by Tamryn Tamer
“Well, I see that you believe that,” Frost said while staring at the drunk princess. He looked at Olivia and smiled politely. “But I believe everybody is capable of killing somebody in the right circumstances,” Frost sighed. “I’ll marry you if for no other reason than to avoid a pointless conflict.”
“Thank you,” Olivia smiled and averaged her gaze. “I am honored that you find me acceptable.”
“Obviously,” Brynn said while fondling one of Olivia’s breasts. The tall noblewoman remained surprisingly stoic throughout the situation.
“Hildy…” Olivia sighed.
“Olivia,” Frost said while staring at Brynn. “I do have one question. Why do you think Brynn recommended you as an equal replacement for her?”
“Herald Frost,” Olivia shot Brynn a nervous glance. “I am familiar with all that transpired which led to this arrangement. As you are aware, Brynn is very good at telling a truth without telling the truth which makes her motivations difficult to discern. She might say she’s a dutiful lover but avoid saying she is a dutiful wife because those are two different things. It’s a very smart thing that she very likely learned from the woman that raised her. That being said, I believe that Brynn recommended me due to the phrasing of whatever she was asked. If you had asked for another princess, she wouldn’t have recommended me. If you asked for somebody that was as strategically minded as her, I also couldn’t have been recommended. But, if you used words like worth or value, her mind would have naturally gravitated toward me simply due to my finances.”
“Oh, so you think you’re here by chance,” Frost said while glaring at the trembling woman. Unlike Brynn, she was not a good liar. Brynn likely knew that the question would come up and coached the woman in a response that was partially true. “Do you really believe that Brynn just chanced upon your name?”
“Don’t hound Olivia because of our issues,” Brynn said while stomping angrily toward him. The petite princess stood in front of him in her pink pajamas and glared at him while shoving the glowing green ring in his face. “I suggested Olivia because she’s a wonderful person with wealth and status that’ll benefit you and she’s gorgeous! Also, if you recall, she wasn’t the only person I suggested!”
“Hildy,” Olivia’s face turned red.
“We’ll talk more about this later,” Frost said while staring at the angry drunk princess in front of him. While it wasn’t uncommon for Brynn to drink, she wasn’t the type to get drunk unless she trusted the people she was drinking with. He had a strong suspicion that marrying Olivia was something that Brynn planned and he was curious as to why.
“Fine,” Brynn said, gritting her teeth as she drunkenly stomped around the tent.
“Thomas,” Brynn growled while searching through piles of clothing. “Where is the stupid banker’s guild representative already?”
“I apologize,” a young man carrying a small rune-covered box said while entering the tent. “I felt it was best for me to wait outside until called upon.”
“You should have just come inside,” Lord Moray said as he pointed at Herald Frost. “Just give him the paperwork and let’s be done with this.”
“Herald Frost,” the young man nodded and pulled out a small red orb. “I apologize but I must first verify your identity before any of this can continue.”
“Right,” Frost said, placing his hand on the orb. Opening an account at the banker’s guild required them to take an imprint of the person. To do that, they used orbs that acted as detailed scanners that performed something like a magical full body scan. It felt incredibly invasive. “All good?”
“Hm,” the banker glared at the orb. “Herald Frost, during a previous visit you requested additional security measures to access your account. I’m afraid that we will need to send for additional representatives.”
“Fucking hell,” Lord Moray took an aggressive step toward the banker. “I have no intention of sitting here any longer than today. I can vouch for his identity and I’m the one that made a deal with the man.”
“Grand Counselor Moray. We always seek to offer the best possible service to all of our customers. Typically, we would never allow something like this but you and your family are very precious to us. Because of how much we value you and your family as customers I would like to offer you an alternative. If you are willing to absorb any possible losses that Herald Frost incurs in the event that this man turns out to be an imposter, I will happily continue the transaction,” the banker said while presenting the glowing orb to Lord Moray. “Otherwise I must insist on more representatives being called.”
“Yes,” Lord Moray said while placing his hand on the orb. “I’m prepared to absorb any possible losses that Herald Frost incurs if this man turns out to be an imposter.”
“Very well,” the banker said while bowing politely. “I apologize for any unpleasantness I have caused you Grand Councilor.”
“I wasn’t aware that the banker’s guild bent their policies for anybody,” Frost said. He was more than a little impressed that Lord Moray was able to get the man to violate their standard policy to push the transaction through and started to wonder how wealthy the family was.
“I apologize, Herald Frost,” the banker said while turning toward him. “I hope we have not disappointed you. Under different circumstances this would never be permitted and if it turns out that you are an imposter the transaction would be completely reversed.”
“It’s fine,” Frost said. “Let’s get on with this.”
“Very well,” the banker said. “Thank you for understanding.”
The banker placed the small rune-covered box on the table and pulled out a stack of blank papers. He carefully placed his hand on the box and started infusing the box with magic. The runes on the box began glowing and seconds later they floated onto the paper. As they arrived on the parchment Frost watched them start to transform into all of the languages he could read. After several minutes the banker removed his hand from the box and gestured at the papers.
“Please read the contract,” the banker said politely. “We can modify the agreement up until the point it is signed. Please read through everything carefully and make sure you understand it. There are copies for all parties involved.”
“Got it,” Frost said as he sat down on the sofa. Brynn sat down next to him and began looking over his shoulder at the document as he read through it. “You know, I didn’t need to sign anything to marry Brynn.”
“Marriage in the Moray family is conducted differently,” Lord Moray said as he picked up his copies.
He wasn’t wrong. Almost the entire contract covered Olivia’s assets, of which there were far more than Frost had anticipated.
“Wow,” Frost said while double checking the final amount of rel set to transfer into his account, nearly eighty million rel. The entirety of Blackwater territory only generated ten million rel a month and that was before expenses. “I wasn’t expecting this.”
“Hm?” Lord Moray glanced at the paper. “Oh? Right. I’ve nearly quadrupled the assets left to her by her dead husbands. As her keeper I’m responsible for carefully investing her funds. You can relish in your newfound wealth after we finish the deal.”
“Right,” Frost nodded while returning to the paperwork.
There were a surprising number of sections that covered grounds for dissolution of the marriage but all of them were extreme situations and required Frost to initiate the process. There was no process that Frost could see for Olivia to initiate a divorce, which might have explained why her husbands ended up dead.
“This needs to be removed,” Lord Moray said while pointing to the section on childbirth. “Frost is aware that Olivia is unable to have children so her being barren is not grounds for an annulment.”
“I apologize for my uselessness,” Olivia said while bowing her head.
“Herald Frost?” the banker looked at Frost for approval.
“That’s fine,” Frost said, waving his hand as if swatting away an ann
oying fly. “I don’t care if she's unable to have children.”
Frost appreciated how straightforward contracts in the world of Nivara were. There weren’t any subsections referencing other documents or poorly worded passages that were subject to interpretation. Basically, it said that once he married Olivia her resources would transfer to him and House Moray would no longer be responsible for her.
“Okay,” Frost said while putting the papers down. “I think everything looks fine to me.”
“Hmm,” Brynn drunkenly shuffled through the papers looking for something specific. “There’s a section missing…’
“I felt that it was unnecessary to include that section,” Lord Moray said. “In the event of Herald Frost’s death, Olivia will not return to my care but will instead be permitted to live on her own.”
“Is she being cut off from the family?” Brynn asked in disbelief.
“No,” Olivia said while shaking her head. “Nothing like that Hildy.”
“Olivia’s inability to have children greatly reduces her value but her wealth makes up for that,” Lord Moray said. “But her wealth is currently shifting to Herald Frost and in the event of his passing it’s unlikely to return to her. As a herald, his followers would be primary beneficiaries. Additionally, marrying Herald Frost will greatly diminish her status as a woman, making her undesirable to acceptable nobles.”
“Ouch,” Frost said. “Greatly diminish her status as a woman? Really?”
“The nobility assumes that all of your wives are depraved women that lay with animals,” Brynn said while squeezing his thigh. “And to be fair, we kind of are.”
“How much of this did she drink today?” Frost asked while counting the empty bottles of wine.
“All of this is from today,” Olivia answered politely. “Please forgive her. It seems that she’s been rather stressed.”
“Is the contract acceptable?” Lord Moray interrupted.
“Yeah,” Frost nodded.
“Good,” Lord Moray said.
“Please touch the box,” The bank representative said while placing his on the center. “Just a finger is fine if you like and think about your understanding of the terms of the contract.”
All three of them placed their fingers on the box and the runic letters began swirling around. After a few seconds various runic letters floated from the box to the bottom of each of the contracts and each of their signatures showed up in glowing gold lettering.
“Wonderful,” the representative said while pulling out his glowing red crystal. After a few seconds the box disintegrated. “Those are yours to keep and if you need additional copies for any reason please contact your local banker’s guild branch. They’ll be able to produce additional copies. Congratulations, you are officially married and the funds will be available for use in Herald Frost’s account within seventy-two hours.”
“Fantastic,” Brynn said as she hopped up from her seat and looked around. “When can we go home?”
“I’d suggest immediately,” Lord Moray said with a smug grin. “Olivia, good luck with the animals.”
“I wish you the best my lord,” Olivia said, nodding politely at her brother. “Thank you for arranging this pairing.”
“Don’t thank him,” Brynn said while hugging Olivia. “You should be thanking me!”
“Hmph,” Lord Moray ignored Brynn’s comment and turned to Frost. “Herald Frost, I hope you’re satisfied with the arrangement. My troops will be leaving immediately and I suggest you do the same. It would be unfortunate if Olivia were assassinated before you got her home.”
“Grand Counselor,” Frost nodded.
Lord Moray left the tent without giving his sister so much as a parting glance and started shouting orders to the men outside.
“About that thank you?” Brynn smirked at Olivia.
“Thank you Hildy,” Olivia said quietly while glancing at Frost. “My lord, should I tell my handmaidens to begin packing?”
“Frost is fine,” Frost replied.
“I’m afraid I can’t,” Olivia said while shaking her head. “Would husband be fine?”
“Yeah,” Frost said, still unsure of what to make of the woman.
“Isn’t Olivia just the sweetest?” Brynn asked while wrapping her arms around him.
“Sure,” Frost chuckled as he ran his fingers through Brynn’s messy hair, noting its increased length. He was curious to find out the sly bard’s real motivations for recommending Olivia but that could wait until they returned to the village. “Olivia, on our way home you can tell me everything you know about Hildy here. How does that sound?”
“Very good husband,” Olivia said as she glanced nervously at Brynn.
CHAPTER 14
Frost watched in awe as fifty handmaidens quickly packed all of Olivia’s possession along with her large tent, eventually getting everything into a large enchanted chest.
“All of them?” Frost asked while staring at the women. “There are fifty of them.”
“Yes,” Olivia said timidly. “If it’s okay with my husband I would like to keep all of them.”
“Alright, but they’ll need to be processed,” Frost said while scanning the women. Unlike Lord Moray’s guards, the handmaidens had lower levels ranging from fourteen to twenty-nine. Most of the women were assassins but the overall assortment had a fair mix of classes. “But would you mind explaining why there are so many assassins?”
“Um,” Olivia looked away. “Is that a problem?”
“It’s common for handmaidens to be assassins since they’re the best at preventing assassinations and kidnappings,” Brynn answered after noticing Olivia’s discomfort.
“Makes sense,” Frost nodded as the women loaded crates on top of an ornate chestnut-colored carriage with four identical carriages surrounding it. Women armed with bows and magic users armed with staves climbed onto the rooftops of the carriages while several melee classes had their own mounts. “Is all of this necessary?”
“I apologize for the wait my husband,” Olivia answered while bowing politely at him. “I will tell them to stop if you wish.”
“It’s fine,” Frost said.
“Lady Olivia,” four women rushed up dressed in gowns identical to the one Olivia was wearing. “We have been assigned to be your doubles for today’s trip.”
“Of course,” Olivia said while holding out her hands. “Thank you for your sacrifice.”
“It is our honor,” the women said simultaneously while taking each other’s hands.
Frost watched as light started swirling around the women’s feet and gradually moved upward. The handmaidens’ legs started to get slightly longer or slimmer depending on the woman as the twirling light rose higher on their bodies. Their old waists vanished and new ones took their place as all of their chests. Soon after, their old faces vanished and Olivia’s face replaced them.
“Have wagon assignments been decided?” Olivia asked.
“Yes, Lady Olivia,” one of the handmaidens answered. The clone handed Olivia a slip of paper covered in scribbles.
“Thank you,” Olivia said as the paper turned to ash and scattered. The raven-haired noblewoman forced a smile as she looked at Frost. She took several deep breaths and trembled as she presented her hand to him. “Husband, I apologize for the wait. We are ready to depart.”
“I won’t be joining you in the carriage,” Frost said while nodding toward where he left Witch. “I’ll be riding on my own. But I’ll be…”
“She’s not asking you to ride with her. She’s a proper noblewoman handsome,” Brynn said while shaking her head. “She’s offering her hand for you to kiss.”
“Oh,” Frost chuckled nervously as he took Olivia’s hand and kissed it. “Don’t worry, although I’ll be riding on my own, I’ll still be escorting you to the village.”
“Thank you, husband,” Olivia said quietly as she turned to Brynn. “Would you like to ride with me Brynn?”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Brynn said
while finishing a second energy drink. “I still probably can’t be trusted to ride on my own. One of your handmaidens can lead my horse, right?”
“Of course,” Olivia said.
“Alright,” Frost nodded. “Let’s get on the road.”
Frost walked past groups of guards packing up their tents and equipment on his way to Witch. The crimson mare was standing exactly where he left her but based on the increased number of guards watching her he figured something must have happened.
“Who’s a good girl?” Frost said while pulling an apple from his pack. She happily chomped on the apple as he stroked her neck and checked to make sure nobody had harmed her. “You are. Yes you are. You deserve all the apples in the world, don’t you? Yes you do.”
Frost hopped on the crimson mare and the guards quickly dispersed. The anxious soldiers watched the horse as Frost rode past them to meet up with the carriages. Once he met up with the caravan, they started heading toward Pluma.
The handmaidens were surprisingly diligent in their duties. The ones riding on top of the wagons took positions at the corners and scanned everything they passed. They were particularly alert whenever they saw a group of villagers out hunting monsters.
He noticed that the women used combinations of short gibberish and hand signals to communicate with each other but couldn’t quite decipher it. When they arrived at the edge of the forest, one of them pointed to an Arachne walking along narrow webs connecting treetop platforms and muttered a few words. The handmaidens immediately changed their positions and suddenly half of them were watching the treetops while the other half scanned the villagers as they passed. Several of the villagers quickly became uncomfortable with the women’s actions and moved away from the roads.
“I’m going to need to ask you to stop that,” Frost said as Witch cantered over to the handmaiden giving orders. “You’re scaring the villagers.”
“My duty is not to the villagers but to Lady Olivia,” the woman answered stoically.
“Well I have a duty to my villagers,” Frost nodded while staring at the defiant woman. “You will stop scanning them and you’ll put down your weapons or I’ll send you all back to Zira and assign Lady Olivia handmaidens of my choosing. Understood?”