I might not have witnessed the events of the last few weeks, but I sensed the power shifting for the worse.
My mother had explained that she’d arranged my marriage to Thayden months ago, but back then, it was a measure to appease the lords of the South, who weren’t comfortable with her taking charge of my father’s duties as warden.
King Varis had granted Thayden’s father custody of the role weeks ago in anticipation of the wedding. But now that the king was dying, Thayden’s family would have more than just custody.
The wedding was even being held in the capital. Originally, it was supposed to be here in Stormfell in honor of my father’s role. But that didn’t matter anymore.
Nothing was ever certain. Even when people told you it was.
It was worse when you were helpless. Like me.
My curse was a cruel joke, the perfect weapon to use against someone who had always wanted to be strong. But I guessed I was only as weak as I allowed myself to be.
For now, the only thing I could do was keep going. Keep moving. Keep my eyes open.
Because more and more, I’d felt that something wasn’t quite right in my world.
I straightened just as Emabelle reappeared, balancing two tankards of pink-hued ale and a small plate piled high with pie. She caught my eye and smiled—a quick, practiced thing—but I saw the tension in her shoulders. And in her eyes.
She set the tankards and plates down, then slid mine over to me. “A delicious helping of the best pumpkin pie and strawberry ale in Stormfell just for you.”
“Thanks.” I chuckled. “I definitely needed this.”
“Eat and forget your worries.” She flicked her long raven hair over her shoulder and nodded toward the pie. With Emabelle, there was nothing a slice of pie couldn’t fix.
Though I smiled and tucked in, I wished forgetting my worries were that simple.
At least the pie tasted great. The sweetness hit my taste buds in all the right ways, and for one blissful moment, I forgot everything.
Emabelle ate, and from the look on her face, the pie was working its magic on her, too. But once the moment had passed, tension crept back into the space between us.
Emabelle grabbed her drink and took a long gulp.
I could have done the same but decided to watch her instead.
She lifted her head and met my gaze, her eyes brimming with caution. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I guess so. Areyouokay?”
The question seemed to throw her. Everyone was being so gentle with me, treating me like I was made of glass. I’d bet no one asked her how she was doing.
“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m okay becauseyou’reokay. You scared the shit out of us when you were…” Her voice trailed off, like she found it difficult to form the words.
“When I was in the coma?” I offered.
“Yeah.” She immediately averted her gaze.
Father used to say when people did that, it was a dead giveaway they were trying to hide something from you.
I wanted to press and ask her what she might be hiding, but I decided to wait a little longer. We’d only just sat down to eat. I could wait.
“The men over there were talking about King Varis.” I motioned to the table in the crowd, changing the subject.
Emabelle glanced over her shoulder, then looked back at me. “You’re gonna hear talk like that a lot. People are worried. But I guess not more worried than we are.”
I rested my arm on the table and straightened. “We’ll be safe though, won’t we? I mean once I marry Thayden.”
Concern tightened her delicate features. “Hey, I don’t want you to worry about that.” She moved the plate out of the way to reach for my hand and gave my knuckle a reassuring squeeze. “You just need to worry about yourself. Thayden will take care of you. He and his father have been taking the greatest care of your mother and grandmother all these years. I have no doubt they’ll continue to do so.Everythingwill be okay.”
