Love of a Giant

Chapter Two

It had been four years since Ulric and Bennett had met in neutral territory. When he had returned home, he had taken Charlotte to their bedroom and told her about the marriage deal. Like him, she had been mortified, but ultimately and reluctantly accepted it. They had agreed to not tell any of their children about the matter. They had been confident that they could establish peace without the marriage. It was better to have them to live in blissful ignorance instead of forcing them to endure looming doom for four years.

Opening the trade routes helped a bit. With merchants and consumers forced to interact, there was begrudging acceptance. There had been plenty of fighting too, which had been remedied with by implementing discrimination laws. It had people thinking twice about their actions before they decided to do something stupid. At the borders, guards were tasked with working together to keep everyone safe. They didn't care for it at first, but soldiers soon found they liked working together, if only for the extra breaks every now and then.

Yet, despite that, peace still faltered between the two kingdoms. There were still fights, still attacks, still intense animosity between giants and humans. Innocent villagers on both sides were terrified that there would be an attack against them if they weren't prepared, which only made things more tense. Peace still felt fragile, even after four years.

This had led to Ulric and Bennett meeting again a week ago. Ulric had tried to suggest other alternatives, but even his own advisors had agreed that marriage was their best option. Brandon was now of age, and so were all of his daughters, who had remained unmarried just in case they had to use their last resort.

Breaking the news to Charlotte hadn't been easy. She had taken it better than he had expected, but she had still sobbed. She loved her children dearly, and had sworn to them that she would never use them as her parents had used her and her siblings. She had always wanted them to choose their partners and experience a freedom she never had. She may have fallen in love with her husband, but her siblings hadn't been so fortunate in their arranged marriages.

Yet, they had no choice. To protect their people, she had to sacrifice one of her daughters. She had hoped to break the news gently. It would be a lot for any of them to accept, especially after being told all their lives they would have a choice. She knew Candace would take it the hardest; the young woman had been in love with the son of Duke Prosser since she had been a teenager.

Yet, Ulric had forbidden a courtship between them. Charlotte had lied and said it was because she was still too young. That excuse was becoming harder to use once she had turned of age. Even Emma, who was now twenty-four, had seemed frustrated that she was forbidden to court anyone. After all, most women her age were already with children. Rebecca and Theresa had yet to approach her or Ulric about potential suitors, but Rebecca had asked once if they would be as strict whenever they finally did.

They couldn't lie anymore. Their children had to know the truth. She and Ulric had agreed to do it in the throne room, among an audience. It would show not only their daughters but all of Audrora's nobility how dire their situation was. If they refused, it could lead to war, which could lead to the end of their kingdom as they knew it.

That had been the plan anyway. Unfortunately, everyone had agreed to gather for dinner in the dining hall. Usually, Candace was attending parties or plays with friends or Alexander was busy in his study or training out in the yards or Rebecca was buried in her books in her room. But everyone had agreed to eat together, and seeing all of her children in one room broke her heart. In a matter of weeks, she would never have her children all together again. She knew such a day would come regardless, but she hadn't expected it so soon. And she definitely hadn't expected it to be like this.

It had been enough to cause her to break down into soft sobs. This wasn't what she wanted for her children. And to be married to a giant of an enemy kingdom? A place where they could be hurt or even killed? It terrified her, but she couldn't stop it. This was their fate - and she didn't even know which of them it would befall to.