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Farrendel stared back at his brother and did not bother answering. He was a hundred and five. That was full grown, even if most elves waited to marry until full emotional and mental maturity at a hundred and fifty to two hundred. Still, Farrendel was old enough to be sent into battle. That should make him plenty old enough to marry.
When Farrendel did not answer, Weylind’s scowl deepened. “We do not even know how old she is. She could be two hundred years older than you.”
It was hard to tell with humans. They aged so quickly. But she had not looked to be over two hundred or whatever the human equivalent was. If anything, he would have estimated her age as close to his. One hundred and fifty at the most, which would make her a mere fifty years older. Well within a normal age gap for marriage.
“I do not believe she is that old.” Farrendel tried to force himself to relax against the cushions. As if he was not discussing his marriage to a stranger.
“Even if she is not now, she soon will be as she ages rapidly. Humans have such short lives.” Weylind shook his head. “That is why you must not grow attached to her. You will watch her die before you even turn two hundred.”
Did Weylind truly think Farrendel would live long enough to see his two hundredth birthday? With the way the incidents at the borders were escalating with both the trolls and the humans, it was highly unlikely Farrendel would survive the upcoming wars.
No, chances were, he was going to die young enough to leave even this human princess a widow.
But he would not say that to Weylind. His brother would be concerned if he knew just how much Farrendel expected—even hoped—to die young.
There was the possibility of an elishina, a heart bond. But that was the kind of far-fetched hope Farrendel was not naïve enough to indulge in, not even now. It was enough to hope that her smiles were something more than a façade for a scheming human bent on killing him in his sleep.
Farrendel shrugged, forcing his tone to remain even. “It will be an arranged marriage. I suspect she will wish to avoid me as much as I wish to avoid her. Attachment should not be an issue. As long as she is cared for well enough to satisfy King Averett and uphold our end of this marriage alliance, that is all that matters.”
It sounded like a miserable marriage. Nothing like the marriage Weylind had with Rheva. But what other choice did Farrendel have?
As he had told Weylind, he would either have to marry her or he would have to kill the Escarlish royal family in the subsequent war. War or marriage. It was that simple.
* * *
Farrendel was notsure why his stomach was tight, his heart pounding as he followed Weylind from the boat up the slight rise of Linder Island to the tent that had been left set up overnight. Almost as if he was eager to see the human princess again. Perhaps because he only had today to attempt to talk with her before their wedding on the morrow.
Yet when he stepped into the tent where the humans already gathered, only King Averett and the human diplomat were seated by the table, the princess nowhere in sight.
King Averett stood to greet them, extending his welcome to Farrendel as well as Weylind this time. Was this because he now knew Farrendel was Weylind’s brother or because he was soon to marry King Averett’s sister?
King Averett held out several sheets of paper. “My diplomat and I spent the evening coming up with a list of human wedding customs you will need to know, along with the marriage vows to memorize.”
Weylind moved, as if to reach for them, but Farrendel stretched past him and took the papers first. Yesterday, he had been content to let his brother negotiate the details. But this was Farrendel’s wedding. He could not allow Weylind to act as intermediary the entire time.
He scanned the papers. He would need to sit down and study this further as it appeared to be a full outline of a human marriage ceremony. For now, he could quickly search for any issues that would need to be discussed with King Averett before any more planning was completed.
“Do you have any questions?” King Averett’s eyes were hard as he all but glared at Farrendel. Why he was so angry about this, Farrendel could not guess. The humans were the ones who had pushed for this alliance.
What questions did he have? He swallowed, his heart beating faster. He had spoken in front of this meeting yesterday. He could do it again.
Use your words, Farrendel. How often had his tutors admonished him to speak up? He did not have trouble speaking with his family, but with others, the words lodged in his throat. The more he cared about their opinion, the more the words stuck.
Yesterday, it had been easier to speak. King Averett had been an enemy, nothing more.
Today, the human king was Farrendel’s future brother-in-law.
Farrendel drew in a deep breath and forced the words out. “What is her name?”
King Averett blinked. “Her name?” When Farrendel stared back, King Averett shook his head. “I suppose I didn’t properly introduce her, did I? My sister is Princess Elspeth, though she prefers the nickname Essie.”
Elspeth. Farrendel let the name sink in, fitting it to her face. Essie.
While Weylind and King Averett settled back into negotiating the particulars of the treaty, Farrendel stood behind Weylind and divided his attention between watching for trouble and studying the pieces of paper.
The human marriage ceremony seemed straightforward enough, though with much more hand-holding than elves would ever do in public. At least very few elves would be in attendance to find such a public display embarrassing.
Except that…Farrendel frowned as he re-read the end of the ceremony. That could not be right. Surely the humans did not do something like kiss in front of a large gathering. That was highly scandalous. Such things were for a couple alone. Not to be gawked at by witnesses.
