Both men nodded and departure immediately after giving him the details of the women they had been mated to.
The rest of his men joined the celebration, but he went looking for Kaylein. He needed to see her and make sure she was alright.
But she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. About to go looking for Arryn to demand an explanation, his instinct told him exactly where she was. Quickly, he climbed the northern tower, and there she was, sitting in the dark, contemplating the starry night.
“Why aren’t you celebrating with the rest of the village?” he asked her, taking a seat next to her.
“I’m glad you’ve managed to get rid of Lord Bryce, but I really don’t have anything to celebrate,” she said, with a somber tone.
“I heard about what happened. Are you alright?” he asked, in a soft tone.
“I’ll survive, I always do,” she said, oozing sarcasm.
Cuyler considered telling her about his plans for the following morning, but somehow knew she wouldn’t react well to the idea of being taken away from her home. Instead, he just mentioned his impending departure.
“We’re going home in the morning.”
Startled, Kaylein tilted her head to look at him. “You mean, forever?” What else could go wrong in her life?
“Yes, we’ve been away far too long, and it’s time we set course back home,” he explained, trying to see her reaction to his words, but she lowered her face, and he couldn’t see anything.
“Well, I guess I can understand that,” she said, with a sad tone.
“Will you miss me?”
She chuckled, but there was no joy in the sound. “We haven’t met long enough for me to miss you,” she said, getting up. “Well, I wish you a happy journey back home. It’s time I go check if my mother needs my help,” she said, walking away.
“Can’t you stay a bit longer?” he said, but she simply shook her head and disappeared down the trap door.
Kaylein went straight to her bedroom. To her surprise, Millicent was there, and she could tell she had been crying. “What happened?”
“They’re leaving tomorrow,” she muttered, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
“Yes, I’ve just been told. But why are you crying?” she asked, hugging her maid. More than a maid, she had been her best friend for her whole life, and it pained her to see her so disheartened.
"Because I was fool enough to fall in love with one of them,” the girl confessed, as her sobs became louder and she hid her face in Kaylein's shoulder.
Kaylein tried to comfort her as best as she could, but deep down, all she wanted was to cry her heart out, just like Millicent was doing. But she had learned a long time ago, tears didn’t solve anything, and they were a waste of energies.
“Why are you here and not downstairs spending these last moments with him?” she asked her maid.
She sobbed louder. “His leader sent him on an errand, somewhere in the woods. He won’t be back anymore,” she explained. “I have nothing to celebrate.”
“Well, that makes two of us,” Kaylein said, holding back the stubborn tears welling up in her eyes.
The rest of the day went by amongst the celebrations of the people. Lord Arryn had ordered the kitchen to prepare food and drinks for everybody, and the villagers all looked happy and celebrated throughout the night.
By the time the sun came out on the horizon, only a few people had remained in the main room. Lord Arryn was one of them, seated in his favorite chair, with a glass of ale in his hand and the handle of his sword in the other, as if he was expecting bad news.
Next to him, stood his faithful friend, Sir Henry.
Cuyler crossed the room, followed by his men, towards him, arching his eyebrow when he saw the sword. “Are you planning to take back your word?” he asked him, with scorn.
“It would be suicidal of me, wouldn’t it?” he said, in a self-mocking tone.
“Yes, it would. I’ve done all I could to keep this transaction as beneficial as possible for you and your people,” he assured him. “But my goal as always been as we discussed, and I assure you I won’t leave this village without it.”
“Of course,” the man huffed, with scorn.
“I believe I’ve paid you more than enough for it. But, as I’m aware that losing so many people will affect you somehow, I’ll pay even more.” He made a signal to Eirik and Gandalf, and both men stepped forward to drop four bags with all the gold they had extracted from the planet. “I’m sure that will cover any loss you might have.”
Arryn didn’t even bother checking the bags. He knew he had no choice but accepting.
“They won’t go voluntarily,” he warned him. “So, I’ve prepared two locked tumbrils for you to take them.”
“Thank you, that’s very thoughtful of you,” Cuyler nodded.
“Very well, let’s hear the names of the lucky ones,” the man said, oozing scorn.
Cuyler started naming the girls, adding all of the information his men had given him. Unfortunately, not all of his men had found their mates, but he was sure the girls would find their mates as soon as they got home.
When Cuyler named Muriel, one of Arryn’s twin daughters, the man tensed up.
“That’s one of my daughters.”
“I’m well aware of that,” Cuyler said, in a stern tone. “In fact, I’m taking Guinevere and Kaylein as well,” he added.
Arryn jumped up from his chair, his face suddenly pale. “You can’t do that. They are all I have left…”
"You couldn't care less about your daughters, and we both know it. They aren't the sons you wanted, so they weren't worthy of your love and care," Cuyler retorted in a cold tone. "I was quite clear when I told you all of the women would be included."
The man clenched his hand around the handle of the sword a few times, as if considering his options, but soon realizing he had none.
“Who else?” he asked instead, through gritted teeth.
“Millicent, Kaylein’s maid and Mariah, one of your kitchen’s maids. Those are the last two.”
Sir Henry had made a list with all the names, and he was ordered to get the women that lived outside of the castle.
"I'll bring you, my daughters."
There were so much rage and frustration oozing from the man that, for a moment, Cuyler feared he might do something stupid.
“I’ll be right here waiting. Don’t do anything stupid like unraveling my rage, Arryn. You wouldn’t like the consequences,” he warned the other man.
He nodded and disappeared up the stairs.
Kaylein had just finished dressing, with Millicent’s help, when her father entered the room. “Pack your things, both of you. You’re leaving,” he barked the order.
“What do you mean, we’re leaving?” Kaylein asked him, startled.
"I'll explain it to you, downstairs. Don't even try to escape. I have two soldiers right outside your door,” he threatened as he walked away.
Startled, she heard him saying the same to Muriel and Guinevere, followed by her mother’s cries and pleads. Something wrong was going on.
“He said… Both of us?” Millicent's weak voice brought her back from her amazement.
With a deep sigh, she nodded. “Yes, I’m afraid so.” She confirmed it.
“What is going on?”
“I have no idea, but you better go and do what he told you to,” she advised her maid, as she grabbed a small bag and shoved a few dresses and underwear in it. Not much, just all she could carry, after all, she had no idea where they were going, nor how they were going. At the last minute, she added her dagger, just in case, and she went downstairs, followed by the two guards.
When she arrived at the main room, there were several other women gathered in it. She wasn't able to count them since some were still arriving, but she certainly didn't like the looks of it.
A few minutes later, her father entered the room followed by several of his men, and after they surrounded the group of women, he started to explain.
“As you all know, yesterday we could have been attacked by Lord Bryce’s army, and we all know what as well would have been the consequences of such attack.”
Kaylein looked around the room, noticing the stern looks on all of the girls’ faces. Muriel and Guinevere were next to their mother, weeping quietly.