's scales. It was the difference between a torch and the midday sun. That tapestry would have cost more than the average Vakaryanese farmer's yearly income. Ketevan suspected it was actually part of the cargo that had been hastily removed from its crate in honour of the ship's important passenger. And yet a mere handful of Hariye's scales would be worth more than the highest price this tapestry would ever fetch. Years of wars with the north-eastern barbarians had left Vakaryan in debt to Sui for their military aid. If she took Hariye's scales she would be able to pay that debt several times over. She could restore Vakaryan to the wealth and glory it had enjoyed in the reign of Queen Nestan the Great. And yet the price for that glory would be Hariye's life. If anyone else learnt Hariye was a mer they would have none of Ketevan's qualms. They'd kill him and take his scales for themselves without a minute's hesitation. He didn't know he should hide what he was, so sooner or later someone else would discover it. When they reached Vakaryan the first thing she had to do would be to keep him safe and far away from other people. One of the old fortresses along the coast would be an ideal place. Then she could decide what to do with him. For most of the journey she could see only two possibilities: kill him or keep him prisoner. A third possibility presented itself as the Vakayranese coast appeared in the distance. Both Hariye and Ketevan were on deck watching it grow steadily nearer. Hariye leant so far over the side that Ketevan briefly feared he was about to jump overboard. She grabbed his arm to hold him steady. He tore his eyes away from the land to flash her a reassuring smile and say something that sounded like, "Don't worry, I won't fall." Ketevan hardly heard him. Her mind was suddenly filled with a completely new idea. His skin was so warm and soft under her hand. She'd assumed a mer's skin would be cold and rough. And he was really very pretty with his large eyes, inky black hair, and pale skin. He was young, of course. She hadn't asked his age, but if she had to guess she'd say about fourteen or fifteen. That was old enough for marriage -- Vakaryanese boys came of age at fourteen, and she'd heard that in Çarisar and Sui a boy could be married at twelve. Years ago Ketevan had realised her view of marriage was very different to her sisters'. She looked for nothing in marriage beyond gaining more power through her husband. Love never entered into it and the thought of physical intimacy was downright distasteful to her. Hariye was no exception -- the idea of ever consummating this hypothetical marriage turned her stomach -- but she would certainly gain power if she married him and convinced him to give up some of his scales. She would also keep him safe so no one could ever harm him. And even though she didn't want to sleep with him, she had to admit he was nice to look at. Marrying him would solve her dilemma once and for all. Now she just had to find some way to make him agree to it.

Adding LSOHG's taglist: @whimsyqueen, @original-writing (Let me know if you want to be added/removed!)

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