Page 27 of The Prince's Sacrifice

It had been foolish all round, really. Pel wasn’t attracted to women, but it was the first significant thing his father had asked of him since he’d Manifested, and Pel had been sure he could somehow make it work.

“I didn’t remember Princess Terila that well, and I knew that I was Unremarkable and the middle brother and not nearly as appealing as Bavil—but Princess Terila’s set to inherit, so it’s not like she’d want to rule here in Tond anyway. So I thought I could, I don’t know, make my case.” Pel snorted at the memory of his sheer naïveté. “But the second she heard myname, she turned up her nose at me. She pretended not to notice me when I came to ask her to dance that evening. She picked an Illustrious partner and commented on how she didn’t deserve to deal with people who were beneath her.”

Tor’s grip on Pel’s hand grew almost painful, and he ground out, “I should have denounced her on the dance floor.”

Pel blinked, refocusing on the here and now, and his stomach swooped as he realized that Tor was furious on Pel’s behalf. Giving the punishing grip a gentle squeeze, he leaned in and kissed Tor, keeping up the undemanding pressure until the tension drained out of Tor’s shoulders and his death grip eased on Pel’s hand.

“Listen,” Pel said when he drew back. “It did a number on my self-esteem, I won’t deny that. She wasn’t the first, nor will she be the last to think that I have less value because I have less magic. But if shehadn’trejected me, I would have donemy level best to convince her to bond with me because that was what my father wanted and it was a sensible alliance. What if I’d succeeded?”

Tor’s expression was suddenly fierce. “She can’t have you.”

Pel could only smile helplessly at the other man, because this had happened three years ago, and they had amply proved how Princess Terila didn’t have the slightest interest in him.

“You’re right,” Pel confirmed. “She definitely can’t have me. Not even if she wanted me, which I’m happy to report she doesn’t. It seems like she wants you.”

Pel was torn between scorn and laughter as he realized how tangled up this was. Pel had gone to Vayrin because he’d been ordered to want Princess Terila, but she hadn’t wanted anything to do with him. She’d wanted Tor, but he’d been repelled by her. When he was ordered to go after her, he’d instead come to Tond, and he’d found Pel, the man Princess Terila had rejected.

It would be unbelievable, except that there weren’t that many royal families in the United Realms.

“She can’t have me,” Tor said stubbornly. “I won’t do it.”

He was almost pouting, and although part of Pel wanted to laugh, he couldn’t blame Tor, not if his sister was unhappy in her marriage and was perhaps repelled by her husband.

“But what if your brother orders you to do it?”

Ignoring the High King of the United Realms was no easy task.

Tor eyed him speculatively. “I can’t bond with her if I’m already bonded to someone else.”

Pel snatched his hand away, breaking the Tendrilling. He felt immediately empty and weirdly bereft, like his insides didn’t fit together anymore. He scrambled to his feet, taking a few steps to try to calm the restless feeling inside him.

He hadn’t dared eventhinksuch a thing, and now it was being dangled right in front of his face.

“Tor, that’s aterribleidea. You already know the High King isn’t going to be happy about any of this. And you want to show up already bonded to me? I’m from Tond.” He started ticking the facts off on his fingers in his agitation. “I’m a man. I’m the middle brother. I’m Unremarkable. I’m not even handsome! There is literally not a single thing your brother will like about me!”

By the end, he was almost yelling.

Tor climbed to his feet so that Pel wasn’t towering over him.

“Tond is still one of the realms,” Tor pointed out reasonably. “And we don’t have a marriage alliance with you.”

“Bavil or Larexa would make more sense,” Pel pointed out fatalistically.

If the High King had planned for Tor to marry the Illustrious Princess Terila and rule with her in one of the largest countries in the United Realms, then Pel was a hilariously poor choice. Bavil and Larexa weren’t much better, but at least one was set to inherit, and the other was Extraordinary.

“I’m not interested in either of them, nor are they interested in me,” Tor said matter-of-factly.

“But they’re better choices! Any other person would be a better candidate than me!”

“According to whom?” Tor demanded.

The man was suddenly right in front of Pel, and he reached out to cup Pel’s face, hands warm and reassuring.

Tor’s bright blue eyes were sharp and intent as they gazed at Pel, and he felt a little as though he was drowning in their blue depths.

Tor’s voice was measured as he said, “Our bond would still be a political alliance to those who value such things. But it’s not the reason I want to get bonded. I don’t need a realm to rule, and I already have a lot of magic, Pel. I don’t need more. I just need you.”

Pel’s eyes stung, and he blinked back tears. He couldn’t doubt the sincerity in Tor’s voice, but the thought of being presented to the High King while embodying so many things the man wouldn’t want for his brother was terrifying. Princess Terila had been casually dismissive, and she’d crushed Pel. High King Varex mattered a great deal more. He could order Tor to do what he wanted, and failure to comply could have disastrous results.