She bit her lip. “It’s just that Mama’s already done so much, and I’ve done so little. And it’s my wedding. Our wedding.”
“I understand,shei’tani.”
“Do kings even open their own gifts?” she asked as they walked down the short hallway to the parlor.
“Apparently this one does.” The grumble in his voice made her smile, as he’d hoped it would. But when they reached the parlor and Rain saw the gifts, crammed into every inch of space and stacked to the ceiling, he called for reinforcements. Ellysetta’s quintet came running in response to their king’s summons, though when they heard what he wanted of them, their faces went predictably blank.
“It won’t be that bad,” Ellysetta promised, “especially with all of you helping.”
“They live to serve you,shei’tani,” Rain assured her. After serving as a source of amusement to these Fey over the last few days, it gave Rain great pleasure to turn the tables.
Rain watched as his five best warriors squeezed into the tiny parlor, picked their way through the jungle of wedding gifts as if tiptoeing through a nest of Drogan sand vipers, and settled down with stone-faced stoicism to proceed with the humiliatingly un-warrior-like task of opening presents.
«You bring pride to this Fey,»Rain sent on their common path, and his tone rang with amusement.
Five lethal glances speared him. For the first time in a thousand years, Rain Tairen Soul threw back his head and laughed.
Chapter Thirteen
Ten thousand swords before you, ten thousand daggers drawn,
Ten thousand lives defend you, ten thousand warriors strong.
Our blood will spill ten thousand times.
In hope, ten thousand sigh.
For love we face ten thousand deaths,
With joy, ten thousand die.
Ten thousand Fey before you, ten thousand fierce and tall,
Ten thousand souls protect you, beloved of us all.
Chorus fromTen Thousand Swords, a Fey Warrior’s Song
Even with seven pairs of hands, unwrapping and recording all the wedding gifts was tedious work. To pass the time, Adrial vel Arquinas began to hum a rhythmic tune. His brother Rowan soon joined him, then Kiel. Then Kieran began to sing. To Ellie’s amazement, Rain soon joined in, his voice a deep, rich baritone.
They sang in Feyan, and though Ellie only understood a word or two here and there, the song’s beat and the melodious sound of the lyrics made her smile. “That was beautiful,” she said when they finished. “What was it?”
“A Fey warrior’s song called ‘Ten Thousand Swords,’” Rain told her. “It is a song all Fey youths learn when they are training to become warriors.”
“Can you translate it for me?” With a nod, he did so, and tears sprang to her eyes as she listened to the words that vowed the death of thousands to protect the life of one woman. She gave a little shiver. “Surely it’s just a song. I, for one, wouldn’t want any of you dying for me.”
“It is the greatest of honors to die in the defense of ashei’tani,” Kiel protested. “Such a warrior will be born to this world again, to find a truemate of his own.”
Holding a forgotten package on her lap, she looked at the faces of the men around her. “Do you all believe that?”
They exchanged glances, then nodded. “Of course,” Adrial told her, and a chill worked up Ellysetta’s spine as she suddenly realized how dear to her the warriors had become in such a short time. The thought of any one of them dying was like a knife to her heart.
“Peace, Ellysetta,” Rain murmured. She felt a warm touch on the back of her hand, another on her face, even though he sat several feet away from her and had not moved a muscle. “None of them seek death yet.”
“Seek death?” she repeated weakly.
“Sheisan’dahlein,” Rowan supplied. “The Fey honor death.”
“You seek death?” She stared at them all in horror.
