Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
Gunnar
"You didn't miss too much while you were gone," Torbin said as they strode down the halls of the barracks.
He'd been filling in Gunnar for the past hour. Almost all the warriors had been sent out to manage the crowds now that the prince had returned. It had been a long few days since he’d returned.
The trolls wanted to see their prince. They wanted to hold on to him like a trophy, proof that things were going to get better.
But the king wanted his son to settle back into this life without others disturbing him. He had good reason as well. The crowds never seemed to stop touching Magnus. And though the prince handled it all with surprising grace, he very clearly didn't like it.
Maybe Gunnar was a little sensitive about that lately, but he didn't think anyone should be touched if they didn't want to be touched. Not even the prince.
"Good," he grumbled, heading back toward his own bunk.
He wanted to sleep. First, he had to bathe, though. It had been a long day with a lot of moving parts. He was certain he smelled, and honestly the thought of crawling into clean sheets with his body already slick with sweat made his skin crawl.
"You're forgetting something," Torbin called out in a singsong voice.
Gunnar froze. "What am I forgetting?"
"Bridal games." Torbin nodded toward the window.
"You're pretty close to late already. I was wondering why you were heading this way, and then figured you'd just forgotten you were competing.
The king won't be happy if you aren't there.
He postponed the next part of it until you got back with his son. "
Gunnar groaned long and low. Of course the stupid fucking bridal games would be at night. He should have known better.
"Damn it," he hissed before turning around on his heel and heading toward the exit. "How long is this going to take?"
"Considering this is likely going to be a choosing, probably a while."
"Shit."
Anxiety churned in his belly at the thought. A choosing was a huge part of the bridal games. It was when those who were competing showed they were interested in someone else. A declaration of intent.
He had to stay right where his feet were planted.
That was the plan. His relationship with Rose was far too tenuous.
She'd allowed him to touch her, certainly that was improvement.
And they were talking more. He liked that a lot.
But that didn't mean she was ready for him to walk up to her in front of hundreds and say he was interested in her as a wife.
"Are you going to finally tell Rose how you feel?" Torbin asked. "Now would be the time to do so."
He grunted. "No. She's too nervous for that. I'll tell her in private when the time is right."
"You’re sure this won't come across as though you aren't interested at all?" Torbin's brows shot up to his hairline. "Bold of you to assume that you know a woman's mind that well."
"Shut up. No one will stand with her. It will be a good reminder that she still has a lot of healing to do, and I'm not leaving her. I will not be standing beside anyone else. That says something."
"Does it?"
He couldn't let this other male get in his head.
His plan was solid. They would both remain standing alone, no one making a move to show they were interested in them directly, but his intent would be obvious.
He would smile at her, and he would let her know that he wasn't going to choose a wife yet because. .. She wasn't ready. That was it.
He wasn't going to push her. No one would.
But as he strode toward the clearing where this was all taking place, he was surprised to see there was an even larger crowd than usual. It was like the entire mountain was here, ready to watch this choosing.
"Are people really that excited?" he asked, slowing a bit as he got closer.
"Just you wait." Torbin clapped him on the back. "It's so much worse than you think."
And with that cryptic message, Torbin headed into the stands himself. Ready to watch with all the others as Gunnar made a massive fool of himself, standing stock still for the woman he...
The woman he cared for. That was where he had to end that thought.
He ducked into the crowd with the rest of the trolls and few humans who were competing. Even though he really didn't care what others were talking about, he couldn't help but pick up on bits and pieces of conversations.
"Do you know who you're choosing?" A thin young male asked, eyeing his companion who stood beside him. Perhaps they both liked the same woman.
"Of course I do! I've been courting her since we were children." The troll beside him was wearing a massive neckpiece that seemed to be made entirely out of one carved piece of amethyst, with jagged edges still intact. "She knows I'll be fighting for her attention."
"Not Ronja?"
They both glared at each other, and Gunnar moved past.
There were more people competing than those who had declared interest. It only made sense that there would be some crossover.
He still wasn’t worried anyone would want Rose.
Most, if not all, trolls within the mountain thought of her as the looney creature he had picked up. No one wanted a madwoman.
Another group of young men stood to the side, appearing to be a little confused about who they were going to pick.
Gunnar sidled past them, trying to squeeze beyond the tight knit group so he could see if Rose was even here.
He'd handed her off to her sister this morning, making sure Astrid knew that Rose was going to be a little different today than usual.
Astrid had just waved him off. But if everyone knew that the trolls were competing, he assumed Astrid would make sure Rose was here.
"What about the blonde?" a gruff voice asked.
"The crazy one? No, too much work. You see how Gunnar trails after her constantly. I heard she's always trying to kill herself."
"Ah, I think she's sweet. She was nice enough to me both times that I've spoken with her. Seemed a little distant, but distant isn't bad." The gruff troll scratched his chest. "She's small. I like small things. Think she'd be interested in a bigger man to keep her safe?"
Gunnar saw red. He spun around, ready to chew into the other troll for even daring to think of Rose in that light.
Besides, she didn't need anyone to keep her safe. Gunnar was doing that just fine, and no one could argue that truth. He hadn't been following her around because she was trying to kill herself. He'd been following her around because she didn't know where she was.
An arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him back into the chest of someone who was a whole head taller than him. Gunnar stiffened, already smelling that stupid, pretty scent that made his teeth set on edge.
"You wouldn't be thinking of starting a brawl without me, now would you?" Magnus crooned into his ear before steering him away from the men who were talking far too carelessly about Rose.
Gunnar allowed it only because he knew the prince was taking him in the right direction. "What are you even doing here?"
"Competing, as my father has requested."
Wrestling himself free from the taller troll's grip, he grumbled, "Why would your father want you to compete now?"
Magnus waved his arms wide. "Because of all this."
Gunnar took in all the trolls in the stands.
More structures had been built so there could be more bystanders.
Even a few railings so the crowd could be kept away.
A group of troll women hung onto the barrier, topless, some of them crying out for Magnus to look at their pierced nipples where glittering diamond chains hung.
"If your father knew he wanted you to compete in this year’s games, then why didn't he allow the women to know?
" Gunnar waved at those who were already being shooed back by some of the other warriors so they didn't run out into the clearing after Magnus.
"Obviously, there were more who would have declared interest."
"He wanted only the serious ones." Magnus shrugged. "He wasn't wrong. There are many people who would love to marry a prince, and many more who see the value in having royal lineage."
Gunnar supposed. But Magnus must have been very limited in who he actually could marry. For all that the prince looked more like an elf than anyone else that existed, he still wasn't an elf. Not yet. He needed a high bloodline, one that had the most magic in it, to succeed in the king's plan.
"So who are you interested in?" Gunnar asked. "Have you given them all a look?"
"Have you?"
At Magnus's nod toward the line of women and men who’d declared their interest, he turned to see that Rose was there. He was surprised. Astrid must have brought her, but the crowds... he worried about the crowds.
She didn't even have her cloak. She should have had it in case she needed to draw up the hood to hide the people around her.
Instead, she stood there with her pale hair unbound around her face.
Tangled, as always. She had on a pretty blue dress that tucked in at her waist, a design that was clearly one of Astrid's.
Troll clothing was made of woven fibers, not tightly knit fabric. But it showed just how tiny she was.
The other male who had declared she was small hadn't been wrong. He could frame her entire waist with his hands and have room to spare. The hemline of the dress skimmed just barely over the tops of her boots, black and tilted up at the toes. Those he recognized as a troll creation, at least.
"Shit," he muttered.
"Shit is right. She's pretty in that dress."
"No one would dare. They all know she's..." It didn't feel right to call her mad. Or his.
"Odd?" Magnus asked. "That much was obvious just from spending a few days with her."
"It's more than that. She's been struggling. I think she's coming out of it now, though." Gunnar looked at her, waiting until she found him in the crowd. She didn't smile at him. She never did that, but she nodded her head in his direction, and it made him feel like he was the only person here.
"Interesting," Magnus murmured.
He appeared as if he was going to say more, but then his father showed up. King Egil walked up the steps, using the railing to balance himself lest his wings pull him back. He stood there, surveying the entire crowd like a proud father seeing his children.
"Here we go," Gunnar said.
"I guess I have to make my choice quickly."
Egil raised his arms over his head, silencing the crowd as they all waited to hear what he would say. "Family! Friends. It is my honor to welcome you all back. Thank you for your patience as I worked on getting our surprise. My son, your prince, will be competing in these bridal games as well."
A cheer rose from the crowd, deafening with the excitement of all the trolls. It was wonderful to hear, if a little intimidating. Poor Magnus. He had a lot to live up to.
But Gunnar only had his eyes on Rose. The cheer made her flinch. Her hands rolled up inside the sleeves of her dress, but that was the only sign she gave of being uncomfortable. He tried to catch her gaze. To tell her from across the clearing, that everything was going to be all right.
She didn't need him to. Rose balled up the loose sleeves of her dress in her hands and kept her gaze on the king. She didn't shudder. She didn't quake. And if he let his gaze go a little foggy, her soul was right where it was meant to be.
He breathed out a sigh of relief and turned his attention back to the king.
"We are truly lucky to witness what will happen today!
The choosing is a declaration of interest. If you do not have anyone come to stand with you, you may remain in the games.
This does not mean that one of our fine competitors will not change their mind.
" Egil winked over at the group of people where Rose stood.
"But for now! Let us see who has already caught the interest of those who seek a partner. "
Gunnar remained rooted where he was. There were many trolls who headed out instantly.
They all beelined for women or men that they were interested in, pleased to finally get this chance.
A few even ran, and there was a group of them who sprinted toward a tall troll woman, her skin such a dark purple that it was nearly black.
She had oiled her skin, so she reflected the lights of the surrounding leaves, a woman made entirely out of rainbows, it seemed.
She was pretty. He'd seen her his entire life and knew that she was also an incredibly talented musician. She played the harp with her soul in her fingers.
"You're not going anywhere?" Magnus murmured as they were getting closer and closer to being the last two standing in the clearing.
"No. No one will choose her, and I will remain here."
"You think that's smart?"
Gunnar glared. "You are the second person to ask me that since I thought of it. I am not pushing her, Magnus. That is the only thing that wouldn't be smart."
"Right," Magnus drew the word out for a long time. "Well, you'll be standing here alone then."
With a swagger that Gunnar didn't like, the prince headed toward the line of the interested. He could see almost every single one of the troll women stand up straighter, trying to catch his eye. Even if they were in love already, a prince was still a prince.
One of the trolls was light blue and known for being a particularly good weaver.
Her clothing was the finest here. Magnus strolled right by her.
He paused beside a rose colored troll with ears nearly as long as his, surely a sign of high elven blood.
But then he continued. Down and down the line he went, past men and women and. .. and...
The bastard wouldn't.
He wouldn't.
But the closer he got to Rose, the more Gunnar started to sweat. His plan seemed to shatter into a million pieces. Magnus wouldn't choose fucking Rose.
Glancing up into the stands, he could see Torbin frantically waving his arms, telling Gunnar to move. To go. Damn it.
Gunnar’s legs were already going. He nearly ran to her side, breathless as he skidded to a halt in front of her before the prince could. "I'm sorry," he said, barely able to get the words out. "I didn't want it to be like this."
And then Magnus was there, reaching for her hand and not allowing her to flinch away from him this time. He pressed a chaste kiss to the back of it and flashed a jagged tooth grin. "I, however, am not sorry, Rose. I'm just glad you're here."