Page 25 of Ties of Starlight (Tethered Hearts #2)

O f the four major events Nyrunn had to partake in, the Rescue was the one he’d been looking forward to the least.

The Rescue, taking place after the Heava Dance, was a recreation of when Gytha was kidnapped by Night Elves and Agnarr had to scale up a cliff, famously known now as Agnarr’s Peak, to rescue her.

It meant Idonea would be out of his sight for the better part of the day while she was escorted the back way up there by their stand-in Night Elves before he could climb the peak and reenact the Rescue.

Thankfully the shortcut they’d taken two days before had gotten them back on schedule. Like the Heava Dance, when they arrived at the base of Agnarr’s Peak, there was a crowd already gathered to watch made of elves from nearby towns.

Nyrunn had the guards subtly go through said crowd and ensure none of them were Moon Elves in disguise. The last thing he needed was to be shot at while scaling a cliff .

Idonea would be furious if he died after she went to the effort of being stabbed to keep him alive.

Plus, if a Moon Elf was able to shoot at him, it definitely meant one would be able to reach Idonea, and he was not going to fail to keep his promise to protect her.

The last week and a half, now that he knew the truth, he could finally see her more clearly, and she was finally letting him. There had never been anything wrong with her, as Olaug had put it, only she’d never been fully her before.

Little by little, he was making progress, but there was something more that weighed on him. She’d made no mention of trying to break the curse, and he didn’t want to ruin this hard-won peace by bringing it up again. Every day he checked in with the Constella who had yet to hear back from the message he’d sent via bird to his acolytes.

Idonea’s curse might not be caused by the comet, but she was tied to the comet.

Their only chance to break it might be when the comet was visible in the sky. Of course, he would never give up hope, even after that, but if there was an answer to be found in her past lives, better now than later. But he only had so much time.

If he didn’t hear something he could use soon, he would have to broach the subject again and push her to share more about her first life.

At least her nightmares seemed to have eased. While he wanted to be able to take credit through his presence beside her at night and how he’d encouraged her to get in the water to ease her anxiety around water, he could still feel the sharp spikes of her emotions in the middle of the night when one struck. They were less frequent than before, but not gone entirely. He’d tried using the bond, but he failed each time to ease the mental turmoil. It seemed he was limited to being able to take physical pain only and all he could offer her was his calm, warm love pushed through the bond to her to ease her back to sleep before she fully woke and when she did, his reassurances she was safe.

If she’d figured out he was using the bond to help, she hadn’t said anything.

Nyrunn looked up at the cliff, standing outside his and Idonea’s tent. Idonea and Asa’s voices were muffled by the canvas as Asa helped Idonea change into the traditional garb and do her hair. Nyrunn had already dressed in his ancient and ridiculous outfit meant to mimic Agnarr’s and the fashion of that time, even though he wouldn’t be needed for hours more.

Frode approached him, dressed in his own ridiculous garb to mark him as one of their Night Elves. He looked up at the cliff and whistled. “You are capable of climbing that, right, Your Majesty?”

Nyrunn glared at him. “Of course I am.”

“Yes, by yourself, but you also have to climb back down with Idonea.”

“If every chosen of Agnarr’s has been able to do it before me, I’m sure I can do it as well,” Nyrunn said.

If Olaug had been able to do it roughly five times—he didn’t recall how many times Idonea and he actually made it this far—Nyrunn could certainly do it.

He still hadn’t heard from his scouts yet about his whereabouts. Olaug had had the good sense to go into hiding, but he couldn’t hide forever.

“I hope so. We’ve had too many close calls already,” Frode said, shaking his head.

Very true.

Frode turned his head, glanced at the tent, and lowered his voice. “Speaking of, Your Majesty, how has married life been treating you so far? ”

“If you’re fishing for an ‘I told you so,’ you’re not getting one,” Nyrunn said, stepping away from the tent even as he lowered his own voice. Frode followed him, leather creaking slightly as he did so.

“Of course not, Your Majesty, I would never dream of you uttering such words to me. But as the closest thing you have to a friend—especially since you’ve proven how much you value me by coming back to save me when we were attacked—the least I could do is care about your well-being and how your tumultuous marriage is going.”

“I saved you because you’re the only advisor I can tolerate and I have no interest in finding another one.” As hard of a time as Nyrunn gave Frode, he did actually care about him. Not that he’d let Frode know that. He’d be even more insufferable than he already was.

“Don’t dodge the question, Your Majesty. How are things going with your bride? Anyone with eyes can see where you stand, and the fact that she was willing to take a dagger for you—”

“Frode.”

The other elf sighed and shook his head. “All I’m saying, Your Majesty, is that maybe you should consider seeking advice if things aren’t going the way you desire. Especially from someone you know is trustworthy.”

While things did seem to be improving with Idonea, that was only because he was avoiding the topic that would surely bring up their past fights all over again.

“Fine. Let’s say things are going well, but there’s… a lot about her I’m still learning. There’s a lot about her that’s still a mystery to me.”

That was as close to the truth as Nyrunn dared to get.

Frode nodded. “Obviously. I mean, forgive me, Your Majesty, but she has gone through quite an ordeal since this all began. It would make sense she’s still guarded around you.”

“If that’s what you consider advice, I will be firing you.”

“My advice is this: she is still learning about you. You’re a mystery to her just as much as she is to you. You need to be honest with her. Have you been letting her in past your walls just as much as you’ve been trying to get past hers?”

This was why Nyrunn had been keeping Frode around. Even if he was infuriating, he was insightful.

He was right. Nyrunn hated it when Frode was right.

The tent rustled behind them and they both turned as Asa and Idonea exited. Idonea was dressed in plainer garb than usual, an outfit made to resemble Gytha’s Venefician fashion. It was a loose blouse with a wide neckline, the sleeves starting at her bicep, revealing Idonea’s birthmark and her new scar from her arrow wound. The flowy blouse was half tucked into a thick belt and a layered skirt that fell to her ankles beneath it. She pulled up at the neckline, lower than she usually wore, and Asa swatted at her hands.

“Stop that. You look fine, and you’ll be at the top of a cliff for most of this. See, His Majesty can’t take his eyes off you.”

Nyrunn was unabashedly staring at her.

She blushed that pretty pink he always loved to see dusting her cheeks.

Idonea just fisted her hands in her skirts. “I hate this outfit. It’s the worst of them all.”

Nyrunn couldn’t decide; so far he thought all the outfits she wore for the rituals had merit. She’d been breathtaking in her wedding dress, stunning in the dress she wore for the Heava Dance, and this outfit brought out her lovely human characteristics that Nyrunn wished he could compliment without her believing it was a lie.

“At least you’re not stuck in this black leather. I’m going to pass out from heat stroke before we reach the top.” Lady Asa pulled at the black bracers on her forearms. Both she and Frode were dressed head to toe in black leather armor. They’d both volunteered for the roles, but Nyrunn was still sending two guards with them to be safe.

Frode’s mouth hung open as he stared at Lady Asa.

Nyrunn cleared his throat. Frode snapped his mouth shut and looked up at the sky. “We should be getting some cloud coverage soon while we hike up.”

“Is everyone ready?”

Nyrunn glanced over his shoulder to see the Constella waiting for them, looking them over with a sharp eye.

“We’re ready, Constella,” Idonea answered, moving to cut through the camp to where the crowd was gathered at the base of the cliff to watch her and the “Night Elves” “kidnapping” her depart.

Nyrunn would have to stay behind until after they were out of sight. He reached out and caught her wrist. She turned back, confusion flaring through the bond, but before she could ask, he stepped forward and pressed a soft kiss to her temple. “Be safe.”

Idonea pulled back, the blush staining her cheeks again. “I should be telling you that. You’re the one who has to climb the cliff wall.”

“I’ll see you again soon.”

Idonea just hurried away, glaring at Asa who immediately grabbed her arm and started whispering in her ear about how sweet the two of them were.

Frode shot him a deliberate, knowing look. Nyrunn sighed.

What if his honesty was what made him lose all the progress he’d made with her?