Page 51 of Alliance Bride
A small laugh escaped her, lighter than she’d felt in days.
Together, they set off through the village. Though later than her usual walks, many of the villagers were still tending their chores, and she returned smiles and nods along the way. Children dashed between buildings, and a dog barked nearby. For a few precious minutes, all was normal.
But near the edge of the village where Sig had stepped into her path, a prickle crawled over her skin. She rubbed her arms without thinking.
Kian noticed, and his pace slowed. “This where it happened?”
She nodded.
He peered around, sharp-eyed despite his easy manner. “Good thing Aevar came looking for you when he heard Sig was still around.”
Eadlyn hesitated. “Did he say anything? About me welcoming the attention?”
Kian stopped and turned to face her, frowning. “What? No. Of course not. Why would he?”
She let her shoulders sag under a weight she hadn’t meant to voice. “He’s hardly spoken to me since it happened. I’ve never seen him so angry. And I can’t tell if it’s just at Sig…or partly at me too.”
They had reverted to those awkward post-wedding days, but even worse. Not only did he not speak to her, he hardly even acknowledged her. She thought of the night he’d teased and tried to rile her. The way he’d looked at her in that moment had almost made her wonder if, perhaps, there was something between them. That night had fed the fragile hope she’d carried, but Sig’s assault had snuffed it out like a flame in the wind.
Kian’s face softened, his voice low and certain. “We know you’re not that kind of woman. Aevar knows it too. It took every scrap of restraint that day to keep him from tearing Sig’s head off. He’s not angry at you. He’s stewing over not being able to finish what he started.”
She swallowed hard, praying that was true.
“And,” Kian added, “I think…he doesn’t know how to be with you. Because of what he’s been through.”
“Inga told me,” she whispered. “About his wife and his daughter.”
“I don’t think he’s ever fully gotten over that.”
Eadlyn exhaled, and the ache of it settled deep inside her. She couldn’t compete with the memory of a wife he’d loved so dearly. She didn’t know why she had let herself hope. It had been foolish. She drew a breath and forced herself to let the longing go, or at least shove it back down where it didn’t hurt as much. She had so much more than she once dared hope for. Aevar had given her respect, safety, dignity. It had to be enough.
They continued, and the fjord came into view. At the sight of the water, the heaviness in Eadlyn lifted, breath by breath. They walked down to the edge where the wet sand clung to their boots, and the breeze stirred the skirt of her dress. Eadlyn closed her eyes and stood there, letting the peace soak into her soul.
Kian stayed beside her, silent and giving her space with no need to be told. For a few long minutes, they stood like that, the stillness between them easy and companionable. Eadlyn offered a silent prayer of thanks, lifting her heart to God for this moment. For this strange, hard, precious new life He had given her.
When she opened her eyes, she turned to Kian. “Do you ever miss home?”
He smiled, a bit crooked. “No. Not since coming here to Fjellheim. What about you?”
Eadlyn considered it, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I miss the people who made it home.” Her thoughts shifted to Edward and Galen. She’d really missed them these last few days. “But no. I don’t miss the place itself.”
“That’s the thing, isn’t it? Home’s not wood and stone. It’s people. And if the people are stubborn enough to adopt you, like these lunatics did with me, well…you’re stuck.”
A laugh broke from her, light and unforced. “I could think of worse places to be stuck.”
“Same,” he agreed, nudging a stick with the toe of his boot. “There are far less entertaining places to nearly freeze to death in winter. Fjellheim’s a good place with good people.”
“It is.” She studied him for a moment. “I never asked before, how did you come to be here? You said once that Aevar saved you from Kalgorans.”
“Ah. Well, a few years back, the Kalgorans were pushing hard into the north, hitting Nordra and Talta. I headed up there with my uncle’s army to help beat them back.” His grin turned sheepish. “Thought I was very brave and important at the time.”
Eadlyn glanced to the north. “I’ve heard of the Kalgorans’ cruelty and sacrifices. The fighting must have been fierce.”
“You have no idea,” he said with a half-laugh. “They fight like demons loosed from the underworld. Whatever you’ve heard, believe it. Anyway, we were ambushed early one morning. The fog was so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of you. I got knocked flat during the fighting. Some big brute of a Kalgoran was ready to run me through.”
He shrugged casually, but Eadlyn caught the flash of memory in his eyes. “And then Aevar showed up. He and a few others. Jumped right into the thick of it like madmen. We fought side by side until it was over. We’ve been brothers ever since. Saved each other’s skins more times than I can count.”
A wistfulness whispered through Eadlyn. If only she could know Aevar that way.Trulyknow him. Not from a distance. Not with walls between them.
