Arranged

by Spears, Jessica

  Bartus thought through his words before he gave them light, "Very well, however, you should not wait any longer to tell her. She deserves to know."

  Qwinn's good mood began to dissipate, "I will tell her when I see fit."

  Bartus nodded, ending discussion and entering the council chamber where the other members were waiting.

  ALISON STRETCHED LIKE A CAT, curling her toes with satisfaction from the good morning's rest she had. When she opened her eyes, she realized that she had somehow made it under the blankets and taken her slippers off. The last thing she could remember was falling onto the bed in exhaustion and giving herself over to sleep.

  And then she remembered something about Qwinn, perhaps he was the one to settle her in bed. She blushed from embarrassment and for how romantic it was that he would tuck her in. She rolled her eyes, trying to snap herself out of it.

  All the years locked away in Uncle Jackson's manor, she had managed to get a hold of a few romance books, smuggled in by some of the servants for her. She always thought the way the heroines acted was ridiculous and unbelievable, who would become giddy by a mere glance from a man? But somewhere deep down within her she longed to have that feeling.

  Now here she was, giddy from the passing sweep of Qwinn's eye. While the heroines in her books always acted with poise and confidence, she was a mess. She blushed more than she'd ever done so in her life, she could easily lose track of her thought process, while in the middle of a sentence nonetheless.

  Despite all of that, she wouldn't change the feeling for anything in the world. For the first time in all of her life, she felt alive. Every time he touched her, his fingers sent sparks of electricity through her, which left her shaking for more. Every time he looked at her, her heart stopped, just for a moment as she wondered what he was thinking.

  She threw the covers off herself and stood, completing her luxurious stretch. She hoped that she would be able to spend some time with Qwinn tonight, since she had missed him the night before.

  As if sensing she were awake, Adalia waltzed into her room with a big grin on her face. "I am here to measure you for your festival dress!"

  Adalia made quick work of taking a rope with little knots in it and wrapping it around her waist, making a note of whatever measurement she got on a paper. She measured how tall she was, how big her feet were, how long her arms were, etc... Alison felt like a doll that Adalia wanted to dress up. "Perfect!" she exclaimed when she was finished. "Let's get some breakfast then we have a lot of work to do again today."

  Alison's heart sunk. Apparently, there would be no seeing Qwinn today. She quickly masked her feelings before Adalia picked them up and slipped her feet into her thin fabric slippers they had given her. She followed Adalia out the door and down the hall, saying good morning to her new guard Larius, who kindly followed at a respectable distance.

  Alison felt almost important to have a bodyguard, then uneasy. Why would she need one? Didn't Qwinn say his people wouldn't harm her? Unless he had lied to her. Maybe he was just making sure she didn't run away. That thought sent her heart sinking even farther. Didn't he trust her by now? She hadn't even made an attempt to run since she had broken her leg.

  She shoved the thoughts and doubts out of her mind. She was over thinking this. The new guard was there to simply make sure she was safe. He was also probably Qwinn's eyes and ears while he was busy training.

  She followed Adalia to the stables and climbed onto the Ou'tani. She had grown used to the strange looking creature. In fact, she was still surprised how used to her surroundings she was. Perhaps it was because her father was good at taking life as it came.

  Once at the tents, she realized the atmosphere had changed. Everyone was hustling about with more of an anticipation and worry than excitement. They had deadlines to keep, and from the look on everyone's faces, that deadline was catching up to them quickly.

  Alison was surprised that her trainer didn't immediately jump into the dance, but instead, dragged her to where the ladies were putting together outfits. She began pulling out different fabrics from a large chest and held them up to Alison for scrutiny. A couple of times she cast them aside, only to pick up another. When she found a few she liked she grabbed Alison's hand and brought her before three ancient looking ladies who were bent over other fabrics and sewing.

  One of them looked up from their work and studied Alison. After a moment, her wrinkled face grew into what looked like a smile.

  She began to speak in Vidarian Adalia thankfully translated for them. "She says that she has been watching you dance and you dance very well for a human."

  The woman continued to speak, motioning toward a pile of fabrics. The other two women hardly spared Alison a glance.

  "She would be honored to make a beautiful dress for you," Adalia finished.

  The woman braced herself on a cane and came to a shaky stand. She motioned with her seven-fingered hand for Alison to come closer. She cautiously stepped over bundles of fabrics to stand in front of the woman.

  The old woman's gray eyes studied Alison again. Adalia handed over the colors she had already chosen. The older woman nodded in agreement and spoke quickly in Vidarian to Adalia, who hurried off to do her bidding. An hour later, Alison was standing with her arms straight out while Adalia and the woman bustled around her, tying things to her rough shape of a dress.

  Her arms were no longer burning. Instead, she was numb now and was sure her arms would fall off her shoulders if she held them up any longer.

  Thankfully, Adalia allowed her to take the makeshift dress off. "Now, to practice."

  Alison felt like she wanted to flop onto a pillow and sleep the night and next day away. She hadn't known costume designing could be so exhausting.

  They found a relatively clear space and started from the beginning. Alison was sure that she could do this dance in her sleep.

  Adalia was a patient but firm trainer. She would repeat a move until Alison picked it up, then continued working on the next moves until Alison was perfect. About an hour into practice, Adalia announced that they had completely run through the dance.

  Alison's excitement grew at the revelation. She had done it! Adalia allowed a quick break, insisting they still had a lot of perfecting to do.

  Alison stretched her bad leg, relieving the stiffness. All of a sudden, she felt eyes on her, which wasn't unusual, someone was constantly staring at her, but this gaze was heated and meant to be felt.

  When she lifted her eyes, she found cold green eyes staring back. Shea.

  The woman openly glared at her, causing another chill to race through her. Before Alison could ponder for too long, Adalia was back and they returned to their never-ending practice.

  Now that Alison knew all the moves, Adalia became very picky about her execution of said moves and Alison became frustrated when she couldn't flow the way she was supposed to.

  They agonized over a particularly hard set of moves for what felt like an eternity and Adalia's cool composure was starting to waver. "I don't understand why this is so hard. Just flip!"

  Alison gathered her dress nervously in her hand. "I don't want to hurt my leg again…"

  "I showed you the correct way to do it, as long as you follow my instruction−"

  "I've never flipped before," she blurted. She couldn't believe that while she was in the midst of creatures scarier than any horror story, she was truly afraid of doing a back flip that Adalia made look so easy.

  "Just try Alison," she huffed.

  Alison's throat went dry.

  "Am I interrupting?" a familiar voice sounded behind her. Immediately, the cloud that was hovering over Alison disappeared and her face lit up with a smile. She turned at the welcome sight of Qwinn. Before she realized what she was doing, she threw her arms around him in a hug.

  He chuckled, the sound rumbling in his chest as his arms wrapped around her small body. "Well, hello," he laughed.

  Alison pulled away, blushing slightly. Qwinn, however, held her
there, trapping her in his strong arms. "I missed you," he whispered for her ears alone.

  Finally, he released her and looked to his sister, who was standing nearby, trying to keep her smile from breaking through her mask of annoyance. "Yes you are interrupting," she informed him.

  He bowed his head. "I apologize. Continue, I'll take a seat and wait." With that, he moved to the large pillows and made himself comfortable, while affording himself a good view of the girls.

  Adalia rightfully ignored him and did the flip she expected Alison to do. She made it look as easy and as natural as walking. Alison wished that Qwinn would make up an excuse and take her away, at least postponing the inevitable. She knew that even if it took all night into the morning, Adalia would keep her there until she at least attempted the flip.

  Her trainer turned to her expectantly and her stomach flipped with nervousness. "I don't think I can do this," she whispered, not wanting Qwinn to know there was a problem.

  Adalia propped her hands on her hips. "You'll never know for certain until you try."

  Alison swallowed hard, knowing she was right. She mimicked her stance, moving to flip and hesitated at the last moment, stumbling forward awkwardly.

  Immediately Qwinn was by her side. "Easy," he murmured gently.

  Alison regained her bearings and set up again. This time Qwinn's hands surrounded her waist. "I will help you," he informed her. His hands were warm and his touch was affecting her. If she thought it was hard to concentrate before, it was nearly impossible now.

  She cleared her throat, simultaneously trying to clear her mind. She forced herself to concentrate and ignore his hands. He counted to three and Alison bounded before leaping and flipping. She squealed and almost came crashing down on her head when Qwinn grabbed her tight and brought her back to her feet. She was a mess; just that simple mistake caused her dress to go askew and her hair to cover her face. Despite all that, her heart was racing in her ribcage as she tried to catch her breath.

  "I thought I was going to hit my head…," she offered lamely.

  Qwinn helped brush her red hair out of her face. "Trust that I will not let you fall. You also must follow through with the flip, do not tense in midair."

  She nodded, studying the floor for a moment while she gathered her thoughts. She knew she had messed up. If he hadn't have been there, she would probably be knocked out. After her nerves had calmed a bit, they set up again.

  "Trust me," he whispered as his strong hands surrounded her waist again. Alison counted to three this time then pushed off the ground, bending backwards. Qwinn helped guide her until her hands touched the ground. She swung her legs over a little too quickly and landed on her knees, gently thanks to Qwinn. She sighed in frustration as he helped her up easily.

  "That was much better than last time," he said, a very attractive smile on his face.

  Ignoring her feelings, she set up again, determined to prove to him she could do it. She took a deep breath then counted to three, pushed off and this time landing on the balls of her feet. She was still too early, so the move sent her skittering forward onto her knees.

  Alison stood, ignoring the ache in her leg and set up again. Qwinn asked if she needed to rest, she refused. She would flip if her life depended on it. It was embarrassing to her to prove yet another weakness in front of Qwinn. She was human and not as strong, she needed him to see the best side of her…she needed him to.

  They set up again and she flipped, still stumbling but managing to stay off her knees this time. After that, she allowed herself only a moment to rest and was at it again. It was becoming easier with every pass. Adalia stood by with a critical eye, giving her tips to make the flip easier.

  Qwinn congratulated her every time, despite her lack of victory. When she made her first successful flip, she allowed herself a hug from both Adalia and Qwinn. They were becoming more a family to her than her Uncle Jackson ever could be.

  "Perhaps we should call it a night," Qwinn offered, taking Alison's hand.

  "The festival is only three days away. I'm not ready…" she protested, for once.

  The siblings exchanged a look that made Alison feel as if they knew something she didn't know, and more importantly, it involved her.

  "You have worked hard today, you deserve a rest," Adalia said.

  Alison wouldn't argue, her leg was starting to ache pretty badly. Qwinn agreed to take her home while Adalia stayed to finish some costumes.

  This time, as they rode the Ou'tani, Alison wasn't afraid to lean back into his strong chest. It surprised her, how much she had missed and they'd only been a part for a day and a half.

  He surrounded her waist with the arm that wasn't holding the reins, pulling her closer. For the hundredth time that night, her heart began to race.

  "How did your training go?" she asked, eager to catch up.

  "Very well," he answered. She could feel the rumble of his voice in his chest.

  "Are you training for war?"

  She noticed he was hesitant in his answer. "Yes."

  "With the Torin?"

  IT AMAZED QWINN HOW SHARP ALISON WAS. He had tried to shield her from all of this as much as he could and she still figured things out. "Yes," he answered.

  He could feel her stiffen in his arms. "Do not fear; my men are well trained."

  "It's not them I fear for…," she said gently, so gently he wasn't sure she meant for him to hear it.

  He rubbed a hand down her arm, frowning as he felt chill bumps on her. "I am an excellent fighter. You need not worry for me either."

  She glanced at him over her shoulder. He couldn't help but recognize the fear in them. "I've already experienced someone leaving for work and never returning. I would not wish to endure that again," her voice wavered.

  His body reacted to her vulnerability with wanting to shelter her from the fears of this world. He found himself cupping her chin while turning her face and bringing her soft mouth to meet his.

  Their kiss was tender and full of promises. He would never purposely hurt her, but as King, he was obligated to lead his soldiers into war. All he could do was hope she trusted in him enough to be all right while he was gone.

  She melted into their kiss, her hand covering his that held her face. Qwinn lost track of time. He forgot all about the Ou'tani and the Vidarian nation. The only thing that mattered was Alison; her scent consumed him from the inside out. She tasted like cinnamon.

  As she leaned against his chest, he was sure that she could feel his heart about to fly out of its place. He wanted to stay in this moment for eternity. This moment where fear was nonexistent, where obligations were far away, where nothing surrounded them but…love.

  He loved her. Just then, he realized that it didn't matter if she broke his heart or hated him for their union, he had found his true mate; the one and only woman he was supposed to be with for the rest of his days, the only woman he was meant to kiss ever again.

  When they broke their kiss, he immediately wanted to pull her into another. His lips tingled with the lingering feel of her. Her eyes were at half-mast and her face flushed, but not from a blush. It pleased him to see how much he in turn affected her.

  "So beautiful," he whispered, as if afraid that speaking too loudly would ruin their moment. He stroked his long, dark finger down her cheek. She seemed as though she were having a hard time breathing. Finally, her cheeks lit in the ever-present blush, which pleased him all the more.

  She lay against him, snuggling close as he continued to lead the Ou'tani to the palace. He would rather not return to the palace where endless distractions and obligations waited for them, he wanted to cherish this sweet time, so he turned the beast toward another road.

  Alison looked up at him with a curious excitement. "Where are we going?"

  "To the gardens…I do not want to return just yet."

  She relaxed once more into his chest. He decided he very well liked this position. She felt small but strong against him, and warm, so warm.

&n
bsp; They reached the gardens and he led the beast through the many statues until they stopped at a lovely flower patch. He helped Alison down and led her to the patch, sitting on the grass. She followed his lead. He plucked a flower at his side and handed it to her. She accepted it with a shy smile, smelling it and closing her eyes in pleasure at the beautiful scent.

  There were many torches touched by magic so they would not go out. Alison seemed more at ease in the light. She studied her surrounding with awe. Though he had been there numerous times over the centuries, the gardens still held a mysterious beauty and pain for him.

  Then a thought hit him like a punch in the stomach. He needed to purpose to Alison, and soon. He only had three days before the Eclipse. He wanted to give her at least a few days to become accustomed to the idea of spending the rest of her life with him, which meant only two and a half days until the festivals started. Noon the Eclipse was the strongest, the time when he would become bonded and married to Alison. That also meant that he had to purpose tonight.

  His nerves went haywire and he felt slightly sick. Alison's eyes creased with worry. "Are you alright?" she asked, reaching slightly toward him.

  "I'm fine," he said, taking a deep breath.

  She studied him carefully. He laid himself down in the grass, the coolness helping to calm him slightly. She sat closer. "What is it?"

  He shook his head. "I'm just tired," he answered, which was partially true. Training had been grueling. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to regain control of himself. Purposing shouldn't feel like he was offering himself up for slaughter. He was king! The mere thought she could say no should not scare him because it didn't matter what she said, she was marrying him either way.

  Finally, he opened his eyes to find her staring at him worriedly. He plastered a confident and reassuring smile on his face while he pulled her down to him. She fit perfectly in the nook of his shoulder. However, she stiffened. When he glanced down at her, he noticed her blush was bright. Perhaps he had read her actions on the Ou'tani incorrectly?