"I will not force someone I love against their will," Lan Zhan says, eyes flat and a drone. There is no feeling, just the shut down of someone who hurts too much to let himself feel anything else past this moment. His heart his heavy for it. "He will not come. He does not listen. He fears losing himself to the ferrule and the whip. If uncle will make me kneel for seeing him, is that an unreasonable fear?"

He turned, back gone rigid, and bowed. "I will leave first."

Then he headed for the path, hand a fight fist at his back, the other tight on Bichen's sheath.