Hunchbacks don't get love. They get ridicule and scorn. That suits Wyrn just fine. As the son of a warlord, he resolves to die earning his father's respect in a tournament instead. The plan backfires and he's forced to marry a princess against his w...
Author's Note: I know it's customary for some people to read the end FIRST to see if there's a happy ending. Let me assure you, reading this chapter will spoil the entire book for you. I can promise you a satisfying ending. So please stop here and give this book a chance if that's the worry.
You've been warned.
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38 | Duck
Aggu paced before the pool, panicked and pleading, "Why? Just tell me why you've done this. Why!"
The water must have been deep for a giant to sit, and it reach his chest. It resembled a small tub at this point. Regardless, Wyrn's father cast his eyes down at the water rather than his frantic wife.
When begging didn't work, she started to curse. That failed, too, so she got more creative—more desperate and started gathering clothing to tie together.
The makeshift rope plopped in the water but the man in question ignored it.
On the second attempt, Aggu gave up, falling to her knees.
"Why?"
It was the first time she showed actual emotion past rage. One tear came and the ground shook when she shouted at him.
"You had no reason to do this!"
The pool of water was a wonder to behold. Though it appeared wet, parts of it snaked around the giant's arms and even his neck.
"If you think," Wyrn's father said, picking his head up, "I'm going to go home knowing that my son's wife has signed away her entire life on our behalf, knowing he's alone while my family is whole, then what kind of person do you take me for?"
Aggu sat back on her haunches, covering her face.
Her tears were genuine, and her husband regarded her, finally.
"I've known you were a Fae for years. But...." He shook his head, hurt, "You never told me what being with me meant. You've been suffering all this time." With a scoff, he hung his head once more. "I'm better off here."
"No." Aggu's voice came out strangled. "It didn't matter what it was beyond what I gained from it. You gave me far more than any fairy could ever dream. Giant, human, or otherwise, I finally understood why the Fairy Queen's love was so deep for her giant. Yours for me rivaled even that. A moment of pain meant nothing to the happiness." Her blue eyes were red and raw when she begged him, "Please, you can still come out. You've made no wish; you'd given no oath. Please do not leave me here like this—"
"Like what?" His large eyes scanned the room. "Like some part-time mercenary?" When she bit back a cry, he said, "If it's a life for a life, I will wish for our son's life. What more could a father do?"
He left the word as a challenge, but the woman did not take it. The man knew his wife was a Fae, so he must have known—or suspected—something about Wyrn as well. And he hadn't cared; he was giving his life to prove it.
