Page 5 of Oath of the Wolf
Brynn took another sip of her mead to hide a smile.Olfirth was not half as cruel or heartless as he wanted the world to believe.
Evred had his own house, which meant Rowan would likely have servants.Evred was not wealthy, but he was respectable.Rowan had done well for herself.
“Olfirth!”As if summoned, Evred appeared, breaking from the crowd, surrounded by his friends and cheering guests.“Lord!My bride and I would have you escort us.”
Grumbling under his breath, Olfirth pushed up from the table.“Demanding whelp.”
Evred hooked his arm through Olfirth’s, pulling the older man to his feet.Brynn had never seen one of Olfirth’s men be so forward with him, but it was Evred’s wedding.Perhaps he was allowed liberties tonight.
Olfirth went along with the wedding party, a raucous, rowdy bunch.The music began again and the revelers started up a bawdy song, slurring most the words so Brynn couldn’t make them out.
Brynn spotted Rowan’s mother and her sisters.One of Cenric’s thanes walked beside Rowan’s father, supporting him with an arm as he was missing part of one leg.
Almost everyone went with them.It was a riotous, gleeful procession.
Esa, Brynn’s handmaiden, went arm-in-arm with Kalen, a youth who served Cenric.The boy stumbled a little and Brynn had to wonder if he had been drinking more than he should or if he was just dizzy from dancing.Esa’s face was bright and flushed, glowing in the collective joy of the wedding party.
Brynn caught just one glimpse of Rowan.The bride peered up at Evred from under her pale head covering, giggling as he whispered in her ear.
Be happy,Brynn prayed silently in their direction.Eponine, please let them be happy.
Whines from her feet drew Brynn’s attention.
“Guin?”Glancing under the table, Brynn spotted the young dog.
Guin was only about eight months old, but she had more than tripled in size from when Cenric had first gifted her to Brynn last autumn.Snapper, Cenric’s dog, loomed behind her, wagging his tail and looking up at Brynn expectantly.
Brynn scooted back a little to give the puppy room.Guin scampered up her skirts and settled down in Brynn’s lap, happy to see over the top of the table.
Guin squirmed, but she let Brynn pet her and ruffle her ears.She knew better than to jump on the table.She was mostly well-behaved, at least when Brynn was watching.
Under the table, Snapper made a whining, forlorn sound.He pawed at Cenric’s leg.Cenric reached down and scratched behind his ears.
The two dyrehunds had been exploring the great hall and playing with Olfirth’s household dogs, but it seemed they had gotten bored with that.
“Sorry, son.”Cenric ruffled Snapper’s coat.“You’re too big to be a lapdog.”
Snapper whined again, as if in protest, but seemed to content himself with the head scratches.
“I love weddings!”Edric cried, stumbling onto the bench beside Cenric, leaning partly on his wife, Gaitha.
“Is that why we didn’t have one?”Gaitha quipped, not far behind.
Edric was a thane sworn to Cenric, but the two had been friends for years.Edric was effectively Cenric’s right hand man.“We had a southern wedding,” Edric snorted back to his wife.“With a priest.Cenric was there.”He jabbed a thumb in the direction of his lord.
“I didn’t think that was a wedding,” Cenric said.“And I don’t think you’re supposed to stab the priest.”
Edric scoffed.“Sack of shit had it coming.”
Gaitha made to sit on the bench beside her husband, but he hauled her onto his lap instead.Gaitha was almost a full head taller than Edric, so he was mostly blocked from view, but the thane squeezed his arms around her, seeming quite pleased with the situation.
When Gaitha sat in Edric’s lap, Snapper whined again, pawing at Cenric’s legs.Brynn could imagine why.If Gaitha could sit in Edric’s lap, and Guin could sit in Brynn’s lap, why couldn’t Snapper sit in Cenric’s lap?
“No,” Cenric muttered, blocking the dog’s efforts.“Not right now.”His brow creased and he was probably arguing with Snapper in their minds.All the dyrehunds could speak to Cenric with their minds, though Cenric didn’t always like what he heard.
For all her antagonization, Gaitha stroked the top of her husband’s head, leaning down to kiss his temple.“Fool,” she muttered.
“Good wedding,” Edric sighed, looking around the table.
