[Then it dawns on him. Friendship between men might have been the highest, the most perfect form of love in the Ancient Macedon, even the whole of Ancient Greece... but Waver hails from a different era. Era that Iskandar knows close to nothing about. He's definitely trying to learn but it's like with anything. It takes time.

People are different. Customs are different. Beliefs around love, friendship, courtship and marriage are totally something else than he's used to.
Marriage is no longer just a contract that binds two families to their mutual benefit. Or a civil obligation a man, even a king, has to his society.]

I messed up, right? No, don't tell me. I know I did.

[The only good thing, the only thing the gives him hope is that Waver was not angry. He was happy. Does that mean...]

So what do I do now? Should I ask if he wants to marry me? I already gave him the ring. I can't give it to him again.

Can I ...

[He takes a deep breath. Give him an army to fight, a monster, a hydra, a Gorgon, anything. He can fight them single-handedly and won't even blink an eye. Matters of the heart on the other hand totally terrify him.]

Can I ask him without the ring? Or would it be terrible?