Page 25 of Pawns of Fate

“My name is Depaerth.” He pointed to the scowling warrior.

“This is Kaeso.” He paused. The blond woman stepped forward.

“This is Pescinnia, daughter of our head elder. She will be staying here with you. And this is Camillus.” He pointed to the blonde warrior on his left. “I believe Camillus knows Lady Rose.”

Ava gasped loudly. This time, it was the Sharps’ turn to exchange strange glances. Rose glued her eyes to the floor.

“Lady Rose stayed at my village five years ago. She was part of the Robson family at that time. Why should we believe that she has value to the Sharps when the Robsons have already used her?” Camillus stated the cruel words with the same impassivity Rose remembered from years ago.

The answer to his question was obvious. Rose didn’t have value to the Sharps.

This twist put the negotiations in a bad place; it could even derail them entirely.

Rose had never dreamed that her stay in an Ojoh village near Robson territory would have anything to do with this situation.

Now, it seemed like the Sharps were trying to send collateral they didn’t truly value.

From the Ojoh’s point of view, it looked manipulative.

“Rose is my wife!” Nicholas’s response snapped Rose out of her thoughts. “It is painful for me to send her away, and you are questioning how valuable she is?”

“She may be your wife, but you two are hardly in love,” Camillus replied coldly. “I know what that woman looks like when she’s in love.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean!?” Nicholas’s face was turning redder with each second. Rose had never seen him this angry. He jumped up from his seat. So did Camillus .

Marquess Sharp stepped in between the two men and declared, “Rose and Nicholas are newly married. She is precious to our family, even if she and Nicholas aren’t in love yet.”

“They were only married yesterday, from what I understand. Have they even had time to share a bed?” Camillus scoffed.

Nicholas slammed his hands down on the table. Camillus put his hand on the hilt of his sword. Rose lost the ability to breathe. Had her heartbeat ever been this loud before?

Depaerth and Nicholas’s father both intervened this time.

“That’s enough, Camillus. You’ve made your point.” Depaerth smacked the hand Camillus had moved to his sword. “We cannot take Lady Rose as our captive. We cannot trust that she has enough value to the Sharp family.”

She wasn’t going to the Ojoh? She’d be able to start her marriage to Nicholas in earnest? No more impending doom hanging over their heads? She should feel elated. Why did she feel shame and guilt instead?

Embarrassment crawled through her veins, heating her face. Her whole life, her lack of value to the Robson family forced her to continue serving as collateral. Now that she finally had real value to a family, it was questioned because of her service to the Robsons.

Would she ever be truly free of her uncle?

Depaerth cleared his throat, interrupting Rose’s thoughts and regaining the Sharp’s attention. “The only solution to our problem is for us to take a captive that has proven value to the Sharp family.”

“What do you mean by that?” Marquess Sharp replied with an edge of frustration.

“We will take,” Camillus stated proudly, “Lady Ava Sharp instead.”

“Absolutely not,” York said menacingly.

Marquess Sharp pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an indignant huff.

These negotiations would fail if the Sharps started fighting, but everyone knew that York would behave like a lunatic if they sent Ava to the Ojoh in Rose’s stead. His magic could be compromised, too, which would hurt the impending swamp campaign.

“I’ll go.”

All eyes in the room flew to the source of the small voice.

“I’ll go, York. Don’t make a big fuss about it. It isn’t fair to send Rose away so soon after her wedding, anyway. I’ll go.” Ava held a brave smile, and Rose saw how she squeezed her husband’s hand.

York made a face that looked like someone had punched him in the stomach.

“Ava, no! We’ll find a different way.”

“See, these two are in love,” Camillus said smugly as he gestured to the younger Sharp couple. “We will take Lady Ava.”

York began to shout. Marquess Sharp attempted to calm him down. Ava started to cry as she tugged on her husband’s hand and pleaded with him to let her go.

Rose glanced at Nicholas. He looked bewildered by the whole situation. It had taken an unexpected turn, she supposed. Rose hadn’t seen the Sharps quarrel much at all, least of all Ava and York.

The negotiations continued to descend into chaos. Rose felt helpless to stop any of it until an idea struck her.

“I could go with Ava,” she shouted, trying to gain the attention of Depaerth and Marquess Sharp.

The room quieted. All eyes turned to her.

Rose gulped, but held herself steady as she continued.

“She has never been in a situation like this before. I’m her older sister now.

I want to help take care of her. I know that the Ojoh don’t think I’m of value, but would it be so bad for you to have two captives instead of just one? ”

“Rose!” Nicholas grabbed her hand. “You don’t have to do this!”

“If my wife has to go, it’s only fair that yours does, too!” York hissed.

“You didn’t say that when it was only Rose going,” Nicholas snapped. That shut York up for a bit.

“I’d feel better if Rose came, too,” Ava whispered as she wiped away tears.

“It isn’t a bad idea.” Marquess Sharp looked at Rose with respect.

“I’m completely opposed,” Nicholas said. “Rose was perfectly capable of going by herself. Why can’t Ava do the same?”

“Nicholas,” Rose tried to reassure her husband.

“You don’t have to sacrifice yourself,” he whispered.

“I want to take care of the Sharp family, too,” she whispered back, hoping he would understand.

“Then it’s settled,” Marquess Sharp said with as much authority as he had left. “Rose and Ava will go with you in exchange for Pescinnia. Please give us a little time to pack things for Ava. Eat lunch with us.”

“So be it,” Depaerth replied. The two men shook hands. The decision was final.

Nicholas pulled Rose into his office immediately after the meeting. He was fuming.

He pinned her to the wall with his hips and placed a hand on either side of her head, caging her in. Lowering his head to hers, he let their foreheads touch.

“Why?” he said, voice trembling. “If you’d just stayed quiet, you wouldn’t have had to go.”

Rose was taken aback by his question. After all, no one cared for the Sharps more than Nicholas.

“I want to do my part for the family. I thought you would see that.”

“It’s not enough of a reason.”

“You don’t get to decide that for me.”

Dejectedly, he replied, “Clearly, I don’t get to decide anything to do with you.” He backed away from her and went to sit in a chair.

Rose wanted to sit in his lap, kiss him, and let him know it would all be okay, but she was apprehensive.

What if he pushed her away? If he did that now, with how many emotions were coursing through her…

She froze. Too many thoughts, too many feelings were swirling in her mind, and she couldn’t decide what to do.

“I’m sorry I forced you into this marriage,” Nicholas said with pain in his voice.

The words hit Rose like a wall. Her swirling thoughts focused into a line.

Nicholas thought she didn’t want the marriage. Maybe that was because he didn’t want the marriage.

Hot tears pressed against the back of her eyes.

Rose opened her mouth to reply but thought better of it. If he didn’t want this marriage, perhaps giving him space was the best thing. She turned on her heel and walked out the door.