A royal arrangement

An unexpected guest

The abrupt introduction to Vadik's brother had left Theo confused, and he looked between the two men, only now catching onto the similarities in their appearance. There was a shade or two of difference between their skin, and while Vadik was all harsh lines and well-built muscle, his brother, who appeared to be younger by several years at least, was softer around the edges; his exposed stomach and chest were protected by a layer of fat; however, harsh scars were still present, telling the same story of war and bloodshed as the ones on Vadik's skin.

The brothers' eyes landed on Theo and slowly dragged up and down his body, staring at him with an expression that made Theo wish for his old clothing and the coverage it offered, hating the way dark eyes lingered on the exposed section of his chest, staring in a way that was uncomfortably familiar; it was the look that someone gave when they wanted to see more, as if they were entitled to it.

"I doubt Vadik has mentioned me; my name is Asmund, and you must be my brother's bride-to-be," he said, stepping forward and stretching out his hand with the obvious intent to grab Theo's, but before he even got within a foot of him, Vadik's arm shot out, and he was grabbing his brother painfully by the wrist, yanking hard until Asmund stumbled back slightly, a tight scowl on his face.

Theo swallowed thickly and slowly nodded, not sure if he was supposed to answer the question or not. He glanced at his fiancé for only a moment before he finally dared to speak, deciding that introducing himself wouldn't do any harm, even if Vadik didn't seem to like his brother. "I'm Theo; it's good to meet you," he said, starting to bow his head in greeting before he remembered that it was not an exchange that people made within the tribes.

Asmund threw back his head and laughed—not the kind of laugh that Theo wanted to hear but one that sounded unnecessarily cruel. It made him straighten up in an instant, his eyes widening in surprise before they darted over to Vadik, wondering what he should say or do in response to being laughed at for what felt like no good reason.

His mirth faded out after a minute, and for the second time he took a step toward him, but this time he made no move to reach out, clearly having learned his lesson after Vadik's reaction to his earlier attempt. "You look more like a whore than the noble prince I was told you were," he said, leaning forward with a provocative smile that made Theo take an anxious step back.

Theo had heard similar comments before, but this time they sent a spike of fear through him because of the implications of what Asmund might know.

With an angry grunt, Vadik stepped forward and grabbed his brother by the front of his shirt, pulling him harshly toward the entrance to his and Theo's tent. The tribespeople parted easily for them, and Theo decided to take advantage of that fact, darting forward so he could follow the two brothers into the tent, which was quickly growing familiar.

"Apologize," Vadik snapped, dragging Asmund to a stop and forcing him to face Theo. "If you want to be welcomed to my wedding, then I expect you to respect my fiancé; now apologize," he hissed, the words filled with more malice and real hatred than Theo would ever think of using with his own siblings.

The dynamic Vadik had with Asmund was complicated; that was plain to see, and Theo cared very little about the fact that Asmund had insulted him. It had certainly been jarring, but he had heard far worse and didn't want to get in the middle of some sibling feud, so with a placating smile he stepped forward and set his hand on Vadik's arm. "Vadik, it's okay; you can let him go," he said, not wanting a fight to start over something as trivial as a tasteless insult.

Vadik didn't seem to like the idea of releasing his brother, but after a moment he released him and gave him a slight push toward the tent flap, a clear sign that he was being told to leave. But Asmund seemed unfazed by the silent dismissal and just stood with his back to the entrance, an unnerving smile on his face.

"Why are you here, Asmund, and don't say it's for my wedding because we both know that's a lie?" Vadik grunted, giving up on his effort to push away his brother and instead stepping forward to gently take Theo by the arm, pulling him back, and stepping in front of him, putting himself in between Theo and his brother, as if Asmund might try something, a fact that baffled Theo because surely he wouldn't be dumb enough to try and hurt him; why would he even want to do such a thing?

Asmund, to his credit, seemed smart enough not to make a move after Vadik's action to shield Theo; he just gave his brother a judgmental look as he spoke, "I'm not going to touch your little war prize; I'm here to talk to you; you're right, the wedding was just a convenient excuse," he drawled, sidestepping around the both of them to make his way across the tent and sit on the furs that made up their bed.

He splayed his legs open crudely and placed his hands behind him, leaning back and looking around like he owned the place, an attitude that just solidified Theo's opinion that Asmund was not someone he would come to like. "I would prefer we have this conversation alone," he said, looking at Theo with the same sharp-eyed, provocative expression he'd worn before; however, it was gone in a flash and replaced by an easy grin, though that too set Theo's teeth on edge.

Vadik grunted again but made no move to send Theo away, instead just releasing his fiancé and moving to lean against the sturdy table along the back of the tent. "Theo is my fiancé and soon to be your brother; he will be privy to whatever you say to me, whether he is present when you say it or not," he said, holding out his hand and beckoning Theo toward him. The invitation was clear, though the offer was silent.

Slowly, Theo made his way over and set his hand into Vadik's with more care than might be necessary. Almost instantly, Vadik's hold tightened, and he pulled Theo in, securing an arm around his waist to hold him firmly to his side—a protective gesture that he hadn't expected, especially when the person whom he was protecting Theo from was his own brother.

He wondered what might have happened between the two of them to leave their relationship so fractured. Theo had fights with his own siblings, squabbles where he swore that he would hate them forever, but those promises never lasted long, and he always ended up forgiving any wrongdoing because he realized it wasn't as serious as it had seemed at the time. With Vadik and Asmund, he suspected it was a great deal worse than any of the petty arguments he'd had before.

"Talk," Vadik said, the single word curt and without inflection, showing that his patience was running thin.

Theo jerked his head up to stare at his fiancé, his eyes raking over the man's strong jaw and up to a muscle that was twitching on his temple, a clear sign of his irritation. The hand on Theo's waist grew a bit tighter, and with a rush of embarrassment, Theo realized he was blushing and that Vadik's touch and sudden protective nature were causing a flush to pool in his cheeks and travel up to the tips of his ears.

He had always had idealistic visions of a husband who would stand up for him and protect him like he had never been protected before, and for a moment, it felt like those childish fantasies were becoming a reality.
He was so caught up in his sudden fantasy that he missed the start of Asmund's explanation for his presence, only catching the tail end of a few words before he zoned back in and found Vadik glowering at his brother. "I will not tolerate a lecture from the likes of you, Asmund; I am four years your senior and a chief with the same standing as you; do not tell me that the decisions I make for my people are wrong," Vadik said, his fingers toying gently with the hem of Theo's shirt.

Asmund kept his composure; his expression was schooled into careful neutrality. "I did not tell you it was wrong; I merely questioned how agreeing to marry the son of that tyrant was the correct decision; giving in to the demands of a man like that is weakness, Vadik; you should have crushed him," he stated, his mask finally slipping into a sneer, an expression that Theo couldn't even blame him for wearing, not when he often wanted to do the same when he spoke of his father.

"We do not have the strength to stand against them; if it were only the kingdom of Hibenthia, then perhaps it would have been a viable option, one that would cost the lives of hundreds of soldiers, but it is not just Hibenthia; they have allies, Asmund, allies who have more strength than I could muster up," Vadik fumed, not even trying to hide his anger at having his decisions questioned. "If I can save my people from death, then I will do it, and marrying the king's child seemed a small price to pay for some peace."

The tent fell silent, with tension thickly laying over the room. Theo wasn't sure how to feel about his engagement being the centerpiece of an argument; it left him in such a strange spot. He didn't know how to defend himself against Asmund and wasn't even sure if he wanted to; his future brother-in-law was not the type of man that he needed to be liked by; no, he could survive being hated by a man like that, so still he said nothing and just waited for either of the two brothers to continue with their fight.

"So you really just came here to complain about my choice of husband?" Vadik grunted, finally releasing his hold on Theo, and turned away. He made his way over to the chest of his clothes and kneeled down to pull it open as he spoke again. "I will not change my mind, Asmund, and if all you plan to do is stand there and insult me and Theodore, then I expect you to be gone by tomorrow morning; however, if you can stay civil with me and my fiancé, then I'll allow you to stay for the wedding before you go," he continued, briefly glancing at Theo with a questioning look on his face, as if he wanted to make sure that Theo was okay with the offer to let him stay for their wedding.

Now, Theo may already dislike Asmund, but he in no way wanted to keep him away from their wedding; he was Vadik's family, no matter how estranged they seemed to be, and that meant something because Theo believed that family was important, even when you disliked them.

Perhaps that was just a sentiment that had been drilled into his head by his father in an attempt to keep Theo feeling indebted and loyal, and if it was, then it had clearly worked, because Theo did not want to keep Vadik from inviting Asmund to their wedding, even if the way Asmund looked at him made his skin crawl with distaste.

When Theo voiced no protest to letting Asmund stay, Vadik nodded subtly in a silent show of thanks before he turned to his brother and asked, "So, what'll it be?" seeing as Asmund had still not given an answer to the question.

Asmund clicked his tongue and tilted his head to the side in thought, staring at Vadik for several long seconds before he nodded stiffly. "I'll hold my tongue; you'll hear nothing but praise from me, and I'll leave after the wedding," he said, earning a slow nod of approval from Vadik, who said no more and instead just gestured at the entrance to the tent, a second attempt at dismissing his brother.

This time Asmund listened, turning around and walking from the tent without another word, but he still took the time to glance over his shoulder and look Theo up and down with that same unnerving expression on his face.

It sent a shiver down Theo's spine, and he found himself wishing that Asmund had simply left so that he would never have to see him again.

At least he would be gone after the wedding.