Page 4 of Ties of Starlight (Tethered Hearts #2)

A ll thoughts of the cursed statistics flew out of Nyrunn’s head when he saw the small crowd in the hallway standing in front of Olaug's room. In the midst of the elves, a mixture of guards and servants and nobles, was Frode.

They were all speaking in hushed voices, but Frode spotted him almost instantly and cleared his throat. “Your Majesty!”

The group immediately turned and spotted him, and their already pale and panicked—panicked for Star Elves—countenances worsened.

Nyrunn picked up his pace and fixed them all with his best kingly, stern look—one of the few things he was grateful he'd inherited from his father and uncle. He’d only been improving it as of late.

“What is going on here?”

Frode turned to the elf at his right who jerked back and shook his head, hissing, “I'm not telling him!”

Frode stepped forward and raised his hands. “Your Majesty, there is no reason to panic. I am certain this is all just a misunderstanding.”

“What is?” Nyrunn kept striding down the hall, several of the elves in the crowd edging away and to the sides of the hall as he approached Olaug's door. “Why are you all outside his door? Have him come out here.”

“See, uh, that's the thing. He's...” Frode looked around again, and not a single other elf spoke up or offered support. “He's not in there.”

What?

“It's his wedding day.”

Frode nodded, clasping his hands together. “Yes, I thought the very same thing, Your Majesty. Why would he not be here getting ready for the most important day in his life—and all our lives because it's the key to our magic—and well, I thought, maybe he just happened to go for a walk or maybe to go find a snack—”

“Get to the point,” Nyrunn snapped. “Where is he?”

“Hmm. Uh-huh, yes, well, that is... I know for certain where he is not.” Frode winced as the other elves shuffled back, looking in every direction but Nyrunn’s. “And he is not here. And he is not anywhere in this castle.”

The silence in the hallway was thick and heavy.

Nyrunn cleared his throat, his next words coming out slow and pointed. “You don't know where he is?”

“That... That would be accurate.” Frode nodded, still wincing as though Nyrunn might throttle him.

“And you've searched the whole castle?”

Frode closed one eye. “That… That would also be accurate.”

“And the city?” Nyrunn’s voice rose with each word.

“We have not verified that yet.”

“Search the city and find him.” When the men didn't move, Nyrunn shouted, “Now!”

Then they jumped into action and Nyrunn gestured to the door and said, “Have you searched his room for any clues as to where he went?”

“Not yet, Your Majesty,” Frode said, as one of the guards opened the door. “We were discussing our next steps when you arrived.”

Nyrunn swept inside, throwing over his shoulder, “Then I’ll search it myself while the guards search the city. Maybe there's a clue about where he's gone in there.”

He scanned over the room, and the first thing he saw was that all the windows were open, but if Olaug had gone out one, Nyrunn could not determine which.

The room was mostly in order, no sign of it being disturbed, not even from Frode and the others who had first discovered Olaug's disappearance. It certainly wasn't disheveled enough to suggest Olaug had been taken from it unwillingly. There was no sign of struggle. Which would be the only thing that would save him from Nyrunn's wrath.

No. From the made bed and the neat dresser, it was clear Olaug had gone of his own accord.

Wait, there was something on the dresser.

Nyrunn turned to Frode, who had followed him into the room. “What is that and why didn't you examine it?”

Frode blanched. “Well, Your Majesty, I didn’t see it when I first looked; I was more preoccupied with the missing groom. When I saw the room was empty, I rushed back out to get the guards to begin searching the castle.”

Nyrunn rolled his eyes and moved toward the dresser. Maybe there would be some kind of reasonable explanation that would spare him when Nyrunn got his hands on him.

It had better be a good one, especially since they were going to have to give it to Idonea if they couldn't find him quickly.

But when Nyrunn reached the letter, it didn't have Idonea's name on the front.

It had Nyrunn's.

He snatched it up and tore it open.

To His Majesty, King Nyrunn,

If you're reading this, then you know I'm gone. I can assure you that you won't find me. Not in time for the wedding.

I tried. I tried to convince myself I could do this, but I can't. Being part of the Cometa Couple, it's not an honor. It's a curse. And I can't even make myself do it for our people. No one even cared if I ever wanted to be part of this. It was forced upon me.

I would say there are plenty of other elves who meet the requirements and would be willing, but after Idonea was selected, that's not the case. Any human blood is hard enough to get past, but few are willing to entertain the idea of marriage to a half-human. And one of her standing? Her appearance?

At least the three-quarters elves and more actually look like us.

She's alright for a time, but she's not a girl you marry. Her features are interesting enough in their novelty, but a taste of exoticism is more than enough to satisfy. To have children with such a creature? The shine wears off fast the longer you look at her. For being so short, there’s far too much of her. Her limp, dead black hair. Her mostly curved ears. It’s clear she knows it too, given how she desperately covers as much of herself as possible in a pitiful attempt to make it seem like there’s less of her, but all she does is make it more obvious. That alone is enough; I can’t stomach her for the rest of my life.

Even if I could swallow my revulsion enough to suffer her until I had an heir, that would only be the case if the rest of her was unobjectionable outside her repulsive physical appearance. Being near her, I feel sick to my stomach. I can’t put my finger on it. I don’t know if it’s the pathetic way she looks at me or her strange, disconcerting silence. You can almost smell the desperation on her.

There is something wrong with that girl, and I won't chain myself to her for the rest of my life.

I'm sure you understand. You never had a choice either. From the moment you were born, you were trapped in your position. I think I was too. It's a never-ending cycle. Look at what happened to the last Cometa Couple. And the ones before them.

No. I'm not going to be part of it any longer. You want to force someone to marry that girl and be condemned to suffer her? It won't be me.

I'd rather you execute me, if you ever find me.

Nyrunn was seriously considering it.

Good luck finding a replacement.

Olaug

“Your Majesty?”

Nyrunn realized his hand was shaking. He quickly tossed the letter back onto the dresser before he tore it by accident, not that he really wanted to preserve the coward's pathetic excuses and vile words about Idonea.

If Nyrunn ever saw Olaug's sorry face again—

“Your Majesty?”

Nyrunn took a deep breath and pushed his fury down. He needed to focus. Olaug had clearly been planning his last-minute escape for a while and was desperate to avoid being caught. The chances they would find him in time to bring him back, kicking and screaming, were slim.

And Nyrunn couldn't. After reading how little Olaug thought of Idonea, not even enough to write her a note before jilting her, and thinking she was only good for—

Even if he found Olaug, Nyrunn would be condemning her to the worst kind of marriage.

But Adastra needed a Cometa Couple .

“We'll search, but we won't find him in time,” Nyrunn finally said.

Frode gasped. “Your Majesty, what other option do we have? We cannot afford—”

“I know!” Nyrunn ran a hand through his hair.

“Can we replace him?” Frode snapped his fingers. “The—The requirements? Can an elf who meets them step in? Do we have one?”

Nyrunn started pacing. “The groom must resemble the first groom from the first Cometa Couple. The rites are clear. He must be a warrior.”

Frode nodded. “We have plenty of those.”

Nyrunn threw out, “A leader.”

“Less of those, but surely we have an unmarried captain or lieutenant in the city.”

“And must be heroic, having risked his own life to save another.”

Frode said, “Alright, that will take some investigating, but if we start now, we might be able to pull it off and salvage this.”

The answer was obvious.

It was almost too obvious.

It couldn't be so easy.

There had to be something Nyrunn was missing, some hidden clause, something that would make it impossible. He couldn't get his hopes up only for it to be ripped away because he didn't think it through.

But as he turned it over again and again, he could think of none. There was only one solution.

“Your Majesty, we need to go—”

“No. We don't. We don't need to find a replacement.” Nyrunn took a deep breath as his heart turned in his chest, coming to life again after months of rotting away. He gave Frode a pointed look. “We already have one. ”

Frode blinked before the realization hit him as he hissed, “Your Majesty, no! No. Just because you have some infatuation with the girl doesn't mean you can take Olaug's place in the Cometa Couple! You're the king. You can't be part of the rituals!”

“Why not? Nowhere in the rites’ specifications does it say Agnarr’s chosen cannot be royalty. We need a leader; who better than the leader of our people?” Nyrunn couldn't help the laugh rising in his throat as a grin spread across his face. “I meet all the requirements, and I'm willing. Really, as king, it's my duty to step in and ensure this wedding happens for all our benefit. I have to do this.”

When Nyrunn put it like that, who could argue against that logic?

Frode, apparently.

Frode raised a sharp eyebrow and leaned forward. “Oh, so this has nothing to do with the fact that you're desperately, pathetically in love with her and the only thing that has restrained you from doing anything about it is your honor and integrity?”

“Our people need a Cometa Couple. Idonea needs a groom. I match the requirements. And I need a queen.” Nyrunn gestured to the horrid letter on the dresser. “Is it so terrible that in addition I also love her and will treat her better than he ever would have?”

“You're forgetting something.”

Nyrunn raised an eyebrow.

Frode gestured to the room around them. “She thinks she's marrying Olaug. I know you don’t want to hear it, but she's as in love with him as you are her. This isn't what you want.”

Frode was right; Nyrunn didn’t want to hear it. He’d forced himself to hear it last night because he’d hoped it would help him let her go. Now, he didn’t have to watch from afar. She could be his.

Nothing could get in his way now.

“What I want is to marry her.” His voice went frigid. “If this is how it happens, then this is how it happens. This has to happen for our people.”

Despite his words otherwise, Nyrunn knew Frode was right.

This wasn't as simple as he wanted it to be. But they couldn't complicate it more. They couldn't delay it. This was what was best for everyone.

And no matter what happened next, everything would turn out right. There was no other option. He’d be married to Idonea; how could it not be for the best in the end?

“My feelings for her are irrelevant,” Nyrunn lied through his teeth as he took a deep breath, leaving no room to argue against his decree. “Now, I'm getting married this evening. We have a lot to do to make this work.”

Frode stilled, far more serious than Nyrunn had ever seen him before. “You know this is a bad idea.”

“Is it?”

“If you truly believe this is a great idea, you would go to Idonea and tell her what's happening.” Frode’s voice hardened. “But you won't because you know she won't go down that aisle if she knows it's not Olaug who will be beside her.”

Nyrunn ignored the white-hot fire burning in his chest as Frode cut right through him.

“I'm going to have a perfect life starting tomorrow with the elf I love.”

She’d been saying all of that to reassure him. She’d been exaggerating.

Even if she hadn’t been, it didn’t erase everything between them .

But… Nyrunn couldn’t risk it. Their people couldn’t afford for Idonea not to go down the aisle. If he had to lie by omission in order to get her to the altar, so be it.

“First of all, I can't tell her. Part of the ceremony is that I can't see her on the day of; thankfully I haven't. Besides, if she knew, she would be panicking and insisting on trying to find him, and we don't have time for that.” Nyrunn started for the door. “I have to start getting ready now if we’re going to stay on schedule.”

“No.” Frode followed him, hot on his heels. “What you're afraid of is that she would find him and there'd be no need for you to step in and act like the noble hero doing this solely out of duty.”

Nyrunn had lost his chance with her before he'd ever truly had it. He couldn't let that happen again.

He would not continue following in his uncle’s footsteps and lose the only girl he’d ever loved.

“What does it matter if there is a small amount of selfishness in my reasoning?” He did his best not to let the guilt Frode was stirring up rise any further. He still would not meet Frode’s gaze as they walked. “It doesn't change anything else as to why I have to do this even if I didn't want to.”

“And what are you going to tell her when she's bound to you, thinking you’re Olaug?”

Nyrunn hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“I’ll… I will explain what happened after we’ve completed the first ritual and there’s time for such a discussion.” Nyrunn took a deep breath. “She'll understand.”

“And when she finds out you're in love with her?” Frode looked over his shoulder, confirming they were alone. “Do you think she'll understand then? Do you think she'll see you as a hero? She’ll see you as an opportunist who took advantage of her and swooped in to take her the second you could get away with it.”

Nyrunn whipped around, sending Frode skittering back with a yelp to avoid colliding. Nyrunn’s voice was dangerously low as he said, “I am still your king, and you will respect me. I am marrying her. And I will deal with the consequences.”

Frode stepped back, whispering, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Nyrunn turned back around, leaving Frode a few paces behind. There was much to be done.

Even so, Nyrunn couldn't say he was ecstatic. Frankly, he was terrified.

But he had to believe this was better than the alternative. Under no circumstances could Olaug be found before the wedding, nor could Idonea be told of her new groom.

This morning, Nyrunn had been convinced this would be the worst day of his life, but maybe this was a miracle he’d refused to even let his fragile heart hope for.