Hawthorn Vaelor
Orion’s grin when he walked into his rooms would have been visible from miles away.
“I guess congratulations are in order,” he said, getting into my personal space and patting me on the shoulder.
“This is a disaster,” I replied, shoving his hand off. The bond no longer felt like it was strangling me, but the weight was still too heavy. “I shouldn’t have let you talk me into going to the Choosing.”
“What are you talking about? This is the best possible outcome.” Orion turned back to his table and poured himself a glass of water from the crystal pitcher. “Elda is great.”
“That’s part of why it’s a disaster. She thinks I’m some nobody guard, Hawke Silverpine.” I ran a hand through my hair, my clawed nail catching on the iron sheathe of my horns. The slight pain helped center me, and I started pacing, working the problem one step at a time.
“Silverpine?” Orion almost choked on his water. He dropped down into his chair, covering his laughter with a hand.
“It’s not like I could give her my actual name.”
“At least your backstory is figured out,” Orion said, placing his glass down so he didn’t spill it from his laughter. “That’s the pack for the pups without families.”
“It’s not like I had a ton of time to decide. Besides, it saves me the issue of having to come up with some fake parents. I never knew them, found on the side of the road, whatever.” I bit my thumb as I walked, wondering if I needed to have Orion send a missive to the orphanage where I supposedly would have grown up.
Orion stood again, blocking my path and grabbing my shoulders with both hands. “This is the best possible outcome, Hawke. Breathe.”
“How in Fieren’s left tit is this a good outcome?” I snarled.
“That’s no way to speak to your best friend. Fieren would be apalled.”
“Fieren is a god of wrath and spite. I doubt he’s going to mind that I’m using his name to curse.”
“Stop talking for a minute. Listen.” Orion’s hands tightened on my shoulders, and I forced myself to take a deep breath, meeting his green eyes and trying to refocus my energy. “One, you have been trying to avoid all of your suitors for two years now. Celine has taken to showing up in Moonwilde just to try to find you. Now, you already have a perfectly acceptable mate that was chosen for you by a goddess. Even your parents can’t argue about taking the second daughter of King Sylvan.”
I opened my mouth to object, but Orion shook his head sharply and I closed it.
“Two, with this match, you now have access to all of the records you were looking for, as well as possible reasons to ask questions. You can find out why Rowanstag is hoarding grain, or why their soldiers have been gathering at your northern border. You can even ask what their intentions are for the Myangorge Mine.”
I clenched my jaw so hard it started to hurt, but I knew him well enough to know he wasn’t done.
“Finally, do you like her?”
Elda’s face flashed in my mind, her dark eyes studying me from across the terrace. She’d been afraid and had walked forward anyway. She had chosen to move forward while I’d been too busy trying to manipulate this bond to something that wasn’t a disaster.
“I’m using her! She doesn’t know who I am and she never will, because if she does, she’s going to learn that the Dragon Clan and the Wolf Clan don’t trust the White Stag Clan and we sent someone to her Choosing to spy on them. It will destroy relationships between all of us for decades, if not a generation.”
“And? She’s your mate.”
“Orion, I’m going to break this bond the moment I have what I want.” Even as I said it, my dragon growled, but that was a battle for another day. My instincts would need to let reason lead on this one.
My oldest friend just smiled at me and shook his head as he released my shoulders. “Let’s get to dinner. You don’t want to be late for your first appearance as a bonded kin.”
***
Like every other location in Rowanstag, their main banquet hall was open, with multiple entrances leading out into the garden and courtyard. There were so many flowers, and the garlands wrapped around pillars made a perfect hiding place for any would-be assassins. The open space was full of round tables with intricate flower centerpieces that muddied the line of sight of everything. Still, compared to Skyreach, the decorations were quaint.
I’d been directed to sit at the head table, and Orion, as my liege, was invited to sit there as well. Neither of us went to sit yet, since the Royal Family was still absent. Instead, we stood next to one of the large arches that went to the garden. We’d been given a sweet smelling wine that I sipped sparingly. I couldn’t afford to let the liquor get to my head. Orion, despite his normal reputation, did the same. He was being remarkably quiet, and I was starting to worry that he was drawing too much attention to us. It was no secret that Orion and the Crown Prince of Skyreach were good friends.
The food was set out on three long banquet tables on the other side of the room, and I was surprised to see servants rushing back and forth, already serving guests. It reminded me that the etiquette of the White Stag Clan was very different than the Dragon Clan, and they didn’t feel the need to wait for their ruler before they started eating. It felt disrespectful to King Sylvan, but none of the kin were acting furtive at all.
The bond seemed to chime and I looked to my right just as the herald announced the arrival of King Sylvan and his family. Elda walked with her arm looped in with her mother’s, the two kin looking so alike I could almost mistake them for sisters. Elda’s dark eyes found mine and I felt a satisfied hum in my chest as she smiled. I bowed to her and her family, making sure I bent enough to be respectful.
She barely got ten feet into the room before she was surrounded by her people. I had to stop myself from shoving through the crowd, my instincts screaming to protect her. She did not share my reservations, and accepted hugs and congratulations with a smile. I noticed that the noble kin that attended the Choosing chose to stay in their seats or continue their conversations about the room. The ones that were talking to the royal family looked like citizens from town.
I’d known the White Stag Clan were a lot more casual with their people, but it was a different thing entirely to witness it. None of the family looked concerned about assassins. Their guards were all alert, but relaxed. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary for them, despite the push of kin. Even Orion’s family wasn’t so lax with security. It was a miracle that they hadn’t been killed already.
Like before, Elda pulled herself delicately away from her admirers while her family went to sit down. She walked straight to me, the bond seeming to resonate louder and louder with each step she took. She met my eyes again, and I was struck by how confident she was pretending to be, despite the obvious flush across her cheeks. She turned to Orion before speaking to me, giving a polite bow.
“Prince Orion, we did not get to speak earlier, but I hope you do not find it too inconvenient that I have stolen your guard’s attention.” Her voice was friendly and I remembered that Orion had spent time here.
He knew her relatively well, and her sister as well, which was evident by the way that he approached and gave her a brief hug and kissed her cheek.
I dug my claws into the meat of my palm as the strong desire to throw Orion into the fountain flashed so aggressively in my mind I could barely process the impulse.
“Elda, please drop the honorifics. Congratulations and celebration are in order,” he said, squeezing her hands gently before stepping to the side.
She transferred her smile to me. Suddenly, I didn’t know what to do with my hands or my facial expression. I tried to think what a guard would do, one that was used to following Orion around and was coming up with absolutely nothing.
Thankfully, Elda did not seem to share my utter lack of ability to process her presence. She held out her hand, a gentle invitation. “Would you sit with me for dinner?” she asked, her voice sweeter than the one she used for Orion, more personable.
I tried to answer and an unexpected croak came out. I cleared my throat, ignoring the wild grin on Orion’s face as he watched me become a complete and utter fool. “Yes, please.” I finally managed to get out, and took her hand.
Elda gently pulled me behind her, tilting her head at Orion to let him know that he was welcome to follow as well. “Everyone wants to meet you, but if you need space, let me know and I can get us out of here,” she said, gesturing to the group of older females standing around the table, watching us approach.
I recognized several of them from portraits. The stag kin on the left was Duchess Merilyn. She was the queen’s older sister and she held a lot of sway with Rowanstag’s domestic decisions. The middle female was a wolf kin, with her black ears tilting as she listened to other conversations around her. I didn’t recognize her, but she had her arm looped through Duchess Merilyn’s arm, so it was clear that they were comfortable together. The last stag kin had large antlers that reminded me of King Sylvan’s. I recognized her immediately as the Dowager Queen Rosalynd, Sylvan’s mother.
As we reached them, I released Elda’s hand to bow low to the Dowager Queen, noting the small tiara she wore nestled among her silver curls.
“Grandma!” Elda’s happy voice interrupted my movement as I watched her rush forward to the elder kin and throw her arms around her, all sense of propriety completely missing.
The Dowager Queen smiled broadly and hugged her back. “I told you that I would not miss your big day,” she said, her voice full of laughter. “I am sorry that I missed the Choosing Ceremony. We were delayed in town.”
Duchess Merilyn approached me, pulling along the other female. I started to bow to her as well, starting to long for a time when I was recognized as a Crown Prince and didn’t have to worry as much about the proper bow to each noble. She stopped me, grabbing my shoulders and giving me a smile. She had her brother’s dark eyes, but her hair was red with a hint of white at her temples.
“We do not feel the need to be so formal here,” she teased, glancing over her shoulder at Elda hugging her grandmother. “We have invited the entire town to enjoy the celebration, and you will quickly see how beloved my dear niece is.”
“Hawke is still adjusting to his big life change,” Orion said, clapping me on the back.
“It must feel quite strange. I don’t think Alda has ever made such an unusual match before,” the duchess said, smiling at Orion. “It is a pleasure to see you in Rowanstag again. It’s been too long.”
Orion grinned and pushed pass me, giving Merilyn a hug the same way he’d given one to Elda.
“Oh Grandma, this is my mate, Hawke Silverpine.” Elda’s voice broke through my distraction and I looked up a her, already moving towards her outstretched hand before I’d had a chance to think through the action. “Hawke, this is my grandmother, Rosalynd.”
“Dowager Queen,” I said, remembering my manners once Elda’s slender fingers were once again wrapped around my own. I nodded my head, hoping that was respectful enough, as I didn’t want to let Elda go again.
“Please, you are family now.” And with that, Rosalynd stepped forward and gave me a hug. “You may call me Rosa.”
“Th—thank you,” I stuttered, before allowing Elda to pull me away to introduce me to the other kin standing around us.
She knew all of their names, even the shopkeepers and bartenders that lived and worked in town. They all blurred together in such a way that by the time we actually sat down at the table, my head was spinning with so many small details that I’d have to spend the entire night taking notes and I’d still only remember a fraction of it.
The meeting with King Sylvan and Queen Jessamine had been brief. They’d been sincere in their congratulations, but Sylvan had taken my hand in his and had squeezed a little harder than necessary. The threat was clear. Elda wasn’t just a second princess, she was his little girl, and it wouldn’t be the king that would be coming after my ass when I broke this bond.
An elderly server set down a plate of food. The perfectly cooked chicken thigh rested on a smooth scoop of mashed potatoes. The salad was dressed with some sort of dark vinegar, and there were slices of red fruit and candy-coated nuts mixed in with the greens. The smell of the food made my stomach growl, and I was surprised that I’d managed to completely forget that I had been hungry.
“You’re doing great,” Elda said, taking a sip of water before picking up her utensils.
“Thank you.” I wasn’t sure I’d said anything else the entire evening, and if I wasn’t careful, Elda would break the bond herself.
“This is my favorite salad,” she said, taking a piece of fruit and popping it into her mouth.
“Why is that?” I poked a few of the leafy greens with my fork and ate them. The tanginess of the dressing was enhanced by the bitterness of the greens and only years of careful schooling kept me from spitting it out immediately.
“Oh, eat the fruit with it, and one of the pecans,” she said, giggling at the look on my face.
I obliged, wanting to seem agreeable despite the disgusting taste in my mouth. The sweet and rich flavor of the pecan took off the edge of the bitterness, and the fruit but accented the tang in a pleasant way. There was also a small crumble of cheese in that bite, and the smoothness of the dairy completely calmed the initial edge.
“Do all your salads need to come with instructions?” I asked, a small smile at the corner of my lips as I watched her expressions.
“Only the best ones,” she confirmed. She dug into her food, and I was surprised at how hearty of an appetite she had. She did not seem shy about eating in front of others, and while she had impeccable table manners, she enjoyed the meal more than I’d ever enjoyed something in my life.
Elda was going to make this mission difficult, especially since my dragon was already trying to think of excuses and reasons to keep her.
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