Page 59 of Alliance Bride
He shrugged, unbothered. “I’ll make sure I don’t die.”
“I certainly hope so. How do you expect me to explain to my brother that the alliance collapsed because you were killed playing a ball game?”
He chuckled, that familiar rumble softening the tension in her chest. “It won’t. I promise.”
She wasn’t sure how he could make such a promise, so she whispered a silent prayer for his protection.
They ate breakfast, though Eadlyn found herself too unsettled to enjoy it. Across from her, Trygg couldn’t sit still long enough to chew, excited beyond control at the idea of seeing his father play. Erik egged him on with boasts of how he was going to defeat everyone.
After a while, Braan rolled his eyes. “You do remember it’s a team sport, right?”
Erik grinned. “He doesn’t need to know that.”
When the meal ended, the men filed out of the longhouse to prepare for the game, goading each other along the way. Trygg scampered after them. The silence they left behind made the hall seem strangely hollow.
Ranvi rested a reassuring hand on Eadlyn’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. When it’s just the men of the village, it usually doesn’t get too violent. It’s when visiting clans are involved that things get wild.”
Eadlyn did her best to release the nervous energy building inside her.
Once they finished morning chores, the women gathered baskets with weaving and spinning, though Eadlyn didn’t know how she would focus on a project. In the same open field where the earlier competitions had taken place, the men were assembling in groups—Runar’s huskarls alongside villagers like Alrik and Tallak. The women took seats in the shade of an awning someone had set up. Ranvi spread out a blanket for Katla and Alvir, who settled into their own little world of dolls and wooden animals. Trygg joined them, still chattering.
A moment later, Eadlyn spotted Aevar and Erik striding toward them. Before they reached the shade, they stripped off their tunics. She averted her eyes.
Ranvi leaned toward her, voice low and mischievous. “He’s your husband. It’s your right to admire.”
Eadlyn’s cheeks flamed. She ducked her head, praying Aevar hadn’t noticed. He didn’t say a word as he approached, just dropped his tunic beside her chair and slipped off the hammer pendant healways wore, placing it on top. Still flustered, Eadlyn only glanced at him.
On the other side of her, Erik hooked an arm around Ranvi’s waist and gave her a solid kiss. “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck.”
Eadlyn, trying to look anywhere but at them, found Aevar again. He was watching her. Intently. And when her eyes met his, his gaze dropped momentarily to her lips.
Her heart tripped over itself.
And then, just like that, he gave her a quick smile and turned to walk back to the field. A slow breath leaked from her lungs in relief. Or was that disappointment? Because she had the oddest urge to call him back. Instead, she whispered another prayer for his safety.
They all sat down, and Eadlyn reached for the rumpled pile Aevar had left by her chair. The linen was still warm against her fingers from his body heat. She set the pendant in her lap and neatly folded the tunic. Then she nestled it back down in the grass and laid the pendant on top.
On the field, two separate teams had formed, facing each other.
Next to her, Ranvi said, “Looks like we’ll be cheering for opposite teams.” Her eyes sparkled with friendly competition.
Eadlyn scanned the players. Erik and Braan stood on one side. Aevar and Kian on the other. A spark of competitive fire lit inside her. “So it does.”
Near the edge of the field, Runar stood watching.
“Not playing?” Inga called from her chair.
“I think I’ll watch.”
Her face said she didn’t quite believe him.
A moment later, Heida joined them. She had Braan’s tunic with her and draped it over the back of the empty chair on the end as she sat down. Focusing once more on the men, Eadlyn found each carried a sort of club-like stick. Erik stood at the center of his team, facing Aevar. Eadlyn didn’t even realize he had a ball in hand before he hurled it at Aevar. Lifting his bat, Aevar struck the ball and sent it flying over the other team’s heads. Every man on the field charged for it as if the fate of their gods depended on it.
From that moment on, chaos reigned as both teams fought for possession of the ball. Tackles, shouts, curses, flying mud and flailing limbs—all of it a blur. Eadlyn flinched as they crashed into each other and hit the ground with hard thuds. It looked more like battle than sport. At times, she peeked through her fingers, unable to fully watch.
But as the game progressed, as Ranvi and Heida shouted encouragement, as laughter and roars echoed across the field, Eadlyn’s hesitance melted into something else. When Aevar scored a goal, she found herself standing and cheering, letting her voice join the others without shame.
