Heart of Defiance (The Royal Spares)

Chapter 23

Several months later

Signy

M y silky dress rustles around me as I shift on my feet. Everywhere I look, mosaics of swans and roses and swaths of pink draped across pale marble meet my eyes, making it impossible to forget exactly whose territory I’ve wandered into.

The Temple of Blissful Devotion is the largest temple in all of Velduny dedicated solely to Ardone, the godlen of love and beauty. We figured if we were going to request her blessing for a rather atypical sort of love, it’d be best to do it in her most prominent worldly home.

But now that I’m here, surrounded by all those symbols of divinity, I can’t suppress the jitter of my nerves.

I drag in a deep breath of the perfumed air, scented by the very real roses that grow all around the airy building. Jostein comes up behind me, tucking his arm around my back.

He must be able to pick up on my worries. He leans in to press a tender kiss to my forehead. “We don’t have to do this. Not now, not even ever. Getting Ardone’s approval won’t change how much any of us love you.”

I twine my fingers with his. “I know. But it makes a difference to the rest of the world.”

For everyone who’s accepted my joint relationship with three men, there are others who mutter scornful gossip and shoot disdainful glances our way. Never terribly overt, because I am still hailed as a hero of the rebellion, but I notice it and I know my lovers do too.

I never want them to have any opportunity denied to them because of their association with me. I want the whole country to see that the gods themselves support our shared affection.

But what if they don’t? What if Ardone feels I’ve asked for too much, that I’m not worthy of monopolizing not just one but three incredible men?

Well, I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge, even those seemingly impossible.

As I square my shoulders with resolve, Iko and Landric amble over to join us. All three of my men have dressed up for the occasion like I have, them in formal jackets and trousers that set off their stunning looks to impressive effect. Taking them all in, I have to catch my breath.

“Getting cold feet?” Iko teases, giving one of the loose tendrils of my hair a playful tug.

I laugh. “Not at all.”

Landric holds my gaze with all his usual intensity, his dark eyes never failing to send a tingle over my skin. “No matter what happens, we’ll be by your side. ”

I reach to grip his hand as well and aim a determined smile at Iko. “And I’ll be by yours. I love you all so much.”

If that’s not enough for the godlen dedicated to love, what could be?

With her blessing, we can properly marry. Our bond will be treated as just as valid as any other official partnering.

And I can confirm the love that’s solidified between us over the past several months in the most unequivocal possible way.

One of the devouts in his pink robe of worship approaches us, tapping his fingers down his front in the gesture of the divinities as if to bring his chosen godlen to the conversation with him. “It’s time. You can follow me.”

Gathering myself, I walk into the main atrium of the temple surrounded by my men. Light in shades of pink, red, and purple beams down through the panes of stained glass on the domed roof overhead.

Several more devouts stand in a ring around the edges of the atrium. The one who brought us leads us before the cleric who presides over this temple, who’s waiting by an altar at the one end.

The cleric bows her head to us with a soft smile that’s also faintly sly. Ardone’s worshippers are advocates for all sorts of romantic love, from the most innocent to the most carnal.

“Are you ready?” she asks.

When we all nod, she spreads her hands toward us. “Signy Mauddaut of Adelay, Jostein Silvansson of Nalbrecht, Iko Gerholdsson of Nalbrecht, and Landric Klausson of Adelay, you come before our passionate godlen today to seek her blessing for your union—one between the four of you instead of a partnering of two. What would you say to Ardone about your association?”

Jostein speaks first, with the commanding tone that provokes a giddy shiver down the center of me. “Signy owns my whole heart. My love is great enough that I welcome the love others can offer her as well.”

Iko trails his fingers across the small of my back. “I’ve never cared for anyone else like I do for Signy—and I love seeing how much joy she experiences with Jostein and Landric as much as what she feels with me.”

Landric shoots me a quick but fond smile. “I spent most of my life knowing I was missing something but too afraid to pursue it. Now that I’ve found my place with Signy, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. And what we have wouldn’t feel complete without these two men who’ve become my greatest friends.”

Now it’s my turn. My throat closes up with a swell of emotion before I manage to summon the words, raw with truth. “I never knew how much love I was capable of until we found each other. What I feel for each of them seems incredible on its own; to feel it all at once three times over is a blessing in itself.”

Did that come out all right? My men seem to think so, all of them beaming down at me. The cleric’s expression gives no indication of approval or concern.

She tips her face back to the multi-colored light and raises her hands. “I have given my blessing to many couplings in Ardone’s name—man to woman, man to man, woman to woman. To so bless four in their shared union, I reach out to the godlen herself. Ardone, if you would exalt this love, please give us a sign.”

I have no idea what to expect. The gods normally work in subtle ways. I wait, my heart thudding, unsure how long we have before our relationship is declared unsanctioned after all.

Then a shadow passes through the sunlight streaming through the dome, like a puff of cloud. The pink-tinged beams swirl and intensify in a ring around the four of us for a few fleeting seconds before it expands back into its previous diffuse glow.

My lips part in awe. When I look at the cleric again, her eyes are open, sparkling with happiness. “Ardone has welcomed you into her embrace. You may go forward with all the same respect and consideration as any other union.”

A laugh both startled and relieved tumbles from my mouth. Iko catches me in his arms and whirls me around. The moment he lowers my feet back to the ground, Jostein and Landric draw in around me in a joint embrace of our own.

The cleric lets out an amused hum. “I think you can celebrate a little more ardently than that.”

Before I can get out so much as another giggle, Landric has accepted that challenge by planting his lips eagerly against mine. I’ve barely recovered from that dizzying kiss before Jostein swoops in. Not to be left out, Iko waits for his turn and dips me over with the melding of our mouths, his arm firm against my back.

“Come on,” Jostein says, nudging his friend. “Let’s go share the news.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Share it with who?” The cleric and all the devouts serve as our witnesses if we need to prove Ardone’s acceptance, but I didn’t think we needed to worry about that immediately.

Iko simply grins. “You’ll see.”

We step out of the temple, and my jaw drops.

Tables have been set up amid the rose gardens that surround the temple lawn. They’re laid with pitchers of ale and wine and platters of food—and surrounded by a few dozen guests I hadn’t known had arrived, their expressions bright with anticipation.

Landric slips his arm around mine, and Jostein lifts my other hand into the air. “Ardone has blessed our love! ”

At his announcement, a joyful cheer rises up from our spectators. Captain Amalia, standing near the head of one of the tables, waves us over. “Let’s get on with the celebration, then!”

As we descend the temple stairs to join the merriment apparently in our honor, I spot several of my old neighbors who I fought alongside until the final driving of Darium influence from our country a couple of months ago, a bunch of Jostein and Iko’s colleagues, and even the new duchess who replaced Duke Berengar.

The last of those glides over to offer her congratulations. She bobs her head to me as if I’m the one with the greater name here. “I’m so pleased to see the four of you receive all the acknowledgment you deserve. If there’s ever anything you need that I might be able to supply, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”

She meanders off, leaving me blinking at her back. Iko chuckles and bumps his elbow against mine. “Don’t look so surprised. She wouldn’t have her job if it wasn’t for you.”

I guess that’s true in a way. Shortly after our confrontation with the Darium force at Feldan when I cut down High Commander Livius, the royal family of Velduny began rallying all the country’s troops to join our rebellion. King Manfred and Queen Rinka hadn’t been able to do much for Velduny while under the emperor’s watchful eyes, but they jumped at the chance to win the country back once and for all.

And when they heard about how Duke Berengar and his family had sided with the empire, they were rather displeased. As soon as the war was won, they stripped them of their titles and elevated a different local noble family in their place.

I find myself gripping a glass of wine in one hand and a pastry in the other, overwhelmed by the flood of well-wishes. It’s been obvious that people appreciate my part in the rebellion, but other than an intimidating meeting with the king and queen themselves to receive a token of honor and a promise that they’d call on me again soon, the past two months haven’t been particularly eventful.

Everyone might have been busy pulling their lives back together and deciding what they’ll make of themselves with our newfound freedom, but that doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten how we got here.

A smile crosses my lips. I offer my thanks to everyone who approaches us, nibbling my pastry in between.

“You’re going to be even more celebrated soon, if that’s possible,” Landric tells me. “The bards are just starting to present their first compositions recounting the Veldunian Quest for Freedom.”

Jostein shakes his head. “And they have taken some liberties too—only in your favor, from what I’ve heard so far. One version has you charging down a hilltop straight at the emperor himself.”

I snort. “Emperor Vitus was never even here.”

Iko shrugs. “They enjoy making their stories as epic as possible. I don’t see any problem with that.” He leans closer and steals another kiss. “I’m honored to be one of the few who knows the whole, true story of our reckless, unshakeable Signy.”

“Hear, hear,” Landric says in agreement, grinning.

I beam back at all of them, basking in the warmth of their affection, and raise my glass. “And here’s to all the other stories we still have ahead of us.”

* * *

Thank you so much for reading Heart of Defiance ! I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the world of the Abandoned Realms.