Chapter 162 I'm sorry I didn't tell you

Chapter 162 I'm sorry I didn't tell you
The next day, Koth was helping Roger and Beno move tables outside. It had been decided that the dinner after the wedding would be held in the garden. It had been Irin's idea, and Koth liked it. It made the whole thing less formal.
"Koth," Eliza called.
"Yes?" he said.
"Someone is at the door asking for you and Irin," she told him. He frowned. All the people who knew he was there were in the garden.
"Coming," he said, looking around to see where Irin was. She was already heading towards him. As they walked inside, she seemed nervous.
"I love you – you remember that, right?" she asked. He stopped, looking at her.
"What is up, little one?" he wanted to know.
"I'm sorry if I have made a mistake, but I genuinely think this is for the best. Now come on, we can't leave him standing at the door forever," she told him. Koth followed her. She clearly knew who was at the door. They walked out to the front door, and Koth saw who was waiting for them: Jasper.
"Hi Koth," his brother said, looking nervous and ready to turn around and run.
"You told him?" Koth asked Irin.
"Yes. I sent him an invitation telling him to come alone and ask your permission if he wanted to attend our wedding," she confessed. Koth looked from Irin to Jasper.
"I didn't know what they were planning. If I had known, I would have tried to stop them, or warned you. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry about all the other things they have done as well," Jasper told him. Koth looked at his youngest brother. He had always been the most soft-hearted amongst the siblings. Both Koth and Mika were fine with stealing, scamming, and the things their father taught them. Jasper, on the other hand, always had a hard time with it. He had done it because he wanted to please their father, but his conscience had always troubled him. Even when he had tried to backstab Koth and Irin, he hadn't managed to do it.
"I know," Koth told him.
"Would it be okay if I attend your wedding?" Jasper asked. Koth looked at Irin. She had a guilty look that Koth didn't like, but she didn't say anything. This was his decision.
"I would be happy if you did," Koth said. He could see his brother relax a little.
"Thank you."
"Come on in, Jasper. Eliza, could you take him out to the back and introduce him around?" Irin asked.
"Sure thing," her sister said. She gave Jasper a bright smile and asked him to follow her. Koth watched as his brother's mind seemed to short-circuit for a moment before nodding and following.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Irin said to Koth as soon as the two others had left. Koth was still trying to figure out what his brother's puppy-eyed look had meant, and he almost missed how worried she sounded. When his brain caught up, his focus shifted to her.
"Hey, don't look so sad or sound so worried," he told her. "I'm not upset with you."
"You're not? It's okay if it is. Inviting him was a big deal and I know things are raw with what happened," she said.
"Little one, I'm not upset. I know you did it because you love me and because you wanted to help. I know Jasper had nothing to do with my father's and Mika's crazy scheme. It wouldn't be right to hold him accountable for it. And lastly, I wouldn't have reached out to him on my own. I'm not good at things like this. Thank you for doing it on my behalf. I think I would like to keep one brother, at least," he told her and pulled her into a kiss.
"I just want you to be happy," she told him.
"Thank you, and just so you know, you are the one that makes me happy." His answer made her smile, and they walked out into the garden. It seemed that introductions had been made, and Jasper was now helping Eliza decorate the chairs. She was putting bows of white and green ribbons on the chairs, and Jasper was trailing behind her, holding a basket with the ribbons and handing them to her as she needed them. "What is he up to now?" Koth grumbled. Irin giggled.
"Someone has a crush," she said. Koth looked at her.
"I thought he had a crush on you," he pointed out.
"That was something else; this is a real crush," she told him.
"Do you want me to tell him to stop?" he asked.
"No. Eliza is more than capable of handling it on her own. If she needs help, she will let us know. My guess is that she is enjoying it," Irin said. "And speaking about crushes, have you seen how infatuated Nenhir has become?" she asked him. Koth looked at her as if she had gone insane. Maybe the warm weather and all the wedding preparations had caused her brain to overheat?
"You are lying," he told her.
"Look," she said, pointing toward the arch where they would make their vows the next day. Benara was adding birch branches to it, and Nenhir helped her. As she took a step up on a stool to reach, he fussed and made her get down, getting up on it himself. The wooden stool complained beneath his weight, and Benara tried to make him get down and let her do it.
"I can't believe it. Is there siren blood in your family?" he asked her. Irin laughed.
"Who knows?" she said. "You should maybe ask my dad."
"It would explain why I can't resist you," he pointed out, and she laughed even harder. Koth took in the scene in front of him. Irin's family were directing their guests on what needed to be done and where things should go. Everyone was helping out. The heads of the temple had taken a spot in the shade and looked to be discussing the ritual for the upcoming wedding. Meghart had been teaching Melir a spell that would let flowers and greenery stay fresh longer, and the apprentice was now sitting on the ground with a bunch of flowers, practising. Meghart was watching Ayyan, who stood a little to the side. She had clearly been listening to his lesson and was now trying to recreate the spell, doing remarkably well.
"Irin?" he asked. She hummed to let him know she was listening. "What do you think about me taking on Ayyan as my apprentice?" She looked up at him.
"You would do that?" she asked.
"She is a talented magic user, curious and eager to learn. Maybe it will be easier for her to leave home if she knows she will be with you," he told her.
"This is why I love you. You have the biggest heart. I think it's a brilliant idea. It will make it easier on my dad as well if he knows she will be going with us and not a stranger," she agreed. Koth nodded. They would talk to Ayyan and Irin's father after the wedding. Koth liked the idea of taking an apprentice. He had enjoyed helping Meghart with Melir. Maybe he was chasing his own path to immortality. Instead of trapping his soul in a vessel for all eternity, Koth found his way by leaving behind a legacy of knowledge. He liked the idea of him living on through what he could teach others. His happy thoughts were interrupted by one of the field hands working on the estate. The young man came running into the garden.
"Amot and his father are heading this way with a group of their men," he told everyone.