There were four men there, and from the way they stood and carried themselves, Aja could tell that they were wolf shapechangers just like Stefan and his cousins. They were darker than Stefan's family however, and they glared around as if they were spoiling for a fight.
Why are the wolf clans always so serious?
“We heard you were going for a hunt,” the older man in the lead said, his voice dripping with disgust. “We were not aware that you were seeking disgraceful quarry.”
On the last two words, he glared at Aja, who lifted her chin and looked completely unconcerned. She was a fox shapechanger, and if he wished to get into a battle of wits with her, it was his own funeral.
Stefan spared her from answering by growling a low warning. “Have a care, Rodolfo,” he snapped. “That's not disgraceful quarry, her name is Aja, and she is from the northlands.”
“Then tell me what Aja of the northlands is doing here in your arms while we still have a betrothal to discuss.”
That made Aja look at Stefan, but the hurt that she was beginning to feel was burned away in the fury on his face.
“Do not push me, Rodolfo,” he snarled. “I have yet to see the alliance between our clans as anything more than you annexing territory, and I will not bow to your banner.”
Rodolfo snorted, supremely confident. Aja could tell that he was a powerful man, and that he was used to getting his way.
“Look carefully at what your clan has to offer, and be grateful I am offering an alliance. The Blackbone clan has only held its territory for so long because of tradition.”
“We hold it by strength, and if you push me much further, you will find out how true that is.” Stefan's voice was low and full of threat, and now he reminded Aja of the wolves she had known in the north. They were playful as puppies normally, but when a single movement was made to hurt the people that they considered theirs, they turned as vicious as demons.
“How dare you...” Rodolfo began, and Stefan cut him off.
“I dare because I am the leader of my clan,” he said, “and I dare because I have found my mate and it is not your daughter.”
That brought the entire gathering to a crashing silence, and Rodolfo turned furious eyes to Aja.
“You cannot mean this dirty little ragbag...”
“Have a care of how you speak of the future mother of my children,” Stefan said warningly, and he turned and offered his hand to Aja.
The way they stood, no one could see Stefan's face besides Aja, and the look he gave her was a mixture of pleading and mischief. She could see what he was doing. He was both giving Rodolfo a reason why he couldn’t' marry the man's daughter, and he was also showing the older clan leader that he could not be bullied.
Despite her soreness, Aja stood gracefully and put her hand in Stefan's, turning to Rodolfo. “As you can see, your arrangement is voided,” she said sweetly. “My future mate and I look to be very happy.”
Rodolfo looked like he was going to attack her, but then Dar was between them, simply staring the older man down and reminding him that it was not a single wolf or fox he was facing. Rodolfo measured his odds, and apparently he found them less than he would prefer.
“This is not the last time we will speak of this,” he said, turning to leave.
Stefan shrugged. “I am sure it is not.”
Rodolfo and his men left as silently as they had come, and when Hallan started to question Stefan, Aja gestured him close instead.
“I'm not the only one with good ears,” she said. “Follow them, and make sure they are well away before you come back, yes?”
Hallan nodded, and in his wolf form, which was all ears and feet and gangling youth, he set off to trail the unwelcome visitors.
In the wake of the confrontation, Aja felt herself flagging again, and Stefan caught her in his arms. Instead of settling her on the log as he had before, however, he pulled her into his lap. One look at the suppressed mirth on his face made her stifle a laugh as well. By the time Hallan came back, reporting that Rodolfo and his men were heading back to their settlement, Aja and Stefan were laughing fit to bust.
“That look on his face,” Stefan said. “He looked like he had swallowed a lemon...”
“Well, I do rather love seeing pompous blowhards taken down a peg,” Aja replied, pressing her face to Stefan's neck. It was astonishing how very comfortable she already was with him, and once again, she felt that pull of fate and destiny that had troubled her before. She reminded herself that there could be nothing else for her but her quest, but already, she could see how difficult that might be with Stefan there, smiling at her, giving her that quick flutter of excitement low in her belly and simply looking at her with those gorgeous green eyes.
“Still, though, I am sorry I put you in that position,” he said, sobering a little.
“That isn't a problem for me,” she said cheerfully. “I'm a fox, and I'm not even a little sorry to say that we live for things like that.”
“Yes, well, I'm a wolf, and we're known for wanting our plans to stretch far into the future. Listen, will you stay with us for a while?”
Startled, Aja met his eyes, which still had a glint of humor in them, but were now quite serious.
“I'm working on getting Rodolfo to understand once and for all that the Blackbone clan is independent, no matter what kind of offers he makes. His big campaign was for me to marry his daughter, and with you in place, he has that much less to stand on.”
“You want me to pretend to be your betrothed?” Aja asked, frowning.
“Yes, but I promise, I would never ever force you into anything that you don't want to do.”
“Well, I'd like to see you try that, but surely there's someone else you can convince?”
Soren started to say something, but Stefan shook his head firmly.
“You're the best candidate for a number of reasons,” he said.
When she looked hesitant, he squeezed her hand gently in his. His touch was gentle, and it made her feel cared for in a way she wasn't ever sure that she had experienced before.
“You've also just been thoroughly beaten by the river. When I fished you out, I thought for a moment I was too late and that you were drowned. You're covered in bruises from head to toe, and I know that you've been wandering for a long time. Why not stay with us and rest for a while?”
Aja opened her mouth and then closed it again. What Stefan said made sense, and now that she had food in her belly, all she wanted to do was sleep again. She knew she could survive on her own, but the thought of being with people again, even for a short amount of time made her yearn for it.
She was still undecided until she looked into Stefan's eyes again.
“Please stay,” he said, “even for a little while.”
She found herself nodding.
Hallan cheered. “You're going to be an amazing fake bride,” he said, and Dar cuffed him lightly on the arm.
“We can't talk like that,” Dar said. “We have to act as if she is the real thing, all the time.”
Soren nodded. “Yes, they're right. So may I be the first to welcome you to the clan, Aja?”
She giggled as he bowed to her, and she offered him her hand to kiss. Hallan and Dar did the same, and then she turned back to Stefan.
“What a polite family you have, my love,” she teased, and though he nodded, there was something a little dark in his eyes that made her wonder.
“I do,” he said, and before she could ask further, he kissed her again, and there was nothing else she cared about enough to interrupt that delicious kiss.
***
Though Stefan wanted to build a sled to drag her along, Aja insisted that she could walk. They were about to come to their first real fight about it before Soren, rolling his eyes, offered a solution.
“Turn into your fox form,” he suggested. “After that, any of us can carry you.”
Aja laughed at how simple that was, and in her red fox form, she waited patiently for Stefan to pic
k her up. He did it with gentle hands, and for the rest of the long walk to the settlement, she remained on Stefan's shoulders.
“I think I like riding like this,” she whispered in his ear.
Stefan reached back to scratch her head. “Ride as long as you like, little darling.”
When they drew close, however, Aja asked to be put down.
“I'd rather be a human when I meet everyone,” she said, smiling crookedly. “It's pretty hard to be the dignified betrothed when you are slung over the clan leader's shoulders like his splendid new cape.”
Once she transformed into a human, however, she realized that she had another issue. Her clothes had been shredded by the water, and now all she wore was the deerskin off of Stefan's bed. Hallan offered her a spare tunic, but she didn't really like the idea of showing up to a clan she was marrying into in a teenager's clothing.
“Just wear the deerskin,” Stefan said with a smile. “I know that some of the women will want to dress you right when you get settled, but the deerskin makes an impression.”
“That I look like a savage from the northlands?” she asked, eyebrow arched, but he shook his head.
“You look beautiful and perfect,” he said, “a gorgeous woman who survives the storms life throws her way.”
Aja smiled and nodded. “I think I can deal with that.”
She took his hand, and together, they walked toward the settlement, the sky dimming to the reds and purples of the southern sunset.
***
Stefan's people lived inside a tall wooden fence that surrounded their lodges. It looked far too flimsy for Aja, who was from the north where stone was used as a matter of course, but when she thought of the fact that Stefan's people only ever had to deal with rain, not with snow, it made sense.
Stefan called up to the person on watch, who unbarred the gate for them, and for the first time in what felt like a small eternity, Aja was among shape-changing people again.
The first few moments passed in a blur as they were mobbed by Stefan's friends and family. He was the leader of his clan, but more than simply leading a group of people, they were all family. They wanted to know where he had been, what he had seen, why Rudolfo had come back so full of anger and rage, and who was this woman who stood at his side?
Aja stood quiet and proud in her deerskin. She was smaller than most of them, slight and pale where they were bronzed by the sun. She could feel their eyes on her, curious but far from hostile, and she smiled at the people who offered her greetings.
Stefan was just getting the people quiet when the crowd parted and an ancient woman hobbled up to him. Aja blinked, uncertain that she had ever seen a woman so old, but there was an energy and a vitality to the woman that showed that she would be obeyed.
“Feiran, a pleasure for my eyes,” Stefan greeted her, but she cut him off with a wave of the heavy stick she used to help herself move.”
“Who cares for the pleasure of your eyes, cub?” she snapped. “Look at you playing prince while this young woman wavers on her feet.”
Aja had thought that she was doing a fairly good job of standing still and proud, but when Feiran turned those old sharp eyes to her, she knew that she would never fool this old woman. She was feeling a little weak on her feet, a little tired after the traveling of the day, and when Feiran took her firmly by the elbow, she was relieved.
“You can make your announcements later,” Feiran said firmly. “For now, this one is coming with me.”
Feiran spoke with the ease of one accustomed to authority, and Stefan smiled. He squeezed Aja's hand one last time, and nodded.
“Be careful with my betrothed,” he said clearly, and the assembled people burst out into a fascinated buzz. Someone started cheering, and they all took it up, but by that time, Aja was making her way through the crowd with Feiran, grateful for the old woman's steadiness.
Feiran guided her through the settlement, and they entered a small house that was distinguished from the others with an enormous bison skull mounted over the door.
“We don't see those anymore,” Feiran commented, gesturing at the skull as they passed underneath it. “They roamed the steppes when I was a girl, but they grew fewer and fewer, and now there are none at all.”
Aja looked up at the skull curiously before ducking under it to the small house inside.
“So you are Stefan's wife to be.”
Aja nodded with as much confidence as she could. “It was... a whirlwind courtship,” she improvised, and then the old woman gave her a look that was as mischievous as any she had shared with her cousins back home.
“I imagine it was,” Feiran said. “I imagine it was such a whirlwind that it landed you here in a deerskin and with no mortal idea of what's happening.”
Aja started to protest, but Feiran waved her hand carelessly.
“Stefan is a fine man, and I've seen him grown up from a pup. He will do what he will do, and you are his betrothed, and you are far from home.”
For some reason, the last words made Aja tear up again, and she pressed her palms against her eyes. The emotions that she was having made no sense to her. They filled her with doubt and with pain, and then Feiran put her arms around her, hugging her tight.
“There you are. You are a long way from home and you have a long way to go, and it's all right. We'll see you on your way, and while you are here, you will be with us.”
Aja sniffled a little, leaning against Feiran a bit before drawing away.
“You're very kind,” she said, and now she could see it as well. Feiran was an old woman and a powerful one, but there was a true streak of kindness that ran through her like a submerged stream ran underground before showing up in strange places here and there.
“Kind, nothing,” Feiran said, waving it away and going to the chests that were stacked against the wall. “I simply like to see things done right.”
She opened the chests, pulling out clothes and peering at them.
“Now, let's see if we can get you well-dressed for your mate, hmm?'
***
The sky was a velvety blue and the sun was peering its last over the edge of the world when Aja took a deep breath.
“Am I ready?” she asked hesitantly. She knew it was only a ploy to put off Rudolfo, but there was something very real about it to her as well. She was dressed as the betrothed of the head of the clan, and she was going to meet people who were meant to be her family.
“Very much so, my dear,” said Feiran, stepping back. “Now come along, I can already hear the drums.”
Now that Feiran mentioned them, Aja could hear them as well, a triplet of skin drums that were being beaten to allow people to dance. It reminded her of the music circles at the moots, and she smiled.
“Yes, let's.”
They walked out together, Aja supporting Feiran on her arm like a dutiful daughter. They made their way between the small houses, and when they came to the open and lit center of the settlement, suddenly, all eyes were on them.
Aja lifted her chin, and looked around, meeting each eye with grace and pride. She was dressed in a saffron sleeveless tunic that was belted at the waist and fell down to her ankles. The folds of the surprisingly soft fabric clung to her body, gracing her scanty curves with elegance. On her feet were a pair of sandals studded with bronze beads, and on her wrists were hammered rounds of bronze, tinkling musically with every step she took.
The clothes were precious enough, but the real gift was around her neck. It was a single turquoise, pure sky blue, suspended from a bronze chain. It was a beautiful stone, and Aja could barely stop herself from touching it. She had never worn anything so precious, and she knew it was a stone worthy of a princess or the wife of a leader of a rich clan.
Stefan's clan cheered for her, and in the crowd, she could see Soren, Dar and Hallan, but she did not see Stefan. She started to ask Feiran where he might be, but then she felt him behind her, felt his arms come around her waist and link over her stomach, pulling her close.
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“You become more beautiful every time I see you,” he murmured into her ear, and she grinned, leaning back against him.
“This is only the third time you've seen me,” she whispered, for their ears only. “And the times before that I was half-drowned and half-starved.”
“Still, it is true,” he murmured, and he guided her to the seat next to his. Food was presented to them, and instead of allowing her to eat, Stefan fed her by hand, holding each piece of food delicately for her to take.
“Are you already ready for another game of rabbit catch?” she teased, and he shook his head.
“I am merely enjoying you...”
People came up singly or in pairs to greet them, and Aja nodded and smiled at them all. The only person who gave her a pause was a tall woman with white hair. At first Aja thought she was old, but then she realized that it was merely that her hair was so light it looked like starlight.
“I've come to wish you hope and joy in your marriage,” she said, and something about the way she said it made Aja glance over at Stefan. There was a complicated look on his face, and he took the woman's hand gently.
“Ina, I want you to know—”
“It is no matter,' the white-haired woman said, a slight but sincere smile on her face. “I know you and where you stand now, and I do wish you all the happiness I can.”
She turned to Aja, and nodded, her smile growing a little wider. “I wish you love and joy as well, and may every night be as happy for you.”
“Should I know who she is?” Aja asked quietly, watching the woman leave.
“That's Rudolfo's daughter,” Stefan murmured. “She's the only one of her people here tonight, I think.”
Aja wondered if the beautiful woman meant what she said, but then the music was starting up. People were dancing, and Aja wished desperately she could join them. She loved to dance, but she knew that there was no way she could, not when she was feeling so hurt and worn. Instead she watched with wide eyes, and then she heard a chuckle from Stefan.
Tales of the Golden Judge: 3-Book Bundle - Books 13-15 Page 2