“Asshole,” Arian muttered quietly from the ground as she watched the aesthetic backside of a well-dressed man stomp away from Gerald’s study.

Climbing back to her feet she dusted off her emerald green skirts, and turned to see Gerald looking at her with raised eyebrows.

“Seems like that meeting went well,” Arian said sarcastically.

“It went the way I expected it to.”

Gerald was a coldly logical man it seemed. He was entirely unaffected by the rage and tension of the man’s departure. Arian walked in and sat down, not bothering to curtsey since she had just clamored up from the floor. Gerald looked at her with a bit of a subdued expression.

“You wanted to see me?”

“I have news I need to discuss with you.”

His tone was serious, making Arian sit a bit taller in the chair, as she waited for him to continue.

“I believe I have found a companion of the traveler that can take you west.”

Arian froze. She didn’t really have expectations for what the conversation was going to be, but this was not it. While this should be positive news, and he would expect her to be excited about it, Arian knew that getting home would be more complicated than a boat ride to a new place.

“Why the serious tone for such good news?” she asked curiously.

“I need your help with something before you return home. It is a substantial favor, but I require that it be done before connecting you with the companion.”

Arian raised her eyebrows. He really thought he had something so important to her that he could blackmail her. This would be interesting.

“And what is this favor?”

“I need you to get married.”

Arian burst out laughing. The most undignified guffa that has ever left her body, and it continued until she was practically wheezing.

“You must be joking,” she said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

“Everyone seems to believe I am a jester today.”

“Clearly the fault is mine for laughing, and not yours for being ridiculous.”

He let out an exasperated sigh and stared at her.

“Why on earth do you need me to get married?”

“At the beginning of the war the king decreed that common men would not die for a rich man’s war. He required all houses of nobility to send a member out for military service every five rotations.”

“A thoughtful and progressive policy,” Arian stated, impressed by the king.

“Gwen’s father died at the beginning of the war. The Hartfield family has received a certain exclusion from the requirement due to his sacrifice, but we are obligated to fulfill our duty in the next deployment cycle.”

“So, you want me to get married so you can send my husband in your place.”

“Exactly.”

“Why would any man agree to that?”

“There are relatively few that would,” he said honestly.

“Can I go to war in your stead?”

“Absolutely not," his face contorted into a look of confused horror, "Women do not serve in the military.”

“Could I pretend to be a man?”

Gerald looked quite pointedly at her breasts and at her face, showing the obvious skepticism he had at the idea.

“While I commend your creativity, you cannot pretend to be a man and publicly fill the spot as a nobleman. Everyone will know that you do not exist. The king agreed to the Hartfield adoption of a lady, not a man, being raised to nobility.”

“Well, what if you are injured?" She asked, unconsciously shifting towards him, "You cannot leave for war if you have a broken leg.”

“No, thank you,” Gerald said with irritation.

At her subtle threat, she heard the clink of an armored man behind her. Turning to look, she saw the mercenary standing in the corner of the room. His eyes seethed at her, but he also seemed to be pressing himself as far away from her as possible.

“I promise to ensure your full rehabilitation,” she said looking back at Gerald with a smile, “The injury would only be an inconvenience for two months.”

“I politely decline the offer,” he said pointedly.

“As do I,” she said sharply.

His cheek twitched at the clear denial she had been walking him into. He inhaled and pressed the heel of his hand into his brow bone.

“Please, Arian, this plan works to benefit both of us if you could cooperate for a short period of time.”

“How short?”

“The wedding would be in five weeks, then the Count would leave a week later to head to war. We are talking about a single week to help me and then I will get you back home.”

“And you already have a man picked out for this?”

“Count Farrough,” he said with a bit of reservation, “I will be forthright about him, he is a rather unsavory individual. There are no women that will marry him.”

Arian’s eyebrows raised, “Which is how you convinced him to participate in this arrangement that clearly serves only you.”

He nodded solemnly, “He is not a good man, but he has six sons. He has agreed to indefinitely fulfill the Hartfield family’s nobility service requirements in exchange for your marriage.”

“And there would be no repercussions to that arrangement after my departure?”

He gestured vaguely to a document on the desk saying, “The terms for marriage already include an indefinite promise of fulfillment regardless of how long you remain married.”

“Define ‘not a good man’,” Arian stated flatly. There was so much about this that reeked of suspicion.

“He is rather adept at violence; it is why he has no qualms serving a tour for a spouse. Battlefields are a preferred place for him.”

There it is, she thought, the truth at last.

“Absolutely not,” she said as she stood to leave.

“Arian,” he said firmly, “I do not need your permission to make this happen.”

“What?” His statement made her stop in her tracks.

“As your legal guardian, I can arrange your marriage even if you do not consent. Fathers are allowed to decide what is best for their daughters.”

His parenthood was a farce and Arian was an adult.  How could a society exist where grown women did not have a say in their lives for such life changing matters? She wanted to punch him in the face like she had dummy Gerald in her living room, and it was taking all her willpower not to.

“If you didn’t need my consent,” she seethed, “why bother asking?”

“I truly bear you no ill will,” he sighed, “I want to work together to make this as easy an experience for you as possible.”

“Is this the reason you agreed to adopt me?”

He looked up at her in surprise, this was apparently not where he expected the conversation to go. He sighed and nodded, affirming her conclusion.

Suddenly it all made sense. The random offer of adoption, the tutoring, the pretty new dresses. These were not things done from the kind heart of a rich family’s frivolity. From the moment Gwen asked for her to be family he began dressing a pig for slaughter.

A lump formed in her throat, and she bolted out of the room. Did Gwen know about this? Was she in on this plan? Arian desperately wanted to believe Gwen’s friendship with her had been real, but she felt uncertain of everything.

Was she safe to trust anyone?