. “How do you feel about marrying me?”
Caden
shrugged. “I feel nothing, Sire. My father had only just finished telling me
when the horns announced your arrival. I haven’t really had the chance to think
about it.”
“Well
I am giving you the chance now. Think about it and tell me!” Rhys demanded.
Caden
drew in a deep, shuddering breath, his fingers beginning to worry the fabric of
his clothes. “I... I am afraid.”
Rhys
blinked. That had not been the admission he’d been expecting; he’d expected
Caden to be repulsed, angry even, but not afraid. “Why?”
Caden
ducked his head, then raised it again. “Because you already seem displeased
with me, Sire, and I am unsure what I have done to cause it. If it is my eyes,
I am truly sorry. I am not devil-touched. I swear that is just the superstition
of some of our people, the priests have blessed me many times to be sure of
it.”
Rhys
once more found himself with his mouth hanging open as he looked at Caden,
wanting to laugh at the absurdity of it until a sudden realization dawned on
him. “Your eyes offend your mother, don’t they?”
Caden
hesitated, and then nodded once, his face turning a deeper shade of red.
Rhys
thought back to the cruel words Mildred had whispered in the hall and could
only imagine what Caden must endure, living with her day after day. It came as
a relief to Rhys to know that there had certainly been no laughter and poking
fun about the broken prince between mother and son. More at ease, Rhys stood in
front of Caden and studied his eyes at length, knowing it was making him
uncomfortable. Caden’s one green eye was a mixture of colors, light and dark
green with gold flecks that almost seemed to sparkle, while his white eye
wasn’t truly white at all, but so pale a green that the color was only visible
when one looked deeply enough to see it. It was fascinating to stare into them,
and Rhys was certain it was going to become one of his favorite pastimes, once
they got the wedding underway.
Satisfied
that his intended did not mean to start their union with mockery and insults,
Rhys stepped away. “Is there anything you wish to ask me before we are wed?”
Caden
nodded, and Rhys stood ready to answer questions about his people or the home
they would be living in, or even about the nature of his limp and how he’d been
injured, but that wasn’t what Caden wanted to know.
“Will
you allow me to bring my hounds, Brutes and Titus, with me to Mauritania? I’ve
raised them since they were pups, and I promise they are well trained and will
be no trouble.”
“Your
dogs...?” Rhys began, stunned for a moment. “I offer you the chance to ask me
whatever you wish, and you ask me if you can bring your dogs to live with us?”
“Yes,
Sire. They are my best friends, I would hate to leave them behind.”
“And
if I say no?”
“Then
I will leave them for my father to care for,” Caden said, his breath hitching
as he said the words.
Rhys
had no problem with dogs, loved them in fact, but he wanted to test the truth
of Caden’s words, fully expecting a tantrum. “Then no, you cannot bring the
dogs. They will have to stay behind.”
Caden
stiffened, tears springing to his eyes. Rhys watched him struggle to maintain
his composure and awaited the outburst of hateful words and insults that he was
sure would come. A single tear slid down Caden’s cheek, and his lower lip
trembled before he spoke, but they weren’t the words Rhys had been expecting.
“As
you wish, Sire,” was all that Caden said, even as he began to shake with the
effort of holding back his tears.
Again
Rhys was left feeling confused and unsettled, unable to understand why he had
not received the responses he’d expected. Perhaps Caden was waiting until after
the wedding to show his true colors? Or maybe he was waiting until they arrived
back in Mauritania, where there would be others anxious and eager to insult and
belittle their prince. Rhys would have to remain on guard and watch him closely
to ensure Caden stayed clear of them. He would not have his own husband
undermining and humiliating him.
“Go
back to your chamber and finish your preparations. We will be married in less
than an hour,” Rhys ordered and watched as Caden bowed and then quickly fled the
chamber. When the door closed behind him, Rhys caught sight of Nigel’s pinched
frown.
“What
do you think he’s planning?” Rhys asked the trusted guard.
Nigel
shook his head. “I’m not certain that he’s planning anything, Rhys. He seemed
quite sincere.”
“For
now, but keep a close eye on him once he’s on the ship. I find him unsettling.
When we arrive back in Mauritania, I will appoint Luc to be his guard. That way
we are sure to learn of whatever mischief he gets into.”
Nigel
studied Rhys for several long minutes “I think you would have made great
strides in earning his loyalty and trust if you had allowed him to bring the
dogs.”
“I
was hoping to prompt him to a fit of temper, but he has a calmer disposition
than I’d thought.”
“You
prompted him to tears. I am not sure that is the best way to begin a union,”
Petyr scolded gently.
Rhys
had the good grace to look properly chastised, but he was not going to change
his mind about the dogs, not when it could be seen as a sign of weakness. The
last thing he needed was for Caden to think he could be moved by piteous tears.
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