Page 45

As he crested the rise, he discovered Dacha and Uncle Farrendel had already arrived but not by long as they hadn’t started their practice yet, instead still going through preliminary stretches.

Merrik swallowed and slowly worked his way down the slope. The last thing he wanted to do was have his left ankle collapse beneath him or for him to put his right foot down wrong and fall. He needed to stand tall and walk steadily for this conversation.

As he neared, Dacha said something to Uncle Farrendel, turned to Merrik, gave him a nod, and retreated to a stand of trees at the edge of the hollow. He, at least, guessed what Merrik intended this morning.

Uncle Farrendel turned to Merrik, his forehead scrunched. His silver-blond hair flowed around the hilts of the two swords resting across his back while his eyes—blue but far lighter than Adry’s or Fieran’s—searched Merrik’s face. “Iyrinder said you wished to speak with me?”

“Yes.” Merrik braced his legs as he faced Uncle Farrendel. His breath caught in his chest as he tried to gather the words to speak. “For the past few weeks, Adry and I have been courting. I love your daughter, and I intend to marry her someday.”

For a long moment, Uncle Farrendel gaped at Merrik, his mouth hanging slightly open. Then he blinked, his tone flat. “You…and Adry…courting?”

“Yes, sir.” Merrik clasped his hands behind his back to hide their trembling. Everything in his chest twisted. Surely Uncle Farrendel wouldn’t disprove, would he?

Uncle Farrendel’s mouth worked for a moment, a breath of air escaping him. Spinning partway away, he gestured vaguely at Merrik. “I had prepared a speech for those courting my daughters. I practiced it and everything. But I cannot give you that speech. You are…you.”

Merrik shifted his hands behind his back. Was that a good thing? Was this Uncle Farrendel’s approval? “I assume the speech had something to do with not hurting your daughter and treating her with honor? Because I can promise I will always treat Adry honorably, and I would never hurt her.”

“Yes, yes, that is not in question with you. You would sacrifice another limb before you hurt her.” Uncle Farrendel tilted his head back and looked at the sky as if searching for answers there.

True. Merrik hadn’t wanted to sacrifice a limb in the first place. But Uncle Farrendel wasn’t exaggerating. Merrik would choose her. Always her.

“You can give me the speech anyway?” Merrik wasn’t sure why he was offering. It wasn’t like he wanted to receive an intimidating speech from Uncle Farrendel, but if it would make Adry’s dacha more at ease with the situation, he’d do it.

“Are you sure?” Uncle Farrendel eyed Merrik, his brows still in that bewildered scrunch as if he couldn’t quite comprehend what was happening.

“Yes.” Merrik stuffed away his smile, clasped his hands behind his back, and tried to look like a properly intimidated boyfriend.

Uncle Farrendel closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. His entire stance changed, going from uncertain to poised and dangerous. When he opened his eyes and turned to Merrik, his face had hardened, his gaze so flinty that hints of blue magic crackled in those silver-blue depths.

Merrik gulped, all urge to smile gone. Even his knees were knocking, and he was used to seeing a Laesornysh with battle light glinting. Anyone who didn’t know Uncle Farrendel well would be wetting themselves right about then.

When Uncle Farrendel spoke, his tone sliced like a sword, not a hint of his previous uncertain befuddlement in evidence. “I have taught my daughter well, including how to incinerate a body. If you hurt her, she will end you, and I will help her in any way she needs.”

That she would. Merrik remembered the way Adry had looked, marching into the surgical suite with a hint of her magic crackling around her. Or the way she’d looked during her warrior test, so feral and alive.

In a blink, Uncle Farrendel’s hard look vanished, replaced with a smile. He clasped Merrik’s shoulder with one hand. “And that is how I know you are the right man for her.”

“What?” Merrik eyed Adry’s dacha. What was he talking about? Merrik hadn’t even said anything.

Uncle Farrendel’s smile curved wider, and he gave Merrik’s shoulder a slight shake. “I just told you my daughter is perfectly capable of killing you, and you smiled. Rather fondly.”

Ah, right. Merrik hadn’t even realized he’d done that. But given the memories he’d been thinking about, he wasn’t surprised his expression had turned mushy. “She is rather amazing.”

“I am thankful she has found someone who will appreciate her for all that she is and will not ask her to diminish herself because he is intimidated by her sword skills or her magical power.” Uncle Farrendel gave Merrik’s shoulder a squeeze before he dropped his hand.

Merrik swallowed and nodded. “I would never want her to be less than fully herself.”

Any man who was intimidated because Adry was a better sword fighter, had more magic, and had dreams and ambitions of her own wasn’t worthy of her.

As Uncle Farrendel regarded Merrik, something in his gaze changed, his mouth pressing into a tighter line. “I know what it is to be broken and to piece myself back together. I also know the temptation to cling to others and hope they fix me rather than face the pain of fixing myself. Yes, it is good to let others help you and to open yourself to others rather than withdraw. But in the end, you need to put in the work to heal what is broken inside you. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Merrik released a long breath as those words settled into his heart. Perhaps this wasn’t the speech Uncle Farrendel had planned to give, but it was the one Merrik needed.

If there was anyone who understood what Merrik felt, it was Uncle Farrendel. No, he hadn’t lost a limb like Merrik had. But he’d been captured and tortured twice. No one could question how he’d suffered from war, nor how he’d worked to put himself back together afterward.

While Merrik had relied on Adry, especially in those early days, just to keep himself going, it was time he learned to forge ahead on his own. By the time they were reunited, he would be a fit partner for her, not just taking support from her but giving her the full support she needed.

Uncle Farrendel searched Merrik’s face for another moment before he nodded, stepped forward, and gripped both of Merrik’s shoulders in the elven hug. “You and Adry have my approval, sason.”