“Many,” Sláine replied, “as befits a king of his standing. But word spread quickly of how well he did with the children and how much he enjoyed them. Many of his relatives from across Éire sent their sons and daughters to stay with us. It was a wonderful way to grow up, and I had no shortage of friends to play with. But yes, Cormac in particular grew quite close to my father, especially after the falling out. I’m glad that he stayed with us.”
The shouts of the crowd drew their attention back to the water. Sláine gasped. Astrid’s hand flew to her chest when she saw what had caused the upset.
“They’re going to drown him!” Sláine cried.
Astrid watched in horror as Teague and Cairell joined forces against Cormac, no doubt since he posed the greatest threat to their victories. Cormac fought back, but he clearly hadn’t expected an attack by both men. First one, and then the other, shoved him by the shoulders until his head was fully submerged.
“It’s against the rules to fight two against one,” Astrid pleaded with Sitric, all concerns forgotten, save one.
“He’ll be fine,” Sitric waved a dismissive hand. “Give him a moment and he’ll realize all he has to do is break a few rules to get out of it.”
Cormac did not strike Astrid as a rule-breaker, but she didn’t say as much to her brother. He was under the water for an eternity before he resurfaced, gasping for air.
It was entirely unfair, and her brother should do something. He should interfere. Astrid rose from her seat, the rules breaking and Cormac struggling to breathe. He fought back, just barely surfacing enough to draw a ragged breath.
Her stomach dropped. He might actually lose. He might drown.
And it was all because of her.
The reality of her situation struck her. He was doing this forher. He risked his life to help her salvage a losing situation, and all she offered was help endearing Sláine to her brother. Aye, it may have been his words that started her brother down this path to her marrying, but Astrid knew long before that fated dinner that Sitric had her marriage on his mind.
Their exchange of favors fell far short of equal, yet Astrid hadn’t truly understood that until this moment. Even if she could somehow ensure that Sitric chose one bride over another, Cormac deserved far greater compensation than what he’d bargained for.
She needed to do something. She could not watch him drown on her account, especially after the way she’d reacted to that kiss. He hadn’t deserved that. He had done nothing but support her since his initial blunder. It was time she repaid the favor.
Beside her, the Fianna had gone mad, screaming and shouting.
“Hit them!” Dallan, her cousin, yelled.
Conan echoed the sentiment. “Hit the bastards, Cormac!”
She turned to Sitric, prepared to force her brother’s hand—something she had a good bit of experience in—and to throw everything she had into getting her champion safely from the water. At this point, all she cared about was his life.
Just as she opened her mouth to shout some sense into her brother, a fist surfaced from below the water, hitting Cairell square in the jaw and knocking him onto his back with impressive speed. A second blow found Teague, and it quickly turned from a two-against-one drowning to Cormac beating both men senseless, while carefully ensuring they landed on their backs and didn’t drown.
Astrid let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. It looked like he’d decided to break the rules after all. With Teague and Cairell in tow, Cormac somehow managed to swimthe rest of the route. He was the last one to return, but he had carried both of his fallen opponents by his side to ensure their survival in the harsh conditions of the harbor. The moment his feet hit the rocky shore, Astrid flew from her seat.
Sitric grabbed her arm, halting her. “Careful,” he warned, “that you don’t show too much favoritism, or my naming of the champion may be called unfair.”
She cast him a sidelong glance. “You’ll name Cormac as champion?”
“Provided he continues performing admirably.”
“Then why have the contest at all?”
“The point of the contest is to show you that you can find a man with all the qualities you desire, even if he wasn’t raised an Ostman, and to get all of your options in the same place so that you can make the best decision.”
Astrid chewed on that for a moment. Perhaps her brother hadn’t been so foolish and careless with the planning of this tournament as she initially thought. “And you believe I favor Cormac?”
Sitric laughed, a great big bellowing howl that grabbed the attention of everyone in earshot, then he lowered his voice to keep their conversation more private.
Sláine sat between them, smiling to herself and politely ignoring them, though Astrid knew she listened.
“Every time Cormac takes a blow, you flinch,” her brother replied. “Every time he delivers one you grin. And you speak with him far more than any of the others. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how often you angle to have him to yourself.”
“He’s been here the longest,” Astrid defended. “Of course I have more to speak with him about. They’ve been living with us for months.”
“I think he truly cares for you, too,” Sitric continued, as though she hadn’t argued with him at all. “I noticed about asennight ago that now, as opposed to the rest of their stay, his face changes when he looks at you.”
