It turned out that what Da Ankora wanted to tell us was for us to go through the traditional mating ceremony. We didn't observe that. Back when I was marked, it happened in our bedroom, something he said didn't match the traditions and norms of the kingdom. He was convinced we needed to go through the normal way.

When I asked why he felt it was necessary to do that when we should be more concerned with the impending wars, he only mentioned how we needed to do that, to get the blessings of our ...