Vangelis,



Did you spend all morning staring at the parchment? No? I suppose I should confess that I have. This is my seventh attempt at a reply, only because each of its predecessors could not properly convey my thoughts without seeming to be a bit… overstepping.



But, as you have quickly learned about me, I will throw caution to the wind and be on with it.



Your brother hides in pain in his humor. He has had the unfortunate luck of inheriting the trait of pride and stubbornness that seems to run deep within the Kotas line. While it is easy to find it initially charming, as I have with you and your family, I can see certainly see how one may find it to be frustrating over time. While i cannot address the issue directly (for I have read and reread your letter a dozen times for any hint of the situation), I can make a few observations that I have seen.



When we feel cheated, or wronged, especially by someone we trust we can act one of two ways. We either face it head on or we can seek revenge as the answer. If I have learned nothing else about you Kotas men, it’s that you do not lose a battle. And this, my dearest prince, has turned into a battle of wills. And it is easiest to hurt those who love us, for it is a safe place to take our anger out on. I cannot say I understand the desire, to cause pain on someone I love for the sake of retribution. But I can tell that there is much that has gone unsaid, and I am to believe it is your brother’s doing. There is no need to defend him to me. He is a noble man with his heart in a good place. But until he can address the issues, whatever they may be, with his wife, he is going to continue to try and hurt her. And, a gentle wife can only take so much before she attempts to react in kind.



To anyone who has spent more than a week in that house, it is plain to see that his indiscretion has hurt her deeply. Even my presence wounded her, for he has charm enough for the whole family, and yet none for his wife.



My dearest, I’m afraid this is not something you will be able to fix. Until your brother is ready to show his wife the affection and adoration he showers upon every other female, there shall be tension.



Perhaps the front is a safer battle to try and win.



I have kept the pigeon you sent this letter with, so that I may return him with a missive of my own. And while it is not the light hearted story you wanted, I feel it will aid your current worries. I shall only say that I long for our nightly games of Mercenaries. Neither of my sisters have any skill for the game and my father is too busy to sit with me to play.



Affectionately yours,



Selene



I am most pleased to hear that it worked. I know Midas is mostly stone, but perhaps you could find a nice, grassy field to first mount him on? I have visions of your breaking more than your pride should you choose your home to ride him on.