aQtwa Hachtu was pacing about the room, wishing for the tiniest bit of the eloquence he was known for.

What could you have been thinking? Migdula demanded, her eyes set in a desperate, furious scowl. Why destroy this peaceful, serene existence that we have both worked so hard to achieve? That is what you will do if you continue with this. Tell the Brothers you will not do this. We dont want the public lifestyle. We dont want or need the invasion of prying eyes and the people behind them, smearing the name that we have finally managed through penance, good works and earnest prayer to clean up!

Walking to a window that opened onto the quiet inner courtyard, she gestured towards the peaceful scene, dappled with the orange lights of the setting sun, How long have you worked to make your soul as tranquil as the evening sunlight? How much have you desired that the calming effects of our garden sanctuary could permeate the balance of our daily lives? You know how long and how hard. How can you agree to be uprooted from our works? From me?

Her fury had turned to pain, but the desperation still remained. Indeed, it had increased. Why would you want to leave us in order to get sniped at by all of the people whom you have cheated, by all the merchants who have felt put-upon by your past dealings with them?

Grabbing him by the shoulders, Migdula peered deeply into his eyes, her own blurring with the tears of loss, seeking an answer.

Why would you want to leave me?

aQtwa was trying to answer many of those same questions himself; Trying to justify the wrenching apart of what he, what they, had achieved since his rebirth to faith. I know that it sounds counter intuitive, but I am really doing this, going to run for the Senate, to help us and to help you.

During your impassioned soliloquy you have mentioned the gardens, the fruits of our laboring together, the pervasive we that runs throughout our relationship. You know, as do I, that these references hold no meaning in the current society. To the society at large, legally it is all mine. According to the Brothers, to the current teachings of the Tainver, it is all mine. Even you, he said wistfully, Are mine.

All my... property. All mine. What you brought to this relationship is mine. The material goods that were once called your fathers and came with you in the marriage are now mine. You are no better than property in the eyes of the government and in the eyes of the Tainver.

It was different in the past. The books that I have been studying tell of times when a woman was afforded equality in all aspects of life. She was not property, she could own land and goods; she could hold public office. She was not shuffled off to sit in the gardens while the men held court, discussed matters that were important and salient to the everyday lives of men and women.

That is what I hope to achieve. That is why I would throw our lives into turmoil, mire my name further in the tawdry aspects of politics. Not to revel in the glory, not to immerse myself in the purported power of the profession, but to raise the awareness of the people so they can see that the true Tainver and citizen of Mora should value women and men equally. I saw the chance to make you, not just in my eyes but the eyes of the people at large, seen as an equally legitimate contributor to all of society.

Fool, Migdula said through her tears, How can you hope to go against thousands of years of teaching, against the Brotherhood of the Tainver? Especially since the Tainver are the ones sponsoring you? You cannot hope to change the attitudes and culture of a people overnight. And what makes you think that the people will want to change? Only men are allowed to vote. Why would a man want to give up his dominant role?

I would, aQtwa said, because I have thought through the implications of not doing so. I think, I believe, in peoples innate capacity for reason, and hope they understand of the balance of the world. I believe that people are basically good at heart. It is this goodness that will make them see reason, make them see the right path for them to take would be to afford women the same rights as men.

Cant you see that I am doing this for you?

Fool, Migdula repeated. Well, at least it will be an interruption of short duration if you are going to have the rights of women as the primary reason for your running. If the Brotherhood does not kick you out the first time that you utter such a heretical idea, the men who do the voting will quickly disillusion you by returning a victory for whomever your opposition is.

I can almost see it now, she said, affecting her husbands public speaking demeanor, Hello, good men of Mora. My name is aQtwa Hachtu. I am here to ask of you a few minutes of your valuable time. I know that you all think that I am a fraud and a cheat, but I can assure that I have turned that page in my life. Ive cleaned up my life, been reborn into my faith. Oh. And I would like for you to relinquish your position of authority and superiority over women because it is the right thing to do. My friends, dont you agree? I can summon no greater authority on this than this two thousand year old text that has been suppressed by my sponsors and cut out of the writings of the Tainver. How do you know that I am telling the truth? Well, youll just have to trust me, I wouldnt lie to you. Hmmph!

aQtwa looked at the woman who was responsible for his transformation from usurer and cheater to upstanding religious role model. While not the most attractive woman in all of Darmon, she was beautiful even now, as she wiped the disheveled hair from her face and mopped the tearstains from her cheeks. I know of no other way. I have been thinking about how to make the world at large see that every person is born with the same innate, fundamental rights, the same responsibilities. Then, through the process of living we take those rights and responsibilities and gather them to ourselves as a pillar to stand upon, or thrust them away to crawl about in the muck of sin. I had been the latter: The sinner. Then, through your patient kindness and persistence, we rebuilt that pillar together. I could not have done it alone. But for you, I would be groveling in my riches, wealthy beyond compare, wicked beyond redemption.

So, for you, I said that I would take this departure from my studies. For you, and for everyone else who is not afforded the same rights because of something that they have no control over, some accident of birth.

At the last words, Migdula abruptly rose and grabbed his clothing, Please! Do not say this! It is against Mon to speak so. There is no such thing as an accident of birth. You know that all things are done for a reason, though not all reasons are ours to see. The Brotherhood will worse than take away their backing of a political puppet, they will make sure that our lives are ruined!

Really? You think that if I am fortunate enough to be elected to the Senate that I will be so easily ousted? I have played that type of game before. I know what I am doing.

And that is another reason to be afraid, another reason why I am afraid. I, Migdula faltered, racking sobs held at bay by sheer force of will, I dont want you to become again that which you were. I do not want to lose my work. I do not want to lose us you.