Arranged (31 page)

Qwinn smiled in slight amusement. "There is no need for that. He is honoring your name. In Vidar, we merely nod."

She quickly nodded at the man, who went back to his work. Alison couldn't help but feel clumsy. She was completely out of her element. She had never been around so many people, even on the surface. Now they were all staring at her. She felt like at any moment she would trip or throw up or do something embarrassing.

At the same time, she tried to hide her fear. She knew that showing it would only make things worse. The fact that she was holding onto Qwinn's hand for dear life, helped her to know that he was right next to her, protecting her. As they walked, he kept glancing at her, pointing out things, telling her what building was what and how the stone that was used to erect the structures was stone from the cavern walls, collected when they carved out the cavern.

She could feel eyes on her as heavy as if someone were touching her. The variety of shapes and features made her feel as if she'd fallen into a nightmare.

A woman that looked like a dark gray bulldog and about half of Alison's height, glared up at her as they slowly passed. Alison was thankful that Qwinn was taking into consideration her injury, but at the same time, she wanted to run away from everyone.

Most of the Vidarian's merely watched her. She heard whispers of their hissing language and knew without a shadow of a doubt that they were discussing
her
.

Qwinn squeezed her hand. "You're doing great."

Alison forced a smile to her face as she glanced up at him. She didn't feel as if she were doing great.

Suddenly, a child, who was playing a game of chase, burst through the crowd and ran right into Alison, falling in a heap at her feet. All conversations ceased as all eyes returned to her to watch her reaction.

The small child looked up at her in dazed wonder. Alison smiled nervously and bent down cautiously to help him up. When he didn't bite her or claw at her, she dusted off his knees and set him back on his feet. His big black eyes looked up at her as he said something to her in Vidarian.

"He says thank you," Qwinn translated.

Alison nodded to the child who promptly turned and ran back into the crowd. She felt a little better about being here now, knowing that at least the children didn't hate her, yet.

Qwinn touched her arm and pointed to a raised dais in the center of the square. Women dressed in colorful outfits with matching colorful headdresses that hung down their backs were taking the stage. For the first time since they'd arrived, all eyes weren't on her. Many watched the stage in anticipation of what was going on; Alison was one of these.

The women gathered in the center and waited for the drums to start. The sound of the drums reverberated through the large market place and hit to the very core, giving Alison goose bumps. They twirled and leapt, a whirlwind of color and speed. The movement hypnotized her. After a moment, the small hairs on the back of her hair stood on end. Someone was watching her, very closely. As she looked around uncomfortably, she noticed that a group of younger men leaning and hanging on a statue farther in the market were staring at her. She could only guess they were young by the way they looked though she was sure they were a few hundred years older than she was. Even when her green eyes met theirs, they didn't turn away.

She shifted uncomfortably, somehow alerting Qwinn of the situation. He followed her eyes and glared at the group. She couldn't look away from them, especially the taller one. He was staring at her as if he were eating her, savoring every bite.

The hairs all over her body were now on high alert. She could hear her eardrums pounding in her ears and her nostrils flared slightly as adrenaline began to race through her. She wasn't sure what was happening to her, but she knew that she was getting a threatening vibe from him and his group.

Qwinn grabbed her arm and gently, but firmly, pulled her behind him. Though she could no longer see him, she could still feel his eyes on her, as strong as if he were touching her. A shiver raced up her spine as she rubbed frantically at the goose bumps on her arm.

Adalia was now beside her, also glaring at the group.

"Stay with her," Qwinn growled as he started his way through the crowd toward them. A few of the younger ones ran at the sight of him, but the tall one, continued to stare right at Alison.

Her shakes were getting worse. The only other time she'd felt a fear like this was when she was being chased through the woods by the Vidarian's. Adalia placed a hand on her arm and concentrated, no doubt trying to calm her down. However, there was no use. Her eyes dilated, her head swam, her legs quivered. The next thing she knew, Adalia was catching her before she hit the ground.

QWINN GLARED AT THE YOUNGEST of the Yorath family, Kesni Yorath. His red eyes were still trained on Alison, which made the anger in Qwinn burn even brighter. The townspeople moved out of his way, whispering about the mood he was in, many of them catching on to what was going on. Qwinn stopped a few feet before the young man. He had to ball his fist to keep from striking Kesni. He didn't want to cause a scene in the crowded marketplace, especially since it was Alison's first time.

The young man hardly noticed that he was there. Qwinn growled low under his breath. "Enough."

Kesni blinked and sucked in a deep breath, snapping from his trance. Qwinn heard gasps behind him. He turned to find that Alison had fainted. He growled again, deep in his throat, as he turned back to the youth.

Kesni met the King's eye without as much as a wince. He bowed his head, his eyes trained on Qwinn the entire time. Qwinn allowed his anger to reign in his eyes. "You will not threaten her with your tricks. This is your only warning," he snarled as he bent his face closer to the young man so that only he could hear what he had to say next, "Next time, I will kill you."

A smile bloomed on Kesni's face as he bowed his head again, never saying a word. With that, he turned and left, easily disappearing into the crowd.

Qwinn watched until the boy was no longer visible then he hurried to Alison, who was pushing her hair from her eyes, trying to catch her breath. "Are you alright?" he asked quickly, but quietly. He was thankful that a majority of his people didn't know English well enough to catch everything that was going on.

Alison nodded, her face slightly pale. "What happened?"

Adalia braced Alison. "He used his power on you."

"Power? But I didn't see any…light."

Qwinn took a deep breath, knowing he would have to calm himself if he didn't want to lash out at an innocent bystander. "Some Vidarian's have the power to enter the mind. You will not know they are there until they start to affect you, even then sometimes you won't."

Confusion was still obvious on her face. "His power is fear."

Alison swallowed hard, nodding to show that she understood. "What a horrible power."

Adalia agreed. "Are you alright?"

"Do you want to leave?" Qwinn asked at the same time.

Alison shook her head. "I'm fine." She took a few deep breaths and stood on her own feet again. "I'm fine," she repeated.

"We can leave…" he offered.

She looked around for a moment, cautiously. Her eyes fell upon the dais, where the women were still performing and seemed to calm more. "No, I think I would like to stay."

Her words surprised him. He had been sure that after Kesni's act, she would want to return to the safety of the palace. Perhaps, that was what he wished she would say. At the same time, he was proud of her. She was tougher than he thought she was.

Vidarian's went about their business. A majority of them ignored their presence, unless the group showed up at their cart. Adalia bought long sheer scarves, one bright orange one, which she wrapped around Alison's waist, complementing the swell of her hips.

Alison was amazed at all the things his people could make even though they were underground. She fingered the silver necklaces that held precious stones on them or the boxes with intricate carvings on them. Each time he offered to buy her something, she shook her head.

They ate the sweet rolls as they shopped. It seemed that the more time they spent in the market place, the more at ease Alison became. She did, however, look behind her nervously every once in a while.

Qwinn watched his people. Many of them would watch her as they passed. Some looked nervous, as if they would drop dead if she met their eye. Other's looked annoyed to have a human in their midst. And other's glared at her. Adalia did a good job of controlling the emotions of those surrounding them.

Qwinn stopped to rest often, knowing that Alison would hardly tell him she needed to stop, but seemed grateful each time. Adalia carried her bundles happily, as she chatted with cart owners she knew. Qwinn' eyes scanned the crowd, no sign of Kesni; however, he did see something that made him grow nervous. Shea was a few carts away, bartering with the owner. As far as he could tell, she didn't know he was there, and he planned to keep it that way.

"Look at these," he said, trying to distract Alison as he pulled her to a booth with blankets and rugs strung up. He hid them behind a brightly colored piece and breathed slightly easier.

Thin, tan fingers gently touched the woven blanket that hid them, as if she touched it any harder it would fall to pieces.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

She turned her beautiful green eyes on him and smiled. "I've never seen anything more beautiful."

"Then you shall have it," he said, looking for the cart owner to flag him down.

She quickly tugged on his arm. "No."

"Why? I will gladly purchase it for you if you like it."

"I have no way to pay you back."

He fought off a chuckle. "I don't expect you to pay me back. It is a gift."

"No…do not waste your money on me," she looked at her feet awkwardly.

He tilted her chin up so that she couldn't look away. "I'm the King. I have plenty of money. It won't be a waste."

A blush crept to her cheeks as she looked down again.

"I didn't expect to find you here," an annoying tinkling voice sounded. Qwinn cringed inside, but remained calm and collected on the outside. He turned towards Shea slowly, almost as if he hadn't heard her. She sauntered behind the blanket. Alison smiled stiffly at her.

Shea completely ignored her, her eyes only on Qwinn. "I will be dancing during the festival," she purred in Vidarian, running her hands over his arm.

Alison shifted her weight awkwardly. Meanwhile, Qwinn's anger burned. She spoke of the festival as if he wouldn't be getting married at that time. "Watch yourself."

She smiled slyly as she turned to pointedly stare at Alison. "Do you think she will satisfy you?" she turned her green eyes on him. "She doesn't know you the way I do," she continued in Vidarian.

Qwinn growled deep in his throat. A look of worry crossed Alison's face, but he couldn't ease her mind at the moment. "When will you bow out gracefully and stop making a fool of yourself? We will
never
be together!"

The corners of Shea's mouth turned down slightly.

Alison gently touched Qwinn's arm. "Can we leave?"

He hadn't realized that his hands were balled into fists at his side. Almost instantly, his anger subsided. Shea glared at Alison.

"Of course." Without sparing Shea another glance, he took Alison's hand, kissed it, then walked away from the blankets, his fingers intertwined in hers.

He heard a snarl behind him, but Shea didn't follow.

As soon as they were far enough for him to breathe easily, he dared to look at Alison. He found that her cheeks were bright red and she was looking anywhere but at him. He stopped and turned her toward him. "I apologize for my anger back there."

Alison still couldn't look at him. "What happened?"

Qwinn studied her face. For the first time he realized his heart was pounding, but not because of his confrontation with Shea, but because he had shown Alison the first sign of affection and he hadn't planned it. When he had kissed her hand, he had acted out of selfish instinct. Now, she couldn't look at him.

"Never mind," he said softly. He bent lower so that he was in her line of vision. She met his eyes shyly. His heart was thumping so loudly he was sure that even human ears could hear it. He wanted to kiss much more than her hand. How long had it been since he'd felt like this? He was acting as if he were a young boy when in all actuality he was centuries old. "Are you alright?" he asked, keeping his voice from wavering with emotion.

She nodded slowly as if she were contemplating her answer.

"Do you want to leave?"

She bit her lower lip subconsciously. "I…I don't want to go back to my room yet."

Qwinn straightened, nodding and quickly thinking about what he could do to entertain her. Alison touched his arm again. It amazed him how a simple touch could demand so much attention. "Can we go there?" she pointed to the crowd. Qwinn's eyes followed her finger to find a stage set up and puppets used to entertain children.

"Of course."

Alison followed him through the crowd. Though he held on to her hand, their fingers were no longer intertwined; he didn't want to scare her and he needed to reign in his own emotions.