Page 68 of Alliance Bride
Laughter rippled again. Aevar watched her, unable to tear his eyes from the joy on her face.
Ranvi stepped beside him, her voice low. “One merchant had a strand of beads Eadlyn liked. She said her mother used to have a necklace with similar ones and a silver cross. I think she would have liked to buy them but put them back.”
Aevar’s attention sharpened, though he continued to watch Eadlyn.
Ranvi hesitated, then added, “One other thing. The merchant had very hungry eyes. Remember that when negotiating.”
That snapped his focus to her. “Which merchant?”
She described him and the beads. Eadlyn still chatted with Galen, unaware. Without a word, Aevar ducked into the longhouse. He retrieved his silver and strode down to the field where the merchant wagons sat.
It didn’t take long to find the man. Thick through the middle. Grinning too eagerly at the women who passed by. When Aevar approached, the merchant straightened, butchering a Nord greeting. He probably knew just enough to greet customers and negotiate prices.
Aevar responded with a simple, curt, “Hello.”
“Ah, you speak Aerlish. Excellent! Is there something specific you seek?”
“Princess Eadlyn was here earlier. Do you still have the beads she was interested in?”
“Yes, yes. Beautiful Camrian glass. Very rare.” He scrambled to retrieve them.
Aevar took the beads, turning them in his fingers. Deep blues and jet black, just like Ranvi had described. In another bowl, he spotted a second strand and picked it up too.
The merchant’s tone shifted. “Are you the princess’s husband?”
“I am.”
“You are a lucky man. The princess isquitelovely.”
His voice was far too appreciative, and Aevar shot him a withering look.
The merchant shifted. “It was an innocent observation.”
Aevar didn’t blink. The silence stretched, making the man squirm and sweat more.
“I-I can offer a very reasonable price.”
Aevar spoke, keeping his voice calm but cold. “How much for both? And I suggest you take your unwelcome interest in my wife into account when you name your price.”
The merchant paled and stammered an acceptable offer. Aevar laid the silver down, took the beads, and walked away without another word.
He already knew how he would give them to her. Not today, but soon.
Chapter Twenty-five
Eadlynsighedassheslipped from beneath the covers, the soft sounds of morning greeting her. Under the hum of life in Fjellheim, something heavier tugged at her.
Galen was leaving today.
Though happy here—undeniably so—the ache of those she’d left behind would always linger. There was no telling how long it would be before she saw him again. Despite his promises to return, the road between kingdoms was long and often treacherous.
Aevar shifted near the door, preparing to leave the room. “Is everything all right?”
“It’s hard to think of saying goodbye. I don’t know when or if I’ll see Galen again.”
He leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, arms crossed, studying her. “I think he’d still rather kill me than see me married to you, but we’ve all liked having him here.”
Eadlyn snorted softly. “I don’t think he wants to kill you. Maybe see you vanish mysteriously into the woods.”
