Page 27 of Enchanted Shadows (The Enchanted Kingdom #6)

M y life had drastically changed from the moment I uttered those simple words.

Marry me. And yet the part in all of this I was dreading most surprisingly wasn’t making the vows, vows which I knew were only halfway meant.

I was marrying a princess. Who was witty, gorgeous, and smart.

Even if she did want to murder me multiple times a week.

But having to talk to my parents about this sham wedding? That was the reason for this ache in my chest. The reason I had felt all day as if I was being weighed down by numerous small rocks, all vying for their chance to finally trip me up.

I loved my parents and my sisters. My father Gerald was an integral part of the reason I was the man I was today.

Yes, I got my height and thicker build from him, but he also instilled in me from a young age that doing the right thing over and over again, compounded over time, made a huge difference.

He was the one who had first put a sword in my hand and taught me how to swing it.

He was also courageous to always keep distance from the dead king.

During the height of Theon’s reign of terror, it was he who first told me that just because it was the way the king ran things, didn’t mean it should be.

Then when I fell into loathing for the dead king, disrespect oozing out of my pores for the man, my father had taught me strategy. That brute force was more fun but didn’t always win the day.

I respected my father. I respected his opinions on my life.

And I just didn’t know what he would think about my decision to marry Princess Kessara.

I did my best to avoid disappointing him over the years because I couldn’t stomach that look he made when he pressed his lips together as if he was keeping all the thoughts from spilling out about what a failure I was. I loathed it.

I typically avoided coming to see them at all if I felt I would have to see that look. But in this case, I figured the people who gifted me life deserved to learn I was marrying a princess from me and not castle gossip. I wasn’t a perfect son by any means, but I did owe them that much.

I had sent a letter that morning letting them know of my visit, so my mother wasn’t totally shocked when I arrived that afternoon.

“Owen!” she gasped, opening the door quickly and rushing me in. “This has been a happy development.”

“Mother,” I greeted back, moving to hug her.

“Son,” my father yelled from the kitchen. The smell of fresh banana bread hit me. My favorite growing up.

“Father,” I said the same way back. Somehow, I wasn’t quite ready for what came next.

“What do you call a pair of nuts on the wall?”

I stilled and turned to my mother. Maybe this was not a good day to spring a visit on them.

“He’s been in a mood,” she whispered. “You know how he loves to see you.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way,” I whispered back .

“Don’t tell him, Ada,” he barked.

I turned the corner to the kitchen, leaning up against the doorframe. “You know, you’d think at some point in your wise old age, emphasis on old , you’d give up on the nut jokes.”

“Never.”

He unfortunately sounded deathly serious. “Are you going to tell me already?”

He picked up a few crushed pecans, and just before he tossed them back into his mouth, he said, “Walnuts.”

My mom knew he loved nuts, so she mysteriously always had a few extra that she left out for him in the same little clear bowl as she always did. As much as the world had vastly changed these last few years, some things were comfortingly the same.

“Sit!” my mother demanded. “You look like you need to eat more. And sleep more.”

“It has been a rough few days; I would love that,” I told her. “You didn’t have to make this for me, though.”

“She made it for me,” my father tried to explain.

“She did no such thing,” my mother disagreed. “But it wasn’t a burden at all.”

Within five minutes I was drinking a coffee and having fresh banana bread in the same house which I had been raised in.

I knew there were scratches on the doorframe to the living room of my sisters’ and my heights over the years.

There was also a small nick in the wall in the room I had slept in which I had hidden for years by moving my dresser aside before they finally found it.

My father was never one to beat around the bush, so I wasn’t all that surprised when he said, “Is everything all right with training? Or did you come for another reason?”

I held up a hand. “Training is going well. Wren did have a little hiccup with that Stirling boy, but since we arrested him, we all get a nice long break from that.”

“He can stay arrested for a good long while,” my father seethed. “ Your letter about that had me ready to fetch Wren and bring her home.”

“She’s doing well,” I told him. “If it ever got to the point where I worried for her safety again like I did the night of the fire, I’d bring her to you myself.”

“At least we won’t be forced to endure a marriage to the Stirling family,” my mother said kindly.

I winced. I couldn’t help it. “About that.”

They both went quiet, listening.

Honesty was always best with my father, particularly when I was in over my head, so I blurted out, “I am marrying a princess. Not out of love, but to help keep her safe.”

Silence met my words, so I rushed on to explain more.

The entire situation Kessara had been put in, the lengths she was going to keep her brother safe.

As I finished explaining, I ended it with, “If Wren had ever been in a situation like that, I hope someone would do the same to help her. To help keep her safe.”

“That poor girl,” my mother said as she sipped her coffee.

“I am proud of you for wanting to do this,” my father said, sitting back, his lips pressing together.

Oh no. Here it came. The disappointment.

He let out a sigh. “Haven’t you sacrificed enough for Wylan? For peace in the realm? Don’t you deserve to be happy too?”

I gave him a shrug. “This is something that I can do. An easy fix to a huge and messy problem.” I went on to explain the prince title I would soon be getting.

“I thought you didn’t want that the last time the king offered,” my mother said, brows drawn tight.

“I didn’t.” I looked my father in the eyes as I said, “You and I both know that I’m not prince material.”

He crossed his arms. “In the world of nuts, you’re a walnut.”

My eyebrows shot up. “A pair of nuts on the wall? ”

He swatted at the air. “I don’t need to know what you do in your spare time, son.”

A laugh tore from my throat, and then another. Both my father and I were laughing.

He reached over and patted me on the shoulder.

It was something he did often. While Theon Valanova had rarely shown affection to his sons, my father had.

I remembered thinking multiple times when we formed the disloyal that if my father and Theon could have traded places, Wylan never would have had to kill off their own king.

A few beats later, my father said gently, “We do not know this princess. We have not even seen her, but we do trust you. And if this is something you have to do, then so be it. I find it honorable you would try.”

“Can I come to the wedding?” my mother asked.

“I—” I shook my head. “I didn’t think you’d want to. I think it will be just us and John Nottle. But Jorah is planning a reception at the castle if you would like to come to that.”

“Of course we would,” my father said.

I let out a huge sigh. “Thank you. Thank you both for understanding this is something I need to do.”

“I know you, son,” Gerald Raikes said firmly. “I respect your honesty in this. That this is not a marriage in the traditional sense. Merely some paperwork standing between this princess of yours and an unsafe situation.”

I dipped my head in a nod to him.

“And it is because I know you so well, that I have to say this. You wouldn’t just marry anyone.”

He had a point.

“I only ask that you consider how... muddled things could become.”

I took a drink of my coffee before telling him, “I was merely her general until a day ago. ”

“And now to the outside world,” my mother smiled. “You are the general of her heart.”

I smirked. Of course she would say that; she was a romantic.

“Tell us more about this princess and the team of girls,” my mother begged. “You don’t have to leave yet, do you?”

I needed to check in with Miles and Emric, who had taken over the strategy session today in addition to prepping the maze since I was busy getting hitched, but I decided I had an hour more to spare as I continued to answer their questions and talk with them.

My father was a great judge of character.

And though he hadn’t met Kessara, he knew my character and where I was at.

My youngest sister soon came bounding into the house, done with school for the day.

She’d once been so little; she was fifteen years younger than me.

The miracle baby. My mother often liked to tell people that Kensie didn’t walk for the longest time because Wren and I carried her around and spoiled her.

“Owen!”

I scooped her into a hug. “Kens. Baby sis!”

“I’m not a baby anymore,” she reminded me like she always did. I’d always called Wren my younger sister and Kens my baby sister to distinguish between the two. “I didn’t know you were visiting!”

“He comes with news,” my father told her.

She moved to the open chair to sit down. “What kind of news?”

I scratched at my hair. Unfortunately, Kensie was too old to not see right through me.

“Well. I am marrying a princess. Temporarily. To get her out of trouble. But you cannot tell a soul the truth, Kensie. Not your friends at school. No one. This is classified information. Understood?” It was a good thing this didn’t have to remain a secret for long.

Just long enough to get Calix Cyncrest out of my country.

Kensie gasped, “You mean an arranged marriage?” her eyes went huge, “Wait. Does that mean I’m kind of a princess by default? ”

My father scoffed. “Wasn’t it just last week you decked a boy at school, and I had to come retrieve you? Some princess.”

“He pissed me off and deserved it,” she explained calmly.

The Raikes children were a wild bunch and always had been. “You put your weight behind it like I taught you?”

“Owen,” my mother scolded, “Don’t encourage her.”

Kensie shot me a little nod.

“Thatta girl.”

By the time I answered all of Kensie’s questions and left back for Kavan Keep, I didn’t exactly have their blessing in this endeavor, but I did still have their respect. And that was the entire reason why I’d taken the time to go there today.

All that remained tomorrow was the wedding. By this time the following day, I’d be a married man.

There were two people waiting for me by the time I made it back to the cabin.

“Hey, how’d it go?” Wren asked as she stood up. She’d known I was going to see our parents today as Emric had filled in for the strategy session with the women. I would’ve just taken her with me were it not for that “no outside contact” rule. The one she’d already broken.

“Better than expected,” I admitted. “You wait up for me just to ask that?”

“No.”

“Anything happen this afternoon I should know about?”

“No,” they both responded.

Molly blurted out, “We came to ask if we could have time tomorrow to help Kessara get more dressed up than usual. Make it special for her. We know this marriage is happening to protect her from her ex and her brother, but that doesn’t mean it has to be dull for either of you.”

Wren added, “She already told us the team couldn’t come. It will be just the two of you and a royal sage.”

I gave them a nod. “She is correct. That’s what we agreed upon. But if you would like to do something kind for her, who am I to tell you no?”

“We will need out of the afternoon session,” Wren said, batting her eyelashes at me.

“No way. Not with the final trial coming up.” I tipped my head up to the trees. “I’m tired. And need to get to bed. How about I meet you halfway. We will start our morning run a half an hour earlier than usual, and strategy will only run for half as long, giving you an extra hour to work with.”

“We’ll take it!” Molly exclaimed, fist in the air. “We’ll definitely take it!”

“Happy last night of being single, brother.” Wren patted me on the shoulder.

“You do realize this is temporary?”

Neither of them responded. They must have been holding out hope that I was secretly in love with Kessara. I wasn’t. It wasn’t love. It was just a mutual respect.

“Off to bed, you two,” I commanded. “If only so that I can.”

“Yes, General,” Molly said.

Wren stopped just before leaving and turned back. “I know none of us say this as often as we should, but I’m really proud of you.”

“For getting fake married?”

“For stepping up to save her.”

I moved to give her a quick hug, if only so any and all tears could stay at bay. “Can I tell you something?”

I ignored the excited look Molly was giving me .

“You can tell me anything,” Wren said. “You know I always kept your secrets. Kensie was always the snitcher.”

She wasn’t wrong. And that only made me nervous about all I had told Kens that afternoon. I leaned in as I whispered, “I don’t think it’s possible to find another team of women with such poor taste in men.”

She whispered back as she and Molly turned to leave, “Don’t talk about yourself like that.”

Laughing, I headed into my cabin. Tomorrow night Kessara would be staying here with me for our wedding night. John had thought that best for appearances. And then once training wrapped up, she would be with me at all times. My days of being on my own were numbered.

Tomorrow everything would change. For better or worse.