Alba - Two
She assumed when her father summoned her to the throne room it was about being found on the wall, and knew what was going to come of it. However, as she stood at the door, she heard their shouts echoing out into the wall from where the wooden door stood ajar.
“She’s just a girl! You can’t, I won’t let you!” “You signed the treaty; you know what is to come. She is the price we pay to keep the midlands, in the hopes he barbarians do not leave us without a purse to put our gold in.”
Why was Harin so angry? Who was he talking about? She made sure to stay out of sight as she approached the door, hoping to hear more. Maybe this was the reason he was sent away.
“She should be here, with us. She should always be here. You can’t sign her away like land or horses; surely she is worth more to you than that?! Why not send Fabia?! You have said yourself she is far more ambitious than a woman should be. Send her, let her thrive with them and keep Alba safe, keep her where she belongs.”
She hadn’t noticed quite how far she had learned in her haste to hear everything, and lost her balance, landing on the floor of the throne room with a loud thud. She stood up as fast as possible, ignoring the slight pain in her side as she walked calmly down towards where her father and brother stood, trying to focus on how ladies walked and less on what she had just heard. She curtsied for her father, turning to Harin to do the same before noticing he had his back to her. He couldn’t look at her. “How much did you hear, child?” Her father narrowed his eyes from where he sat in his throne. “N-Nothing, your Majesty.” She stammered in return, hoping that she was convincing. “Well then, I shall leave it to your brother to give you his news from the barbarians. Since this is of his doing, he should be the one to tell you your fate.” Her father ran a hand through his thinning hair, his dark eyes focused on his eldest son. But Harin did not turn. His voice sounded strange as it bounced off the high ceiling of the throne room. “Alba,” He paused, and Alba felt as if she was going to be sick when he carried on. “Alba, the time has come for you to find a husband. I have told you that I went to speak with the Nords, to try and make a treaty with them to prevent harm coming to the midlanders. In order to make an alliance, he asked for a beautiful bride.” Finally, Harin faced her. She could see the strain he was under, as he struggled to meet her gaze. “He asked for your hand in marriage and I had no choice but to agree,” He shot a look to her father, full of venom and loathing but the old man did not see it. Instead, his eyes were concentrated on his daughter, and Alba did not know what to do. If anything, she wanted to run from the room, from the castle and hide. Maybe they could not make her go if they could not find her. Instead, she remembered her manners, and nodded to both the men before turning her back. She could hear the whispered remains of the argument carrying on as she sped up to reach the door, sniffling to herself and trying to keep he tears at bay long enough to at least leave the room.
Once she was outside, she let it go. She sat, in the hall, her body rocking with silent sobs as she combed through her thoughts, trying to remember exactly what her mother had told her about marriage. She had known it would come, most likely to a midland lord or his son but not...
She didn’t see Harin, her vision blurry with streams of tears but she felt his arms around her, leaning into his chest at once for comfort. He hushed gently, and Alba clung to him tight. “I promise to take care of you,” He said softly, picking her up in his arms and heading towards what felt like the winding stairs to her chambers. “I promise, I will not let them hurt you. I will find a way to make this right.”
