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“Really?” I asked

“Yes,” he grinned, “really”

“So, your Dad gave it to you at birth or so?”

He shook his head “No, Cora, I conquered it”

I blinked yet again then whispered, “What?”

“I conquered it”

“You conquered it?” I breathed

“Yes, love”

Holy crap!

I turned to face front and I could see why he would want to It was aet it Why would he do that? Was he the ood

“I don’t get it,” I told hidom, would you conquer this land?”

“This isn’t the only land I conquered and all of it was ht, wrested from me, or, ain to look at hiave me a squeeze and he explained, “Re a soldier or warrior?”

“Yes,” I replied

“My father isn’t a soldier or warrior either”

Whoa

Tor went on, “He’s a good enerous His people love hireat skills in some ways as a leader, in others, he does not Further in love with and wedding women ere, by all accounts, lovely but who had weak constitutions Myme” Oh dear “Dash’s mother died from flu six months after he was born” Oh shit “And Orlando’s mother never fully recovered from his birth and died two years after in her sleep” God, that sucked “My Father loved them all and beca three sons alone and although he is king, he fully participated in our upbringing and therefore his dom to our north coveted areas of ours and withwas able to conquer vast tracks of my father’s, and thus ht but did not succeed in keeping his kingdo about this world wasn’t hunky dory

Tor kept talking “King Baldur of the north is not a benevolent king He is not fair or generous He is greedy and ruthless His taxes are high His tactics are cruel Therefore, our people, as ruled by hie and finished , I felt that not only was it ht, it wason that land ere still my people Therefore, I petitioned my father to allow s He agreed, I chose my men, trained them and then we advanced”

His eyes went over led to wrap azed at his personal princedom, he continued

“It took five years and too many lives, but we did it”

Five years!

Tor looked down atand safe As this was the most beautiful of all the territory we secured, I petitioned ratitude to my men, to confer Bellebryn onto me All my men and their families live here It is not just mine, it is ours, the sun, the sea, the forest, the town bustling with trade, a kind of tranquility after years of war, a gift for their sacrifice”

I stared up into his beautiful, scarred facing thinking of the other scars on his chest and back, the way he wielded a sword, how armed his cave was and his recent words

Oh Lordy I was thinking that Prince Noctorno Hawthorne was not just not so bad but that heafter all my time with hi into soain and even thoughit difficult to breathe, I felt so

“It’s beautiful, Tor Every inch of it In all the beauty I’ve seen since I’ve been here, this is by far the lad you have it after what you and yourhome”