‘Why have you called us here?’ the king who’d looked ready to depart asked with a faint sneer. ‘Is there some new menace we need to know about? Something you should have warned us of weeks ago?’
The other kings began to mutter.
Sigmund put a hand on Rand’s shoulder and then Svanna’s. He dramatically cleared his throat.
‘I am delighted to announce an alliance between Tara and Agthir,’ Sigmund proclaimed. ‘I had wanted to save the announcement for after the ceremony, but it appears you are in a great hurry, and I will not have gossip about my prospective foster-daughter.’
‘With Islay acting as the intermediary,’ Rand said, fixing the slippery man with an eye. He had come this far. ‘An alliance between all three. Held together with the bonds of kinship.’
‘I’d hardly like to presume without consulting my fellow kings.’ Sigmund held out his hands. ‘What say you? Shall we stand up to the blackguards, these so-called Sons of Drengr? Or shall Islay burn under their sword and weakly give up our women to a servitude too terrible to contemplate?’
The kings stomped their feet on the ground, even the one who’d looked as if he planned to leave, and shouted that Islay would never surrender.
‘It appears that Islay does wish to enter into this alliance,’ Rand said, ignoring Svanna’s smug expression.
Sigmund gave a nod. ‘One more thing, Svanna. I do my own courting. I mean to have your foster-mother as my bride, but allow me to ask.’
She inclined her head, and her lips turned up even more. ‘Did I ever say differently?’
‘Incorrigible.’ Sigmund’s eyes twinkled. ‘Maer would never have dared manipulate me like this.’
She smiled back at him. ‘Who do you think gave me this task? On this, my foster-sister and I are one.’
Rand kept his face impassive. His king would be satisfied. All he had to do was to acquire a wife, something he’d sworn on Bridget’s grave that he’d never do. But the compromise meant he had ensured his daughter’s future safety by providing the blood-kinship alliance his king desired. And it was just possible that he could discover the missing pair before anyone else was any the wiser.
‘Done.’ Sigmund bowed his head. ‘If you can truly peace-weave, then some good will come of this debacle.’
Rand held out his hand. ‘On behalf of Eire and its king, I swear friendship to both Islay and Agthir.’
‘And I swear on behalf of Agthir, friendship to Eire and Islay,’ Svanna said, clasping his fingers with a firm grip.
‘Islay makes the only choice it can.’ Sigmund enclosed both their hands in his grip. ‘Svanna will serve as our peace-weaver with Eire.’
Chapter Six
Svanna stood down beside the bay, watching the waves lap the shore. Behind her, the feast to celebrate Sigmund becoming high king echoed. She’d done it, but her safe life was going to alter. She simply needed to figure out a way to get Rand to agree to a platonic marriage. In theory, it should be easy as his heart lay with his dead wife, but she wondered what she’d do if he refused and how she’d explain that the marriage bed frightened her.
‘Amazing how something like that turns the tide,’ Rand said, coming to stand beside her. ‘Quick thinking on your part.’
‘Once one started to leave, the rest would have rapidly followed. Trickles become floods if not dealt with promptly,’ Svanna said, trying to keep her gaze on the bay and not on the frowning man she was now betrothed to, with a marriage looming. Several kings had openly stated their intention to stay until it happened. ‘One must always act decisively to ensure the best possible outcome. Something the Queen taught me years ago.’
‘There is more to peace-weaving hospitality than I considered.’ Said in such a way that it could mean absolutely anything. ‘But there again, my sword ensures my point is understood. Too many years serving as Máel Sechnaill’s enforcer now to make a change.’
She glanced up at him and saw that his face was carefully blank. He was the high king’s brute enforcer, but he’d been chosen for this delicate mission even though the woman in question had appeared reluctant in the extreme and the chosen bridegroom unlikely to immediately agree. Why? The high king must have had a reason.
‘Peace-weaving may seem like working in the shadows, but well-presented hospitality is vital if alliances are to be maintained. Ties of friendship are stronger than drums of war to my mind.’ Svanna knew she needed to explain the basic principles to make Rand understand what she’d bring to their marriage. It wasn’t simply the act of union, but a dedication to ensuring the alliance was strong and benefited both sides against Turgeis and his followers. ‘A well-run household enables harmony.’
‘I will admit to not having thought much about it.’ He picked up a stone and tossed it far out into the bay. ‘Something women do instead of making their point with their sword arm.’
‘Understanding how diplomacy works is important for men as well. And once you do, you are less inclined to dismiss it or the way peace-weavers work. When alliances turn tricky, they often lose everything.’ She shrugged. ‘However, I also insisted the late usurper teach me about strategy and the arts of war. He thought me to have a level head.’
‘The late King thought that? Have you ever fought in a proper battle?’
‘Besides the one we endured and the fall of Agthir?’
‘You did well then.’
She put her hand on her stomach and bade the tight knots to ease. She’d trained for many years for her level of diplomacy, not to serve simply as the Queen’s handmaiden. At long last she was going to do something positive with all her training, all the late-night conversations she’d had with the Queen, and indeed sometimes with the usurper, about how one woman could change a country’s destiny. And she’d have a little girl to look after and mould, just as Astrid had done with her, except she would ensure Birdie knew she had value.
