Tempered Hearts (Hearts of Valentia Book 1) (9 page)

Chapter 9

Darius

Between guest arrivals and business meetings and preparing for the spectacle that was the engagement party, Darius barely had time to think. But as he stood outside the ballroom, waiting to be announced, one thought echoed in his head over and over.

Arden needed to know the truth.

If it were him, he would want to know. Marriages were difficult enough, but entering into such a relationship without knowing the risks would only make it more so. Both of them had been stripped of the majority of their choices in life. If he could give her back the one, if she decided for herself the heartache would be too great to bear, he would find a way to get her out of the impending ceremony. Arden deserved at least that much.

The herald announced him, and the doors opened, revealing the crowd of nobles and wealthy merchants come to gawk and gossip. It wasn’t as many as would be there for the coronation and wedding, but it was at least a hundred of the most influential people in the world gathered in one place. He didn’t stop to acknowledge anyone as he strode from the entrance to the head table, but he caught a glimpse of dwarves he’d not expected to see, as well as representatives of the Moth’hari and Ansere’th tribes. Seeing them caused him to think about things he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t stop himself from wondering if any of them had news of Naya.

In that moment, he desperately wished he’d never met her. Perhaps he might’ve been happy with Arden then.

He had to tell his fiancée at the earliest possible convenience, but how to separate her from her mother and ever-present handmaidens? With the addition of the second elf from Aerenhall by her side, it was impossible to find Arden alone.

The gleaming stone tiles and high shine on every surface did nothing to lift his spirits. He’d have given all the gold in the castle to change his fate. The warm smiles and colorful attire of the guests were not the ones he thought he’d be surrounded by if he ever took a wife. Those people were strangers to him.

He reached his seat at the raised table at the front of the grand hall, but remained standing as Ingram and the seven Chancellors entered behind him with their own introductions. When all but the two seats to his left were spoken for, he held his breath and waited, gaze fixed firmly on the main doors.

“The Duchess Cora Tanarien of Aerenhall and her daughter, Lady Arden Tanarien!”

For the briefest second his heart stopped beating. Arden’s dress was the stunning silver of House Tanarien, with veins of Marillion blue swirling up from the hem of her skirt. Though her mother walked with a practiced grace, Arden’s movements were effortless, her soft smile finding him beyond the crowd in moments. The way she looked at him, even from across the room…

It hurt his heart to see such warmth and admiration in her eyes. The things he had to tell her would surely be painful to hear.

Before long she was beside him, and everyone took their seats, following his lead. Ingram and Duchess Tanarien alone remained standing, preparing for their opening words.

“It is with great pleasure we’ve gathered you all here tonight, for we are celebrating an occurrence that at one time would have been thought impossible,” Ingram began.

“For centuries, a silent feud raged between Marillion and Tanarien houses,” the duchess continued where he left off, her face full of pride, “but peace was struck between us under the leadership of King Ledas, lost three years passed, and my husband, Duke Magnus Tanarien, who leads the rebuilding in Maer. It is through their perseverance and cooperation that this night became possible.”

“At long last, we celebrate the news.” Ingram raised his goblet into the air. “In three weeks hence, House Marillion and House Tanarien will be forever tied in the bonds of sacred matrimony. May we find peace in the union of Prince Darius and Lady Arden!”

A round of cheers went up as glasses were raised and the musicians began their playing. A glance at Arden disheartened him further. She was all but glowing with happiness, and he was going to take that away from her. Perhaps she wouldn’t care, but that wouldn’t be like the woman he’d come to know. Whatever her feelings, he knew she’d tell him true. Her gift of promising honesty in all things assured it.

A meal and several speeches later, and it was time for the Presentation of Wishes. For that, any who wanted to bestow a gift upon the engaged couple could do so. The gifts were supposed to be symbolic of the things people hoped for the ones to be married, but Ingram warned him they were typically shows to gain favoritism and display power. The first gifts were unremarkable— a bolt of fine cloth from House Adriante to represent their lives interweaving, a sheaf of grains dipped in gold from House Cass to symbolize great bounty— but he was amazed when a face he’d not thought to see presented Arden with the most stunning gift he could imagine.

Ehlren, shining in silver-plated armor, stepped up to the table, his chest barely cresting the edge, as he was short even for a dwarf. “General Ehlren Mergus of Ogtern Mountain,” he said with a brief bow.

“Ehlren, my friend,” Darius said, happier to see him than he imagined he’d be, “you’re certainly a sight. General now, is it?”

His deep, growling laugh harkened back to days of dirty taverns and shifty deals with merchants in need of mercenaries. “As much to the surprise of those girders in the dusty bowels of Ogtern as it is to me. Getting bloody in Orinda was worth its weight in diamonds, it seems.”

“As I recall, you were never adverse to a bit of blood, old friend.” Darius chuckled. As much as he wanted to hear his story of promotion, likely as not it wasn’t suitable for their current company. “But what’s dragged you out of your cave? I know how much you enjoy these gatherings.”

His brown eyes shifted to Arden, scrutinizing her closer than he’d seen anyone ever do to another person, but she never wavered. Arden was as curious about Ehlren as he was of her.

He cleared his throat and placed a wooden box in front of her, its intricate gold leafing catching the gleam of the small sapphires embedded in the lid. “I’ve been sent to present this gift to her ladyship from the Yar of Ogtern.”

Stunned, Arden reached out with tentative hands, running her fingers along the pattern on the box. “For me?”

Ehlren indicated the gift, prompting her to open it. “We present you with a Gordian dagger, used to slay the mightiest of the Void mages on the battlefield of Orinda Valley. The process of creating such weapons is lost to our people, but we present it to you that you might grow to match your husband in his ability to fight back the darkness. A kingdom is only as strong as those who watch over it, and we wish for you both to rule well.”

Shocked as much by his uncharacteristic eloquence as the invaluable gift, all Darius could do was watch Arden. She lifted the white-bladed dagger with such reverence and awe, he didn’t think she was breathing.

Without a word, she set it back in the box, pushed back her chair, and stood, the room falling completely silent as she walked around the table to stand beside Ehlren.

“If I may, would you accept a gift in return?”

Ehlren fingered the braids of his long, brown beard, uncertain of how to answer. “I… A gift in return, my lady?”

“I haven’t anything that’s nearly so precious, but I would give it all the same.” She set a hand on his shoulder and bent, leaving a small kiss on Ehlren’s cheek. “Please pass my gratitude to the yar, and to all your people who fought at Orinda Valley. Without their cooperation, Valentia would be lost.”

Darius had never, in all the years he knew him, seen Ehlren blush at anything, but a single kiss from Arden turned him redder than gems from the depths of dwarven mines. It was an immense struggle not to laugh.

“I… Yes, my lady. I’ll… Thanks. Yes.”

Arden smiled, blissfully unaware of the shocked faces of every guest in attendance, and returned to her seat. She either didn’t care, or hadn’t considered what the reaction would be to someone in her position showing such unabashed gratitude to a race outside her own, never mind the physical contact. Darius hadn’t thought it possible, but he admired her even more for it.

He shook his head, grinning, and turned his attention back to Ehlren. “Will you be staying at all? Perhaps tomorrow we could better catch up on things.”

Ehlren cleared his throat with a loud rumble, settling his ruffled composure. “I was due to head back in the morning, but I suppose one more day won’t hurt anything.”

Darius nodded. “Tomorrow, then, old friend.”

He snapped to attention and bowed again before making a hasty retreat.

“I didn’t startle him too terribly, did I?” Arden whispered from behind her napkin.

Lifting his goblet, Darius shook his head and put the wine to his lips. “He may not wash his face for a month, asahana, but he does love a good story to tell, so your gift will keep him busy for years to come.”

She choked a little on her water, her face flushed as she fought back a laugh.

“Something wrong?”

Immediately squelching her reaction, she pursed her lips and shook her head, her movements tight. “No, Highness,” she whispered. “Nothing at all.”

As wonderful as it was to see her so happy, it was worse knowing what was coming. Perhaps by the time he found a way to get her alone, he’d find the right words to avoid shattering her hopes.

Arden

The music, the dancing, the smiles and laughter… All of it was so wonderful she couldn’t imagine any day being more perfect. So many thoughtful gifts were presented over the course of the evening, she hardly knew where to begin expressing her gratitude. The gift from the dwarves had been especially moving. To present her with such a fine weapon, one invaluable from both a historical and material standpoint, was beyond anything she ever expected. And with Ehlren staying on at least another day, she might have another chance to speak with him in greater detail about his people.

The dancing was the most fun she had in a very long time. She spun and bounced across the floor in time with the music provided by superior players brought in for the occasion. Music had been in short supply during the war, and she greatly treasured it. She tried her hand at composition a few times, but while she grasped the concepts behind it, she was definitely lacking in actual talent.

An hour on her feet, trading from partner to partner, and she sorely needed air. Excusing herself from a heated conversation on the naming conventions of the seldom used roads in Tinedale, she snuck out through the nearest exit, which happened to empty out to the gardens. Others were there, creeping through shadows for an amorous meeting, so she went undetected into the night, finding a quiet spot of her own behind a large holly bush.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of cold night air, relishing the opportunity to preserve the feeling of the evening. She was so caught up in her own head she didn’t hear the footsteps until he was upon her.

“If my lady wouldn’t mind the company,” she jumped at the sound of the prince’s voice, “might I speak with you?”

She laughed. “You startled me, but no, I don’t mind the company so long as we aren’t away too long. Depending on how much wine she’s had, my mother will come looking for me soon, I imagine.”

He shifted nervously in the moonlight, and wasn’t nearly as jovial as he’d been most of the evening. His expression left her uneasy.

“Is something wrong, Highness? You look…” She tilted her head to one side, studying him. “You look as though someone’s died.”

Sighing, he shook his head and offered his arm. “Will you walk with me? There’s… something I feel you should know, should have known from the beginning, really, and I don’t know if I’ll get another chance at this.”

Deeply worried, she linked her arm with his, and he led her further away from the castle, off into a secluded garden with a bench where he bade her to sit. A sick feeling settled into her stomach, coiled like a snake waiting to deliver a killing blow. Her pulse pounded in her ears.

“Please,” she said, trying to contain her panic, “whatever this is about, just say it. Is it my father? Has something happened?”

He stopped where he’d been pacing. “What? No. No, nothing like that, it’s just…” He scrubbed a hand over his face, then came to sit beside her, taking both her hands. “I want to give you a choice, but what I have to say is not likely to make it easy. First, I would tell you that I wish I’d met you two years ago. I think in any other circumstance, I could lose my head over you completely, and I want you to remember that. Especially after tonight, what I said about you is even truer now than it was in the gazebo. You would do wonders for this kingdom.”

She stared at him, trying to puzzle out what he was getting at. A choice? If he’d met her two years ago? What was he talking about and why did it make her heart ache so?

“But I can’t in good conscience allow this to go forward without telling you all of it.” His gaze fell to their joined hands, his shoulders slumping a little. “Two years ago, I was a free man until I took a job scouting for the army. I had skills they needed, and they gathered others like me to head behind the lines of haegaroi, to locate their weaknesses. That was around when I joined up with Ehlren and Vennic, and how Duke Ingram caught sight of my birthmark, one carried only by the Marillion line.” He pulled back the collar of his shirt, revealing a red-brown starburst where his neck and shoulder joined. “That was also how I met an elven huntress named Naya.”

She was paralyzed, unable to look away, to cover her ears as she realized what he was saying. Her ability to speak gone, Prince Darius continued. “A group of us traveled together, a shadow unit. All of us put our lives on the line for one another every day. With Ehlren and Vennic, I formed fierce friendships. With Naya…”

Swallowing hard, she managed to find four quiet words. “You fell in love.”

As he nodded, he released her hands and stood, avoiding her eyes. “And then I discovered I was the last living nephew of King Ledas Marillion. After the war, the houses were at each other’s throats. It was either Ingram put me forward as heir apparent, or let Valentia tear itself apart from the inside. And with me as king…”