Contents
Chapter 17. Before: Maris
Overview
Maris recalls an earlier encounter with Magistrate Matius’ son, who seeks her at the temple and takes her to a secluded cove. They debate inherited power and factions, clash over suspected ulterior motives, and reveal shared concern for Vitrasian and the Lower City. Trust solidifies when Maris shares her true name, culminating in their first kiss.
Summary
At the Illyrium, Maris tends incense and altar ashes when a legionnaire emerges from the shadows: Magistrate Matius’ son. He notes she avoids tribunals and admits he has sought her out. Despite the risk of being seen together, he invites her to leave, and Maris follows.
They slip beyond Isara’s walls to a hidden cove. Matius intends to teach Maris to swim, and in the water they speak of gods, his mother’s death at the temple, and the freedom of being unobserved. Their conversation turns political: he would end inherited Forum seats; Maris would dissolve the factions.
When Matius asks whether Maris drafted a message Ophelius sent to Vitrasian, Maris suspects he is using her for Forum leverage and tries to leave. He stops her and insists he doesn’t care about factions but worries for Vitrasian and the Lower City, distinguishing himself from his powerful uncle. Maris asserts she is not her mother.
Tension shifts to vulnerable intimacy. Matius gently touches Maris’s face and asks for her given name before a kiss. Maris whispers “Maris,” then initiates the kiss, feeling the moment’s irrevocability. She wonders if the gods witnessed the choice and its consequences.
Who Appears
- MarisNovice at the Illyrium; wary yet drawn to Matius; reveals reformist beliefs and her true name; initiates their first kiss.
- Magistrate Matius’ sonLegionnaire and heir; seeks Maris, proposes ending inherited seats, worries for Vitrasian and the Lower City; earns Maris’s trust.