She deserved better than what was being proposed.
But what if there’s no other way?a voice deep within me whispered fearfully.
Just as I was about to standand demand they ask for something else, Teagan responded.
“Enough!”sheyelled over all the loud chatter, slamming her fist against the table.
Breathing too deep to be natural, she looked around at her friends—her family—sat at the table beside her.
“This is nobody’schoice to makebut mine,” she said.If I didn’t know better, I’d have said I could already hear the defeat in her voice.
Looking toward King and QueenRividian, she asked with a level voice, “There’s nothing we can offer in place of my hand in marriage?”
Pressing his lips together in whatalmostlooked like regret, the king shook his head.“Nothing.”
Teagan nodded, releasing a breath slowly through her nose. I could see the thoughts swirling in her head rapidly, but theredidn’tseem to be another way out.
“Alright, but I have a stipulation of my own,” she said.
“Teagan, absolutelynot—” Byn halted when he saw the resigned look on his older sister’s face.
“My baby brother,” she said,soft enough that itwouldn’tcarry to the other end of the table as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let me do this for you. For us. For ourpeople.”
Sorrow and helplessness washed over Byn’s emotions. He would never deny his sisters or take away their ability to make their own choices.
He, as well as Teagan, Margo, and I, seemed to realize what this meant at the samemoment.
Byn’s eyes moistened, though no tears fell as he nodded slightly to Teagan. Upon seeing this, Margo reached a hand up andtugged onher sister.
“Youcan’t!You can’t leave, too!” the young female cried out.
She didn’t want Teagan to leave her—as she must’ve felt their parents had.
“Margo,” Teagan replied gently, sitting back down in her chair, though she was fully facing her little sister. “I willstill see you all the time,alright?We’llwork it out. Idon’tplanon abandoningyou.”
Before Margo could descend into a full-blown meltdown, Teagan looked up towards the other rulers. “My stipulation is that I will allow myself to be betrothed to your heir, but I will not marry until after we win this war. Do you have a problem with that?”shequestioned.
“Father, don’t I get—” Callum began, but was cut off when the king held up a hand to his son, effectively silencing him.
“No, Princess Teagan, we do not have any issues with that stipulation. This war will be over soon enough now,” KingRividianreplied, not giving his son a chance to speak.
“We’d like an official contract, and we’d like to read it once it’sdrafted up,” Ezra said, speaking up when I least expected it. Though, it was a smart idea so nobody could go backontheir word.
“Done,” the queen said, then held her hand to her mouth and let out a sharp whistle.
A male that I could only imagine was one of theRividian’sadvisors entered the room with a scroll.
He spread it out before the king and queen, where he quickly added in the stipulation of waiting until after the war was over for the marriage to become official.
After the advisor had read it over one final time, he handed it off to KingRividian.
“The kings and queens of each party will sign,” he said, placing the scroll before him and his wife.
“Father,” Callum uttered that single word, his voicenearly breakingas he pleaded with all he had with those two small syllables.
“Sorry, my boy. This is for the best—whether or notyou understand that just yet,” his father responded, then signed his name without a second thought.
I watched as Callum seemed to deflate and shrink into himself—so unlike the strong, independent maleI’dcome to know—as he watched both of his parents sign away his future.
