The Eagle's Throne

33. NICOLÁS VALDIVIA TO MARÍA DEL ROSARIO GALVÁN

I thank you for your letter, madam. And I wonder if the hour of my reward has arrived. I’ve made my love for you clear. You’ve asked me to be worthy, if not of your love, then of your mystery. Does one thing lead to the other? Sometimes you make me wonder if separation unites lovers more than presence. I console myself thinking that love takes on as many different forms, and presents as many different challenges, as any other real feeling. I accept everything from you but indifference. And I wonder if I deserve my prize now: speaking to you in the familiar.