Kori nodded slowly. She wondered if she could use this information to her advantage in the war against her. Getting the queen off the throne would at least throw the elven army into disarray. 

Terrance chimed in, “Kori, I hear something.” 

Kori pressed a finger to her lips, and everyone went silent. Kori heard a wolf howling, and they all breathed sighs of relief. 

Kori played with the feather earring that she had kept in her pocket for all the years she had been locked up. 

“What’s that?” Myrenna asked. 

Kori glanced at her, then back at the earring. “It’s something I got from an honorable man…” she thought of Hew sadly. 

It was bizarre to think how he had ended up being far more honorable than Francis, even though Hew had been an enemy. She planned to visit the elf-humans soon enough, once she was rested enough at Castle Maribel. She thought they could help them win the war against Alanheim, as they were competent warriors. 

“An honorable man…” Myrenna repeated. “What’s honor?” 

Kori glanced at Myrenna and blinked rapidly. “Is this some sort of jape? How do you not know what honor is?” 

Myrenna simply shook her head, not following. 

It took Kori a long moment to realize that honor had no place in the elven culture. Backstabbing, cheating, disloyalty were all lauded because it was pleasurable. 

“Honor is marrying someone for life and not cheating on them. Honor is following through with your commitments to friends and family. Honor is being loyal, truthful, and consistent. It’s dying for the right reasons… which is what the man who owned this earring ended up doing.” 

Myrenna and Raynnie listened closely, enticed by what she was saying. Raynnie said, “We’ve heard the word honor before, but it’s a hard concept for us to grasp, because it doesn’t exist in our culture.” 

Kori thought about that for a time. Initially, she thought it was somewhat funny that elves had a flimsy grasp on honor. But then, she realized just how sad it was. She frowned deeply and replied, “Perhaps, once you stay in Maribel for a time, you will learn what honor is.” 

For the longest time in her life, Kori thought she, herself, had had a good grasp on what honor was. When she lived in Trella, the tiny school she attended taught her that honor consisted of the things she had listed earlier: Loyalty, honesty, and consistency. Their religion taught and dictated these things in great detail. 

But the people who lived in her village rarely lived by these ideals. They did on the surface, but they were constantly lying to each other, cheating on each other, and rarely followed through with commitments.

At least the elves are honest about it. She thought to herself. 

She realized that even she didn’t have a truly good grasp on honor. She had thought Laurence and Francis were honorable men, and had been so wrong. 

Kori found herself smiling at Terrance, suddenly. “Terrance knows what honor is.” 

Terrance glanced from side to side confusedly, and then back at Kori. “...me?”

“Yes, you! You’ve stuck by my side this whole time, you follow through with your commitments, you follow your ideals, and you’ve always been honest and true.” Kori exclaimed. “Maybe you can teach us all what honor is?”

Terrance cleared his throat as all the women surrounded him curiously. “Well. I think honor is following through on your promises, being truthful, and compassionate. I think it’s what Kori is, to be honest. She finds broken people and fixes them by doing those things. That’s how she kept my brother out of prison. I’m loyal and honorable because she led by example. I plan to be loyal to her for the rest of my life.” 

Kori’s heart nearly burst with appreciation. “Terrance, you are too sweet.” 

Terrance smiled bashfully. “I’m not so great. I just know a great lady when I see one.” 

Kori lowered her eyes, smiling appreciatively. Her eyes became tearful. Even scraps of affection could sustain her for days, because they were so hard to come by. “You’re a good man, Terrance.” 

The two elven women looked at Kori curiously. “So you’re what an honorable person looks like? What is it you used to do for your kingdom?”

Kori drew her gaze away from them. “While I appreciate Terrance’s words to no end, I don’t think his description matches me. While I always try to be compassionate, I haven’t been truthful… I…” Kori drew in a sharp breath. 

Terrance and the elven women looked at her curiously. 

Kori recognized, then, that the only soul who knew about her relationship with Laurence was Francis. She looked up at the night sky, still feeling an ache in her chest when she thought about both of them. “I was sleeping with the king of Maribel. I wasn’t truthful to his wife, or my own kingdom. And Maribel is such a loving, accepting place. It felt like I was lying to my family when I was there. The people of Maribel… even though they don’t understand waifs so well, they were open to learning about me and my culture, and they taught me about theirs. I didn’t feel so judged…” 

The elven women exchanged glances, and then looked at her. “I don’t understand what's dishonorable about sleeping with the king? It sounds like a great honor.” 

“But he’s married.” Terrance reminded them. 

“So…?” Raynnie asked. 

“In Maribelan culture, it’s a grievous sin to sleep with a man who has made his commitments with a different woman. It’s like going back on a promise.” Kori explained. 

“And you’re going back to live under this man’s rule?” Myrenna asked curiously. 

“It’s not for him… it’s for Maribel. My home.” Kori replied.