Page 20 of To Ride the Wind

“Thank you for your words, White Bear,” she said slowly, trying to work out how to phrase her objections without disappointing him further.

“You may call me Henry,” he said, cutting into her thoughts.

“What?” she asked, too surprised to formulate a more coherent question.

“Henry,” he repeated. “It’s my name. You may feel free to use it.”

“Your name is…Henry?” she asked, still a little dumbfounded. She hadn’t considered the matter of his name, but if she had, she would have expected something grand and foreign. “Are you sure?”

As soon as she asked it, she wanted to pull the words back. What a foolish question!

He made the rumbling noise that indicated his laughter.

“It is one of them,” he said.

She nodded quickly, eager to make amends for her unthinking words. “It’s a lovely name.”

He laughed again. “I have always liked it well enough. It’s a family name.”

She raised her eyebrows. Did he have parents, then? Were they talking white bears like himself? Family was another thing she had never considered in conjunction with him. She didn’t know how the magical creatures that dwelt with the High King came to be, but she had always imagined them springing to life at his command rather than being born in the ordinary way.

If he had once had a family and lost them, was that why he was so desperate for a family again—in any way possible? She softened, once again regretting the necessity of saying no.

If only he could have adopted her. But she was already eighteen, making that impossible. And she didn’t think there was a single family in the valley that would send their minor child off with a bear, regardless of the promise of riches.

“I’m the one who is sorry,” she said in a rush. “It’s not that I mistrust you or am unwilling to accompany you. It’s just…” She hesitated. “Are you sure the wedding ceremony is necessary? Could I not just travel with you as your companion without it?”

He winced. She had become so used to impossible expressions on his face that she barely even noticed the strangeness of it.

“Unfortunately, the binding is crucial,” he said. “But of course I understand your reluctance.” He gazed at her longingly. “I would assure you with every bit of sincerity I possess that your future is safe with me, but I understand the heart isn’t something that can be so easily governed.”

He slumped down, hopelessness in every line of his fur.

Alarm at his extreme reaction made her start forward. “Does something ail you?” she asked. “Surely your life cannot be in jeopardy and requiring this binding to save it?”

He hesitated, as if considering her words. Did he know that he only had to say yes to compel her to agree to his bargain? The inexplicable connection between them was strong enough that she didn’t think she could abandon him to die.

Eventually he sighed. “I fight for much,” he said softly, “but not my life. There will be no blood on your hands if you refuse.”

Charlotte knew she should have felt relieved, but she felt almost regretful instead. Had she wanted him to provide her an excuse to say yes?

She shook herself. She could not allow her thoughts to stray in that direction. She couldn’t allow the impulse of a moment to destroy her whole future. She had to stay strong.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered again. “I wish I could give you a different answer.”

“Once again, it is me who owes the apology,” he said, seeming to gather himself together. He bowed his head even lower than he had on the previous occasion. “Even your sympathy is more than I might reasonably expect.”

He turned as if to depart, only to hesitate and look back. “I told your father I would return in five days. I will be true to my word, but know that I will not pressure you. My offer, however, remains open until then.”

She nodded, unable to summon the right words, and he disappeared into the forest. It was going to be a long five days.

CHARLOTTE

The five days proved even more difficult than Charlotte had expected. Her sisters grew more and more blatant with their hints and nudges. Their conversation was full of the possibilities of future wealth and luxury, and they exclaimed often over how they wished they were the ones being carried off to live like a princess. If Charlotte dared to comment, they quickly assured her that of course they weren’t seeking to change her mind.

When it became obvious that they weren’t, in fact, changing her mind, their syrupy blandishments grew sharper and sharper. By the day the bear was due to reappear, the knives were fully out.

Both sisters snapped at Charlotte, wielding their words as weapons and berating her for her selfishness and stupidity.

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