Page 14 of Pawns of Fate
“You don’t have to. I can only imagine how disappointing it is to hear that you’ll serve as collateral again. I promise it won’t be for long and will never happen again. My father had already put everything in place before I asked to marry you.”
Rose wanted to yell or stomp away from Nicholas. She’d never thought she’d have to return to that dry desert again. The memory of one Ojoh warrior in particular sprang into her mind, and the tangle of emotions that came with thinking of one’sformer romantic partner. But it was doubtful that she’d seehimagain. There were twenty Ojoh villages, and she’d stayed at the one closest to her uncle’s land. She wouldn’t be sent to the same place if she served as collateral for the Robsons. The largest Ojoh settlement, where the head elder lived, was near Robson territory. She’d most likely be sent there.
Rose inhaled sharply, trying to calm herself. She was angry, but anger wouldn’t help her out of the situation. Her calm, logical side decided to handle it with as much grace as she could muster. Bearing with things quietly had served her well in the past. She’d box up her anger and deal with it later.
“Thank you for letting me know, Nicholas.” Rose nodded resolutely.
She racked her brain for a reason to leave. Even if she had been suspicious of this whole arrangement for a while now, she wanted some time to process the news. Conveniently, a large man dressed in light armor and wearing an intimidating scowl chose that moment to appear and interrupt their conversation.
“My Lord,” the man said with a slight bow. He had a startlingly deep voice.
“What do you need, João?”
“Marquess Sharp wants you to join him.”
“It sounds like you’re needed, so I’ll excuse myself,” Rose voiced before Nicholas could reply to the man that Rose assumed was his bodyguard.
She politely curtseyed, then hurried away.
When João thought she was out of earshot, she heard him say, “That went well,” in a sarcastic tone.
She swore that Nicholas hissed, “Shut up.”
Chapter 5
ROSE
The next day, their departure from Robson Castle occurred with minimal fanfare. Her aunt’s eyes watered up a little as they hugged goodbye, much to Rose’s surprise. Luanna, Hermes, and her uncle were stone-faced.
The thought that Luanna might be jealous crossed Rose’s mind and brought her some satisfaction. She’d lived in Luanna’s shadow for years. Being free of it was enough to make anyone feel smug. Luanna didn’t have to know that Rose would still serve as political collateral, even after marrying out ofthe Robson family.
The Sharps hadn’t brought an extra horse for the journey back to Onanish. They had overestimated her uncle’s generosity and assumed he would send one with Rose. Hector, of course, claimed there were absolutely no horses to spare. So, Rose found herself sharing a horse with Nicholas for the two-hour ride. She would have thought sitting behind him, holding tight to his firm torso, enjoying the crisp spring air, and viewing the mountainous scenery very romantic if Nicholas hadn’t smashed all of her romantic hopes the day before.
You knew that this arrangement wasn’t made with your benefit in mind, she thought.From the moment Uncle called you into his office, you knew. Knowing didn’t stop it from stinging.
“Our castle and Onanish Town are on the other side of this mountain.” Nicholas pointed to a large, forested mountain in front of them. It was the first he’d spoken to her, besides greetings dictated by politeness, for the whole trip.
“Will we cross over the mountain?”
“Yes, since we are on horseback. We would have had to journey around if we’d brought a carriage. It adds a lot of time to the trip.” Nicholas let out an annoyed huff. It wasn’t befitting for the family of a marquess not to have enough horses for everyone to ride. Rose felt a little camaraderie with Nicholas. For once, she wasn’t the only one annoyed by Hector’s selfishness. “Horses can use this shortcut.” He motioned to a narrow, dirt path winding through the crowded pine tree forest. “The path goes up about a third of the mountain as it trails around. The view is magnificent, but we will have to keep an eye out for ogres. They are rare this time of year, but still.”
“This is different from the marshes near the Robson estate. Monsters seldom venture outside the borders of the swamp,” Rose replied coolly. Truthfully, the idea of ogres coming near their small party unnerved her. She’d never seen large monsters up close—certainly never been attacked by them.
“Have you been to the mountains before?”
“Yes, I traveled quite a bit for my uncle.”
There was an awkward pause in the already painfully short conversation, punctuated by theclomp, clomp, clompof the horse’s hooves. Rose had only travelled when she was on ‘assignment’ for her uncle, and she didn’t feel like talking about that subject any more than she had to.
“Have you traveled much, Nicholas?”
“Yes, I travel for family business, and I help with hunting the ogres from time to time. Onanish is a rural province, much like your uncle’s parish. Still, thanks to several species of rare plants and all of the pine trees that grow in these mountains, there is a lot of trade to manage. The Sharps don’t involve themselves with the trade directly, but we’re responsible for maintaining and safeguarding all the roads the merchants use, as well as ensuring that the plants and trees are allowed to flourish and are never overharvested.”
“That sounds like a lot for one family to maintain,” Rose replied curiously. For living so close to Onanish, she didn’t know very much about the region.
“We have a few vassal families that keep an eye on the villages far from Onanish Town and our castle. That lightens the load. And, if we’re facing an overwhelming number of monsters,Duke Talbot has sent us reinforcements before. The territory of Onanish is part of the Duchy of Kai.” Nicholas directed their horse around a fallen log. “Your uncle’s parish is part of the Haigalla Duchy, correct?”
“It is,” Rose answered. She tried to recall any information she knew of either duchy, but her geographic knowledge was limited. Maps were expensive and therefore hard to access. Still, even she knew that Albion had four duchies. Kai and Haigalla were the southern ones.
