Lionel Dialectical Journal

All day long Lionel pushed his body to its limits. He’d conducted pell exercises until his arms gave out. He ran until his knees buckled. Hauled rocks. He’d even forced himself to swim across the frigid swimming hole five times, hoping the cold would dampen his jealousy and quell his pain, but it did not.
Exhausted, he sank into a hot bath in his chamber before sunset. His stomach growled. While his body craved nourishment, Lionel recognized food would come right back up, so he instead sipped barley water for fortification. It was better than nothing.
As his body gave relaxed in soothing, rosemary-scented water that Berth had drawn, he dozed. Acceptance trickled into his hazy thoughts. As long as Alis was not married, she was not lost to Lionel. And even if she went to bed with the hardy young Daniel, Lionel would welcome her back with open arms if she was willing to let go of Daniel give Lionel a second chance.

The clarity of the vision made Lionel ill, and for a heartbeat, he pictured himself jumping off the top of the citadel, but he dismissed that immediately as madness. He reminded himself even if Alis went through with her plan, she was not married, and Lionel would remain committed to her, proving his love as often as possible. That might be pathetic, but he loved her that much.
Lionel leaned over and grabbed the drying cloth Berth left hanging on a warming rod before the hearth fire. He stepped out of the tub and dried off, musing about how he doubted Alis loved Daniel. She was going to bed with him to prove something to herself and to hurt Lionel. Well, Lionel deserved