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Chapter Forty-Seven

Fenli

I was digging through the trunk in the far back corner when the door opened, and I knew I was in trouble.

“You’re still packing?” came Roan’s voice. “Tell me you are not packing right now.”

I swung around and glared at him.

“Don’t you dare judge me.”

“You are making it impossible for me not to judge you.” He drew up behind me and hauled me to my feet, pulling me into his chest. “What the hell are you looking for?”

I had intended to fight back, but he smelled like soap, and I loved that smell on him. I changed my plans and turned around, burrowing my face into his shoulder and inhaling deeply.

“Most of it,” I murmured.

“Most of it?”

“Most of all of it. I just started packing a moment ago.” It was a lazy confession.

I was too caught up in the smell of him, and now that I was in his arms, the warmth of him, to do more.

What did I care that he’d packed days ago, and I had waited until the last possible moment, and now he was judging me for it?

He smelled like soap and rain and felt like a cozy blanket in front of a fire. Let the ass judge me.

“You’re a mess,” he said. “Ess will kill you if she heads over and finds you like this. She was packed ages ago. Come on, this is a matter of life and death.” He worked to disentangle his limbs from mine, and I grumbled as he pulled his warmth away.

“I mean it. She’ll have your hide. Pack, like your life depends on it. Gods, you’re unorganized.”

He helped me get my things together as quickly as we could. When we were nearly done, and I was in good enough shape that Esska likely wouldn’t kill me, he eased up a bit. We were carefully wrapping my bottles of ink when he spoke up once more.

“Maybe we can make plans for our ceremony on the way out.” I groaned, and he smiled wickedly. “It could be fun, and I bet Ess and Jory would love to help.”

“No plans, no ceremony. I’ve told you, Roan. We don’t need all that.”

“Oh, I think we do. We are getting married, after all. Kinda hard to do that without a ceremony.”

I resorted to whining. “But we’ve already had one. The old one should count.”

“You’re the one who moved the skies above and hell below to make sure it didn’t count!”

I growled, exasperated, and tucked a wrapped bottle into the box with the others. “Well, now I’m saying it should count. I don’t—don’t want to go through a whole day and night of people fussing over me.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind it.”

To that, I rolled my eyes. “You’re the worst. Look at that annoying smirk on your face, even as I suffer. Why do you like being the center of attention so much, huh?”

“It suits me."

I rolled my eyes and double checked that I’d packed all the mapping supplies I’d need while Roan went over my clothes once more.

When we were both satisfied, I remembered the parcel up in the loft and went to retrieve it.

I climbed the new staircase Roan and I had spent three days building for Goose, so he could join us in the bed we shared.

Crawling across Roan’s side of the mattress, then mine, I dug through the odds and ends I kept against the wall and pulled out a package wrapped in linen and tied with a leather chord.

It was a gift from Tovin and Helva’s mother, given to me in secret and under the strictest confidence.

I miss my children , she’d said. Make sure they know that.

And please don’t let their father hear of this .

I carried it down the stairs and tucked it carefully into the top of my pack, then tied the whole thing up.

“Ready?” Roan asked.

I looked around our hut, and I was struck with a longing for too many things.

I was excited about our trip out to see the North Clan and I could hardly wait to get started mapping for them.

I’d brought extra supplies for Helva, and it was my job to get her started in the trade.

Gaert and I worked about as well together as a wildcat and a tub of water, and I was looking forward to getting away for a bit.

But I’d miss home. I’d miss this hut and Indi and even Iver. We would not be gone for long, but it was enough to give me pause, to make me look around the hut a bit longer.

“Ready,” I finally echoed.

And I was.

We headed out, meeting up with Ess and Jory in the kitchens and saying goodbye to everyone who came to wish us off with a cup of mead.

The women in the kitchens doled out small packs of food, and Indi held us up with tears and hugs and kisses until I promised we wouldn’t be long, and Roan pried me from her arms.

Soon we were trekking north, just the four of us with Goose on our heels, telling stories and laughing as we went.

“Would you look at that,” I said, drawing to a halt with Roan behind me. There in my path was a boulder the size of a bear, split cleanly into two halves.

Roan looked over my shoulder. “It signifies an ending.”

“Sounds ominous.”

He bent to kiss my temple and then my cheek.

“No,” he said. “It’s a good omen.”