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It was true that Mirri would be able to navigate this tricky situation, of course. But my real reason for bringing him along was that I wanted to spend some time alone with him, where we wouldn't be interrupted. And where his family was unlikely to follow.
As predicted, the Woodspurs insisted on accompanying us into town, but they balked when they realized that not only were Mirri and I intending to speak with the stable master, but that we also intended to pitch in and do some work while we were there. Lady Woodspur gave a little sniff that clearly said she thought manual labor was beneath someone of my station—and hers. But she wisely kept her mouth shut. When we arrived at the stables, she and her husband made their excuses and hurried off to the shops in town, insinuating that they would take the opportunity to buy Mirri a bonding gift.
Mirri and I stood side by side near the stables, watching his parents depart. "You know they're going to run up a tab in my name, don't you?" He asked tiredly.
I shrugged. "I'm aware. But if it gets them out of our hair for the afternoon, then I couldn't care less. I'll gladly foot the bill."
He shook his head. "You're far too understanding, Kat. But thank you. I appreciate you not ruffling their feathers."
I clapped him on the shoulder and headed into the stable. "Don't mention it. Ready to go shovel some shit?"
He chuckled as he followed me. "I thought we were here to speak with the stable master."
I looked over my shoulder at him and grinned. "We are. Which is going to require shoveling a massive pile of bullshit. Then we'll go muck out stalls for a while to make him feel better about taking orders from an upstart kid like me."
His genuine laughter was music to my ears.
I was right about meeting with the stable master, though. Hoof was old, and surly, and full of himself. But he took excellent care of the creatures he looked after and ran a tight ship in the barns. He had been the stable master for Mistvale since before my stepmother became steward, and he was as embedded in his ways as a fae could get. But difficult as he was to deal with, I wouldn't trade him for anyone else. He really was a gem…under all the bullshit.
When I advised that the mountain pass was ahead of schedule and would be finished before the festival, his bushy eyebrows rose into his hairline and his lowborn fae features turned such a bright shade of crimson that I thought he was going to have a stroke. "And you're only telling me this now?" he demanded, fisted hands resting on his overall-clad hips. "What do you expect me to do, baby steward? Pull a new barn and an extra paddock out of my ass?"
I rolled my eyes and prepared for what I knew was going to be a lengthy argument. We all knew I would win, since I was actually the one in charge. But no decisions would be made until old Hoof had his say.
At first, he bit Mirri's head off too. But eventually the crusty old fae gave in to Mirri's calm, gentle suggestions for compromise. Especially once he realized Mirri had extensive knowledge about the workings of a public stable, no doubt because of my mate's insatiable thirst for knowledge about everything.
After an about an hour, we finally worked out the details, and Hoof agreed to divide the larger stalls temporarily into smaller units, to set up staff in a pasture donated by a local farm to tend to those mounts that didn't need to be housed indoors, and to draw up some plans for an additional stable structure for me to review for the future so we wouldn't encounter this problem again.
By that time, I was glad to go spend some time mucking out stalls. It soothed Hoof's ego to know that I didn't think myself above the work he and his underlings did. And I'd take manual labor over cajoling and verbally placating grumpy employees any day.
Plus, it finally gave me some time alone with Mirri.
We chose an out-of-the-way corner of the large, pristine stable and I showed Mirri where the pitchforks and wheelbarrows were located. Half the griffins who were usually housed here were currently off having sky time or being employed by their owners, so it was just us and a few of the older, more docile beasts dozing in their stalls.
"So," Mirri said, leaning on the handle of his pitchfork as I grabbed one for myself. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
I glanced at him in surprise, but he just gave me a sad, soft smile. "I know you didn't really need me here to handle the crotchety stable master. You're obviously well-used to haggling with him."
I sighed, tossing my pitchfork into a wheelbarrow, and heading toward the stalls with it. "You're onto me," I admitted sheepishly. "I just wanted to get you away from your parents for a while, and out here there won't be any servants popping in or citizens needing the steward's attention. Just you, me and the griffins."
He chuckled. "At least you're honest." Then he gave me a tired look. "It's about my parents, isn't it?"
I nodded and grabbed my pitchfork, and we both got to work as we talked. "I know that winning the tournament was meant to keep you away from them," I said slowly. "I know they had some sort of unsavory bonding plans for you. But no one has ever told me exactly why those plans were so terrible, or what in the world your parents could have done to make you actually go along with it. The others seemed to think that was your business. And I agreed with them. But, Mirri…" I tossed my forkful of straw and dung into the wheelbarrow and turned to him, hoping he could see how concerned I really was. "I'm worried about you. You seem tired, and you're not yourself. What happened between you and your parents?"
He sighed. "You're right. I'm afraid I'm a bit of a mess. And it's silly, really. I know I'm safe here. I just…sometimes I wonder what would have happened to me if I hadn't overheard their scheming and told the others. I was completely oblivious to the danger I was in. And sometimes I think…well, what if I'm that oblivious again? What if something else is going on that I'm not aware of? And what if they decide to carry out their previous threats?" He shrugged. "Even though I know it's paranoid, still, the thoughts creep in. And having my parents here makes me feel extra vigilant. I'm sorry, Kat. I want to be a good co-steward for you. And I know this is messing everything up. It's trouble that you don't need right now."
His shoulders rounded, and his wings flicked and snapped before stilling again. "I don’t want you to risk angering them, Kat. I should speak with them privately and ask them to leave. I just…" He closed his eyes and tossed his pitchfork aside, then turned away from me slightly, clutching the top of the box stall with his hands. "I'm afraid of being alone with them," he admitted. "Like a frightened child, rather than a fully grown adult fae. A very attractive trait in a mate, I'm sure."
I set my pitchfork aside and went to place a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going to judge you for whatever it is you're feeling, Mirri. And having fears doesn't make you any less of a person. I just want to understand what happened, so maybe I can keep it from happening again." The truth spilled from my lips without my permission, as I bared my heart to Mirri the same way he had just bared his to me. "I want to be someone you can confide in." I wanted to be a safe place for him. For all of my mates. If only we could get past the lingering hurt my deception had caused.
He rubbed his hands over his face before straightening. "I know," he whispered. His face and the tips of his ears were red with embarrassment, but his golden eyes met mine, and they were filled with understanding. Mirri trusted me to be a sanctuary for his vulnerable heart. He sucked in a deep breath and finally admitted what had him so frightened. "They called it a bonding arrangement, a marriage. But they were planning to sell me," he said flatly. "I found out that my potential mate was a lowborn flesh dealer, one who specialized in trafficking fae to human buyers overseas. I can only guess what he wanted me for—probably to force me to travel around with him to the human kingdoms and participate in some sort of novelty show or freak attraction."
I felt my eyes go wide in shock, and my mouth fell open, but no words came out. Of all the things I would have guessed, this would not have occurred to me.
"They've always been ashamed of me," Mirri said with a shrug. "I was never the child they hoped for." He ran a hand over one of his mismatched antlers in illustration. "My parents have always been social climbers. Even once they became nobles, they were never happy with their lot in life, always grasping for more wealth and more prestige." He shrugged, his tone self-deprecating. "And everything about me is all mixed-up and…off. I don't know why it should matter so much, since all highborn have animal features of some sort. But my having a mix of features was always a point of contention with them whenever they'd drag me along to social gatherings. And my gender…that was an even bigger disappointment. They thought it would prevent me from marrying up and improving our social standing that way. They were never able to conceive another child, so…I was all they had. Their only chance at improving their fortune, and I was neither boy nor girl, and more interested in books and scholarly endeavors than chasing political aspirations or finding a wealthy mate for them to bleed dry."
I shook my head, overwhelmed with fury. "So they thought marrying you off to a monster was the solution? Mirri, how the underhill did they think they’d ever get you to go along with it? You’re an adult now. They can’t have that much control over you!"
He shrugged again, then ran a hand through his wavy auburn locks. "I told them no, at first. Insisted they were mad, and I’d never go along with it, even before I found out what my intended mate was.” His expression was heartbreaking. “I knew they didn't love me. But I honestly never thought they'd go that far.” Shrugging off his sadness, he continued. “I went to fetch a book from my father's study one day and heard them talking about it, about the sort of business the man did and how I’d fit right in. How he’d pay them a huge sum and be an asset to have as a ‘friend.’ I was living on my own by then, of course. But I’d come back to their house to retrieve some books I had left there when I moved out. They didn't even know I was there, didn’t know I was listening in."
