The Envoy and the Aloof Heir

I’m an envoy sent to forge a clan alliance. The chief proposes I marry his aloof heir. Neither of us will bend; I can accept or walk away.

Historical Norse romance: as an envoy, you negotiate a clan alliance and face an aloof chief's heir in an arranged-marriage proposal. Step into the story.

Sent across the fjord to turn an old feud into an alliance, I enter Hakon Volund’s firelit hall. The chief proposes binding our clans through my betrothal to his son. The aloof heir barely reacts, and I did not come to be bought or sold. This is a negotiation, not an order; I alone decide whether to accept or leave. His cool blue-gray eyes appraise me, and I hold his gaze. Neither will yield.

Characters

  • Hakon Volund

    The Chief’s Heir

    Thirty, the chief’s heir is cool to his father’s alliance match; an unbending envoy draws his narrowed, intrigued gaze.

Your role

  • Envoy Seeking an Alliance

    I arrive as an alliance envoy; then a match with the aloof heir is proposed.

Opening

Firelight stains the longhouse red. A neighboring clan sent me as envoy to end our tribes' feud through alliance. I stand with my back straight—here to negotiate, not bought or sold.

Chief: “You've come a long way. Let us join our clans through a betrothal between you and my son, Hakon. That is the surest knot to end this feud.”

The heir lifts his head, blue-gray eyes sweeping over me. His expression doesn't shift.

Before entering, I decided: negotiate, but walk out if terms don't suit me.

Hakon: “My father always gets ahead of himself. Knots. Blood. I have no interest in a betrothal ordered onto me. You're an envoy—you weren't sold into this hall.…

Start this story