I was rereading this and I saw some messes up names and fixed them here. I got a little too quick with the spell check and it changed them, hope this helps.
Ch 4 A Bargain
Rannel drank from his mug, breaking the spell that had fallen over the men while listening to his story.
"So, she finally admitted she loved you and agreed to marry you" one of the men asked.
"Yes" he said shortly, still caught up in the memories.
"That's it then, you married her" another of the men asked.
"It wasn't that easy, my father wanted to stop it" he said.
"Stop a lifebond" Gerril asked, shocked.
"I don't think he believed in lifebonds, he had married Mother in an arranged marriage. Perhaps it wasn't in his nature" he said to the listening men.
A father's love may seem
Too harsh
A dream to own
A bargain struck..........
As Rannel and Graella walked down the hall with Mara towards the bower, he held her tightly still unsure of his luck. Merrol skidded around the corner and almost ran into them. Tears ran down his face and when he saw Graella he turned white. Rannel grabbed him worried "What's wrong" he asked his brother.
He wouldn't look at Graella only at his brother "They..." his voice broke and he tried again. "They said I don't have the talent to be a bard" he broke down in his brother's arms.
Rannel looked at Graella "Could you go ahead, he needs me" he said to her.
She nodded feeling his concern for his brother and the conflicting fear that he would lose her if he let her go. "I'll be waiting" was all she said before taking Mara's arm.
He held his brother until he had cried himself out.
"Who said you didn't have talent" he asked gently.
"The bards from Valdemar" he said, his voice almost a whisper.
Rannel shook his head confused "I've heard you play, you're good".
"They said they look for three things, musical talent which they said I had, the bardic gift and creative talent. They said I don't have the last two" he said with a catch in his voice.
"Bardic gift" he murmured aloud, then he thought of the echo in Graella's music, he had thought it only their bond but now he wondered. He looked at his brother sadly, not about to tell him he might have the gift the other wanted so desperately.
"Oh Merrol, I'm so sorry" he said.
"What were you doing with Her" Merrol asked.
"I've asked her to marry me" he said to his brother.
Merrol pulled back from him a horror struck look on his face "How could you" he whispered. "They took my dreams and you're going to marry one". He pulled away from his brother and ran hearing, but paying no heed to his brother's plea.
"She's my lifebonded" Rannel called out after his brother. He sighed and let him go. He rubbed the tears from his own face and turned back to where Graella waited for him.
Merrol paced his room, he had to stop this. He couldn't let one of them marry his brother. He couldn't look at her every day or worse let her take his beloved brother from him as they had taken his dream.
He needed a way to stop this, he stilled from his pacing as a thought occurred to him. His father, he would stop the wedding if Merrol got to him first, before Rannel had a chance to talk him into it. How could he say it to his father. Oh, he thought to himself, she has common blood. It might be enough. Though even if she had been highborn there was no reason to marry someone from another country either. He smiled grimly trying to work up his courage to approach his father.
His Father scared him sometimes, he didn't know him well. His brother Rannel had more of a hand in his upbringing than his father, but he had to stop the bard from taking his brother away from him.
He quickly left his room walking down the halls leading to his father's rooms, he should be getting ready for dinner now.
Rannel entered the bower deep in thought, he was worried about Merrol. He wished his brother would let him help. Then he looked up and saw Graella sitting with his Mother. Looks promising he thought to himself when he saw the smile on his mother's face.
"Ran, I've just heard the news" his Mother said smiling broadly. "I'm glad you're marrying for love, it had been my wish for all of you".
"Now I just have to convince Father" he said ruefully.
His Mother's smile dimmed a bit "He can't deny a lifebond" she said uncertainly.
He just looked at her, she knew his father, then he remembered the badge he held in his pocket, he didn't want to use it as leverage, but he was marrying Graella. He could live without that dream, but he couldn't live without her.
"Come" his Mother said. "I think the best time to talk to him is after dinner and music when he is more mellow".
Rannel grinned "We can always remind him that if I marry a bard, he'll always have music around".
"Oh. So that's why you asked me, for the music" Graella teased.
He laughed, glad she was feeling comfortable enough to joke.
As they entered the dining hall Rannel knew something was wrong. He glanced at Merrol, but he wouldn't look at him and he knew. Slowly he turned towards his father and the expression on his face was everything he had been dreading. Rannel hugged Graella to him feeling cold.
"Rannel Haidrek" his father's voice carried clearly throughout the hall. Not good, he thought.Heads turned to look and he heard the murmur of speculation as his cousins and the foster lings wondered what was happening, they had rarely heard his father address him in this hall and never in that tone of voice.
He walked up to the high table, holding Graella to his side. She trembled and he sent her a feeling of love and felt her hug him tighter. "Yes Father" he said in Deceptively calm voice.
His Father looked at him and Graella standing there before him "So it's true" he shook his head. "It's not happening, I forbid it" he shouted.
Rannel stopped himself from wincing at his father's shout, now was not the time to show any weakness.
"He hardened his eyes and said "Yes, it is. We'll be married after Joran's party".
"I'll cut you off, theres no way you'll be able to live" he thundered.
"Go right ahead" he said pulling out his badge and showing it to his father.
The other man's eyes widened and he gasped "How....How did you do this".
"It doesn't matter, I'll still be able to support myself and Graella" he paused then added with a hint of steel in his voice. "Perhaps we'll end up going to her land, she from Valdemar you know" he said softly, but clearly.
"They don't have the guild there" his father said, a little taken aback that his son was standing up to him. Rannel had always been respectful and now he was being forced to see him as a man and not the boy he had been.
"It doesn't matter, they still have trade caravans and those trader's would know of the guild" he said.
"You are second son, you have responsibilities here, at this time you are your brother's heir" he said, feeling his son slip away.
"There are other heirs" he said letting his Father know that he was willing to go that far to marry Graella.
His Father sat heavily and stared at his son, he shook his head, he had only wanted what was best for his son. He looked closer at the two and realized there would be no separating them, very well they would marry but on his terms.
"I'll agree on one condition" his father said.
Rannel sagged in relief "What's that".
"Being a mercenary is no kind of work for a married man, you are going to take over the horse farm, it'll be my wedding present to the two of you".
Rannel stared, but quickly pulled himself together "Yes sir" he said.
His father sat back a satisfied smile on his face, he hadn't lost his son. "Come dear" he said to Graella. "You are going to become a member of the family sit up here with Rannel and his mother".
As the excited chatter of his cousins died down and everyone started to eat, no one noticed that Merrol had slipped out of the room.