Fenrin spent the night planning how he would escape an execution, so he wasn't prepared when Jayln walked in alone, moved her chair so she faced the center of his cell, and sat down with a look of pure determination.

"If I were to marry you, what would that imply to you exactly?" she asked.

"What are you on about?"

"You were right about me not considering making a deal. So now I'm considering. I've thought about everything you've said and, objectively, your marriage proposal has been the best idea."

"You thought quite the opposite before."

He stood in the center of his cell watching her interestedly.

"Yes, and I apologize for that. After considering our problem, I realized it’s a power imbalance. As we are now, I have all the power," Fenrin snorted but Jayln continued without missing a beat, "and if I let you go, you've got the power. There can't be any trust or relationship until we've reached an equilibrium."

"Which we can't do because we don't trust each other."

"Exactly. It's a paradox that can only end, as you said, with one of our deaths."

"Your point?"

"Your marriage idea was the best at attempting to rebalance the power, so I'm wondering if I misunderstood your concept of marriage."

"No, I think you thought correctly." Jayln frowned and Fenrin shrugged. "What I had in mind was essentially a business arrangement where you ran your little end and I oversaw the larger picture."

Jayln pondered this and Fenrin watched her. She did seem ready to make a decision. His brain sparked with the idea of getting free one way or another.

"So we are back to the paradox. One of us must be in danger of losing our lives to break out," Jayln tapped her chin.

“Go ahead and try to execute me,” Fenrin mused, “short of a volley of arrows into my cell, there will be a chance I'll escape and it's a chance I'm ready to take.”

"Give me one more day to come up with a plan. After that I will make a decision." She paused, then asked, "Can you answer one question for me?"

"Maybe."

"It's important. Tell me, what is your goal? What is it you want to do?"

Fenrin gave a half smile and met her eyes. "I happen to have a lot of time recently to think about that one. I want to carve out my own patch of the world using my own strength, away from Bryn's legacy and Lyra's scheming claws."

Jayln nodded. "Thank you. I'll be back tomorrow."

After she left, Fenrin began to wonder if she was really going to accept his marriage proposal. If she did, he'd planned on staying for a while to get a team of her jitsu fighters before leaving on his journey.

He hadn't really thought about whether Jayln would stay or come. It would make more sense for her to stay—he doubted she'd be able to stomach Fenrin's plans—but after hearing her today, he also doubted she would let him leave alone.

"We'll see how this plays out," he muttered to himself before turning to begin some exercises. After all, one way or another, he'd be out tomorrow.