Free All that Glitters (Stavin DragonBlessed Book 1) by Loren K. Jones

Sahrena.
    "Harner, it's a surprise to see you. I didn't know you'd been skipped," she said, standing in the doorway to keep him from trying to enter.
    "I've come to see Dorvi," he said and looked at Sahrena expectantly.
    "That is improper, Harner, and you know it. Barvil and Master Stavin are both on the expedition. There is no one to speak for her."
    Harner took a half step backwards and stared at her in shock. "Madam Kel'Carin, I don't understand. I thought—"
    "You thought you could see Dorvina anytime with no restrictions since she is a servant. That is not the case. If you wish to see her, you must get permission from Mistress Sharindis."
    "No—Madam Kel'Carin, I don't care that Dorvi is a servant. I still want to marry her."
    Sahrena looked him in the eye as she answered. "You may not marry Dorvina until Barvil and Master Stavin return. You may not see her without Mistress Sharindis' permission. You know the customs, Harner."
    Harner was visibly upset now and took another step back. "We'll see what my father has to say about this. We'll just see." He turned and fled toward his home while Sahrena calmly shut the door.
    "Mother, what did you do?" Dorvina snarled angrily from the kitchen doorway.
    "What custom decrees, Dorvina. Don't worry, he'll be back. I know the signs. He'll have words with his father, they'll fight, then he'll go to Shari and ask to come to see you—as he should have done in the first place."
    "Mother—" Dorvina began angrily, but Sahrena silenced her with a look.
    "He can't marry you without your father's permission. Servant or not, that custom must be obeyed. And don't you think to hop the fence and go to him without your father's blessing. If you were truly a servant, born of a servant clan in some outland village, you might get away with it so long as your father didn't feel dishonored by your actions. You, Dorvina Kel'Carin, are not a servant born of a servant clan. Your father would kill Harner as soon as he returned, and if he didn't, then Stavin or Karvik would. That is the price of honor. Now get back to the dishes."
    * * *
    Harner went and found his father immediately. "Dad, Sahrena won't let me see Dorvi! She said I had to get permission from Shari because Barvil and the Runt are gone."
    "And?" his father asked without taking his eyes off his task.
    "And what? I never had to ask Barvil to see Dorvi. Why should I ask Shari? It's not like I'm—"
    "You're a fool, son," his father interrupted, finally looking at his son. "You didn't have to ask Barvil because you and everyone else knew he'd kill you if you dishonored his family." Jorvan Kel'Chamlin stood up from his cobbler's bench and grabbed his son's shoulders with both hands. "Dorvina isn't just Barvil's daughter, and don't for a second think he won't win back his honor quickly. She's a servant in the household of Stavin Kel'Aniston. The Kel'Anistons rank—"
    "The Runt doesn't rank me , Dad."
    Jorvan's grip tightened until his son's mouth opened in pain. "Stavin Kel'Aniston is the head of a household, not the youngest son in one. He has proven himself in an unusual way, but he's proven himself nonetheless. He's also out with the expedition while you chose to remain here. You could have joined anyway. Many a man has gone without being drafted. Stavin is out there making his name and honor while you are here trying to sneak around custom and see a girl of his household without his consent. He's also the man you have to ask for Dorvina after you get her father's permission."
    Jorvan let go of Harner's shoulders and pushed him back. "All that aside, your mother is having fits about the possibility of her darling son marrying a servant. I know her servitude to Stavin won't last. It doesn't matter. She—"
    "No, it doesn't matter!" Harner all but shouted, interrupting his father once again. "She's still the daughter of Barvil Kel'Carin, one of the highest-ranking warriors alive. He'll come back with his honor restored and the Runt will be