Page 8 of Alliance Bride
His father sighed, long and low. “I only wish the responsibility did not have to fall to you.”
“It’s my choice, and I accept it. Besides, people marry for the sake of peace and alliances all the time. You andMóthirdid. You did not know each other before you wed.”
The shadow of his father’s beard almost hid a smile. “No, we didn’t.”
“But it turned out well.” Aevar offered the words like a quiet hope. He’d never once doubted his parents loved each other fiercely and passionately. He didn’t expect or seek the same for himself, but perhaps peaceful companionship was attainable.
“Your mother and I were lucky. I pray to the gods you find the same luck.”
Aevar didn’t respond to that. Prayers hadn’t done him much good in the past, but he appreciated them anyway. Maybe the gods might listen this time.
Chapter Three
Rainpatteredagainstthecanvas above, steady and cold, as if counting down the final hours of her freedom. Eadlyn shivered, the chill sinking deep into her bones as her maid, Mildred, helped her dress.
What a wretched day for a wedding.
Not that she had expected sunshine. Hoping for something special now felt like a childish dream. It didn’t matter whether she was married here in the mud and gray or weeks from now in the familiar stone hall in Kenwich. Either way, she would go north to a land she had never seen, bound to a man she did not know. No feast or fine silk would have softened that truth or quelled the roiling in her stomach.
She stole a glance at the bucket near her cot as her insides twisted again. Mildred had tried three times to coax her to eat something, but it was no use. Her nerves were wound too tightly to keep anything down.
As Mildred laced the back of her woolen overdress, Eadlyn ran trembling fingers along the pale blue fabric. It was the closestthing she had to a bridal gown, simple for travel. She hadn’t prepared for a wedding. If this ceremony had taken place in Kenwich, she would have worn a gown fit for a princess. Part of her mourned the loss of a traditional wedding. However, except for God, nothing in her life had ever been as it should. This was just one more trial she had to endure with His grace.
Once dressed, she sat down for Mildred to brush out her long hair and pin back a little on the sides—an appropriate style for a maiden bride.
Mildred’s voice broke the silence, hesitant and small. “I stepped out this morning to look for wildflowers for your hair. I thought…something to make it pretty. But they’ve not started blooming yet.”
The thought warmed Eadlyn. “You’re kind to think of that, and I appreciate the effort.”
They both fell silent again. When Mildred finished her hair, Eadlyn rose from her seat, trying to settle her racing thoughts on what to do next. Jarl Runar had insisted the wedding conclude before midday. They apparently had no desire to linger on Essix soil. In a few brief hours, she would leave behind everything she knew—her home, her brother, her people—and travel with strangers to a kingdom she’d only heard and read about.
She’d hoped for a chance to speak with Aevar before they were bound in marriage. A moment to find something of the man behind the warrior’s eyes. But she had not seen him since the tense negotiations had ended last evening. Still, part of her was relieved by the delay. Facing him meant acknowledging this was real.
Before she decided on her next course of action, Mildred caught her eye. The girl was wringing the life out of her hairbrush.
“Mildred, what is it?”
Her gaze faltered, too much moisture welling on her eyelids. “I know you shall leave with the Nords after the wedding. If you require it, I…” She gulped. “I will go with you.”
Eadlyn’s heart broke at the fear in her expression. Is that how she looked? Goodness, she hoped God gave her the strength to hide it better than that. She clasped her hands around Mildred’s. “Milly, no. You will return to Kenwich with my brother. This is my path. I won’t drag you into it.”
A gust of relief left Mildred’s lips as her shoulders sagged. “Oh, my lady…you’re too kind to me.”
Eadlyn squeezed her hands. “I would never take you from your home and your family.”
Why did her own eyes have to water now?
Mildred’s lower lip quivered. “I wish you didn’t have to go with them alone.”
“I won’t be alone.” Eadlyn lifted her chin with as much steadiness as she could summon. “God will be with me.”
That truth anchored her trembling heart.
Mildred’s eyes welled again. “And you’ll have my daily prayers, my lady. I promise.”
Eadlyn almost hugged her. “Thank you.”
“My lady.”
