"Considering this is likely going to be a choosing, probably a while."
"Shit."
Anxiety churned in his belly at the thought. A choosing was a huge part of the bridal games. It was when those who were competing showed they were interested in someone else. A declaration of intent.
He had to stay right where his feet were planted. That was the plan. His relationship with Rose was far too tenuous. She'd allowed him to touch her, certainly that was improvement. And they were talking more. He liked that a lot. But that didn't mean she was ready for him to walk up to her in front of hundreds and say he was interested in her as a wife.
"Are you going to finally tell Rose how you feel?" Torbin asked. "Now would be the time to do so."
He grunted. "No. She's too nervous for that. I'll tell her in private when the time is right."
"You’re sure this won't come across as though you aren't interested at all?" Torbin's brows shot up to his hairline. "Bold of you to assume that you know a woman's mind that well."
"Shut up. No one will stand with her. It will be a good reminder that she still has a lot of healing to do, and I'm not leaving her. I will not be standing beside anyone else. That says something."
"Does it?"
He couldn't let this other male get in his head. His plan was solid. They would both remain standing alone, no one making a move to show they were interested in them directly, but his intent would be obvious. He would smile at her, and he would let her know that he wasn't going to choose a wife yet because... She wasn't ready. That was it.
He wasn't going to push her. No one would.
But as he strode toward the clearing where this was all taking place, he was surprised to see there was an even larger crowd than usual. It was like the entire mountain was here, ready to watch this choosing.
"Are people really that excited?" he asked, slowing a bit as he got closer.
"Just you wait." Torbin clapped him on the back. "It's so much worse than you think."
And with that cryptic message, Torbin headed into the stands himself. Ready to watch with all the others as Gunnar made a massive fool of himself, standing stock still for the woman he...
The woman he cared for. That was where he had to end that thought.
He ducked into the crowd with the rest of the trolls and few humans who were competing. Even though he really didn't care what others were talking about, he couldn't help but pick up on bits and pieces of conversations.
"Do you know who you're choosing?" A thin young male asked, eyeing his companion who stood beside him. Perhaps they both liked the same woman.
"Of course I do! I've been courting her since we were children." The troll beside him was wearing a massive neckpiece that seemed to be made entirely out of one carved piece of amethyst, with jagged edges still intact. "She knows I'll be fighting for her attention."
"Not Ronja?"
They both glared at each other, and Gunnar moved past.
There were more people competing than those who had declared interest. It only made sense that there would be some crossover. He still wasn’t worried anyone would want Rose. Most, if not all, trolls within the mountain thought of her as the looney creature he had picked up. No one wanted a madwoman.
Another group of young men stood to the side, appearing to be a little confused about who they were going to pick. Gunnar sidled past them, trying to squeeze beyond the tight knit group so he could see if Rose was even here. He'd handed her off to her sister this morning, making sure Astrid knew that Rose was going to be a little different today than usual.
Astrid had just waved him off. But if everyone knew that the trolls were competing, he assumed Astrid would make sure Rose was here.
"What about the blonde?" a gruff voice asked.
"The crazy one? No, too much work. You see how Gunnar trails after her constantly. I heard she's always trying to kill herself."
"Ah, I think she's sweet. She was nice enough to me both times that I've spoken with her. Seemed a little distant, but distant isn't bad." The gruff troll scratched his chest. "She's small. I like small things. Think she'd be interested in a bigger man to keep her safe?"
Gunnar saw red. He spun around, ready to chew into the other troll for even daring to think of Rose in that light.
Besides, she didn't need anyone to keep her safe. Gunnar was doing that just fine, and no one could argue that truth. He hadn't been following her around because she was trying to kill herself. He'd been following her around because she didn't know where she was.
An arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him back into the chest of someone who was a whole head taller than him. Gunnar stiffened, already smelling that stupid, pretty scent that made his teeth set on edge.
