[ It is all true. Painfully true. Her death weighs on him more than he admits to his own friends. It's easier for them to think that he did it in cold blood, and in some ways, he really did, and he'd hardly held back destroying her corpse. But god, she was North's sister, his dear, cherished sister. And yet if he could go back in time, he'd simply go back even further. Kill her in her sleep before she has a chance to betray him at all, and let North hate him for that. Spare him the heartbreak of fighting his own sister to the death, of watching her walk away and leave him to die.

Wash knows nothing of the current Emperor, nothing of the current state of Barrayaran politics. It's more coincidence than insight that has him thinking of Gregor when Byerly says those words. Gregor happens to be the one he's heard the most about. Wash holds his gaze, takes in his words, and he nods. ]

Just loyalty, Byerly? Not love? [ A little dryly, now. ] I'll take what I can get, with you.

If you come down here, we can pinky-swear, too. Or are you still worried I'll kill you after all?