Forbidden letters, p.25
Forbidden Letters, page 25
part #0.50 of Men of the North Series
“I thought Emmerson didn’t want to take the title of king.” Tyton looked up at the building.
“No, he says it has a bad connotation after the way Jeremiah mistreated our people. He’ll be Emperor Emmerson.”
“Emperor?” Tyton’s brow rose.
“Yes. I like queen better than empress, but Emmerson isn’t budging.”
I smiled at Wilma. “I’m just happy that you’re all right. Tyton told me about the awful things that happened.”
“Did he tell you we women saved him and the other men?”
“Yes.”
Wilma’s eyes swung to her brother. “It would have been your head on one of those spears if I hadn’t put a knife in that disgusting pig.”
Tyton took a step forward and pressed a kiss on top of her hair. “I’m glad you did.”
There was a tender moment between them as they exchanged a long smile and then Wilma threw a nod to the building. “The men are in there. They’ve been waiting for you.”
“Thanks.” Moving forward, Tyton pulled me with him.
“It’s okay, Devina can stay with me while you talk to them.”
Tyton tightened his hold on my hand. “No! Devina and I stay together until we’re legally married. No one is coming between us.”
“You’ve seen what I can do. Don’t you trust me to protect her?” Wilma asked with humor in her eyes.
“No, and I don’t like that you’re out here without a protector either.” Tyton kept going, with me following him.
Wilma caught up and complained, “If you tell Emmerson that I ran out here by myself, I’ll be really pissed at you. I saw your drone arrive and I couldn’t wait to see you. All the men do is talk and strategize. Mom, Marni, Claire, and Starr are watching the children in the banquet hall, but that’s boring too. I wanna go explore every room but Emmerson doesn’t trust any of the guards yet, so he wants me to stay close to him. We were going to explore the palace last night together, but we didn’t make it far.”
“Why not?” I asked.
She chuckled. “Because we walked into a very pretty bedroom and didn’t made it out of that room until this morning.”
Tyton stopped. “So, Emmerson doesn’t know you left the room to meet us?”
“No. Which is why you’ll let me sneak back in before you knock on the door.”
Tyton’s low laughter rumbled from his chest. “It’s too late for that.” He pointed up.
Wilma and I looked up at the same time to see four grave faces stare down at us. Emmerson opened a window and with Frederick, Lucas, and William behind him, he spoke in a firm tone.
“Wilma, what are you doing out there when I asked you to stay close to me?”
“I was only gone for a second.”
Slamming his hand down on the windowsill, Emmerson was red in the face. “I don’t care. Do you have any idea how fast my heart was beating when I turned to see your chair was empty? How the hell did you even get out without us noticing?”
Wilma looked secretly proud of herself. “You were all distracted when you looked at that list of people you were discussing. I saw Tyton’s drone and I went to welcome them.”
“Don’t you ever fucking pull a stunt like that on me again. If anyone gets to you it will kill me. Do you understand?”
Wilma looked to her father for support, but William’s face was as stern as Emmerson’s, so her head fell and she fiddled with her hands. “Sorry.”
I had a feeling this wasn’t the last time Wilma would get in trouble, and I didn’t blame her. The thought of always having to ask for permission to go anywhere didn’t sit well with me, but a quick look over my shoulder, to see the five heads on the spears outside, made me move closer to Tyton.
“This is Devina,” Tyton introduced me.
Emmerson nodded to me and addressed Tyton. “Come up so we can talk.
Wilma ran up the stairs and stood waiting for us at the end of the staircase. “Holy shit, you two are slow.”
I wondered why she was so eager to get back to Emmerson when he was mad at her, but the girl was fearless and ran straight into his arms and cuddled up against him. Emmerson closed his arms around her and lowered his head and whispered something to her. He looked as large and fierce as he had the time I saw him fight for her.
“Good to see you again, Devina.” Frederick was the first to approach Tyton and me. He was smiling widely. “You really faked your own death to be with Tyton?”
I gave a small nod.
Frederick’s eyes lowered to my abdomen and his eyes glistened. “It’s like a fucking miracle.”
William came over and was followed by the others in the room, who all congratulated us.
“So, you’re sure you want to be with Tyton?” Emmerson had his arm locked around Wilma. “I now have the authority to wed you two, but I need to be sure it’s what you want.”
“It is,” Tyton answered.
Emmerson ignored him and kept his eyes on me. “I’m sure you can speak for yourself.”
“Yes.” I licked my lips, feeling nervous with all the large men staring down at me. My hand went to my belly as I found strength in the fact that I wasn’t doing this for me alone. “I want to be with Tyton.”
“Why?” Emmerson’s direct question surprised me.
“Because… ehh…”
“Why would you leave the Motherlands to move here?”
I swallowed hard and tried to find my words. “I don’t have a rational explanation for it. It’s more like a pull in me that I can’t explain with words. Tyton and I…” I looked up to meet Tyton’s eyes and felt him squeeze my hand. “I don’t know why, but he feels like family to me.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling. That’s how Tyton feels to me too.” Frederick laughed at his own joke and it lightened the situation, but Emmerson wasn’t prepared to back off.
“We’ve never had a situation like this in the Northlands and there will no doubt be protests that Tyton gets to claim you without fighting for you. Other men will feel cheated.”
“But I don’t want anyone but Tyton.”
Lucas grinned and shoved at Tyton’s shoulder while I added, “We’re in love.”
Emmerson narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, but that’s the thing. Marriages here don’t require that the couple be in love. That part comes later once the couple gets to know each other.” He shifted his stance. “It’s not a valid argument to marry you two and besides, from what I understand you haven’t spent much time together, so how can you say that you love him?”
“We got to know each other through our letters.”
“Hmm… I’m searching for an argument that will justify letting Tyton marry you without a fight.”
Tyton groaned. “All you have to tell them is that I’ve already claimed her and that she’s pregnant with my child. Now, stop grilling my woman with all your questions. She chose to be here and you can see that I’m not forcing her.”
Emmerson’s eyes traveled between Tyton and me and he scratched his beard.
Tyton was losing his patience. “Come on, man, just say the words that will make us man and wife, so I can relax a little.”
Emmerson held up a hand. “Be patient, my friend. We have to do this right.”
Tyton was jumpy and with a deep frown he got testy, “What do you mean? You said there would be no tournament.”
“Will you just listen?” Emmerson arched a brow. “I mean we’re going to announce it to the whole fucking country. That way no one will question the legitimacy of your marriage.”
“I don’t know… I mean what if the Motherlands has a spy on this side? They would find out about Devina being here and ask to have her back.”
The men all laughed at Tyton’s paranoia.
“Who the hell would spy on their own country for the Motherlands?”
Tyton still looked troubled. “I had contact with Devina without anyone knowing it. Someone else could be talking with people on the other side of the wall and rumors could spread.”
William turned to me. “Devina, do you think the Council in the Motherlands would ask to have you back if they found out that you are here now?”
I thought about it and then shook my head. “In a way I think that they’ll be relieved that I’m no longer around to stir up more trouble.”
“What are you talking about?” Lucas frowned with confusion.
“It might sound strange to you people, but the Council saw me as a troublemaker because of the book I wrote with Tyton. It was a love story about a man from the North and a woman from the Motherlands and it caused quite a controversy. To be honest, I suspect they’ll use my suicide note to justify why they banned my book and made it illegal to even mention you Nmen.”
“They did what?” Lucas who hadn’t said much scrunched up his face.
“After the book came out the News has reported about women trying to climb the wall and getting injured in falls. The Council members know that you men are dangerous, primitive, and violent. That’s why they’re trying to protect everyone in the Motherlands from you.”
“We’re not primitive or dangerous…” Emmerson gave an offended snort.
I turned my head to the window in the direction of the spears outside. “But you are.”
He shifted his weight and shrugged. “Okay. Fair enough, but we’re not dangerous to women.” Pulling Wilma closer, he added, “We protect them.”
“Just like we protect you men,” Wilma interjected.
“The thing is…” I began and avoided all the eyes of the men. “In the Motherlands there’s nothing to be protected from. Crime is rare, and men are gentle and kind. That’s why the Council considers anyone who wants to come here as naïve and unable to make good decisions for themselves. Right now, they’re doing damage control and trying to eradicate all versions of my book and making it illegal to even mention the men of the North.”
“Huh.” Frederick placed his hands on his hips. “That’s fucked up.”
“You have no idea.” Tyton nudged my shoulder. “Tell them about the ban on emotionally disturbing things.”
“Ehh, yes, any movie or book that contains emotionally charged content such as horror or romance is banned too.”
Tyton added, “They even have a new policy where they can’t swear or they’ll get reported for inappropriate speech.”
“It’s called improper communication,” I corrected him.
“Improper my ass,” Emmerson scoffed. “Now I see why you want to live on this side.”
“Yeah, but mostly it’s because of me, right?” Tyton gave me a loving gaze.
“Yes.” I smiled back at him.
“So, let’s get this party started.” Emmerson clapped his hands together. “This king slayer has a wedding to prepare.”
CHAPTER 36
Magic Words
Tyton
The six hours I had to wait until I could marry Devina felt like six years. Emmerson was a new emperor and we were all on edge since he hadn’t established complete control of the Northlands yet. I understood why Emmerson wanted to perform the ceremony in front of an audience and transmit it to the entire country, but all I wanted was for him to say the magic words that would formally bond Devina and me together.
Frederick had been trying to calm my nerves for the last hours with little success. “Relax, brother, no one is going to challenge you for her. She might not have a ring on her finger, but her pregnancy is visible and that alone will make other men treat her as a married woman.”
“I fucking hope so.” I was pacing the room and kept looking toward the door. “What’s taking them so long?”
He handed me a beer. “Have something to drink.”
“No. I’m not thirsty.” No food or beverages would ever satisfy the craving I felt. “I just want Devina back here and for Emmerson to say the words.”
Frederick moved to the window and looked down into the courtyard. “The press is here.”
“Good, then we can get started.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it won’t be long now, and don’t worry about Devina; the women are taking good care of her. It shouldn’t have surprised you that Mom insisted they should dress her up and do her hair. A woman only marries once, and all that.”
I groaned. “We can have a wedding party later. Right now I just want to make it official that she’s mine and I’m hers.”
Loud steps sounded outside just before the doors opened and Emmerson strode in. “Are you ready?”
“Yes!” I was already moving to the door, where Emmerson stopped me with a hand to my shoulder.
“First, I’ll speak to the nation and then I’ll perform the ceremony. The press will have questions and I think it’s better if you answer at least a few of them.”
“Okay, can we go now?”
“Damn, you’re eager.”
“Hey, I saw you fall to your knees in relief when my sister picked you. What don’t you understand about my eagerness?”
“But Devina already picked you. The ceremony is just a formality.”
I pushed his hand away. “Emmerson, stop wasting my time. I want to marry my woman, now!”
He laughed and smacked me on my back. “It will be my privilege.”
The banquet hall was filled with friends and family that had flown in on short notice. A few looked hung over because yesterday had been New Year’s Eve, and many had celebrated the death of King Jeremiah.
A group of people from the press were present and filmed as the new emperor strode in with Frederick and me at his sides.
We walked up the floor with confidence and greeted people we knew on the way. There was a step up to the emperor’s table, where our closest family was gathered.
The people in the room were clapping to show their excitement that Emmerson was now in charge and when he turned to speak to them, he had to raise his hands to silence the loud cheers.
“Today is the first day in the year of 2237. It’s also the first day of a new era in the Northlands where I will rule instead of King Jeremiah. It’s tradition in our country that we all celebrate when a girl is born because with too few women, each one of them is precious. Today I have something spectacular to share with you as we’re adding a woman to our current number of two hundred and six.” Emmerson paused and let the anticipation build in the room.
“She’s not a baby but a beautiful and grown woman ready to marry and bear children.”
Whistles and outbursts were heard in the large room and again Emmerson had to wait for the cheers to quiet down. I closed my hands into fists, not happy with the way he teased the men in the room that Devina was already taken.
“A woman from the Motherlands has chosen to move here and have a family. She made it a condition that she got to choose her own husband and I agreed. The man she has chosen is the father of her unborn child, Tyton Green.”
Confused mutters filled the room.
“I know this isn’t according to our traditions, but if we’re lucky the child she’s already carrying will be the first of many girls.”
I listened to him talk for what felt like an eternity before Emmerson finally placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a smile. “Are you ready to see your bride?”
I nodded and stood straighter.
On his signal, the doors to the back of the room opened and Devina came in with Wilma, Starr, and Claire behind her.
I forgot to breathe as I watched Devina come toward me in a dress that showed off her gorgeous curves and displayed her pregnancy to the world.
“Wow,” Frederick muttered and I sucked in a breath.
There was envy in the men’s eyes when Devina passed them with her sole focus being on me. My chest was bursting with pride that she had chosen me over every other man in this country.
When she was ten steps from me, her smile grew and it was like the whole room lit up with bright sunshine. It had to be the most angelic smile in the history of the Northlands and I swallowed hard to suppress all the emotions in my throat.
I reached out my hand to her when she was close. Still smiling, Devina took it and walked into my arms to hug me tight.
At normal weddings there was no hugging or kissing before a ceremony, but we weren’t strangers and I closed my arms around her and kissed her.
Emmerson grinned and spoke up again. “I’ll say that shows every skeptic that the bride knows this man and wasn’t forced in any way.”
He gestured for us to face him and then he began a speech about the joy of finding love and how hopefully the future would bring many more unions between Nmen and Motlander women. I only heard half of it because I was blinded by the beauty of my bride.
Emmerson raised a piece of paper and read from it.
“Do you, Devina Baker, take Tyton Green as your husband?”
“Yes.” She smiled at me.
“Do you promise to love him for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health; to cherish, and stay true till death do you part?
“Yes.”
“And do you, Tyton Green, take Devina Baker as your wife?”
“I do.”
“Do you promise to honor, cherish, and protect her for as long as you live?”
“I do.”
“Then give her your ring as a symbol that you will worship her with your body and endow her with all your worldly possessions.” Emmerson nodded to Frederick, who stepped forward with two rings on his palms. They were simple rings that would serve only until we had time to pick out the right ring for Devina.
My hands shook when I slid the ring onto her finger. I had visualized this moment a thousand times these past six hours while waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Emmerson’s voice was loud and clear. “I now declare you husband and wife.”
The explosion of euphoria inside me made me lift Devina from the floor and claim her in front of the nation in a deep kiss.
In the background white noise rose from cheers, whistling, and laughter, but all I focused on was the feeling of ultimate victory, and my fist rose in the air.
I may not have fought for Devina in a tournament, but I had faced a different kind of battle in seducing a Motlander who had been brainwashed to think of us Nmen as dangerous monsters. I still didn’t understand how I’d managed to make her want to leave the Motherlands and stay with me, but I would never question her choice. Miracles happened, and this was my personal miracle.
