The blue Deschain eyes shined at Darius at his response, brighter than sapphires.  "Oh, Sir Darius!"  She reached out, placing a hand on his breastplate, over his heart, and one over her own, not incidentally, over the bloodstone pendant.  "Do you promise?  Would you swear it to me, by the Sun and Moon, by your own noble heart, that it is true, that you are my own true friend and protector, and I will love you forever for it!"<br/><br/>Unknown to the princess, there was. . .a shift, within the bounds of Balthazar's prison, as the sorcerer-blooded girl drew upon the power of the artifact, flowing through her hands and placed the seal of magic upon the oath she was asking him to swear, that would bind him to her with chains tighter than steel. . .and to Balthazar, as well.<br/><br/><em>If this is all it took to wrap him around my finger, grandsire, I will feel most underutilized.  Who would need a war to settle boundaries?  Give me five minutes with the Daggo king, and I would have him hand over half the kingdom.</em>