“I would never break a promise,” my father chided me. “But in all fairness, I cannot decide upon one man. It's impossible.” He turned to face the brothers, “So I ask you this, which one of you loves my daughter? Which of you will be true to her and the vows of marriage?”
They all immediately declared that they would never betray me. If given the opportunity, they would love me till we both passed from this world. I nearly fainted from happiness. Does any one woman deserve so much romance? And also... they loved me?Allof them? How on earth had that happened?
“And would you let jealousy stand in your way of being with her?” my father went on. “Would you love her less, if you had to share her?”
“Share?” I whispered, my eyes growing wide. He couldn't possibly mean what I thought he meant.
“No,” my mother snarled. “That is perverse. You will make Adelysia into a laughingstock. A joke talked about behind closed doors, sneered at in the streets.”
“No one would dare!” my father shouted. “I am King, and if I say it is right and honorable, it is so. My word is like unto the word of God!”
We all just stared at him.
“I would share her if it meant I could love her,” Barret whispered, breaking the tense silence. Then he cleared his throat and looked to his brothers. “If it was my brothers whom I shared with.”
“I could do it,” Arnet nodded decisively.
“Yes, I would as well,” Hugin declared. “I have seen none who shine as bright as the Princess. Perhaps such beauty should not be treasured by one man alone.”
Robyn stared at me a long time before answering. “I would do anything to hold her in my arms again. To have her forever? Yes, I would gladly share her.”
My father beamed at the brothers and then shot his wife a smug look. “It's decided then. You all shall marry her.”
My mother fainted.
Chapter Eight
Perhaps I should have been happy, but all I could manage was shock. I tended to my mother first, calling for her ladies-in-waiting to help us. We got her onto a chair, and she finally opened her eyes. After some fanning, the Queen was able to sip some wine. Then she stared murderously at my father.
The King refused to be cowed, smiling back at his wife serenely. The brothers were standing together, off to one side of the room, awkward witnesses to our family drama. They looked at each other with varying expressions ranging from thrilled to smug. Guess which was the smug one. Barret was the only brother brave enough to come forward and ask after my mother.
“I'm fine,” she said primly to him. I shot her an angry look, so she added. “Thank you.”
“Your Majesty,” Barret bowed to her and retreated to the safety of his own family.
My father went to them and shook all of their hands, discussing the future with them. First, the King insisted that they go home and collect their father. We could not have their father living such a base existence as his sons married a princess. My soon-to-be father-in-law would have to be given a title and some lands of his own. By the time the brothers returned with their father, we'd have their rooms prepared for them. Rooms which would adjoin my own. Each brother was to have unlimited access to me as his betrothed.
Memories of Saunder stripping me flashed through my mind, and I started to tremble. No, they wouldn't do that to me. Would they? Four husbands. Dear god, what would my wedding night be like?
“Princess?” Robyn lost his smug look entirely as he raced forward and took my arm. “Do you need to sit down?”
Suddenly I was surrounded by the brothers, each one wearing a matching concerned expression. They began arguing amongst themselves over what was wrong with me. Arnet thought I needed to eat, Barret thought it was rest I required, Hugin said I needed air, and they should all back up, but Robyn held tight to my arm and declared it was them that I needed, their assurance that they would not hurt me like, and I quote, the bastard flying lizard had. I focused on him intently. How did Robyn know me so well already?
“Nothing will ever happen between us that you don't wish to,” Robyn promised in a gentle voice. “I swear it to you.”
I took a shaky breath.
“I will never touch you without your consent,” Arnet swore.
“I would die if I ever caused you harm,” Barret added.
“Princess, we only want you to be happy,” Hugin said simply. “If you would rather choose just one of us, we would abide by your decision.”
“I couldn't decide, had I been forced to at sword point,” I whispered.
Then I leaned forward into their arms and hugged them. Marriage to four men. It was unusual, sure, but my life had suddenly become unusual. Perhaps happiness wasn't like a brick, matching all the other blocks in the wall. Maybe it could be a boulder or even a butterfly. Maybe happiness could be whatever I wanted it to be. Whateverwewanted it to be.
“We shall have a celebration feast when you return with your father,” the King declared. “Off you go. The royal coach will deliver you home,” he thumped them each on the back. “We look forward to your return.”
