Chapter Ten
Tor
This was not, at all, how Tor had thought his life was going to unfold.
He’d had that thought so frequently recently that it should have lost its meaning, but he was still constantly surprised.
He’d fallen in love, saved thousands of people by accident, had his magic bound, been branded a traitor, gambled everything to save his niece, come super close to dying, and was now about to actually commit treason—for what he was sure was the best reason ever, but he wasn’t certain his brother would see it that way.
Oh, and he hadn’t just gotten accidentally bonded, he’d accidentally gotten his partner pregnant, which was the most irresponsible thing that he could possibly ever have done, except he genuinely hadn’t thought it was possible.
Somehow, Pel was always something unexpected, and the two of them together was more than Tor had ever been able to imagine.
He wished that he’d been more cautious and more careful—except that he couldn’t regret their impending parenthood or the fact that they were together. He would just pray that they got to a more stable point where they could actually enjoy what was happening between them.
Possibly while possessing the Fealty of most of the exiles and hopefully not for only so long as it took Varex to learn what Tor had done.
There was so much to consider, but no time right now to properly consider it.
Tor still didn’t see how he could do anything else, not and protect his family to the best of his abilities. Not and protect a group of people who had been woefully mistreated.
Tor should have died when he went out that window, but he was still here, and he couldn’t help but feel that was for a reason.
He would make this time count.
He smiled at Pel as Cavun went to get everyone else. “I don’t suppose you would—”
“If you finish that sentence, I’m not ever going to talk to you again,” Pel said conversationally but with eyes that glittered.
Tor had known that was what his answer would be, but he’d felt compelled to ask one more time, just in case. They were all at risk, and that remained true even if he and Pel were separated by the entirety of the United Realms.
“I had to ask,” he said apologetically, eyes on the people who were coming back.
“I know you did.”
Thankfully, he didn’t sound upset. He’d gotten to know Tor pretty well, after all, and this was a pretty weird circumstance.
When Queen Istila—was she still a queen?—Tama, and Bavil returned, Tor didn’t waste any time.
“Under the circumstances, we agree to your suggestion.”
Tama and Istila looked monumentally relieved. Bavil looked grave but not exactly disapproving. Cavun didn’t look surprised at all, while the returned Beluna looked like she was questioning all of Tor’s life choices.
Tor didn’t blame her for that.
“I would like to discuss everything at greater length when we get back,” Tor told them.
“If we make it back, we’ll be in a much better place to actually work on the issues you’ve raised.
I intend to advocate for you with my brother at that point.
I will commit to living in the exile land with you as long as I’m permitted to do so.
I will still want to visit my family and friends, assuming that I’m permitted to do that, but I will spend the majority of my time on the other side of the mountains.
And everything else will need to be worked out later. Does that work for you?”
Istila said, “Yes. Thank you.”
Her eyes were big and teary, and she looked like she was holding back strong emotions.
Tama had to clear her throat before she could say, “You’re giving us hope, and it’s been a long time since we’ve had that.”
Tor prayed that this would all work out, that he wasn’t setting these people up to watch that hope wither and die.
“I assume this is why you brought the exiles with you?”
Istila nodded. “Yes.”
Tor sucked in a breath, then let it out in a rush. “All right, let’s get going.”
“Now?”
She and Tama both seemed somewhat shocked.
Tor nodded firmly. “Yes. I’m going to get my sister. Too much time may have passed already, but I can’t help that now.” He shook the thought away. He couldn’t dwell on it. “I can move as fast as possible now. I’m not willing to waste any time.”
They both straightened their shoulders and stood tall like they were about to be inspected by the captain of the guard. Tor supposed it was one thing to propose this solution and another to see it actually begin to unfold.
This brought them one step closer.
They packed everything up, since Tor wanted to be ready to leave as soon as he could. It didn’t take very long, since they’d basically been fleeing from Alossa with the bare minimum of possessions.
Tor rode even though most of them were walking. His injured gait was not conducive to heading farther up the mountain as quickly as they could. Even riding was painful, to be honest, but not as much as being entirely under his own power. It was raining—no surprise there—but not too heavily.
Thankfully, they didn’t have to go too far. Tama and Istila really had brought everyone as close as possible. Denil joined them as they approached the clearing where Istila said everyone was waiting.
If he was surprised by what was happening, he didn’t say so, just smiled a little and said he was glad Tor was looking better.
His guards clustered around him and Pel, hands not on their weapons but close, and Tor supposed he couldn’t blame them. This still had the potential to go catastrophically wrong, after all.
The clearing was full of people. Tor had known that, but it was different to actually see them all, to know that this huge group of people were willing to pledge their Fealty to him.
In a loud, ringing voice, Istila announced that Tor had agreed to accept their Fealty, and there was a swell of sound as the news spread through the gathered mass of people.
Then Tor stepped forward and reached out a hand so that Pel would come with him. He noticed that Beluna and Cavun shadowed them. Denil was nowhere in sight, but Tor assumed he was around.
“Hello, everyone,” he said, projecting as loudly as he could and trusting that those in front would explain to those in the back.
“I wish that I had time to do this better, but I’m scared for my family.
I need to go find them and stop a plot to kill them, and that means I can’t dedicate as much time as I should right now to you. ”
He drew a deep breath and let it out, looking at all the people standing here in the rain, who’d trekked all the way here in the hope that Tor would do this. They were on Tondian land, and this could once again be considered a breaking of the peace accords, but they’d all come anyway.
They all hoped, and Tor felt that responsibility settle into his bones, a heavy weight but also, somehow, a source of comfort and strength.
These people needed him.
“I’ll be honest with you,” he continued.
“What I’m about to do is treason within the United Realms. My brother may sentence me to death for it.
But I promise that I’ll do everything in my power to convince him that this is actually best not just for you but for the United Realms—of which you are a part, even if we haven’t treated you like you are.
“I won’t demand that anyone pledge their Fealty to me, so if you’d rather not, you don’t have to do so.
If you’re uncertain, you can wait. My goal is that we can all figure out how to live together.
” He swallowed. “I imagine for those of you who lived through the war, it can’t be easy to consider pledging yourself to someone once again.
I can’t promise that I’ll always get everything right, but I can promise that I’m only doing this because I want to protect you and the people I care about.
To be honest, I neither need nor want more power. ”
There was a murmur of sound at this.
Tor cleared his throat. “I know that’s hard for me to demonstrate right now—especially given that I’m injured, and I do actually need your help so that I can be well enough to protect my family.
But I hope that I can show over time that I don’t want subjects or land or any of that sort of power.
I’d like to work with you. If all goes to plan, then when I come back from making sure my family is safe, we’ll be able to experiment and see how much Fealty is needed to make the land and weather settle. ”
Tor squeezed Pel’s hand. He’d been standing rather stoically at Tor’s side, but he returned the pressure firmly.
“My bonded, Prince Pel, will be by my side, and I promise that he is always willing to tell me when I’m being a conceited prince or a fool.
” There was a ripple of laughter, and Pel made a sound that was half choking and half laughing.
Tor grinned. “And Prince Bavil has agreed that Tond will help you with supplies until the land can better support you. So that’s a lot of things for us to be working on together.
I know that you probably have some concerns.
Like I said, I’m not compelling anyone to do anything right now, but for those of you who are ready, I would very much appreciate it.
I want to help you with the weather and the land, and I want to be well enough to try to help my family.
I think we can do amazing things if we work together. Thank you.”
As far as motivational speeches went, it could have been better, but Tor had tried. Maybe he’d improve with practice. (Maybe it was easier to be motivational when you weren’t worried that your entire family was in imminent danger.)
There was silence for a moment, and then a ragged cheer went up, which Tor appreciated. It definitely wasn’t the whole group, but he couldn’t blame them for being unsure in the face of the monumental changes that were about to occur.
There wasn’t time to make more of a connection with these people, but he’d have to hope that his presence and what he’d done up the mountain was enough for now.