Page 10 of Ties of Starlight

I'd rather you execute me, if you ever find me.

Nyrunn was seriously considering it.

Good luck finding a replacement.

Olaug

“Your Majesty?”

Nyrunn realized his hand was shaking. He quickly tossed the letter back onto the dresser before he tore it by accident, not that he really wanted to preserve the coward's pathetic excuses and vile words about Idonea.

If Nyrunn ever saw Olaug's sorry face again—

“Your Majesty?”

Nyrunn took a deep breath and pushed his fury down. He needed to focus. Olaug had clearly been planning his last-minute escape for a while and was desperate to avoid being caught. The chances they would find him in time to bring him back, kicking and screaming, were slim.

And Nyrunncouldn't.After reading how little Olaug thought of Idonea, not even enough to write her a note before jilting her, and thinking she was only good for—

Even if he found Olaug, Nyrunn would be condemning her to the worst kind of marriage.

But Adastra needed a Cometa Couple.

“We'll search, but we won't find him in time,” Nyrunn finally said.

Frode gasped. “Your Majesty, what other option do we have? We cannot afford—”

“I know!” Nyrunn ran a hand through his hair.

“Can we replace him?” Frode snapped his fingers. “The—The requirements? Can an elf who meets them step in? Do we have one?”

Nyrunn started pacing. “The groom must resemble the first groom from the first Cometa Couple. The rites are clear. He must be a warrior.”

Frode nodded. “We have plenty of those.”

Nyrunn threw out, “A leader.”

“Less of those, but surely we have an unmarried captain or lieutenant in the city.”

“And must be heroic, having risked his own life to save another.”

Frode said, “Alright, that will take some investigating, but if we start now, we might be able to pull it off and salvage this.”

The answer was obvious.

It was almost too obvious.

It couldn't be so easy.

There had to be something Nyrunn was missing, some hidden clause, something that would make it impossible. He couldn't get his hopes up only for it to be ripped away because he didn't think it through.

But as he turned it over again and again, he could think of none. There was only one solution.

“Your Majesty, we need to go—”

“No. We don't. We don't need to find a replacement.” Nyrunn took a deep breath as his heart turned in his chest, coming to life again after months of rotting away. He gave Frode a pointed look. “We already have one.”

Frode blinked before the realization hit him as he hissed, “Your Majesty, no!No.Just because you have some infatuation with the girl doesn't mean you can take Olaug's place in the Cometa Couple! You're the king. You can't be part of the rituals!”

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