What Skaldur's hall lacked in grace, it bore in might. The ceiling rose like a mountain's belly, the air vast and clean. Wind swept through open arches carved on either side, its chill fingers stirring Aeris's hair, tugging at her gown, and cooling the sun-warmed sweat on her skin.
She walked behind the Zerek's men, broad-shouldered and damp with travel, their boots echoing across the stone floor. At their front strode Zerek himself, proud as a bull elk, toward the high seat where the King Alpha of Skaldur sat. Beside him, the Luna—stern and still—watched with eyes like silver. Their shapes loomed ahead, blurred by the shifting line of men, but Aeris did not mind the obscured view.
Better to be behind than beside Zerek and his cursed laughter. The man had clung to her through the whole journey, ever grinning, ever needling her with his jest. A brute with a sharp tongue and no shame. And now, he strutted ahead to meet his kin, as if he were not born of battle and bastardy.
None bowed in Skaldur's halls save to the alpha. Even Zerek, though he stood tall while his men knelt, lowered his head. "Father. Mother. I have returned."
Aeris stood quiet, her gaze drinking in the majesty of the throne before her. Hewn from black stone and polished to a dark gleam, it loomed like a jewel born of the earth's deepest caverns. Upon it sat the King Alpha, his presence commanding, his form vast and solid, much like his son. Age had touched him in shades of silver, his beard thick and full, veiling his mouth so completely that Aeris had to search for his words when he spoke.
"Have you brought the princess you have chosen?" His voice was even, neither booming nor whispered.
Zerek lifted his hand, a gesture not of grace, but of summoning, as though she were some servant to be beckoned. Aeris regarded it, let it linger in the space between them, then dismissed it. Instead, she bowed her head to the king, the courtesy Selene would have commanded of her. "Princess Aeris of Duskari," she declared.
As she lifted her eyes from the Alpha, they found his Luna, and there, she saw the rage. The woman's gaze bore into Zerek with poison, the look so deadly that Aeris blinked against the force of it. Pale eyes, reminiscent of Kali's, though narrower, more striking against the dark markings lining them. Like Kali, her hair was silver, a river of light against the shadow of her throne.
"Welcome to Skaldur," the Alpha King said, his beard lifting as his lips curled into a smile. "May your journey have been kind to you, princess."
Aeris felt Zerek's gaze upon her, marked with expectation, hungry for her to crumble, to voice the complaints he was certain she bore. But she would not yield. She had known filth before, earned through toil, through battle, through the fierce charge of a horse beneath her. This was different. This grime clung to her spirit, the residue of exhaustion and indignity. Her body ached from the unrelenting ride, the lack of rest, the scarcity of sustenance. Her throat was parched, lips cracked, yet she held herself with grace.
"It was a wonderful journey, thank you," she said, voice firm.
The Luna studied her, keen-eyed, lips parting to speak in a tone richer, huskier than Aeris had expected. "You look tired. Did Zerek mistreat you?" There was no attempt to veil the disdain in her gaze as it flicked toward her son. "I know how he is—he treats women like burdens, no different than a horse. I hope you did not let him lay hands on you before the ceremonial rites."
Aeris gasped. The words fell so freely, so unguarded, as if spoken by a woman who did not know or did not care that such things should not be said so openly. When the Luna saw her reaction, she did not hesitate, only clarified: "Did he bend you over, girl?"
Girl. Bend her over? The crude frankness of it sent a jolt through Aeris' chest. Words failed her, tangled upon her tongue. "I—I…" she stammered.
"I promise, mother," Zerek said, the word laced with mockery, "I kept her as untouched as when she left her father's halls. In fact, he begged me not to take her until she turns eighteen."
"Oh?" The Alpha King shifted on his throne. "And why is that?"
Zerek's smile grew. "They still think of her as a child."
The Alpha King let out a deep throat laugh that bounced off the high stone walls. "A child! That is something. Then keep your promise, boy. Do not touch her until she is grown."
Heat crawled up Aeris's neck. Her fingers curled into her palms. She didn't know who she was angrier at—the king for laughing at her father, Zerek for being himself, or the Luna for dragging such a thing into the open. Her chest rose and fell faster now, though she kept her posture still.
"Let us throw a feast," the Alpha said, still amused. "To welcome the child princess."
"I am not a child," Aeris said, her voice firm though her hands trembled. "I may not yet be of age by Duskari law, but I am a woman. I can speak for myself. I can endure what others cannot."
Zerek looked at her like she was both a joke and a fool. His eyes held that same smug gleam.
The Luna tilted her head, silver hair sliding over her shoulder. "Are you so eager to warm Zerek's bed, girl?"
Aeris's breath caught. "What?" she gasped. "That's not—what I meant was—"
But Zerek cut her off. "I already have many willing women. There's no space in my bed for children. Best you wait until you're grown, little Princess Aeris."
Aeris clenched her teeth, the urge to wipe the smirk off his face surging hot in her veins. The insufferable man had already dismissed her, shifting his attention. "Father, I hear the northern tribes have broken treaty."
The Alpha King's features darkened. "It is good you've come. I know the road has been long, but would you ride to suppress them?"
The Luna scoffed, bristling. "Why bother? Kali has already gone. Let him prove his blood as Alpha and prince of Skaldur."
The Alpha King placed a steadying hand upon hers. "I know. But Zerek has long-standing ties with them. Go, and aid your brother, Zerek."
"As you wish, Father, but I will not take their princess as you desire," Zerek declared.
The Alpha King's gaze flickered over Aeris, pointed and assessing. She held her breath. "If there is no other way?" he asked.
"Then death remains an option." His words were void of hesitation, spoken with the casual ease of a man who wielded slaughter like a craftsman wielded his tools. "I will put an end to the entire clan and be done with it."
"What we seek is peace, not blood," the King countered. "What is one more wife, added to your house?"
The Luna scoffed, scorn dripping from her lips. "The inner court overflows as it is, my King. And now, another princess." Her distaste was laid bare.
The Alpha King was unmoved. "Take her as your wife, if it will bring resolution, Zerek. But peace is the only path forward."
Silence held for a moment. Then, at last, Zerek inclined his head. "As you wish, Father." He turned, giving his command, though his tone bore none of the kindness his words feigned. "Take the princess to the inner court and treat her well."
Aeris felt the weight of his gaze settle upon her like a hand around her throat. The cruelty in his black eyes told her all she needed to know. Blood would spill tonight.