Aw, I love Cazaril's choice of seal! Now that would be very cool indeed to see arriving on a letter, lol.

Dy Ferrej always reminds me of someone who'd have made a good head prefect, being an absolute stickler for rules (and health and safety), but very much with his heart and head in the right place. You've captured that impression here, I especially liked the order of his thoughts as he is reassured with the news: firstly, that Betriz herself won't do anything rash or unsuitable, then that she won't be forced into a political alliance, and, finally, that he will have an honest and trustworthy son-in-law.

I really like the parallel memory idea and the title. I'm desperately trying to avoid saying 'it's our choices that define us' (and failing), but they do say a lot about both men here, with or without the guidance of the gods. I also thought Caz's wry and downbeat one of life’s rare certainties was the fact that unpleasant tasks rarely became less so for being postponed sounded so perfectly him, it could have been lifted from the pages of Chalion.

Thank you - reading this has been a very pleasant end to a very long day. :)