The Love of the Wielder (The Wielders Book Two)

In the end, the contract was simple to complete. Donovan asked Maren what she wanted in it, and her only request was that her family’s estate not be absorbed into the larger holdings of the Crown and pass to her heirs only. Donovan thought that was more than fair.

The Duke shared his draft of his marriage contract he would have used. Donovan saw he had proposed bequeathing Maren’s dowry or dowries (he had no idea if the usual Selection dowry would be applied in this situation) to her, and he thought that was a good idea, so he added that too.

Donovan had a few other provisions he added to ensure Maren would be protected. He would transfer a handful of accounts and properties to her. If they resided outside of Court, then whatever property they would be living at would be put in Maren’s name. A trust would be established for the maintenance of their baby (and any subsequent child, he added with a smile). He made sure the contract unequivocally accepted paternity of her unborn child and stated that his children were not to be removed from Maren’s home under any circumstances. He also added the provision that he hoped would prevent his parents from attempting to annul the marriage. All in all, he felt he’d done a fairly good job.

The Count agreed when they reviewed the provisions together the following day. “I can think of nothing else to possibly add, Your Highness.”

“Please, that isn’t necessary,” he said, referring to the Count’s formal address.

The Count frowned. “You are a very unusual prince, are you not?”

Donovan shrugged; he wasn't sure if the Count was referring to his general dismissal of addresses or the provisions he’d made for Maren. He responded to both.

“Well, as you’re about to become my father-in-law, it seems rather rude to insist on addresses… And as for the contract, Maren is very special to me and I want to make sure she and the baby are taken care of if something happens to me.”

He knew the provisions of the contract were particularly generous to Maren. He felt it was only fair, of course, and was happy to do it, but someone else might view it as extravagant.

“I thank you. She is special. And I’m glad to see my family’s estate will not be absorbed by the Crown. Perhaps you will give it to your daughter or a younger son.”

Donovan smiled, “That will be for Maren to decide. But I have no doubt she’ll handle it properly.”

The Count looked at him as though he were appraising him. That was fine. Likely he would’ve done the same if their positions were reversed.

“Well, that’s all I have, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to get the Duke’s opinion to see if I missed anything that might protect Maren. Then as long as Maren is happy with it, we can turn it over to the clerk,” Donovan said.

“You would change it if she wanted?” the Count asked. He seemed surprised.

“If she wanted a new diamond ring every year for the rest of her life, I would happily put that in the contract,” Donovan confirmed.

The Count chuckled. “She would never want that.”

“I know, but I do want to make sure she’s happy with it.”

“I think I was very wrong about you,” the Count said.

Donovan waved in dismissal of the sentiment. “It’s no problem, I expect I would’ve felt the same way.”

“For what it’s worth to you, the Selection will end once I’m king,” Donovan said.

“Really?”

“I haven’t decided whether it’ll be the first thing or the second thing I do. I’ll be dissolving the Trackers, of course,” he explained.

Donovan had discussed doing those things with Maren, but he had never declared that he would do them to someone else. He was glad of it. For the first time in his life, he was looking forward to being king.

“Speaking of kings, I take it the King and Queen do not know you’re going to do this?” the Count asked.

Donovan had very much hoped Maren’s parents would overlook that particular matter.

“They do not, but once it’s done, it’s done,” Donovan said, hoping that was sufficient.

To his surprise, the Count smiled. “I take it Maren never told you how I married her mother?”

Donovan shook his head.

“I was going to school in the South and I met Helen. She was working as a waitress at the time,” the Count said.

Donovan was surprised to hear that. He had assumed both Maren’s parents had been born noble.

“Well, once I met her, it was all over. I knew she was the only person I could ever marry. She hated me at first, though, she called me ‘little lordling.’ But I kept going to her restaurant, and eventually, she decided she loved me more than she hated me. We got married there in town and I mailed a copy of the contract to my parents to inform them, with a note from me, of course,” he finished, smiling at the memory.

“That is quite a story. I take it they were not impressed?” Donovan asked. He was very amused that he was marrying Maren in much the same way as her father married her mother.

The Count laughed. “I didn’t go home for another six months, so I’m not exactly sure what their initial reaction was. They were inclined to be rather angry, but they came around eventually. I expect yours will as well.”

“Thank you for telling me. I shall inform my parents there’s at least a familial precedent for my behavior,” Donovan said, and they both chuckled.

He found that, as disastrous as their introduction was, he rather liked Maren’s parents. They appeared to be roughly the same age as his own parents, and both were very prim and proper in manner and appearance. The Count had wire-rimmed spectacles and light-brown hair that was closely cropped to obscure that it was thinning. He had the sort of expression on his face that reminded Donovan of a scholar. He was very intelligent and, despite his behavior the day prior, calm and collected, much like Maren.

The Countess had Maren’s blue eyes and the same tendency to blush as her daughter. Donovan had kissed her hand when they met at dinner, and she had blushed, so ferociously, Donovan wondered if she might be ill. But then Maren reminded him that her parents, unlike most people he saw, were not accustomed to dining with royalty.

The Duke agreed that the contract was as thorough as possible, so Donovan went to show it to Maren. He found her sitting on the terrace with Alec.

“It’s my understanding brides don’t typically come out this well from a marriage contract. Is all this really necessary?” she asked.

“Well, at least you know she isn’t marrying you for your money,” Alec said with a wink.

Donovan smiled. “I only wanted to know if you wanted to add anything. I’m not taking anything out.”

Maren scoffed. “What could I possibly add?”

“Maren, you just aren’t being creative enough,” Alec said. “Have him contractually agree that you win every argument. Or that you get to choose the names of all your children. Sky’s the limit, really.”

Maren laughed. “I expect we can come to an agreement on those matters without the contract.”

She handed the document back to him. “I really can’t think of anything else to add. Goodness, I wouldn’t have even thought to add half the things in it.”

“Excellent. I’ll turn it over to the clerk.”

Maren touched his hand. “Thank you.”

“Did my father behave himself?” she asked. “Come to think of it, did you behave?

Donovan laughed. “Everything was handled in a very gentlemanly fashion.”

“By the way, I cannot believe you never told me how your parents married!” Donovan said.

Maren smiled to think of it, “You know, I think I was so worried about them coming and everything else going on, it completely slipped my mind. It’s not a secret, but my mother hates talking about it, so I don’t think about it very much.”

She then explained to a very inquisitive Alec how her parents met and married.

“My mother spent the whole time in between getting married and going north, perfecting her courtly manners. And she kept doing it afterward, apparently she was terrified of my grandmother. So, she’s essentially a bastion of propriety—I forget she wasn’t born to it,” Maren said.

“So, your mother was born a commoner but will become mother to the queen. That’s really something. I cannot imagine anything like that has ever happened before,” Alec said.

Donovan thought that was likely correct. Marriages between commoners and the nobility happened, but they were rare and generally not massive leaps to the highest echelons of the nobility, and likely never royalty.

Donovan liked the idea, though. It spoke to a sort of growth that was rarely possible in the kingdom, but that he thought he would like to see again.

They decided to hold the ceremony on the terrace in the evening. With some extra lighting, it was a very romantic setting.

Maren’s mother fussed a great deal about what she would wear, feeling that none of her existing dresses were suitable.

“Well, you came here to get married, what were you going to wear to marry the Duke?” her mother asked.

Maren made an unladylike snort. “Mother, my only thought about that wedding was whether I’d be able to get through it without weeping”

Her mother tutted in disapproval at the shameful neglect of her wardrobe, but Maren didn’t mind. She was quite certain Donovan would happily marry her in her riding clothes if that’s what she wanted to wear.

She was still in a state of mild shock about all the changes to her life but had accepted that he truly wanted to marry her. It had been something of a surprise to her to realize that even if she consciously knew there was nothing wrong with her, part of her still believed there was. She didn’t know how to convince that part of her it was incorrect, but hoped it would happen over time.

In the end, Maren decided to wear the burgundy ball gown she had worn to the Midsummer Ball. It had more pleasant memories associated with it than her other ball gown, and she thought Donovan would approve. Jenny styled her hair in an elegant updo and this time, she happily wore the sunburst necklace.

She found herself just a tiny bit nervous as she walked down to the terrace, but immediately felt better when she saw Donovan waiting for her.

He was wearing a black tuxedo, procured from the local tailor, with a black tie. He looked very handsome, but she usually thought so.

“You are so beautiful,” he said when he saw her.

She smiled at him. “I thought you’d approve of the dress.”

He kissed her and then whispered in her ear, “I’m looking forward to taking it off this time.”

She laughed and kissed him again.

“Shall we, my lady?” he said, offering his arm.

“As you like, Your Highness,” she said, smiling.

He led her out onto the terrace, where everyone was waiting, looking both happy and excited. “Everyone” only consisted of her parents, Alec, Jonathan, and the magistrate, but those were the only people Maren needed to be there anyway.

The magistrate, a small man in black robes, asked if they were ready. They nodded and stood before him. He seemed nervous, Maren supposed it was not every day he performed a royal wedding.

“We are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of…ah…ahem… Prince Donovan Malenor to Lady Maren Casteris,” the magistrate said in a reedy voice.

She tried very hard not to laugh at how uncomfortable he was saying their names.

“Marriage is a promise, a commitment made to one another to walk together on the path of life. We make these promises before our friends and…ah…families —“ he stopped and looked at Donovan and then at the small number of attendees.

Maren knew that if she looked at Donovan, they would both start laughing. The magistrate must be second-guessing performing the ceremony without the King and Queen present. Maren felt slightly bad for him, but doubted that Jonathan misled him in any way.

Donovan cleared his throat, which was sufficient to prompt the magistrate to continue.

“Ah…we make these promises before others so that we may be held accountable for this commitment,” the magistrate said hurriedly.

He then closed his eyes, as though he were anticipating some sort of blow, and said, “If anyone present knows any reason why these two should not be married, I ask that you speak now.”

Maren could feel Donovan beside her, vibrating with his own suppressed laughter. The magistrate’s discomfort was so poorly masked that it couldn’t be anything but funny.

When no one spoke, the magistrate asked them to take each other’s hands and then said, “Ah, Your Highness, would you please repeat after me, ‘I…ah… Donovan Malenor, take you, Maren Casteris, to be my wife. I promise to love you and be true to you, to protect you and honor you, and that I shall stay by your side from this day until the day I no longer draw breath.’”

As Donovan repeated his vows, all the humor of the ceremony evaporated, and Maren only felt his love and the joy of the moment. She knew he meant every word.

Then the magistrate turned to Maren. “My lady, please repeat after me, ‘I, Maren Casteris, take you, Donovan Malenor, to be my husband.’”

Maren looked into Donovan’s eyes and said words she never thought she’d say, “I, Maren Casteris, take you, Donovan Malenor, to be my husband.”

“I promise to love you and be true to you.”

“I promise to love you and be true to you,” Maren repeated.

“To obey you and honor you.”

Maren frowned slightly and did not immediately repeat what the magistrate had said. She hadn’t known her vows were different and wasn’t sure she wanted to promise to obey her husband.

“To protect you and honor you,” she said instead.

The magistrate paused, unsure how to proceed. Donovan smiled though and nodded for him to continue. She thought it likely he wouldn’t mind when she changed her vows.

“And that I shall stay by your side from this day until the day I no longer draw breath,” the magistrate said.

“And that I shall stay by your side from this day until the day I no longer draw breath,” Maren repeated.

The magistrate sighed as though relieved to be nearly finished with what was likely the most troublesome ceremony he had ever performed. He said, “By the power vested in me as a magistrate of this kingdom, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Everyone clapped and Donovan kissed Maren’s cheek. Then they signed the marriage contract (which Maren still couldn’t believe was so generous to her) and it was done.

The magistrate (happily) left, and they had a very fine dinner on the west balcony. Maren couldn’t stop smiling. It felt like a dream.

At some point, servants brought out trays of sparkling wine and Alec stood.

“If I may,” Alec began. He cleared his throat and held out his glass.

“To my dear friends, I find it rather fitting that this came so unexpectedly because that is how you, Maren, dear, came into our lives. Probably, you were more of a surprise to Donovan, than to me, but I never expected to see anyone make my oldest and dearest friend so happy. Even less, did I expect you to become one of my dearest friends.

“Maren, I hope I have taught Donovan enough about not being an ass that he can make you terribly happy for all your years to come. Do be sure to be disobedient, though!”

They all laughed at that.

“Donovan, she can save your life if you find yourself in the vicinity of almonds, keep her close by. I can be nothing but happy for you both. May you have dozens of children and live very long and happy lives. Cheers!”

They all touched their glasses and drank.

Maren squeezed Alec’s hand over the table and thanked him, and Donovan nodded his thanks.

Then Jonathan rose and said, “I promise to keep it short, but I truly must make a toast as well.”

“I believe we have just witnessed something very special. In many ways, ours is a fine kingdom, but we have all witnessed the darker side of things. We have all lost things to that darker side, whether we know it or not. But today, for the first time in my life, I see hope for the future. I see a king who will rule with compassion and not fear, and a queen beside him who will help usher in a new era where all citizens are free. I see hope for my grandchildren, and I am grateful for having played a small part in it. So, here’s to you, Prince Donovan and Princess Maren. May your reign be the brightest time in all our lives.”

They touched glasses and drank again.

Maren was moved by the sincerity of Jonathan’s toast. She hoped she could live up to his expectations.

She still marveled at being a “princess.” She had known that would happen when she married Donovan, of course, but it was one thing to know it would happen and another to be addressed as such. Maren looked at Donovan and thought that she could probably get used to it.

—

Later, she and Donovan retired for the evening. They had relocated to a guest suite, which was still very luxurious and did lack the horrible roses. Donovan would be leaving the following morning, and it really wasn’t appropriate for Maren to sleep alone in a room that opened into the bedroom of a man who was not her husband.

“That was so lovely, wasn’t it?” Maren asked. She was sitting at the dressing table and taking the pins out of her hair.

Donovan was “helping” by kissing her neck while she did, but managed an “Mmhmm.”

She laughed. “Single subject mind this evening, hmmm?”

He issued another, “Mmhmm.”

And then cleared his throat, adding, “If you’re feeling well enough, of course.”

Maren smiled, “Quite well, thank you.”

It seemed that whatever internal mechanism controlled her nausea had subsided for the evening, and she was feeling rather excellent.

She finished taking down her hair and stood up. Donovan was willing to assist in the next part of the proceedings and had her dress undone and on the floor in moments.

“You’re very efficient when you put your mind to it,” she mused.

“Well, you don’t know how much of that ball I spent imagining taking it off you,” he said, kissing her. “I would gladly have done it, you had let me.”

“Now, now, respectable ladies do not let gentlemen they aren’t married to undress them,” she said with a wink.

“Well, respectable ladies also promise to obey their husbands,” he said, grinning.

She laughed but asked, “You don’t mind? I’d never heard wedding vows before—I didn’t know I was supposed to promise to ‘obey.’”

He pulled her close to him. “Maren, love, if I wanted an obedient wife, I would have married someone else. It was perfect. I expect I can use your protection more than your obedience in any case.”

She smiled, glad to hear he approved. “That poor magistrate.”

Donovan laughed. “Likely he’ll never agree to perform a marriage ever again.”

They both laughed and he kissed her firmly. She wrapped her arms around him and continued kissing him. At some point, they tumbled into bed, leaving a trail of clothing discarded in their wake.

“I'm going to make you singe the bedsheets,” he breathed in her ear.

Maren shivered. She did try not to singe the bedsheets, but occasionally Donovan’s ministrations got the better of her, and she lost control of the Light for a moment. She hoped very much that the staff didn’t notice—or at least didn’t think too much about it if they did. For his part, Donovan found this immensely entertaining and usually did what he could to make her lose control.

Wasting no time, he quickly repositioned himself between her legs. She gasped as his lips locked on her most sensitive spot and moaned as his fingers curled inside of her, pressing on another very sensitive spot.

His eagerness and enthusiasm for her excited her even more, and it wasn’t long before he brought her to a dizzyingly high peak and then tumbling over the edge.

He waited just until she caught her breath before plunging into her. Maren made a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a moan. Everything always felt particularly right with the world when he was inside her.

He thrust into her solidly—not roughly, but not gently either. Her fingers dug into his back as her hips rose to meet his. Maren lost track of time and her world narrowed to just herself and Donovan. Eventually, with a moan of his own, he found his release and lost himself inside of her.

They lay panting for a moment, just enjoying the feel of each other. Donovan smiled at her and kissed her before moving beside her. She curled into him, laying her head on his chest. She did not want to be too far apart.

They lay quietly for a time, just relishing being together. It was hard to believe that two weeks prior, she had been leaving him forever.

“Are you alright? I didn’t hurt you, did I? I’ll admit I got a bit carried away,” Donovan asked. He sounded worried about her, which she thought very endearing.

She chuckled. “You did not. I think you did the opposite of that,” she said.

“You’ll tell me if I do, though? I don’t want to hurt you or…”

He trailed off and Maren realized what he was asking. She smiled. It was very sweet.

“You won’t hurt the baby, love,” she said.

“Ah… I know… I asked,” he said, sounding thoroughly embarrassed.

Maren tried very hard not to laugh. “Ah…you did?”

“Alec managed to inform me that I would not after he laughed for about twenty minutes,” Donovan explained.

He sounded both embarrassed and amused, so Maren thought that he was not upset about it.

Maren did chuckle, though. “I think it was very sweet of you to worry,” she said.

He kissed her forehead.

“You and the baby are the most important things in my world right now,” he said.

“We’re very lucky, then,” she said.

They were quiet for a time, just enjoying the moment before Maren spoke again.

“Did we truly get married?” she asked.

He laughed. “Yes, we did, Your Highness.”

Maren shook her head, or at least shook it to the extent she could while lying down.

“That will take some getting used to,” she said. And then added, “If someone had told me I would be married to the Crown Prince a year ago, I would have immediately called for a physician because they’d gone mad.”

“Ah, well, if it helps, you were a surprise to me too,” he said.

“I expect the Court will be far more surprised,” she said.

He laughed. “Likely it will fuel gossip for years to come.”

“That’s fine. What could they possibly say about us that we haven’t already heard?”

“Good point. Likely, they’ll be delighted and one out of every four courtiers will be insisting they were present for our very rebellious wedding,” Donovan said.

Maren sighed. “I wish you didn’t have to leave,” she said. “Or I wish I could go with you. I don’t want to be apart.”

Donovan would be leaving in the morning to return to Court. Maren hated the idea, even if she knew it was for the best.

He kissed her temple. “I know, love. I don’t want to go either. But hopefully, I’ll just be a few days. And if it’s any longer, I’ll come back and stay with you here until everything is sorted.”

“What do you think they’ll do?”

He sighed, knowing she was asking about his parents. “I don’t know. I can make compelling arguments for them doing any number of things. If they confine him to Court, they’ll be able to keep an eye on him. But, I know my father values my work with the King’s Council, so I could see him doing the opposite, so we could stay at Court. I’m not sure that I like the notion of Kieran having free rein over the kingdom, though. I may suggest they confine him to another residence. Do you have a preference?”

Maren shook her head. “I’m not sure. There are some very pleasant things about living at Court, and it would be nice to stay close to Alec, even if he will fuss over me incessantly. My mother reminded me that using a normal midwife when the baby comes may not be an option,” she said, wiggling her fingers to explain what she meant.

“That said, Court is somewhat of a daunting place to be, and I cannot imagine how much more daunting it would be having a baby there,” she said.

“Gods, I suppose Kieran was the most recent royal baby, and that was quite some time ago. I don’t have much of an idea what we might expect.” Donovan said.

Maren laughed. “I expect that I’ll be supposed to do things one way and want to do it another way, and the Court will roll its eyes, and we’ll all carry on.”

He chuckled at that. “Likely so. I think that will be fine.”

“We’ll move either way, of course,” he said.

“We will?” she assumed that they would stay in Donovan’s apartment if they lived at Court.

“Unless you’d like to stay in a bachelor’s apartment, having to traipse across the receiving room to your dressing room? Not to mention, I’m not sure where we’d put the baby. The other guest suite?” he said.

She hadn’t considered that. There was plenty of space, but none of it had the appropriate layout.

“There are a few other apartments that we can choose from with a pair of adjoining suites for us,” he said.

“Hmmm, you still want to share a bedroom though, don’t you?” she asked, suddenly concerned he might be envisioning a very different life for them than she had expected.

“Darling, I’m quite sure I couldn’t possibly sleep with you in another bedroom. But if we have two suites, then you’ll have a dressing room and a study and all the other things it’s better not to share. And perhaps we can knock down the wall between the two bedrooms and have one giant one like the Duchess’s Suite here,” he said.

“Oh, I like that idea. But if we’re doing things like the Duchess’s Suite, I’d like one of those giant soaking tubs,” she said.

“Consider it done. It shall be your wedding present, Princess,” he said, and she shook her head, still not quite believing things.

He kissed her and then they both rolled over, so he was tucked behind her like a spoon. They were both tired and needed to sleep.

“Goodnight, my lovely wife,” he whispered in her ear.

She smiled. “Goodnight, husband.”

And she fell asleep happier than she would have thought possible.