Huh? Darius turned to see what had caught Tresea’s attention. Amalah, apparently too impatient to wait for the official announcement, had climbed out of the spectator’s seating and was running toward him. He barely had time to make sure his sword was well out of the way before she threw both arms around his neck and hugged him tight. He put a supportive arm around her waist and hugged her back just as hard, burying his face against the sweet curls of her hair. Then he just breathed, soaking the moment in. All of his worrying, all of his planning, all of the fighting…it had been worth it, just to win this moment.
The romantics in the crowd cheered even louder at this but Darius ignored them. To Amalah, he whispered against her ear, “I thought you were sure I’d win?”
“I was sure,” she responded against his shoulder, her arms tightening. “I’m also relieved you won and ecstatic that you won!”
Chuckling, he kissed her forehead and gently set her feet back to earth. “Yes, I can see that.”
“Ahem.” Tresea smiled at them indulgently. “I was about to say that you are awarded Raja Amalah Sebresos’s hand and dowry.”
Amalah, belatedly realizing that she had perhaps made a spectacle, untangled herself enough to stand properly on her own two feet. She kept an iron grip on Darius’s hand, though.
“I thank you, My Queen,” Darius responded formally, bowing. “I have a correction to make, however.”
“Oh?” Tresea had that look in her eye that suggested this had better be good. She didn’t like being publicly corrected.
Darius shrugged apologetically. “I did not, perhaps, clarify the matter when I informed you of it last night. I did not challenge for Amalah and her dowry, but simply for Amalah herself. Grygotis may keep the land.”
That got the crowd stirred up. People were talking to each other in quick murmurs, mostly shocked that he would turn a rich dowry down. They rumbled like an approaching storm.
Tresea had a patient look on her face, the same one that a mother would have when their child had just said something stupid. “Darius, in this land, the dowry cannot be separated from the woman except by death or inheritance. Raja Amalah’s dowry came with her automatically by law when you challenged Raj Merikh. When you won, it automatically became yours in turn.”
Huh. So he got it regardless. Turning, he looked at Amalah for her opinion. She gave him a firm shake of the head, mouth pursed. Right. She didn’t want it. Now, how did he make everyone happy? “My Queen, in my homeland we do not have dowries. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We offer a bride price to the woman’s family when we propose.”
Tresea’s eyebrows lifted. “Ohhh. How novel. Is that why you are uneasy with this?”
He gave her a sheepish smile. “It seems very backwards to me, My Queen. That is why I’m reluctant to take it. If it truly is mine at this point, might I offer it back to Raj Sebresos? As my bride price.”
Her eyebrows remained quirked, although she seemed more amused than anything. “I don’t see why not. Raj Sebresos.” She turned until she found the man, seated on the far side of the courtyard. “Is this agreeable to you?”
Darius turned to see the man’s reaction. Sebresos watched him with unfathomable eyes for a long moment. He knew full well that his method of winning Amalah would put him at odds with his in-laws. That might never change. Then again, when they saw that he was a good husband for their daughter, it might.
“I wish to add something to this bride price,” Sebresos stated finally. “Bresalier, my only son is twelve years old on this day. I wish for him to inherit a seat at the General’s Table. Will you mentor him so that he may do so?”
Take Amalah’s brother on as a student? The thought had never crossed his mind to take any students. But if he were truly to leave this country in the hands of capable men that would protect it in future generations, then he should pass down everything he knew. He looked at Amalah, silently asking what she thought of this idea.
She nodded eagerly, eyes shining in excitement.
Well, if she agreed, then… Darius turned back to his future father-in-law and nodded. “I will accept him.”
Sebresos nodded in satisfaction. “Then the bargain is struck.”
“Excellent,” Tresea purred. “On this day, at this hour, I declare Amalah Sebresos and Darius Bresalier betrothed. Let no man break this binding.” She eyed the couple in front of her thoughtfully, one finger playing with her bottom lip. “Are you sure that I can’t just marry you right now as well?”
Amalah froze and stared at her in unadulterated panic.
Darius coughed to disguise a laugh. “My Queen, I think that my bride to be would like to have at least a little time to prepare.”
“Darius,” she responded mildly, “you’re taking all of the fun out of this.”
It took iron control to keep from smiling. “My apologies, My Queen.”
She rolled her eyes, clearly not believing him. “Oh, off with you both!”
“Tolk.”
“Yes, Raj.”
“I will personally strangle the next person that comes through that door.”
Tolk very carefully didn’t smile. “I will guard with my life, Raj.”
“Good man.” All he wanted was an hour of peace with Amalah. Was that really so much to ask for?
Amalah giggled behind him. Alright, perhaps he was blowing this out of proportion a little, but still. Why couldn’t anyone understand that after going through a duel this morning, he wanted some one-on-one time with his fiancé?
“I have the perfect remedy,” she assured him, taking him by the hand and leading him further into his study.
He’d retreated to his own suite with her in the hopes that it would discourage people from randomly stopping them. It had worked, but only with casual acquaintances. The others were of the opinion that since they knew him well enough to pry, they could. But having to hide in his own war room was a little ridiculous.
She led him directly to the open bench in front of the window. “Here, sit and put your head in my lap.”
Oh? He perked up hopefully. Was she going to do what he hoped? As soon as she settled, he put his back to the bench and pillowed his head on her thighs. He didn’t quite have enough room to stretch out, so he bent one leg up and put the other on the floor to balance out. Then, as he’d hoped, she started carding her fingers through his hair. With every stroke, it seemed that the tension in him fled a little more. His eyes fell shut as he basked in the feel of the rhythmic tug and pull of his scalp.
“Amalah.”
“Yes, dearest.”
“Can you do this every night for the rest of my life?”
She shook a little with a silent laugh. “Only if we can take turns.”
“Sounds fair to me.” He left his eyes closed even as he smiled.
“I…,” her hand faltered for a moment before resuming. “I didn’t think you’d fight him.”
He couldn’t let that one pass. He opened his eyes to meet hers. Her smile looked almost rueful. “Well, at first, I didn’t know I could. We don’t have that tradition anywhere in Brindisi. But why didn’t you think so?”
“You have such a strong opinion of oaths and oath-breaking.” She couldn’t quite meet his eyes, and her fingers slowed. “I wasn’t sure what you would do because of that.”
Ahhh. Well, she had a good point. “I really wrestled with myself,” he admitted, letting his eyes fall closed again. “In the end, I couldn’t let you go to him. I could kick myself for not talking it over with Sego sooner, though. If I had known about this tradition, I would have come for you well before this.”
“I don’t really mind the timing, though. You told me you’d never let any harm befall me and I believed you. Even if you had to cross that goat’s son to do it.”
Very true. “You don’t think he’s going to cause trouble for us later, do you?”
“He’ll probably try.” She let out a long sigh. “Not openly, as he’d lose more face that way.”
&nbs
p; “I unfortunately agree with you.” But he didn’t want to think about that now. He’d won a day where he could think about only happy things. “So when do you want to be married? I’m amiable to either a month from now or three months from now.”
She looked down at him in confusion. “Why not two months?”
“We’re fighting a naval battle in two months,” he replied simply.
Her eyes flew wide. “And you’re still considering a marriage ceremony before then?!”
“Why not? I’ve done most of the work I can. It’s been all delegated out to the right people. All I have to do is ride herd on it and make sure things happen when they should. And actually, my staff can do that almost as well as I can. That’s why I had the time to duel with Grygotis, actually. If it had happened even a week before, I would have had to put off dealing with him.” He thanked Shaa that hadn’t happened, actually. It would have killed him to make her wait even a second longer. He wouldn’t have had a choice, though. The safety of the whole country depended on his plans.
Her incredulous look hadn’t faded. After a long moment, she finally managed, “I think I feel better about three months.”
“Alright,” he agreed amiably. After living with five females during his formative years, he knew better than to argue with a woman about wedding plans. Actually, if he had three months to plan with, he might find a way to get his family here…or at least be able to get a portrait of her commissioned and sent to them. “You might need that time more than you think anyway,” he added thoughtfully. “The estate that I was given hasn’t had a reigning family in it for almost 20 years. I understand it needs some work.”
“Some work,” Amalah repeated in despair. “It’s likely in a very poor condition.”
“I’ll save the country if you resurrect the house,” he offered with an ingenious smile.
His betrothed gave him a suspicious look. “How is it that when you say it in that way, it sounds like you have the easier job?”
“Because I’ll have more help than you will?” he offered artlessly.
She shook her head in resignation. “It’ll fall to me regardless. You have no idea what to do with a house.”
Very true. Although he was an expert at destroying them. “Keep Sego with you. He’s excellent at this sort of thing. And you can hire whatever help you need, of course.” As an afterthought he tacked on, “Just don’t bankrupt us.”
“Sego and I will figure it out,” she assured him. “Hopefully in time for our wedding day although I can’t promise that until I see the place. Have you?”
“No, haven’t had the time. It’s a five hour trip from here, after all. All I know is that it lies on a regular trade route between Izeh and Khoor.”
“Trade routes,” she echoed thoughtfully. “Ahhh. That’s why you wanted the place. Sego mentioned that you had a pick between six different ones.”
“Trade routes means posterity even for future generations,” he pointed out. “If it’s managed right, that is.”
“Yes, likely so.” She bit her lip, brow furrowed a bit, as she thought things through. “Will you have my brother live with us?”
“Probably. He’ll likely follow me around in battle situations as well, learning the ropes. What is his name, anyway?” He’d yet to hear it.
“Roshan.” She smiled as she said the name. “I’m very glad you took him on. With you teaching him, he will learn how to be a kind man.”
Ahhh. That was why she wanted him to take the boy as a student. Well, true, under Darius’s tutelage he wouldn’t have that women-are-inferior belief drummed into his head. “I don’t mind it,” he told her frankly. “Really, I need to pass on everything I know to the next generation or my victories of today will be meaningless. I just hadn’t thought about it until your father asked it of me.”
“You’ve impressed him. He might not show it, but you must have impressed him for him to entrust Roshan to you. He is very protective of his only son.” No trace of bitterness shadowed those words, as if it were only natural he feel that way. “Father has a high regard for anyone that will follow the old traditions and fight for what they want. He believed Merikh to be that sort of man, which was why he chose him for me. I think…I think he regretted it. What you said to him the other day shamed him.”
“But he couldn’t do much about it, as the oath was already given,” Darius summed up tiredly. “Amalah, I’ll tell you now, if our daughters—assuming we are blessed with them—are ever in a similar situation, I’ll kill the man myself before giving her over.”
She smiled and bent far enough to lightly kiss his forehead. “I hope we have a dozen.”
A dozen little Amalahs? He would be fine with that. In fact, that sounded very much like paradise, having a dozen beautiful girls to spoil. He’d need two dozen bodyguards to beat the men off with, though.
Someone very timidly tapped on the door and stuck their head inside. Darius turned his head just enough to glare in that direction, but of course the desk blocked his view.
“Uhhh, sir?”
Sighing, he sat up and then stood up fully. From here, he could see his runner hovering near the doorway, a nervous Tolk standing just behind him. Sending the child, eh, knowing full well that Darius had a soft spot for him. He shot Tolk a glare before saying, “Payam, you realize that if you put just one foot inside this room, you’ll be taking your life in your hands.”
His runner gave him a game smile. “Yes, sir. But Queen’s orders, sir. She said, need to have an emergency meeting about oil.”
Oil? What oil…oh, wait. That was right. Two days ago, they’d been discussing the insane price of oil and how it had affected the people. He was supposed to think of some way around it but had been completely sidetracked by Amalah. He rubbed at his forehead and controlled the urge to bang his head against the nearest hard surface.
“Sir?” Payam ventured uncertainly.
Amalah stood and laid a hand on his arm, catching his attention. She gave him a smile and rueful shrug. “Duty calls, I think.”
Yes, so it did. Darius truly wanted to throw a childish fit and lock himself in here with her, but sadly, he was a responsible adult that didn’t do things like that. Besides, he owed the queen a major favor after everything she’d done for him. “Yes, so it does. It’s alright, Payam, I’ll let you live.”
The runner snapped out a sharp salute. “I’ll tell her you’re coming.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and darted back out the door.
Before his mind completely turned to the problem of oil, he said, “I won’t need Sego for any of this, so feel free to borrow him. Find a time either late today or tomorrow for me to sit down with your parents, too. I feel like I need to have a good talk with them.”
“Probably for the best,” she admitted. “Alright. Go save the country. I’ll start in on the house.”
Despite what she says, she has the easier job. She doesn’t have a committee to argue with every time she wants to implement a change. “Right. If you need me, then send Payam for me. Actually, if you don’t need me, send Payam anyway. It’ll save me from sitting through a very boring meeting.”
Laughing, she put her hands on his back and started pushing him toward the door. “Just go, will you?”
He turned back long enough to kiss her on the forehead, laugh at her blush, and then he headed for the door, calling for Tolk as he went.
~~~
A month of days sped past in a blur of activity. Darius became bogged down in the details of planning, as he inevitably did, and the constant argument about oil rationing. By the time he won the argument, he could lift the ban, and the normal market prices reinstated themselves without any effort on his part.
He found time to have dinner with his in-laws-to-be twice. The first occasion was a very strained affair but the second one went smoother. In part, perhaps, because of the bolts of embroidered cloth that he gifted to the family. It showed good will on his part and the means necessary to stand in their circ
le. He met Roshan at the first dinner and found the boy to be just as intelligent as Amalah. His dark hair had a rebellious curl to it, as his sister’s did, black eyes shining with humor, traces of baby fat still on his cheeks. Amalah must have told him stories, as Roshan almost vibrated with enthusiasm on their first meeting, and he pelted Darius with endless questions during the meal. After that, he had no qualms about taking the boy on. With the right training, he had the potential to be a very good strategian. Roshan had four months of schooling left but after that, he would come to live with Darius and Amalah.
Try as he might, he couldn’t get over to the estate, though. Amalah went several times with Sego and Bohme. She assured them that the caretaker had done an excellent job keeping the multiple farms and businesses running, but the house itself stood in a sad state of neglect. Every piece of furniture inside had dry rotted, the doors were sagging on their hinges, and a few windows needed to be replaced. At least the main structure, made of solid stone, hadn’t needed anything more than strong soap and a scrub brush.
The sad state of the house proved to be a blessing, in a way. With Darius prepping for war, and Amalah prepping for a wedding, they were both very busy. The only task they really had in common was the house. Darius discovered that “Amalah and I need to talk about the house” was a magical phrase that could make the most insistent leave. In fact, he started saying it when it wasn’t entirely true, just to buy him an hour’s time to spend with her. If not for that, they likely wouldn’t have been able to spend any time with each other at all.
In fact, he had to be careful to not neglect anything in this whirlwind of activity. He’d snuck out this morning to ride Sohrab before the poor stallion went mad with the lack of exercise. He’d probably been gone too long, actually, as he’d been enjoying the fresh air as much as the horse and neither one of them had really wanted to return.
He strode through the hallways, taking the shortcut back to his suite, mind ticking off points as he walked. They still had a month or so before expecting that armada on their shores, but for prudence’s sake, he should probably leave for Izeh in two weeks to check on everything personally. The last of the rationed oil should have left for Izeh this morning, and Navid had assured him the citizens there were drilling for an hour each day on putting out fires, just in case. If they could finalize their plans on where to deploy the troops in the city streets, then—
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