by Eva Brandt
She was obviously having a hard time reconciling the logical advantages of the situation with the new emotions the curse had returned to her. I had no idea what I could say that would help in such a situation, but I needed to try. “Princess Dahud, I…”
Maybe I should have just stayed silent, because she stepped away from me and wrapped herself protectively in the dark cloak. There might have been more than one reason why she’d chosen to wear it tonight. “I should not even be here at all, but I promised I’d come. At this point, gods only know what I’ll end up doing.”
The ‘do-not-approach’ aura around her was almost as strong as the elemental energy that had kept us away from her during the episode on the beach. Halvar ignored it and walked up to her. He reached out to touch her, but he stopped before he could actually make contact. “Dahud,” he said, retracting his hand, “I think I know what you mean. My situation isn’t exactly the same, but sometimes… Sometimes, the wolf wants different things than the man, and I struggle. And I’ve been afraid to hurt the people I care about in such moments. But at the same time, I believe that it is exactly those people whom we need to keep close, because they can help us.”
“Isn’t that foolish, though?” Dahud asked. “Foolish and selfish? To keep someone close to you, even if you know that will hurt them?”
“That depends on what the person wants,” Thrandur replied. “It’s more selfish to push them away out of your own fear and concern if he or she wants to stay with you.”
“That’s an interesting point of view,” Dahud said with a small laugh. “It also sounds like an excuse to do whatever you want to do.”
“Maybe,” I answered. “But does it really matter? If the end result is something everyone wants, why should you deny it? Maybe if we were all selfish, just a little, but in the right way, the world would be a better place.”
I wasn’t referring to the issue with her parents, of course. My main concern was the possibility that she might turn us away out of the mistaken desire to protect us. Now more than ever, it was clear to me that she needed help, and she couldn’t handle this on her own. I might not be the most magically gifted person on Kerys, but I would never judge her or fear her. In my opinion, that was what she actually needed now.
Dahud turned toward us once again. Her eyes glowed with a hypnotizing gold light as she faced us, daring us to refuse her. “And you’re willing to bear the brunt of my selfishness? To carry the weight of what it will mean? To believe that we can have something together despite everything? Aren’t you afraid I’ll take your minds as well?”
“With respect, Princess Dahud, I think you already know the answer to those questions,” I replied. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here, promise be damned.”
“Besides, it’s only been a couple of days since the curse was broken,” Thrandur pointed out. “You don’t have a lot of experience with magic like the one you accidentally used, right? Maybe all you need to do is to pursue that thread, to learn more about the ability. You can break whatever enchantment you cast on your parents, if that is what you want.”
“Even if it isn’t, even if you ultimately decide to leave the enchantment be, we do want to be there with you. Maybe it’s selfish of us to make that request, but give us a chance.”
Halvar’s words turned out to be exactly what Dahud needed to let go of her doubts. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then let it out again. When she looked at us once more, she’d made her decision. “You know, I’m the one who came up with this plan. You shouldn’t have to persuade me into it. So… Marriage between the four of us?”
As she spoke, she dropped her cloak and removed her gloves. “And seal the deal with a kiss?”
My mouth went dry at the suggestion. Scandalous as it might have been, it fit the illicit, uncommon nature of our strange relationship. I couldn’t have denied Dahud had I wanted to, and my companions felt the same. “We’re agreed,” Thrandur said, his usually calm voice sounding a little raw and husky.
She smiled at us, and this time, the expression was open and sweet, filled with genuine emotions. “All right. But be advised that I’d never actually kissed anyone before, so it might be horrible.”
“I very much doubt that,” I said.
I wasn’t sure Dahud heard me, as Halvar had already leaned forward to steal the offered kiss. He kept it brief and light, mindful of Dahud’s inexperience. Even so, the sight of them together and Dahud’s muffled moan made my body thrum with a surge of unexpected desire. I had never thought I’d enjoy the view of the woman I wanted kissing another man, but my perspective had changed almost as much as Dahud’s.
When Halvar pulled away and I took his place, I had to struggle to not ravish her sweet mouth like I wanted. As I pressed my lips to hers, one simple certainty settled in my mind. If this was an enchantment, if the price for this feeling was damnation, I would gladly pay it, just so that I could be with her.
The Wedding
Thrandur
It was the last day of the tournament. I stood on the edge of the arena, watching Mathias face his final opponent. Seeing him fight always made me wonder what secrets he had yet to reveal. He’d repeatedly stated that he’d received no formal training, but he kept making mincemeat of all other competitors. I suspected his strength could’ve rivaled mine, if not Halvar’s, which was no common feat.
Today, Mathias had barely had to make any use of his axe. His opponent tried to keep his distance, which was unsurprising, since the last time someone had taken a direct blow from Mathias’s weapon, he had lost his sword arm.
The strategy Mathias’s rival had chosen wouldn’t make much difference. Despite being a well-built man, Mathias was quite fast. It wouldn’t take him long to get tired of playing around and remove the final obstacle between us and Dahud.
“I’ll give it two more minutes,” Halvar muttered by my side, “just to keep up appearances.”
That was a pretty good estimate, and would suffice to not make it glaringly obvious that we had some advantages over the other fighters. We’d already agreed to keep at least some of our abilities discreet, since that way, we would be able to help Dahud more. Also, Halvar and I didn’t want to point out our true identities. As far as anyone knew, we would always remain Frankish warriors, separate from the mysterious prince who was supposedly Odin’s grandchild and his wolf-warrior best friend. Mathias might not have the same issues, but the disparity between his background and his actual skill made his situation suspicious.
“You know,” I said as I watched Mathias dodge one of his opponent’s blows, “I almost wish the tournament didn’t end today. I’m curious who’d have actually won if the three of us fought for real.”
“I’m sure we will be able to spar later on. Dahud will make sure it’s possible, as long as we ask her.”
He was right about that. It was no coincidence that Mathias, Halvar and I hadn’t fought one another. Dahud might have had mixed feelings about the accidental mind-control enchantment she’d cast on her parents, but she was not beneath using it. Once we’d agreed on a shared goal, she had thrown herself into making all the arrangements. Compared to everything she had done so far, a sparring session would be easy to organize.
Dahud. Our princess. Our gift and blessing. What did she truly think about all this? Was she as prepared for our marriage as she claimed? I looked toward the stands, at her white-clad, impassive figure. It was selfish in the extreme to want her as much as I did, when I knew how difficult this whole episode had been for her. Should we suggest that we wait to consummate the marriage? It was something to consider.
In the arena, Mathias finally decided he’d grown tired of the fight. I glanced away from Dahud just in time to see Mathias launch a devastating counter-attack upon his opponent. The man tried to block Mathias’s blows with his sword, but it was a futile effort. Mathias’s strength prevailed, and the axe shattered the sword, leaving the final contender disarmed. For a few seconds, it looked like Mathias would end up spl
itting the man’s skull as well as his weapon, but he stopped just in time. Further bloodshed would have been pointless. All Mathias had to do was knock out the other warrior with his fist, and the fight was over.
It was an almost anticlimactic ending to a tournament that should’ve been far more of a challenge for the three of us. I didn’t really care. No matter what I might have told Halvar, I was as eager for the next part as him and Mathias.
As the crier announced Mathias’s victory, I shared a small smirk with Halvar. This was it, the moment we’d been waiting for. Technically, the rules of the competition would have had us fight one another next, with the winner from our battle fighting Mathias and the last duel ultimately deciding the victor of the tournament. Dahud had made other plans.
Before the crier could summon us for our fight, Dahud got up, the simple, graceful motion enough to silence everyone in the arena. She stepped up to the edge of the stand and finally, for the first time, lifted her veil.
I had seen her face many times, of course, but most of the people here hadn’t been so lucky. The first sight of Dahud’s beautiful visage would have been enough to render everyone speechless even if her authority as a princess hadn’t already done that.
“I would like to congratulate all the participants and thank them for their presence in this tournament,” she said, her voice echoing over the arena like a hypnotizing melody, louder and more striking than her father’s had ever been. “Secondary prizes and rewards are already being prepared.
“As for the first prize, which is my hand in marriage… I would like to announce that I have made my choice. Throughout the tournament, several warriors caught my eye. I believe it would be unfair to limit myself due to the original structure of the tournament. As such, I will marry not one, but three men. Theuderic, son of Otker, Hartmut, son of Nordbert, and Mathias, son of Ninian will all be my husbands.”
It was strange to hear her utter our fake names, but we responded to them anyway, and joined Mathias in front of the stands. The onlookers were still too shocked by this development to stop us from entering the arena before we’d been told to. They were staring at Dahud in a disbelief so great it made me wary.
Polyandry might not be completely unusual, but it wasn’t something anyone here in Kerys had expected of their princess.
Dahud ignored them and focused on us instead. “Brave warriors, congratulations on your victory! I look forward to the day we are wed.”
At this point, we were required to say something as well, even if only for the sake of formality. We all knelt, acknowledging Dahud’s promise with vows of our own. “You honor us through this gift, Princess Dahud,” Mathias said.
“We will always be loyal to you, Your Highness,” Halvar offered.
“You will never regret your decision,” I finished.
“I’m certain I won’t, and I have complete faith in all of you,” Dahud answered.
The words seemed to serve as a cue, since King Gradlon got up as well and joined Dahud. “I now declare the tournament over and invite all the people of Kerys to participate in the final festivities. May all Kerys rejoice! Soon, my three sons will be joining the royal family, in the name of my beautiful Dahud.”
The reminder of the imminent feast snapped the populace out of their discombobulated trance. Cheers exploded over the arena, followed by chants of Dahud’s name. I knew better than to trust this enthusiasm. We’d just taken the first step today, and the road ahead would surely be littered with stumbling blocks.
Even so, as I got up and met my princess’s eyes once again, there was no doubt in my mind that this was the right thing to do. We were meant to be together. The Norns had guided all of us here, to Dahud, so that we could free her from her curse and help her through its aftermath. It wouldn’t be easy, but together, I was confident that we would succeed.
* * *
Dahud
Growing up, I’d never given much thought to my wedding day. It was a futile triviality. Princesses married for power, not for sentiment, and the day itself was just another illustration of that. It was an occasion where political figures of importance came together to rub elbows and see how much use they could get out of the new alliance that had formed that day.
My marriage didn’t bring any territories or important titles to the table, to the point that my three choices had been pretty scandalous. Thinking back, I must’ve only been allowed to choose my spouse through a tournament because of the curse. I didn’t know what my father had been thinking at the time and it didn’t matter now, since he wasn’t likely to say anything against me anytime soon, but the end result was that my wedding wouldn’t just be an arrangement made by another.
Throughout the three extra weeks spent in preparation of my wedding, I congratulated myself for my success in securing my future, one that included three husbands who were already invested in my well-being. I didn’t get the chance to talk to them too much, but when we did speak, I made sure to discreetly express my appreciation for their devotion. We didn’t get to kiss again, but I hoped we’d do that and more after we were married.
Of course, the morning of my wedding day, I woke up to the realization that I didn’t know much of anything about being a man’s wife. Sure, I understood the general idea from having watched my parents and other couples in the palace. I wasn’t completely ignorant on what went on behind closed doors either. But I’d never been interested in further details. In the whirlwind of preparations, I had forgotten to ask for advice, focusing mainly on dealing with the political aspect of my marriage. It was too late now to look into it further.
How would a woman even consummate her marriage with three men? Did they just… take turns? A memory of Halvar naked flashed through my mind, and I winced. Would he even fit inside me?
I curled around a pillow and struggled to suppress my incipient panic. I was being stupid. Of course it would fit. A woman’s channel could adjust to giving birth. It would obviously accommodate a man’s cock, no matter how big it was.
That didn’t answer my question about having three cocks involved, but I’d been the one to come up with the idea. I couldn’t turn back. Besides, I didn’t want to. I had trusted Halvar, Mathias, and Thrandur with my future. Of course I would trust them with my body. Yes, I should have been a little more prepared and taken time to look into it, but I hadn’t, and I could hardly fix that now. My future husbands would know what to do and would teach me.
Holding onto that hope—and trying to drown out the part of me that hated blindly relying on anyone for such important matters—I dragged myself out of bed. I didn’t bother with breakfast, since the thought of eating made my stomach turn. Instead, I decided to focus on the final preparations I needed to make. My mother and my handmaidens had the same idea and soon manifested in my room. The distraction kept me from dwelling on my concerns.
Even in her mind-controlled state, my mother was a whirlwind of nervous energy, barking agitated orders at the servants in charge of my clothing. “Be careful with the dress! No, not like that, fool! Do I really have to do everything myself?”
I didn’t know if it was a projection of my fears or her own emotions seeping past the enchantment, but I liked to believe she’d have been just as involved in the proceedings even if I hadn’t enchanted her to accept my wedding. Unexpectedly, I was proven correct. As soon as the servants brought in my gown, my mother ushered them away and closed the door behind them with a simple wave of her hand.
The casual use of magic startled me, but I didn’t get the chance to question her about it, as I took in the look and feel of the dress itself. It was not the one I had originally thought I’d wear, but something entirely different.
“I’ve been working on this dress since you were fourteen,” she explained. “I always hoped that when it was time for you to wear it, you would be happy and embrace your new life, with your husband and your future children.”
My mother had always liked to dress me in white clothing, but today she had cho
sen another option. The top of the dress, a high-necked silver bodice, accentuated my bust without being too scandalous. The almost excruciatingly detailed embroidery on it portrayed a myriad of symbols that told the story of Kerys in a symphony of silver thread and opalescent crystals. Imbued with my mother’s own magic, the bodice almost seemed to glow, and the flare echoed into the flowing white silks of the skirt that made up the lower part of the gown.
I brushed my fingers over the beautiful pattern, all the while wondering if my mother truly understood I was happy and I did indeed want to embrace my new life. When I looked at her, I didn’t see any sign of the spell’s hold, but that didn’t mean anything. “Thank you, Mother,” I replied. “It’s lovely.”
“It will be even lovelier when you put it on,” she said. “Come along, Dahud. We don’t have much time at our disposal.”
The morning passed quickly, as my mother was more thorough in her preparations regarding my wardrobe than she usually was. The process calmed me, and as I slid on the wedding gown, my past fears started to look childish and laughable. It was stupid to worry about anything regarding my sexuality. My future husbands knew better than to have any expectations of me in that regard. I was a princess, and they undoubtedly realized I was untouched. If I hesitated to rely on them for something like sexual intercourse—which was, in the big picture, not that important—how would I trust them when the time came for us to take over Kerys together?
By the time I put on my circlet, my mind had already become an ocean of calm. This was the day when I’d start reaping the rewards for my efforts. This was the day I took my first step in my quest to become queen and bring glory and victory to Kerys.
When the metal made contact with my skin, a memory of a different touch flashed through my mind, one far warmer and kinder. I lowered my veil over my face and turned toward my mother. “How do I look?” I asked, hoping she wouldn’t notice the resurgence of my nerves.
