Chapter 32

32

T he morning of the Choosing, Aislinn woke well before dawn. She'd hardly slept at all, her big bed feeling entirely too large and lonely. The weight of the world rested just outside her bed curtains, and she hid from them under the covers for as long as she could.

Fia and Sorcha came to prepare her, her maid bearing a tray of light breakfast and both of them a solemn expression.

They spoke little, for what was there to say?

Aislinn did ask after two things as Fia curled her hair around a cloth headdress and pearl hair pins.

"Captain Aodhan is in place?"

"Everything is ready," Fia assured her. She rubbed Aislinn's arm in solace when she caught her troubled expression in the mirror.

"And…Hakon?"

Fia's attempt at a smile fell. She shook her head. "No one has seen him. I'm sorry, my lady."

Aislinn's gaze skittered away to the window, wondering where he could be. She'd thought yesterday in the study…

I choose you, Aislinn. Today, tomorrow, for always.

His words had seared into her soul, giving her such hope .

Only, he was gone. Nowhere to be found when she'd asked for him later that same evening, hoping to find out what he'd meant by his words.

Sorcha said Orek had gone with him, wherever it was he went, a fact Aislinn clung to. Hakon couldn't truly be gone if Orek went with him, surely. He couldn't be leaving her for good.

Tears pricked her eyes, and Aislinn hurried to wipe them away.

Sorcha took her hand. "It's going to be all right. He'll be found. Just focus on today."

She nodded. Survive today for the real test.

By midmorning, Aislinn looked a proper noblewoman. Fia stepped back to let her observe herself dispassionately in the mirror. The silk brocade and pearl-studded headdress and gold chain of office on her shoulders felt more like a costume than herself.

Sorcha came up behind her in the mirror. "You look so beautiful."

"I don't feel beautiful," Aislinn admitted.

Sorcha wrapped her arms around her, careful of the chain of office. "I know. But you look every bit the heiress you are. Like you aren't to be trifled with."

That did spark a small grin. "Oh?"

Sorcha nodded. "Standing up there on the dais, you'll be a sight to see. I hope Bayard quakes in his expensive boots."

Aislinn kissed her friend's cheek. "Thank you for being with me."

"We're beside you, every step," Sorcha assured her.

"Everything is ready," Fia added. "He won't be a worry to you anymore."

That was certainly something to look forward to. Laying her plans with Captain Aodhan yesterday had offered some distraction from her worries. Aislinn was determined not to give Bayard his way, but the consequences of that had to be planned for.

She would reject him and expose his treachery to the dozen or so nobles who'd arrived in time to witness the Choosing. Detaining him and his guards in the great hall would be key, as they had to be secured before anyone could inform Bayard's company. The next few hours had to go perfectly, without surprises.

If they did, Aislinn would be rid of the threat of Bayard. Survive today to fight tomorrow.

Heartened by her friends' words, Aislinn nodded and led the way from her rooms. Outside, her guards waited to flank her, and all of them began their quiet procession to the great hall.

The walk seemed to take far longer than it usually did, and it wasn't all due to her heavy skirts. Aislinn's pulse thrummed at her dry throat, and she clutched the wooden rose Hakon had whittled her in her pocket for comfort.

The great hall was already full when the herald announced her arrival, and the soft shift of fabrics as people turned to watch her ascend the few steps murmured through the large space. When she gained the top of the dais, she stood beside her father's seat and folded her hands behind her back.

Her next breath wobbled as Aislinn looked out at all the curious faces staring back at her.

It was more than Aislinn's calling an army that saw the great hall so full. Most must be curious to see what would happen at the first Choosing in decades.

"Well," she said, ensuring her voice carried, "shall I get to choosing?"

A nervous rumble of laughter went through the crowd.

Aislinn focused on her breathing and holding her wan smile. She spied Sorcha and Fia from the corner of her eye offering looks of sympathy and support, and it was enough to calm her nerves. But oh, she wished she didn't stand up here alone. She wished she didn't have to entertain such a silly scheme. She wished her own choice, her heart's choice, was there in the hall himself.

But then, perhaps it was better if Hakon wasn't there to witness the Choosing. Aislinn remembered her jealousy at the maids fawning over him and could only imagine what a Choosing would be like for him.

That assumed, of course, that his feelings for her went anywhere near as deep as hers did for him.

He has to care for me. She'd been wrong about men, about a lot of things, before, but she didn't think she was wrong about Hakon.

Maybe seeing him burn with jealousy would be her answer.

Or maybe she just wished to see his face, to draw strength and comfort knowing he was there.

It didn't matter now, though. She'd never know, because he wasn't there.

Her gaze fell on Bayard as he strode forward, exuding confidence and wealth. His dove-gray doublet was studded with silver thread, his velvet trou molding to his lithe legs, and a fur-trimmed capelet embroidered with his family crest draped from his shoulders. His brown curls were glossy and all in perfect placement, and a ring glinted on every finger.

He smiled at her, exposing the dimples that bracketed his mouth, and if Aislinn knew nothing of him, he might seem charming and handsome. A perfectly genteel suitor come to press his suit.

Bowing to her, Bayard gracefully knelt onto one knee.

"I am Baron Padraic Bayard, here to offer myself for the hand of Lady Aislinn Darrow. I am the only son of my house, lord of Endelín, and am a cousin thrice removed to Queen Ygraine herself on my mother's side. There are no richer vineyards than those of Endelín, no home so beautiful as mine, and…"

Aislinn stood as still as she could as Bayard laid out the many fine things he could offer her. Wealth, status, comfort.

Except, she already had all those things.

There was only one man she'd met in her whole life who could offer her not only what she truly wanted but needed, too. Comfort, support, friendship. She wanted a man who made her life richer from his very presence, who filled her life with love and acceptance.

She didn't need fine fabrics and glittering jewels—just the whittled rose she treasured and the heart of the man she loved.

Oh, fates, I love him.

In the maelstrom of Jerrod's imminent return, she hadn't been able to put words to all the feelings she held for Hakon. In her heart of hearts, she feared naming it would make it too real, and with all the threats looming over her and Dundúran, it seemed foolish to try her luck anymore. There was a chance she could lose her father, her title, her very life—she wasn't ready to lose her heart, too.

Then again, perhaps it'd been lost long ago, when he smiled at her under the floppy hat she made him wear, or when he taught her his hand-talk.

Good gods, I've loved him since I knew him.

"…my stables are stocked with no less than fifty of the finest horses, and my cellars overrun with good harvests…"

Aislinn could hardly stomach listening to Bayard rattle off his noble attributes, and she wasn't the only one grateful when someone coughed loudly.

"Get on with it, lad," Earl Starley muttered.

A tick in Bayard's cheek jumped, but he smiled to smooth it over. "I offer all this, as well as my title, my protection, and my loyalty."

His last words hung in the air, and as he gazed up at Aislinn, his meaning was perfectly clear.

Silence reigned for a long moment as Bayard continued to kneel.

"Are there any other suits?" Aislinn forced herself to ask.

Bayard looked over his shoulder, a good-natured, boyish smile on his face that fell when Baron Burgoyne strode forward.

Aislinn looked on in surprise as the baron got to one knee—with some effort. His fiery red hair had begun to gray at the temples, as he was closer in age to Merrick Darrow than Aislinn. Burgoyne was a pleasant man with a loud sense of humor, and his eyes twinkled as he grinned up at her.

Winking up from where he knelt, Burgoyne announced, "I hope you'll forgive me, my lady, but I had to give into temptation. And," he leaned forward, whispering loudly, "I figured you'd appreciate a choice other than this prick."

The crowd sniggered, and Bayard gave up all pretense of pleasantry. Frowning darkly at his new rival, Bayard hissed, "And what would you be able to do with a young bride, Burgoyne?"

"Far more than you, lad," Burgoyne whispered back.

The crowd laughed and tittered, and Aislinn couldn't help blushing. She didn't mind the levity so much, but she hated that everyone's thoughts were now on who would bed her better.

As Burgoyne began to list his own attributes, Aislinn glanced to the side at Sorcha. Her friend shared her grimace.

Next, Aislinn looked for Captain Aodhan and easily found him near the main double doors to the great hall. He gave her a subtle nod, eyes pointing her toward where several of her own knights were slowly making their way through the crowd to surround Bayard and the five guards he'd brought with him.

The sight gave her confidence, enough to listen patiently as Burgoyne made his own show of the Choosing, bringing the crowd to fits of giggles, mostly at Bayard's expense.

Aislinn wished she could indulge in the humor, but her insides twisted with nerves as his speech wound down. In a moment, it'd be time to choose.

When Burgoyne finished, his booming voice left an echo in the great hall. The air lost its levity as the crowd seemed to lean forward, waiting with bated breath to hear her decision. They held perfectly still, except in the back, where bodies were moving out of the way of one figure, taller than the rest.

Aislinn couldn't look long, turning her attention to the two suitors knelt before her.

It's time.

Her throat closed around the words, but she forced herself to say, "If there are no more suitors—"

"There is one more."

A gasp rang out, followed by another and another, a wave of noise that parted the crowd.

Aislinn's heart stuttered to a stop.

Hakon walked with an even gait through the parting crowd. The hall held its breath as he made his way forward, coming to stand alongside the kneeling lords. Keeping her gaze enthralled with his, he knelt before the dais.

"I am Hakon Green-Fist, here to offer myself for the hand of Lady Aislinn Darrow."

The crowd erupted in noise, bafflement and surprise trumpeting to the rafters.

Above it all came Bayard's incensed voice. "He cannot suit! He's a blacksmith! An orc! "

"Any suitor may make their suit," Aislinn said through lips she didn't feel, unable to move her gaze from the man she loved kneeling before her.

He looked…so handsome. His hair had been trimmed, and an iron torque sat round his neck, polished to a high shine. The leather coat he wore fit snugly to his great chest, embellished with silver and iron at the shoulders and cuffs. A belt circled his thick waist, the buckle studded with gems and worked into intricate whorls. Boots of fine leather encased his calves, tooled with motifs and hemmed in metal.

He looked every bit an orcish prince come down from his mountain to claim the human maiden.

He took Aislinn's breath away.

He's here.

"I am not noble, nor full-human. What I am is in love with you, my lady. You already have my heart, and no matter what happens today, whatever you decide, you will always have it and my loyalty."

Aislinn's hands trembled where she clasped them behind her, and tears began to fall from her eyes before she could stop them. She didn't dare move, though, for fear that this would all be a dream, that he would stop and take his beautiful words back.

"Before you choose, know that I'm not the only one who pledges their loyalty to you. My kin at the otherly camp will stand and fight for you. You've offered us a home, a haven, and we'll fight to defend it. All of us will fight like ten men."

Murmurs went through the crowd, and Aislinn's lips parted in surprise.

She hadn't thought to ask the otherly folk to fight. Allarion had pledged his sword, but the others…they'd come to the Darrowlands looking for peace.

That they would agree to this…

Aislinn searched Hakon's dear face, and her stomach sank with suspicion.

"What have you done?" she murmured, her fears coalescing when his expression turned grim.

"My land now belongs to them. They are landholders, just as many gathered here, and owe you their fealty. They will fight."

He traded his land. The land with the meadow and the outcropping, where he would build his own forge. Where he wanted to take her and lay her down and make love in the flowers in spring.

He gave it up. For her.

More tears came, dripping from her cheeks, but Aislinn couldn't stop.

His stoic face broke for the first time, and he leaned forward to whisper, "Please don't cry, vinya. It breaks me to see you cry."

Aislinn shook her head, finally pulling a kerchief from her pocket.

She soaked the little cloth through as Hakon continued.

"I am a master blacksmith, and I will work night and day to ensure your soldiers are fitted for battle. When the day comes, I will take up arms and fight with them. No matter what you decide today, I will fight for you, my lady. My kin, too."

Aislinn released a wobbly breath.

"My loyalty, my strength, my heart, all of it is already yours, whatever you decide. In return, I ask only for you. I do not want title nor position, only to stand beside you. To be your mate, your husband, and the father of your children should you choose to have them. That is all I ask, for that is all I need in this world. Just you, vinya. "

Her vision blurred through her tears. Aislinn stood on the dais alone, but it felt much higher, as if she teetered upon the edge of a precipice. She had the sensation of falling, although she did not move, her heart lodged in her throat.

He offered a solution to the threat of Jerrod, of Bayard, of a life alone.

He offered everything she wanted—himself.

There would be consequences. Oh, yes, their path wouldn't be straight or smooth. But they would walk it together, and that was all Aislinn needed.

She moved before she realized it, stepping down from the dais to the three suitors knelt there.

Aislinn had eyes only for one, coming to stand before her blacksmith.

Her mate.

She sat upon his knee—choosing him for all to see.

Aislinn wound her trembling arms around his neck, not quite believing he or his words were real. She pressed her forehead to his, needing to feel the burn of his skin against her own, and gasped at the tangible tether that looped around her heart, pulling her to him.

She could imagine and feel and taste the life he promised.

"I love you," she whispered against his lips.

"I love you, too, vinya, " he rumbled, that purr she'd come to realize was just for her springing to life in his chest. "More than the mountain is tall and the cave is deep." She felt his grin against her mouth. "That's an orcish idiom."

The joy spilled from her in a laugh, and then she was kissing him, sealing them together. His arms came around to hold her tight, and she clung to him, feeling how his heart thundered in his chest to match her own. The rightness of him eclipsed all else—for once, Aislinn's mind went quiet and her senses dulled, and all she could do in that moment was savor him.

"Does this mean you'll have me?" he asked softly in the little cave of breath they made between them.

"Fates yes, but only if you'll have me in return. And tell me where you've been."

"Gladly, but later, perhaps."

"Yes, later."

"They're all watching us, aren't they?"

"Very much so. We'll be the talk of the castle for quite some time." Leaning back, Aislinn regarded him seriously. "Are you sure?" she murmured.

He drew her hands down from his face to his heart. "With everything I am."

Lit up brighter than a lantern, Aislinn smiled and stole one last kiss before regaining her feet. He followed her up, claiming her hand as they turned to face the shocked, whispering crowd.

Nearest them stood a chuckling Burgoyne, who'd long since gained his feet. He winked at Aislinn in good humor, relieving her that he didn't take offense.

Bayard, on the other hand…

"Unhand me!" the baron yelped from near the main doors.

Aislinn took a few of the dais steps so she could see over the heads of the crowd. When she met Captain Aodhan's gaze, she nodded.

Her knights moved as one, taking hold of all of Bayard's guards and shutting the doors to the great hall to prevent any from escaping.

The crowd buzzed, their surprise giving way to nervousness. They moved in a rolling wave away from the doors, closer to the dais, as a struggling Bayard and his knights were brought forward.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Baron Morraugh, pushing his way to the front of the crowd. "Do you mean to take us hostage?"

"Of course not, Baron Morraugh. Please forgive the dramatics," said Aislinn. Raising a hand, she called for calm. She didn't receive it, but the crowd did direct their attention to her.

"Since arriving in Dundúran some time ago, Baron Bayard has threatened me and my townsfolk with violence should I not agree to wed him."

Gasps and whispers met her accusation, and many eyes turned toward the baron, who stood squirming to try and get away from Captain Aodhan's firm hand.

"His knights have harassed the people of Dundúran, and Bayard told me in no uncertain terms that if he didn't get his way, he would set them on the commonfolk, as well as side with my brother."

Aislinn turned to behold Bayard, an ugly sort of pleasure filling her to see his useless outrage. He was a rat caught in a trap who knew time was up.

"Calling this Choosing was an attempt to force my hand. I never intended to accept him, but we must stop word from reaching his company."

Bayard sneered. "You reject me for a blacksmith?" He spat on the ground. "Orc-slut."

Hakon lurched forward, but Aislinn staid him. The crowd grumbled unhappily at the insult.

Captain Aodhan's grip on the baron's shoulder tightened until the man squeaked and began to buckle. "What shall we do with the baron, my lady?" he asked.

"I think the dungeon would best suit his ambitions."

"Indeed, my lady."

"He is a peer of the realm," argued Morraugh.

"And he will receive a fair trial when my father returns," said Aislinn. "Until then, Baron Bayard is held under the charge of treason." She nodded at Captain Aodhan. "Take him."

Grinning a bit evilly, Captain Aodhan led his knights with their prisoners out of the great hall.

With them gone, Aislinn waved for the doors to be reopened in a show of trust.

Morraugh glanced at the open doors before squinting up at Aislinn. "And what of this business with the orc? Are we really to believe you're choosing him?"

Aislinn looked to the halfling beside her and found him gazing back. He stood stoically again, and she had the feeling that he would stand aside if she asked him to.

She'd never ask that of him, today or ever.

"Yes, I have," she said. Standing several steps up, she was almost of a height with him, perfect to hug his arm to her chest. "He is patient and kind and good to me. He makes me happy."

A small smile broke across Hakon's face, and his eyes were so full of love for her, Aislinn could only smile back with unbridled joy. He meant so much to her, far more than her simple words, but he deserved to be told in private. What they felt was between them, and she didn't owe Morraugh or anyone else more.

Still, Morraugh and several other older lords sputtered.

Thinking quickly, Aislinn said, "Choosings traditionally end in a handfasting. As the seniormost noble here, it would be an honor if you would perform the rite, Baron Morraugh."

The old man gaped at her in surprise, his beard twitching.

In truth, it would be an honor for Morraugh to preside over the betrothal of the heiress, but she let him think what he would.

After a moment, Morraugh nodded. "I am at your service, my lady."

Ushering him up with a hand, Aislinn had Morraugh mount the dais as she and Hakon faced each other on the bottom step. She looked up at her handsome halfling in wonder, unbelieving that her luck had changed so quickly.

Morraugh cleared his throat. "We'll need something to bind your hands."

Sorcha was suddenly at her elbow, handing over a red ribbon. She winked when Aislinn looked at her in surprise. "I was hoping this was how today would go."

Aislinn grinned, starbursts of joy sparkling through her as Morraugh began.

"Do you, Lady Aislinn, mean to have this man to wed and to love?"

"Yes, I do."

"And do you, Hakon Green-Fist, mean to have this woman to wed and to love?"

"For always."

Baron Morraugh wound the ribbon around their joined hands, tying them together. "As senior peer of the realm, I recognize your promise to each other and wish you well. May your hearts be true and your nuptials swift."

And with those words, Aislinn was betrothed to her halfling.

Applause went up from the crowd, but Aislinn hardly heard. Standing on her toes, she met Hakon's kiss, hoping the small gesture was enough to show just how much she loved him.

They spent a good hour receiving well-wishes and congratulations, one Aislinn hardly remembered later in her daze of disbelief and happiness. All the while, she clung to her halfling, unwilling to let him go or out of her sight for fear it was all just a dream.

When the line to speak to them eventually thinned and people drifted into smaller groups to discuss the morning's events in detail, Aislinn finally felt like she could breathe. Her people's acceptance still shocked her, though perhaps she hadn't given them enough credit before.

She was sure not all would support her and Hakon, but for today, this was enough.

"That leaves only what to do about Bayard's knights," she said, her bubble of happiness threatening to pop.

Hakon turned to face her, taking her hands in his. He kissed each knuckle before asking, "Do you trust me?"

Aislinn's brows rose. The answer perhaps wouldn't have been so simple even a few days ago. She trusted him with her body, her mind, even her heart, but trusting matters of state to others was something else entirely.

Now, though, as she gazed upon her betrothed, the answer was indeed simple.

"Yes."

He nodded. "Then allow me to handle it? Aodhan and I will have it dealt with by tomorrow."

"All right," she agreed. "But don't be long. I'll be waiting up for you."

A roguish smile overtook his handsome face, and his eyes went hungry as he leaned down for a kiss. "Good," he rumbled, "because tonight, I intend to make love to my mate."