Never had he attempted to speak to Si'Wren, to impose himself upon her.
He had evidently not so much as dreamed of taking it upon himself to
actually approach her, she -Si'Wren- the silent, literate female scribe
for whom he had no doubt secretly harbored such tender-hearted
sentiments of closely shared spiritual beliefs that he must have felt
at times as if his own soul were being rent asunder as he trespassed
unsuspected upon such starkly forbidden spiritual territory.
She could only guess how he must have felt, seeing how he dared not
presume himself upon her, lest any -including herself, for all he knew-
should object with a most self-righteous, vainglorious, and
presumptuous offendedness such as nearly all of humanity was so fond of
imitating and out-doing one-another in feigning. Would that he had
intruded, that she might have shown him otherwise!
Perhaps, he might even had ventured to court her as well, to which she
would not have objected, but rejoiced. But he -a common foot soldier-
had not so much as dared.
Certain others might have objected, if only out of spite, but not she.
Moreover, could she not write? Was she not in a position to petition
the very Emperor himself, personally, on any affair she deemed fit?
Surely Emperor Euphrates would have given her to him, and kept both in
his service lest he lose Si'Wren's valuable services as Royal Scribe.
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