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Andsank to one knee before her.
“Louisa,” he said, his eyes shimmering on hers, his low voice barely audible over the screeching thud of her heartbeat. “Youhave been such a blessing, and such a joy.Youhave been so kind, so brave, so hungry, and so true.Ihave never longed for a woman the wayIlong for you, andI—”
Hebroke off there, heaving for breath, drawing her hand to his mouth.Kissingit so gently, so sweetly, so warm and hopeful and reverent, oh gods, oh gods…
“MysweetLouisa,” he whispered, holding her eyes. “Willyou marry me?”
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Marryhim.Marryhim.Marryhim.
Somethingswayed and swooped inLouisa’schest, while a sudden shrill whine blared through her skull.Ulfarrwanted to marry her.Tomarryher?!
Shecouldn’t stop gaping at him, at where he was still kneeling before her, looking at her like that, with such soft, reverent hope glimmering in his eyes.WhileLouisa’sbrain just kept spinning, shouting louder and louder.Hewanted tomarryher.
“But— why?” she finally asked, numb, into the sudden, waiting silence. “Why— marriage?You’vespoken so often of — of mates, soIthought —”
Andoh, gods, what had she thought?Whathad she hoped?ThatUlfarrwould ask her to be his mate, perhaps, her andKillikboth — and no, no, she hadn’t once thought of marriage.Ofgoing through with another wedding, risking another disaster likeLordScall.LordScallwas dead…
“Ach, matehood is most oft the orc way of this,” cut inKillik’svoice, snappingLouisa’sblinking eyes toward him. “Butmany orcs choose to wed their human mates, also.Andif you andWolfwed” — his eyes glittered, strange and intent — “this will better help you.Betterkeep you safe.”
Itwould?Louisakept staring atKillik, uncomprehending, and he nodded back, his mouth set. “Ifyou have a husband,” he said, “then by your human laws,heshall be seen as the owner of this land, not you.Andthus, any attacks against you would then be turned toward him.Youshould never need to fear thisRikardagain, or face his threats or strikes against you.Ever.”
Louisa’sheartbeat skipped — he didn’t want her to faceRikard, to fearRikard?AndKilliknodded again, his eyes grim and glinting on her face. “Thisman has been hunting you for many days now,” he said, quieter. “Seekingto bring you harm.Andwe should far rather he seek to huntWolfinstead, ach?”
Louisaswallowed, and darted a look atUlfarr— who firmly nodded as he rose to his feet again, his hand still clasping hers.Asif he truly wanted this.Wantedto take on this risk for her.Wantedtomarryher.Butgods, why hadn’t they told her this, wasRikardtruly hunting her, they wanted her to escapeRikard, to forget…
“Andalso,”Killikcontinued, snapping her gaze back to his face, “if you andWolfwed, you then have surety for your sisters and their younglings.Youhave no more need to fear what might befall them, or their home, if aught ever befallsyou.Foryou ken we should care for them, always, on your behalf.”
Oh.Oh, gods.Soit was also about the — the inheritance.Theproperty.Thehouse.Abouthow by marrying her,Ulfarrwould replaceRikardasLouisa’sheir.Andhow that would make sureLouisa’skin were taken care of, if anything ever happened to her.
Andwait.Surely—Louisarapidly searchedKillik’seyes — surely it was about the camp, too.Aboutensuring the camp could stay here, on her lands, no matter what.EnsuringKillikandUlfarr’sown kin were cared for, too.
Andwhile a distant part ofLouisa’sbrain could see the logic of all this — and could even appreciate the neat, obvious solution in it — the rest of her was still stuck, staggering, shrieking.Theywanted to get married.Theywanted her to offer up her land and her safety and herlife, after she’d sworn never to put herself at such risk again, after all the hellLordScallhad put her through.Butno, no,LordScallwas dead…
“And— youwantthat?”Louisacroaked, towardUlfarr’sflushed, watching face. “Youreally want to — get married?Tome?”
Becauseyes, yes, that was a rising whispering hope, wasn’t it?MaybeUlfarrdidn’t really want it, maybe this was justKillikpushing him into it, maybe —
ButUlfarr’seyes just kept shimmering like that on hers, and he brought her hand to his mouth, gave it a soft, gentle kiss. “Ishould be most honoured,Louisa,” he whispered, hoarse. “AndIshould swear to honour you in return, and uphold your wishes, for always.Andthe payment we have been gathering for you shall yet be only yours, however you wish for this.”
Thepayment they’d been gathering?Wait, did they not even have it yet?Andit all just kept catching, spasming inLouisa’sgut, swift and dark and painful, because that was just whatLordScallhad done too, wasn’t it?Justwhat he’d promised?Marryhim, and he would care for her, honour her, support her.Butit had all been a lie, it had been for the dowry, for the coin he’d so desperately needed from her father, for the fool war he kept fighting, for the orcs he wanted to kill.Forthe sons he expected her to give him…
Louisatwitched, jolted, bit her lip, hard.No.No.LordScallwas dead.Dead.
Butthe terror was still there, jostling and churning far too close, and her wild eyes searched, and found…Killik.Killik, still standing here watching this, now with his fists and jaw clenched tight.Hiseyes shifting, his head slowly tilting as he studied her…
“Butwhat,”Louisasomehow gasped, and yes, this was something solid, something else she could cling to, please. “Butwhat about —Killik?”
Therewas more ringing, dangling silence, and nowUlfarr’seyes darted toKillik, too.Lookinghim up and down, as his brow slowly furrowed, and his head tilted, too. “Killikwishes for this, also,”Ulfarrsaid, though his voice wavered. “Ach,Killik?”
Killik’snod was too smooth, too quick, his smile too cool and practiced on his mouth. “Ach,Ido,” he said lightly. “Ihave always wished to see you settled and happy with a good woman,Wolf.AndnowIhave granted you this, to all our gain.”
Grantedyou this, to all our gain.Soeasy, so generous and dismissive, and dredging up such sharp, painful bitterness inLouisa’sgut.Grantedyou this, he’d said.You.Meaning…Ulfarr.Not… not himself.
AndKillikeven had the audacity to reach towardLouisa, to gently caress his hand against her cheek.Tomake her look at him, so he could smile at her, and sway her, and say…
“Breathe, woman,” he murmured. “Youhave naught to fear from this.YouandWolfshall find much joy and peace together, and you shall be good, strong leaders to our camp, and good parents to our son.Ihave oft tested you these past weeks, and you have proven yourself to me as a strong, fierce, faithful, worthy woman, ach?”
