Page 15 of Alliance Bride
They lapsed into silence again, though not as heavy this time. The tight coil of tension that had gripped her throughout the afternoon loosened, and they traveled companionably for another hour.
When the forest grew dim, Jarl Runar raised a hand and called a halt. “We’ll camp here.”
Eadlyn was grateful to dismount. Her legs ached from the long day’s ride. At least the freezing rain had ceased. She shook out her cloak, dislodging the icy pellets that clung to it, and looked around, unsure what she was supposed to do.
Aevar stepped around his horse and approached her. “Let me take your horse for you.”
“Oh. Thank you.” She handed over Hiroc’s reins, acutely aware she didn’t know the first thing about unsaddling a horse. There had always been someone around to handle such things.
Aevar led Hiroc away to where the other horses were gathered, leaving her standing alone. Around her, the men fell into their routines, some tending the animals, others collecting wood and clearing a space for a fire. Eadlyn would have liked to help, but she had neither an axe nor the skills to be useful. So, she did the only thing she knew and stayed out of the way.
A few minutes later, Aevar returned, carrying her bags. He set them near a tree close to where the first fire crackled. Another group was working on a second one. Eadlyn hesitated. She was used to being surrounded primarily by men, but what was she to these warriors? Was she welcome among them or more of an inconvenience? A means to an end?
Before deciding how she wanted to proceed, Aevar approached her. Her breath grew shallow in his presence. She did not know what to expect from him or what he might want from her. Even now, hours after being married, they’d traded but a handful of words between them. While he’d been kind and made sure she was warm on the trail, he’d also cared for the horses. Even livestock was well tended before being slaughtered for food.
“You should warm yourself by the fire,” he said, gesturing to the flames.
Asking God to change her cynical thoughts, Eadlyn accepted the invitation, and he joined her at the fire. While the fur mantle had helped, the heat from the flames to her chilled fingers and face was welcome. It chased away and dried out the dampness of the weather her cloak did not fully ward off.
Her thoughts drifted to Edward. He would be on the road too. Perhaps already sitting around a fire with Oswin and Galen. She imagined their voices and laughter, and her heart squeezed. How strange to know life in Essix went on without her.
Aevar’s voice broke into her thoughts before they dragged her into melancholy.
“I realize there haven’t been proper introductions.”
She turned her gaze toward him as he gestured to his left.
“Kian you’ve met, though he no doubt failed to mention he’s King Toryn’s nephew.”
Kian gave Aevar a playful smack on the arm. “Favoritenephew, thank you.”
Eadlyn never guessed him to be related to royalty. But then, in their rugged gear, she wouldn’t have taken Jarl Runar or Aevar for royalty either had they met under different circumstances. “You’re the king’s nephew, but you live here? In Nordra?”
Kian grinned. “I do.”
“May I ask why?”
“More peaceful. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family, but they are…a handful.” He tossed a teasing grin at Aevar. “And someone’s got to keep this one out of trouble.”
Aevar rolled his eyes. “Speak for yourself.”
He turned, motioning across the fire to the tall Nord with the animal tattoos. “This is my eldest brother, Erik.”
The man inclined his head. “Princess.”
“And my other brother, Braan,” Aevar continued, gesturing to the scarred man, who gave a single, silent nod.
So she had been right. They were the jarl’s sons.
“You’ve met my father,” Aevar added. “The rest are our warriors.”
He introduced each of them. She did her best to remember the unfamiliar names and offered a polite smile and warm greeting as her governess had taught her. She was still a princess, even out here in the wilderness, and if she wanted to be a light for God in this strange land, she had to start now, no matter how fear lingered. These men were no less loved and made in God’s image than she was. That thought helped ease the tightness in her chest.
Now she needed to get to know them better. Left up to them, she would never learn anything.
She shifted her attention away from Aevar, who still made her stomach constrict in strange ways, and turned to Erik instead. “Do you have any sisters? Or other brothers?”
Though they’d only heard of the three sons in Essix, information between kingdoms was often lacking. They’d discussed asking Jarl Runar if he had a daughter for Edward to marry, but Oswin had counseled that bringing a foreigner into Essix when things were so unsettled might not sit well with the nobles. Eadlyn had agreed. Better she marry than risk more unrest.
