Trigger Warning: Kidnapping
***
The next day, Evelyn observed Cullen avoiding her. He quite literally stopped and changed directions to not have to pass her in the village square on her way to see a healer. For the first time in a while, she had a night terror and injured her arm superficially. She sighed, knowing that she over-reacted last night, not being as fragile as she came off about her ordeal. The years had hardened her resolve, and while no one should have suffered in such a way, she came out stronger, tougher and more resilient against adversity.
He was clearly too embarrassed over the situation to approach her, so she was going to have to put things right. They had been working so well together, that she'd hate to lose their momentum. Marching down to the training grounds, she knew how she was going to get his attention without giving him a means of escape. Descending the steps and grabbing a practice sword in passing, she couldn't have hoped for a better window as he instructed the young warriors alongside Cassandra.
"A simple faint to the left then back, can open them up to a--"
Her blade clanged against his, "A surprise attack!" Without missing a beat, he defended against her offensive strikes with a natural ease.
"Trevelyan, what are you doing?" He said it as if she was touched in the head. Cassandra was holding back a smile and the other warriors wore a mixture of shock and amusement.
"Sparring, what are you doing? Done being an arse?" At that, the raven-haired warrior got the hint and ushered the others over to the training dummies giving them a bit of privacy. She grated their blades together as she stepped closer to his face, "Well, are you?"
His countenance drooped, as did his blade, "I hope so. I wasn't trying to be--"
"Sword up, Rutherford. Or do you yield?" That seemed to light a fire in his amber eyes and he quickly regained his fighting stance. "For all the months I've been here, how it is we haven't sparred?"
"I didn't know you could use a sword, seeing as you have magic." They exchanged the customary warm-up strikes before adding in more sophisticated moves. As she increased the strength of her blows, so did he.
"I use a magic blade, called a spirit blade," she rotated her hips to the side so he could see the hilt. "Haven't you seen me wear this?"
"I have, I just thought it was a memento or… something."
He went to land a large strike over her head, but she used the momentum to spin away in a flourish, "Admit it, you thought I was mad like everyone else did. I heard the snickering and sneers at it. 'There goes the silly Lowlander and her bladeless sword again,' am I right?"
He chuckled, "You're making it hard for me not to come off as an arse."
"I knew it!" He unstrapped the shield from his arm and threw it away. Her eyes followed it, then took on a haughty air, "Am I not challenge enough for you? So be it. Let's spar for real now, that was the warm-up." She shook out her limbs and rolled her shoulders, while the Thane just lowered his gaze intensely at her.
"As you wish," something about his gaze was unnerving. It was cool and calculating as if mentally already twenty moves ahead of her and searching for weak points. "Who taught you your blade work?"
"Templars," both held their concentration at the mention of that raw subject. She charged, but he had her on the defensive quickly executing a riposte.
The blunt metal squealed a high note as he stepped in with the agility of a cat to grab her wrists, "I'll admit, they taught you the basics well, but if you want to survive here, you better train with me." After concluding, he shoved her away as if she were nothing. Staggering and finding her footing she gritted her teeth and flung herself into another quick barrage of stabs and slashes, only to get whacked on her lower back. She straightened and turned away at the blow, shaking off the hit before reading herself. "What happened to your arm?" Ilara had wrapped it for added support while the spell took effect.
"Night terror." His intensity faltered slightly, but she changed the subject. "You're offering to train me?" She squared up, but paused a moment before initiating the round, "You think the two of us can go that long without killing each other?" She smirked at him finding it humorous that they'd risk angering each other while holding sharp objects.
"How much worse could it get?" Catching her off guard, he lunged and she struggled to fend him off as he disarmed her. Her sword flew off to the right, but before he could land the hit, she grabbed the Everite hilt at her hip brandishing it in her defense. A hum of magic flowed into the weapon and an ethereal golden blade shot out. When their swords connected inches from her face it sparked, casting her face in its glow.
"Worse would be me using my magic on you," she pushed him away as he studied the magical weapon. With the blade in her right hand, her left conjured a flame. Once again, his hand flexed on the hilt of his sword as his eyes strategized on how to conquer this new foe. Before it went any further though, she retracted her mana and placed the spirit blade back on her belt. "I think we should leave that for another day. It's best to have a healer on hand anyway, " she scrunched up her face teasingly as he relaxed and walked over to put their swords back.
When he was done, he turned back to her with a concerned expression, his shoulders sagged slightly, "Are we alright?"
A small smile peaked at the corner of her lips, "Yeah. I'm not as fragile as I made myself out to be about it last night."
He nodded solemnly, "I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions. And ruined your birthday."
"Well, you can always make it up to me," he quirked an eyebrow up, "next time Aysel ruins a perfectly good night, let me burn the pants off her. She won't feel a thing. Come on, it'll be funny! She deserves it."
His chest rumbled with a laugh, but then a thought seemed to flood his mind, "Aysel said a friend in Wolf-Fang Hold told her about the Templars who were looking for you and this Ser Aeron. Maybe Thane Axlan didn't kill them…" Alarm widened his eyes, as he frowned, "I need to speak with Cassandra, excuse me."
"But…"
His long strides had already taken him a good distance from her as he yelled back, "I'll tell you later!" Whatever it was it wasn't good, sending a shiver down her spine. An uneasiness churned in her gut, and as she returned to her home to prepare food and wash up, it persisted, gnawing at her. The only thing that brought her comfort was knowing that whatever it was, Cullen seemed to be taking care of it. It was an odd feeling to put faith in someone else to protect her when she was so used to having to fight her own battles. There was something romantic about it and yet, there was nothing of the sort between them; he was simply doing his duty.
A few hours later, Cassandra came by with a group of warriors. Evelyn had heard them coming and stepped outside to see what was going on. "The Thane believes Wolf-Fang Hold is working with Templars to kidnap you. We've had word from our contact that the Templars were seen going to speak with Thane Axlan, but they were not seen again. I don't mean to frighten you, but they could be outside the walls trying to find a way in."
"T-thank you for letting me know, I'll be vigilant."
"These men will guard you. I've had patrols out searching for suspicious activity and doubled the watch. For now, you should stay here where we know where you are. I'll send updates as I have them." She nodded tensely back as she felt a slight tremble in her hands. She had always been on the other side of mage hunts. In the end, they always got their quarry.
As night fell, all was quiet, and yet no reports had come. She supposed no news was good news. Having stood guard all day, she made some extra spiced stew for the men outside. Unsure as to whether they'd like a Lowlander dish, she took a chance in the hopes of even striking up a conversation as they shared cultures. She wrapped her mantle around her and scooped up several bowls in one arm and the cast iron pot in the other. Kicking open the door gently with her foot, she shouldered her way out, "Would you men like any…" No one was there. She froze rationally thinking they had just stepped into the wood line, but the trees were sparse enough that she could see no one out there.
She immediately dropped the bowls and the pot and took a few down the path to the village when a dark figure appeared. It was hard to tell anything about them, but they weren't all that large with a cloak billowing in the breeze. Her mana began to rise up, but as it did, she was hit by a familiar sensation. Templar magic. It pommeled her to the ground as she took hit after hit in succession. They rendered her stupefied as they bound her hands in front of her. Before placing a sack over her head, she received a blow knocking her out. As she looked again towards the road before falling unconscious, she swore when the dark figure turned to walk away she saw the silhouette of a woman.
***
After tightening security and establishing guard rotations, the Thane and his council walked through the village square headed towards his longhouse where Rosalie had prepared a meal for everyone after skipping lunch working tirelessly to secure the area. A light rain had begun to fall, which he was glad for. Ill weather made just about everything harder in the Basin. If something was afoot then he hoped the weather made it just that more difficult for them. Just as they reached the doors, a flare of purple and blue fire shot into the sky coming from vent in the roof of the Augur's Hut.
Augur Dusan's face lit up in horror, "Lady preserve us, something has happened, quickly!"
"Cassandra, Rylen, go find Evelyn! I'll meet you there!" They sped off in opposite directions as quickly as they could knowing that if the Spirits were alerting them to something, it probably had to do with her.
Barging into the Augur's Hut, the spirits flew about and hissed in a frenzy. Dusan and Dhara set to calming them as they all spoke at one time seemingly confused. Their gentle attempt to gain their attention was wasting time he knew they did not have, "Enough!" He roared and they froze in mid-air, "Tell us what has happened!"
The Great Warrior spoke, "We've been infiltrated and the Phoenix has been taken by Wolf-Fang Hold with the assistance of Templars! They had help from within our Hold. There are traitors in our midst."
At that, Cullen rushed out of the hut calling back, "Dusan, Dhara, speak with them and come find me! I need to go after her!" The door shut before he heard their answer as she sprinted toward Evelyn's home. Rylen was already heading his way, and fell in with him as they reached her hut.
There were multiple tracks found around the home and a large spot of disturbed ground where there seemed to be a struggle. A pot of stew and bowls were scattered about along with Evelyn's mantle and dress. Some blood also dotted the scene. His heart raced knowing full well the Phoenix was powerless and most likely unconscious being dragged back to that damn den of wolves.
"How long have they been gone for?"
Rylen was stooped examining the ground with a torch, his trained falcon perched on his shoulder, "An hour or two judging by the water in their tracks." Cullen raked his hand through his wet hair in disbelief that there were people within the Hold who had helped them take her. That was a matter that could be handled by Augur Dusan and Dhara.
"Cassandra, gather soldiers whom you trust inexplicably, along with Bran and Dorian. Rylen, how many would you say there are?"
"Around eight." Cassandra nodded and quickly ran off to mobilize her people.
Dhara now joined them with news, "Thane, the men who volunteered for guard duty, they 'ere the traitors, and the whole kidnappin' was planned by Aysel, that cunning wench." Cullen felt his hackles rise, he had had a hunch earlier she was involved and he kicked himself for not detaining her sooner.
"Dhara, I need you and Dusan to stay and organize the defense while we're gone. Find Mia and have her find the traitors if they are still hiding within the Hold. She'll know what needs to be done, tell her I give her leave to do as she must," His voice was an octave above a growl.
"It will be done, my Thane." The lithe apprentice ran off into the dark damp night, pelts and skins fluttering about her.
"Cullen, I know you're worried, we'll find the lass." The two shared a knowing look that carried the memory of when he lost his mother. Rylen was a loyal friend and supported him fiercely through the death of his parents, sometimes helping him see reason through the red. He nodded his head, and a moment later, he pointed off towards the side of the humble dwelling. "Look, they tried to cover their tracks," and with that, he went in search of their entry point while Cullen awaited the arrival of their war party.
When Cassandra had at last arrived, Bran had brought Cullen armor and sword which he quickly threw on over his leathers before heading out. Rylen commanded the falcon to search and led them to the cliff face they had climbed in and out of. They had left the ropes behind which they most likely hulled the Phoenix up and over with. Evelyn was tall and solid muscle, they would've had a time trying to climb the slick rock with her slung over their shoulder. That alone told him that Axlan was not among the party in case they were caught. The man was a brute with incredible strength that even Cullen could not deny. The coward, he thought, getting his men to do the dirty work for him. As quick as they could through the cold rain they ran at a punishing pace to catch up with the enemy in hopes Evelyn was still intact and unmolested.
***
"We need to stop for a moment and get our bearings."
"We know exactly where we are, Lowlander. Keep going."
"No. We stop and rest a moment. There's no sign we're being followed."
Evelyn's head lulled side to side against the cold Silverite armor of a Templar. The cold combined with the rain gave her a rude start as she came to. The bag over her head was suffocating as it was soaked and sticking to her face. Coughing the man holding her ripped it off. She shivered feeling as if she was naked. As she looked at herself, she wore only her shift which made her lighter to carry rather than in her heavy wool dress and fur mantle.
"Shit, she's waking up." He jostled her about and threw her down in the mud, her wet hair stuck about her face and neck. Her white shift stuck to her scandalously, though it was now darkened by the puddle in which she landed in. Her limbs felt heavy still from lack of mana and her appendages were frozen.
"Where are you taking me?" She tried her damnest to sit up, only to be kicked back down.
"Shut it, mage."
"Careful, Templar. Thane Axlan will not take kindly to you damaging his bride."
"Oh, for fucks sake," she was really getting tired of people kidnapping her so she'd marry them, "you Avvar really need to find a new way to find brides."
A blade was suddenly drawn to her throat, "Watch your words, Lowlander."
Through the fear, vulnerability and the crippling cold, she tried to keep her wits about her. One of the Templars stepped in and pushed the blade away. He helped her up and sat her at the base of a tree, where she hugged herself trying to muster any bit of warmth from all the shivering she was doing. The two groups, despite working together, seemed to be at odds with each other. A palpable tension filled the air, and knowing - hoping - her friends knew by now she was taken, she endeavored to kindle the flame of mistrust among them.
"I'm su-sur-prised you got permission from the Knight-Commander to hand me over to the Avvar. Would've thought I'd be headed back to the Circle for punishment." Dark looks shifted about from one man to the next. "And I thought the Templars were the sworn enemy of the Avvar? Oh, I see, you were too weak to take me yourselves so you needed the Templar's strength. I understand."
"Shut the fuck up, woman! We didn't need them!" She felt the man's warm breath on her face, too frozen to turn away. She held his eyes and shrugged. A hard shove from the Templar standing beside her had the man sprawled backward into the mud. The two sides closed on each other exchanging words of warning and insults.
With them distracted, she looked about but the rain reduced visibility. She sighed looking up to the sky when she spotted a blur circling above. From the many times she had caught the hunting parties leaving, she knew they used falcons to track game utilizing their superior eyesight. Hope began pumping adrenaline through her veins and she sat up straighter looking about in the tree line, but she didn't see anyone. When the bird began to move away she knew it hadn't seen her, and her heart sank. She needed to get their attention, for they had to be close enough to hear her scream.
With every ounce of strength, she could muster driven by desperation and fear, she stood and took off into the woods just far enough to yell at the top of her lungs before they caught her. "Rylen! Cassandra!" she sucked in a deep breath for one last scream as they were already on her, "CULLEN!" A kick to her back had her down in another puddle, gasping for air. The Avvar that was on her was holding her head down in the water, cursing at her. Another kicked her in the ribs over and over before the Templars were drawing their weapons on the natives. She cried out in pain holding her side, unable to see much as her hair was plastered about her eyes.
A low rumble, as if a horde of druffalos were stampeding their way, made her kidnappers pause their fighting to listen. Erupting out of the darkness were the warriors of Redhold, crashing into the enemy with practiced precision. Already there were two of the wolfish warriors dead, as the Templars closed ranks, unconcerned about anyone but their own. They formed a circle around her and she curled into a ball covering her vital organs as they fought around her, coming close to stepping on her. Seeing that they were outnumbered and surrounded, the Templars used their hostage to negotiate a truce.
Pulling her up by an arm with a blade to her throat, their Lieutenant opened with a threat, "Any closer and the mage dies! Don't think we won't, our superiors said to bring her back dead or alive. Alive preferably to be made example of, but we have sanction to kill her without cause." She swallowed hard, a bit panicked by their words. Her eyes looked to her friends, who wore fiercely terrifying expressions, even Dorian. From behind the circle of warriors, a tall figure wearing an iron helm of a lion stepped forward. It was only the second time she saw him wear it, the first time being the day they met. Cassandra and Rylen parted to make way for him, and even though they couldn't see his face, the intensity of his glowing amber eyes was enough to make them shift nervously. "I said back up!" The blade pressed into her skin and warm blood trickled down between her breasts.
"You are in no position to be making demands of me, Lowlander," his voice became even more menacing by the muffling of his helmet. "Give her to us and you may leave with your lives. I'll only offer once." Everyone stood still, yet if someone twitched she was afraid battle would resume in an instant.
The Lieutenant looked to his men, "She not worth dying for. We get as far as there," pointing to a large boulder in the distance, "and we'll set her free."
"No. You'll hand her over now and trust my word as Thane of this Hold that we will let you go."
"Not good enough," a sharp cold pain stabbed her. She cried out as the Lieutenant pulled his hidden blade from out of her gut. Several of the lions gasped and grimaced, but Cullen's eyes just darkened. "We can discuss this all night until you either do as I say or she bleeds out." One knee gave out as she weakened further from the cold and blood loss. He growled at her to stand, but she limply knelt unable to feel the iron grip of his hand on her bicep as he yanked her.
Her fingers were purple, and as she held her wound a faint red glow caught her attention. The mark! She wondered what it would do if she tried to use it. As he and Cullen argued, she looked for a weak spot in his armor. She would only have one chance, so it needed to count. Her eyes darted to Cullen's when Cassandra began in on the Lieutenant. His visor was up now, making it easier in the dark and rain to see his reaction. When she got his attention, she darted her eyes over to the Templar's leg just behind the knee. His eyes squinted as if in question, and Evelyn wiggled the fingers of her marked hand at him. The Thane's brow drew down and he gave a slight shake of his head. She didn't listen and nodded once before surprising the Templar with her touch.
It was for a second, but her forearm morphed into molten lava, burning the man's leg in two. A guttural yell escaped him and he ordered his men to kill her, uncaring about the Avvar surrounding them. The Phoenix closed her eyes and collapsed once more to the ground awaiting the cold stab of their steel but instead, a warmth enveloped her along with the tingle of a magical barrier. Large hands held her protectively and she heard a whispered 'Why don't you ever listen, or have your cloak on' spoken with gentle chastisement. She smiled against his chest, feeling a flood of relief, knowing that she was finally safe.
When all was quiet, he sat laying her in his arms as Dorian rushed over placing a hand on the wound to her gut. Rain dripped off his wet curly hair down on her, but she cared not, finally among friends. She felt herself mending though still terribly weak. Her voice had a rasp to it from screaming, "You crazy bastard, you almost got yourself killed."
He chuckled despite the circumstances, "Well, I wouldn't have had to do that if you would've let me handle it." As Dorian continued to work, Cullen's face grew concerned, as he moved some of her wet strands of hair off her face examining the deep colored bruise on her head, "They didn't touch you, did they?"
Dorian had sealed the stab wound and now pressed on her cracked ribs. She arched up in pain with a hiss, "No. They were to take me back to their hold, though I don't think the Templars planned to go along with that." She paused trying to move closer to him and absorb his warmth, "Do you mind, I'm freezing?" He and Dorian exchanged an unreadable look before he unlaced his coat and she curled up inside it with him. His heat immediately bled through her thin wet shift as she pressed against his rigid chest. The nerves burned as the feeling returned. Her face flushed, and while it felt nice, she became mortifying aware that she was making him a bit uncomfortable listening to him clear his throat a few times. "You didn't by chance bring my cloak with you?"
"I-I, we did," he motioned to two of the female warriors who helped her stand and took her a few paces away. With the help of Cassandra who held up the cloak for privacy, they pulled her shift over her head, discarding it and wrapped the cloak tightly around her naked body. She would've been more embarrassed had she not been freezing to death.
When she was as decent as she could be, Dorian passed her a vial of lyrium which perked her right up. Before they left, there was one thing she needed to do. "Hold a moment, I want to search for something." She began rummaging through the armor and pockets of the Templars. "Never mind, it's not here."
As they began to walk back, the Thane joined her, "What were you looking for?"
"My phylactery. It's a vial of my blood that the Templars use to hunt mages. When you enter the Circle they collect your blood, without a choice in the matter. I was hoping that if they had mine, I could destroy it making it harder for them to find me. It's odd that they wouldn't have had it." As she lost herself in thought for a bit, a sudden flash of memory jolted her out, "Cullen," she grabbed his arm, "when I was taken, there was a woman--"
"I know, it was Aysel. She betrayed us, as did the men who guarded you." She remembered her words about having men wrapped around her finger, apparently, she had called in her favors. "With any luck, Mia has arrested them all, or at least the ones foolish enough not to flee."
"What will you do with them?"
He didn't look at her, but set his jaw, "What I must in these circumstances." She didn't need to press him any further for details as she knew from the grim tone he meant to execute them for treason. All her years in the Circle she had always come to distrust most of the people around her, and she supposed the Avvar of Redhold never thought they'd ever be betrayed by their own. The clan was your extended family, and to break the unspoken oath was unthinkable. The thought of Aysel organizing these men to allow her to be taken, knowing what would happen to her had her blood running hot. Suddenly, she wasn't quite sure how she'd react when she saw the traitor, but she was going to do more than burn her pants off now.
***
In the aftermath of the kidnapping, only two of the men had been caught, questioned and executed. A message was sent to Thane Axlan to come to retrieve his dead and warned that one more attack on her would mean war. He had men working on carving up the cliffside near Trevelyan's home to make it unclimbable. She had recovered from the ordeal almost overnight, joking darkly that she was getting used to it by now. The statement had his stomach in a knot, for no one should ever be used to the treatment she had endured. Especially after he ran into her again leaving the mage's hut for a new injury after another supposed nightmare.
Something needed to be done, and both fortunately and unfortunately, he knew what that was. Maybe now with this kidnapping fresh in her mind, she would understand if he explained. That or she'd be even more resistant to the idea. From the steps of the Great Hall, he looked out at the market. He watched her speaking with the woman who sold spices and herbs. She acted as if it was just another day, conversing politely and picking out what she needed. Her hair was braided back and she was neatly dressed, looking every inch as if she belonged there all along.
He didn't mind the idea of binding himself to her in marriage for a time. They had come to the understanding that duty took precedence over their squabbles, and even then, they were so used to arguing that it didn't strain too much on their friendship - at least he thought he could call it that. The memory of holding her in his arms last night flushed his face. He had felt so much of her as she huddled against him for warmth. Having been so distracted, the heat that settled in his core made him ignore the cold touches of her fingers. Instead, he focused on her lips which brushed against his pectoral as she spoke and her hard nipples dragging against him with each breath. His breath hitched for a moment as his heart began to beat a bit faster.
"My Thane," Augur Dusan greeted him, "I've spoken with the Spirits as asked. They say that this attempt to steal her away changes nothing. You still have until Wintersend to--"
"Good afternoon," the Phoenix chimed in with a smile.
"Phoenix," Dusan tipped his head, "good to see your spirit intact. How are you, child?"
She shrugged, "Just fine, I suppose. Grateful to be back thanks to all of you." She shyly tucked a loose hair behind her ear, "I apologize for interrupting, but I was hoping you had a moment to spare?" Dusan have him the same look Dorian had last night; it was a slight smile paired with the hope that something was happening between them.
"Of course. Thank you for the update, Augur." He put a hand to his chest and walked off toward his hut. "Is everything alright?" He motioned for them to step into the Great Hall for some privacy, already weary of the curious eyes on them from the clan.
"I-I just wanted to apologize if I made you uncomfortable last night," her words hung in the air as he swallowed hard, searching for what to say. "I feel like I did, a-and it was not my intention."
He shook his head trying to alleviate both of their awkwardness, "You didn't make me uncomfortable, y-your hands were just cold."
She chuckled, "I'm sure they were, I was freezing from being out there all but nak--" she cleared her throat, "Anyway, I don't suppose Axlan will be giving up anytime soon?"
"No, but I doubt he'll try that again knowing we'll be ready for it."
"Is there a way to stop it?" She scrunched up her face bracing for the answer as if already knowing what it was.
He stuttered a few syllables, just tell her, now is your chance. She asked, just tell her. Tell her! "Um, well there is..." his hand brushed through his hair resting on his neck rubbing out the tension settling there. Her brown eyes widened looking at him with anticipation, "You could… marry me." It was his turn to wince as he awaited the onslaught of her fury on the subject, but instead, she stood there chewing her lip with great annoyance.
"Really?" Her eyes narrowed, and her voice rang out with angry clarity through the hall, "Really!?"
Feeling instantly better having gotten it off his chest, his voice turned authoritative, "I'm not asking you to, I'm simply answering your question. Allow me to at least explain." They walked over to sit on one of the benches. She sat up straight at attention, still thoroughly agitated as he bent over his knees staring out at the fire. "The Spirits believe one way or another you will be Lady of the Hold. Whether you marry me or not, whomever you choose will be Thane due to your power. Having the name of the Thane will protect you, as an attack against you would then be an act of war." He sat back to gauge her reaction. She looked shocked and unsettled as she tugged at a piece of stray hair.
After a long pause, she whispered, "I don't want to marry you, or anyone."
"I know, but you may not have a choice," he mimicked her softness with a pained look.
Her head snapped over to him, "Are you going to force me?"
"No," he was not like the other Thanes. Even knowing he'd lose his Thaneship, after all she had been through he knew it wasn't right. Lady preserve him, the woman had been imprisoned in a Circle, raped, taken away from her loved ones and now was being fought over and kidnapped by the Thanes of the Basin. He would not be added to her list of horrors, even if he'd have no intention of ever harming her. His shoulders slumped in defeat feeling that he had made his choice.
"Thank you," she gently rested her hand on his arm but he shot up heading for the door.
He stopped and turned his head enough to see her out of his peripherals, "You should know, if you don't marry someone within Redhold by Wintersend, you will be taken and forced to do so in another Hold. So say the Spirits, if you have questions as to the truth of my words, I suggest to speak with them."
She scoffed, beside herself, "Wintersend is a week away! It sounds like either way I don't have a choice!" He didn't answer, nor could he bear to face her. Though it wasn't her fault, she was the reason he was to lose everything his family had worked so hard for. It would all be lost because he couldn't just force this woman to marry him. Trudging away to try and distract himself with work with what time remained of his Thaneship, he left her there to consider her options. He would have no more to do with it, and just leave it in the gods' hands. Whether she married Rylen or whoever, or left and came back to destroy them, he cared not. He would prepare and stand his ground against the currents of destiny for as long as he could, even if he had to stand alone. Perhaps the gods would be kinder to him in the next life.