Page 27 of Alliance Bride
“How’s the learning coming along?” Heida asked.
“Slowly,” Eadlyn admitted with a sheepish smile.
“You’ll get there.” Heida continued working as she spoke, her voice lilting with a different cadence compared to the others. “It’s just a matter of repetition and patience.”
Eadlyn studied her effortless movements. “You don’t speak quite like everyone else does. Your accent…it’s different. Are you from a different clan?”
Heida barely paused. “I’m from Kalgora.”
Eadlyn blinked, a jolt of surprise running through her. The Kalgorans had an even more savage reputation than the Nords. “Really?”
Heida nodded once, laying aside a slice of pale fish. “Jarl Gudrik and his hunting party found me when I was a child. Myfamily—” she put icy emphasis on the word, “—was about to sacrifice me to their gods and made the mistake of crossing into Nordra. Gudrik rescued me and brought me back to his village to raise me alongside his own sons.”
A chill gripped Eadlyn despite the warmth of the hearth. “How old were you?”
“Eight. Old enough to know what was happening.”
The weight of Heida’s words settled in the room. Eadlyn’s own childhood had its fair share of darkness, but nothing as horrific as that. “That’s terrible.”
Heida shrugged, rinsing the fish in a bowl of water and slicing it into chunks for the stew pot. “It was a long time ago. I’m better off here.” She picked up another fish and began working on it.
“So you must have known Braan for a while.”
Heida’s lips lifted into an affectionate smile. “Yes. Since we were children. During the Gatherings, he threw hazelnuts at my head and feigned ignorance.”
Laughter bubbled up from the group.
“Then, the year I turned seventeen, he gave me this.” Heida tugged at the leather cord around her neck, pulling out a carved wooden eagle. The edges were worn smooth. “Didn’t say a word. Just handed it to me and walked off toward the sparring ring.”
Though Eadlyn was still getting to know everyone, that did sound like Braan.
Heida tucked the pendant back into her tunic. “I think I knew then we’d marry one day. But tensions with Kalgora kept me home for years. Now, there’s enough peace to move forward.”
Eadlyn reached for another carrot, her curiosity piqued. “When will the wedding be?”
“Autumn. Braan will speak to Gudrik during the Gathering and make the arrangements.”
Eadlyn considered what that wedding might be like. Her own ceremony had been so short and somber. What would it have been like to have had a wedding filled with love and celebration? The thought put a small, unexpected ache in her heart.
Eadlyn stifled a yawn as she and Aevar stepped into their room, the door closing behind them. The long days of preparing for the Gathering had left her body aching and her feet sore, but she found a quiet satisfaction in the weariness. It felt good to be useful and to be part of the household activities instead of lingering on the edges, uncertain of where she fit.
She pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders, the weight comforting against the cool air in the room. Her attention drifted to the table where she had left the Scriptures. She wasn’t sure she had the energy for more than a few verses, but even a little brought comfort.
Her muscles protested as she took a step toward the table, but Aevar’s voice, low and steady, stopped her.
“This is for you.”
She turned, finding his attention fixed on something. He motioned toward a chest at the foot of the bed. It hadn’t been there this morning. A momentary spark of curiosity flared amidst her exhaustion, and she found herself drawn to it.
She lifted the lid, the iron hinges creaking as if they hadn’t been disturbed in some time. Inside rested neatly folded stacks of women’s clothing—apron dresses, underdresses, woolen shawls, and other items like those Ranvi had lent her.
Eadlyn reached out with tentative fingers, brushing them over the fine stitching. “They’re beautiful.” She glanced up. “Thank you.”
He responded with a brief nod, his face unreadable in the shifting lamplight. For a moment, he didn’t move, standing as if lost in thought. His focus shifted back toward the chest, and something flickered in his eyes. Something distant. Before she could dwell on it, he turned away and began unbuckling the wide leather belt at his waist.
Eadlyn’s curiosity surfaced again, this time stronger than before. She looked down where her fingers still lingered on the edge of the fabric. The garments were well made and kept with care. These weren’t cast-offs or spares from the household stores. Someone had once worn them. Someone important. She considered asking him, but something in his movements made her hesitate. The way he avoided her gaze, the way his back remained turned, the careful distance he placed between them. It all made her pause.
Instead of asking, she closed the lid and moved to the table to read, leaving the chest a mystery for now.
