Chapter 36
I f I hadn’t already put together who Davin was, it would have become painfully apparent when Korhonan allowed him in the meeting tent. Elk believed strongly in their class system, and I doubted it would occur to him to make an exception even for the sake of his precious almost-betrothed.
I studied the royal in question. He was quieter than his cousin, more observant, and, I suspected, more calculating. Rowan sat between him and Korhonan, which I briefly debated protesting before Arès pursed his lips in a meaningful way, making me reconsider whether it was worth it to start things off on a sour note.
For that matter, our reluctant mediator observed us all with the slightly exasperated air of a father mediating a trivial dispute between his children.
I would have called for Taras, but the tent was cramped enough as it was.
Once we were all seated on the cushions, Rowan blinked, looking around the tent. “Did Iiro not come?”
“You had your terms, and I had mine.”
“I just hadn’t realized your terms were quite so petty.” It was more confirmation that she had no idea what had transpired between us.
Of course, Theodore would never make himself out to be the villain, but it was a relief not to explain that particular history to her.
Arés cleared his throat. “As we have all agreed, there will be no weapons and no threats of physical harm or war. This is to be a peaceful negotiation, and as I have contributed two weeks’ time to this so soon after the Summit, I am confident that sincere efforts will be made from all parties. As it is Elk who has brought an initial offer to the table, we will begin with them. Clan Elk, please state your desired terms.”
“Clan Elk desires to purchase the blood debt of Princess Rowan,” Korhonan said, his fingers playing along her bracelet possessively.
He exchanged a quick look with Davin before naming a sum, confirming my efforts that the Lochlannian royal was someone to be aware of. I suspected he had negotiated at least some of these terms, which was nearly as irritating as the constant clinking of Rowan’s bracelet. For as badly as Elk claimed to want her back, were they not willing to foot the bill themselves?
Was Iiro already writing this off as a lost cause or just being opportunistic?
Theodore threw in several things that only Elk would have had to offer, but I couldn’t help but notice he didn’t once promise an armistice. Did they honestly think I had gone to so much trouble to keep Rowan from them to give her back for the gold my clan had in abundance and services we could afford to pay for?
At least my father wasn’t here to agree to this.
“A generous offer.” I didn’t bother to hide my sarcasm. “Or, it would be, if you weren’t planning to ally with the princess and vie for the throne.”
May as well get that out in the open to begin with, though the constant motion of my enemy’s hands on my captive’s wrist might have made me a bit blunter than I meant to be.
“So I think I’ll keep her, Korhonan,” I finished up with a mocking finger to my lips.
His nostrils flared. “At the Summit, you said you didn’t want a war. What exactly do you think is going to happen when Lochlann finds out you have her?”
Naive or stupid. Perhaps they were made for each other. I chuckled humorlessly, prepared to explain the situation in small words and with a great deal more patience than I felt.
“I don’t want a war, but I’d sooner fight one on my own behalf than yours, which, by the way, were my only two options when you and brother dearest decided to cart the storms-blasted princess off to a Summit. Tell me, what did you think was going to happen when you locked her in a dungeon and then coerced her into marriage?” I couldn't help but ask.
“It wasn’t like that,” he fired back, sounding for all the world as though he was sincere.
Had he actually failed to notice the way she waited to agree to marry him until her life was actually on the line? I might have felt sorry for the poor sod if he had been anyone else.
“It doesn’t matter.” I told him what he should have already realized. “How do you think they would have seen it when they found out? I might have taken her as my prisoner, but at least I had the decency to keep my hands off her.”
His eyes darkened, and he shifted closer to her. “That’s not what it looked like to me.”
Rowan reared back, and I couldn’t quite tell if her offense was on behalf of herself, or strangely enough, me. “He hasn’t touched me.”
Theodore nodded, breathing in through his nose to visibly calm himself before going on. “Regardless, it’s not like we had a choice when she came stumbling into our territory.”
I scoffed, but I wasn’t the only one. Arès made a small, subtle noise under his breath, and Davin let out a much more obvious huff of air. So it wasn’t Lochlannians in general who failed to understand politics, only Rowan. She pursed her lips at her cousin, and he raised his eyebrows in an utter lack of apology.
I filed it all away for later, returning to the matter at hand.
“No choice?” I challenged. “You couldn’t have hidden her? Storms, you couldn’t have pretended she came intentionally for a potential alliance and then sent her home when the ‘negotiations failed’? You couldn’t have done literally anything but put her life in the hands of a Summit and create a political nightmare for us all?”
Korhonan froze, opening his mouth, then closing it.
“Word would have gotten out,” he finally said, not sounding nearly as convinced as he wanted to.
Then he swallowed, building steam.
“And when it did, what would Clan Bear have done?”
What would my father have done if he realized Elk was hiding a Lochlannian princess?
Gotten rid of her and blamed them? Used it as an excuse to take Iiro out? Neither was outside the realm of possibility.
“Exactly,” Korhonan said when I didn’t respond right away. “You would have used it as an opportunity to undermine and attack us. It’s always the same with you, Evander. You put people in impossible situations, then judge them for making the only choice they can.”
I saw red. Remembered a twelve year old boy from Elk swearing to keep a secret, then shrugging off the consequences when he broke that promise. Heard the crack of a whip, then felt it.
I counted to five, taking in air as subtly as I could, fighting to keep my body from trembling with the rage I felt anew.
“So that’s how you’ve justified it to yourself all these years?” I didn’t wait for a response. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, old friend. The fact remains that even if part of what you say is true, every asinine decision you and your brother made would have led us directly to war with Lochlann, a war that Clan Bear would be situated directly in the middle of. And just like back then, you’re lying to yourself now if you think Iiro didn’t plot any of this.”
“Not everyone is as underhanded as you are, Evander.”
“Is that so?” I let out a bitter huff of air, gathering my calm once more in the wake of his overwhelming hypocrisy. He had to know who Davin was. I absolutely knew that he did.
More than that, I was putting together why a girl who couldn’t keep her mouth shut or her features straight endured Mikhail’s wandering hands and cowed to a man she clearly disdained.
Amicable and accommodating . That must have been the price she paid for her cousin’s safety. Like the butter this morning, it was an unexpected bit of selflessness, the answer to a puzzle that had plagued me since I met her.
And it meant that everyone in this tent was a liar, with the possible exception of Arès.
“I might even believe you, except...” I let my gaze shift to the man in question, stopping myself from saying it outright because I wasn’t yet sure I wanted to share that information with Lynx. “Except that Clan Elk has a history of lying for their own gain.”
Rowan went pale, and Arès furrowed his brow. Theodore only redoubled his fondling, having no response, while Davin met my stare evenly.
“Enough,” the Duke of Lynx ordered after a beat. “We are not here to hash out every past wrong, only to focus on a solution for this single situation. Clan Bear, do you have a counterproposal?”
Iiro’s head for Rowan’s entire person. Since I doubted that would go over well, I gave a more reasonable offer.
“The only way Princess Rowan is going back to Clan Elk is if she agrees never to marry into it.”
Korhonan’s mouth dropped open in offense as he failed to see the generosity in my terms, but Arès forced him into displaying some basic common sense, since it all seemed to have fled him when the princess entered his life.
“Lord Stenvall has stated his terms. It is my advice that you take them under consideration before making a reply. You are the heir and last in your family line. I am certain your brother would not want this decision to be taken lightly.”
Once he was satisfied neither of us was going to continue our argument, he nodded to himself.
“Tensions are obviously high. I think it’s time we take a break. It’s safe to say each clan knows what the other wants. We will reconvene in the morning to see if we might reach a compromise.”
It was a wise decision, given that I was prepared to cart the princess back to Bear if Korhonan irritated me or withheld one more bit of information. I was eager to get these negotiations over with, but the short meeting was more than enough for this evening.
I would just as soon not look at any of them for a while.