Before entering the carriage, Jayden instructed the coachman to take them to the closes Fire Church. He opened the door to the carriage and got inside. He sat down and put Mina next to him.
Despite knowing him for so little time, Mina knew Jayden would keep her safe. Her head kept throbbing, so she rested her cheek on his arm. Jayden grabbed Mina's chin between his fingers and tilted her head. She winced. Even the slightest movement of her head brought a new wave of pain and dizziness.
The carriage started moving, and Mina had to close her eyes, hoping the throbbing would fade away.
"That damn bastard!" Jayden said. His tone was angry. "Did he hit you before?"
"No," Mina said and looked at him. "This is the first time."
Jayden ran a finger on the cheek her uncle slapped her earlier. His touch was light. "One time is too much! I should have ripped his arm out and beat him with it!" he muttered under his breath.
Mina looked out the window. "I think I might have bled on your shirt."
The carriage advanced slowly on the busy streets of the capital.
Mina wondered why her uncle opposed her getting married. She was young and had enough money for her dowry. While Rosalyn went to balls, Mina always stood home. The duke claimed that she never received any invitations, but she started to think that maybe her uncle had lied to her.
Jayden touched the side of her head and cursed. "Look at me!" His voice was strong, commanding—that of a man who was used to giving orders and being obeyed. He waited until Mina did as he asked. "Do you think I care about a shirt?"
Mina wasn't sure how to reply. She barely knew Jayden and didn't know what type of man he was.
Jayden looked at her, his eyes blue as the sky. His hair was tousled, but he was clean-shaved. He took out a handkerchief for a pocket and put it against her wound.
"I don't know you, so I can't say what you care about or not," Mina said sincerely.
He narrowed his eyes. "I don't give a damn about the shirt! Why is it taking so long to get to Fire Church?"
"The Yeltane Festival is approaching."
Yeltane was one of the favorite festivals of Athea. Each year, the King held the traditional masquerade ball in the Royal Palace. Mina has heard many things that happened during this ball. People from high society would purchase the best clothes and beautiful masks and dance and drink until midnight.
Once the clock struck midnight, young ladies still to find a husband would go into the Royal Garden or the maze and hide. Men would search for them, and if found, the young lady would give the man a personal object and a kiss. The next day, the man would have to search for the young lady from the maze, and if they liked each, they would get married.
There were, of course, rumors that sometimes more things happened in the maze, like the men lifting the young women's skirts and touching them between their legs, among other things.
Mina knew that certain things were happening between a man and a woman in bed, but she had been too young when her mother died, and she was still to learn about her duty in bed.
After Yeltane, another favorite festival was the Litha festival–during the Shortest Night in the Year. The Royal family usually went to Isyleon Island to celebrate it.
There were myths about creatures transforming into humans during the Litha festival, going into villages, and stealing maidens from their beds. But Mina's favorite tale was that of the Cursed Prince. Legend says the Prince fell in love with the Princess from another Kingdom. The Princess's father was against her marriage to the Prince, and on the day of their wedding, the Prince fell into a trap, and since then, he had been living in a maze, cursed to live there for eternity. But it is said that during the Litha festival, women can enter the labyrinth and try to break the Prince's curse.
Jayden stuck his head out the window. "How far are we from the Fire Church?" he yelled at the coachman.
"Only two more streets!" the man said.
Jayden turned his attention back on Mina. "We will be there soon. How are you feeling?"
Mina looked at her hand. "It hurt worse when I fell and broke my wrist."
For a moment, Jayden looked as if he didn't know what to say. "How did you break it?" He applied more pressure to the wound.
"There was this old maple tree on my parents' estate. A family of sparrows made their home between the branches. Sometimes I would sit under it and listen to the baby sparrows. One day one of the babies fell out of the nest, and I climbed the tree to put it back. I fell on my right hand when I got down," Mina said, remembering that Summer day in her parents' garden. Jayden smiled. "What?" she asked.
"I am glad you weren't one of those girls who always cared not to get their dress dirty."
Mina snorted.
The carriage stopped in front of a Fire Church. Mina recognized it–the same one she visited weekly and volunteered to help with the children from the poor district.
Jayden opened the door and helped Mina get out. He looked at the coachman. "Wait for us here!" The man nodded. He lifted Mina in his arms and started walking towards the Fire Church's doors.
"I can walk," Mina said.
Jayden ignored her and kept walking. He entered the Fire Church and looked around. Some Fire Mages were praying or talking with people while some novices were cleaning the interior.
"My fiancée is hurt," Jayden spoke, his tone strong, and the Fire Mages turned their heads and looked in his direction.
One of the Fire Mage approached Jayden. His eyebrows went up. "Mina?"
"You know her?" Jayden asked.
"Yes. She comes to help us when she has free time," the Fire Mage said. "What happened?" He looked at her face. "Did someone hit you?"
"Timothy, nothing to worry about. I feel on the stairs."
Jayden growled. "That's not what happened, and you know it!"
"Jayden, please!" Mina said.
But the Commander kept talking. "I am not covering for that bastard! The entire Athea can know that your uncle hit you!"
Some novices looked at them and frowned.
"There's a Healing Room there!" the Fire Mage said, pointing at a door. "I have my potions in there!"
Jayden took Mina to the Healing Room and put her on one of the beds. Timothy went to a shelf and picked up a healing potion.
"Drink this," he said, giving the little vial to Mina.
Next, the Fire Mage took out a magic rune from one of the robe's pockets. "Heal!" he said, and magic entered Mina's body.
Her head stopped throbbing. She drank the potion and gave the empty vial back to Timothy.
Jayden touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers. "Now I have to... Doesn't matter."
Mina frowned, wondering what he wanted to say.
Timothy sat on a chair and looked at Jayden and Mina. "Are you also hurt?" He asked the Commander.
Jayden looked at his shirt. "It's Mina's blood."
"Why did Duke Tedric hit you?" Timothy asked Mina.
"Because he is a coward!" Jayden growled.
Mina looked at Timothy–he has always been a good listener and always gave her good advice. "I told him I was getting married and needed money, and he hit me."
"Is it still safe for you to keep living there?" Timothy asked. "And where was the young Duke when his father hit you?"
Mina didn't see Hugo that morning, and she wondered if he was drinking in his room or down at Oviella's tavern.
"Mina is not returning to that house!" Jayden snapped.
The Fire Mage looked at Jayden. "You are the one to whom Mina is getting married?"
The Commander folded his arms. "I am. Are there any problems?"
Timothy didn't appear to be intimidated by Jayden's intense gaze. "I want to be sure you will make her happy. I consider her a dear friend, and I would hate to see her suffer." Looking at Mina, he said, "Why do you need money?"
Mina looked at her shoes. "You know what happened to my dowry. I needed money to buy the things I needed."
"If you are feeling better, we should leave. I have some errands to do before taking you home." Looking at the Fire Mage, he asked, "How much?"
"How much what?" Timothy asked.
Jayden took out a pouch full of coins. "What do I owe you for Mina's treatment?"
"The magic of healing was a gift for Inoss from his sister, and Fire Mages don't accept money when they use their mana on someone."
Jayden took out a gold coin and put it on the bed. "Consider it a donation then," he said before helping Mina stand.
Mina felt faint and almost fell, but Jayden caught her in time. He lifted her in his arms.
"Are you feeling sick?" Timothy asked.
"I just felt as if I were to faint, but I am better now. You can put me down; I can walk by myself."
Jayden started walking. "Did you have breakfast?"
While Jayden got out of the Healing Room, Mina thought about what Jayden had asked. "No."
"When was the last time you ate?" He sounded angry.
They were out of the Fire Church when Mina finally replied. "At the Royal Palace."
He narrowed his eyes. He growled. "Is your uncle not giving you food?"
"When you growl, you sound like your wolf," Mina said. "My uncle does give me food is just I was just nervous to eat."
Jayden opened the carriage door and put Mina on the seat. "Take us to Eyor Port!" Jayden said to the coachman before sitting across from Mina. He folded his arms and looked at her. "About your dowry–"
"I will speak to Hugo if my uncle refuses to give me the money! But I will have one when we get married."
Jayden looked out the window. "It would be an insult."
"I beg your pardon?"
Mina wasn't sure what Jayden meant.
He turned his head in her direction. "To accept a dowry would be an offense to your person. You are more than enough!"
Mina opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. She expected Jayden to ask for a dowry. She finally asked something. "Where is your wolf?"
"He is at the Manor."
"You left him alone?" Mina asked. "What if something happens to him?"
Jayden grinned. "Aksel is big enough to take care of himself."
"About my uncle's house. I know you don't want me to return there, but I don't have another place to stay," Mina said. She wondered if she could find a job, and with the money she would gain, she could pay for a room at a tavern. She was sure Oviella had free rooms in her tavern. The rest of the money she could use for things for her dowry. She was ashamed to marry without one.
"I rented a house close to the Manor. You will live until my new property is fit for a Duchess." Jayden searched her eyes as if he was expecting her to refuse him.
Mina didn't argue. She wasn't sure she wanted to return to her uncle's house. Not after hitting her. "Baroness. When we get married, I will be a Baroness!"
"Is that a problem? Or do you prefer to keep being a Duchess?"
Mina looked at the streets. The coach was getting closer to the port. "Being a Baroness, a Duchess, or a commoner is all the same for me. Why are we going to the port?"
"There's a tavern here that has good food. After I feed you, we will go to Artisans Street so I can purchase a bracelet for you!"