Ava pursed her lips. “Nay.”
“Nay?” Thalia jerked her head up. “What do ye mean,nay?”
Ava sat down on the bed next to her and pulled her into a hug. “I daenae think that is what ye need right now,” she whispered.
Thalia relaxed into the hug, letting all of the stress and worry roll off her. “Finlay agreed to a fake betrothal. Just for a year.”
“Aye, I figured it was somethin’ like that,” Ava said.
“Ye daenae think I’ve made a huge mistake?”
“Nay.”
So much had happened over the past week, and Thalia felt the weight of it all threatening to crush her. The only thing that was keeping her safe and preventing a war was a potential marriageto Finlay. A man who confused her and made her feel things she had never felt before.
She took a deep, shaking breath as a lump formed in her throat.
Ava pulled back, noticing the switch instantly. “Are you all right?” she asked.
Thalia sniffed as her eyes filled with tears. “I’m scared, Ava.”
“I ken.”
Ava tilted up her sister’s face gently, brushing the escaped tears away with her thumb. She stretched out across the bed, and Thalia lay down next to her, curling into her side.
She felt like a child again, seeking comfort from her older sister after getting into trouble. Except this time, there was no easy fix. She would just have to accept her mistakes and live with what came next.
“I daenae think ye did anything wrong,” Ava said quietly. “I think ye’ve been very brave, and I’m proud of ye.”
Thalia sniffed again. “Ye are?”
“Aye. I’m happy that ye’re fightin’ so hard for yer freedom. I want ye to have yer own life, yer own happiness. And I ken ye willnae find that with Laird MacGibbon.”
“Nay,” Thalia agreed. “He isnae right for me.”
“I daenae ken why he is so angry with ye,” Ava said. “I mean, I understand being embarrassed about yer bride runnin’ away, but to chase ye down like this and declare war? He’s got a nasty temper on him.”
“Well…” Thalia squirmed. “I did… sort of… attack him before I ran off.”
Ava sat up. “What?”
“When I first tried to run, he grabbed me. He said I had better behave meself, and threatened me. So I…” Thalia scrunched up her nose in embarrassment. “I bit him and then kicked him between his legs.”
Ava stared at her for a moment.
Thalia waited for the anger, the lecture, the reprimand. Instead, Ava laughed. A loud, full belly laugh that had her gasping for breath and clutching at her sides.
It was contagious, and Thalia found herself laughing too. They held onto each other tightly until tears were streaming down their cheeks.
Once their laughter had finally subsided into giggles, Ava wiped at the wetness on her face.
“Thatwasnae in the letter the messenger gave me!” she cried. “I cannae believe ye did that.”
“It was stupid and reckless,” Thalia conceded.
“Aye, but I would have loved to see the look on his face when ye did that.” Ava smirked.
Thalia giggled again. “I’ll probably never do anything like that ever again. But it did feel really good.”
