The Artist (Men Of The North #11) - Elin Peer Page 0,2

side has always been a sore issue for Nmen from the older generations. They feel that the influx of Motlander women has caused us to lose part of our identity as a nation.”

“And they’re right,” Magni exclaimed. “Look, we know that growing up in this family with all the media attention hasn’t been easy for you. The endless articles and speculations about who you’ll marry are driving all of us insane.”

Indiana pushed his chair back a little. “You’re talking about them and not me, right?” As the oldest son of our parents’ friend Alexander Boulder, Indiana wasn’t blood related to any of us.

Magni frowned. “Yes. You could get away with marrying an outsider, but Thor, Freya, Aubri, and Mason can’t.”

“We’re not marrying anyone for a long time,” Aubri pointed out, twirling a lock of her red hair.

Khan sighed. “That’s the point. With four of you being fifteen and Thor twelve, you all have time. What we’re saying is that when you go in August, don’t fucking think about getting close to anyone from the other delegations. We’re not stupid. We see that the Motlanders are hoping to soften you up to their way of thinking.” He stopped behind Freya and placed both hands on her shoulders while looking down at all of us. “If Magni and I didn’t trust that your loyalty and patriotism were solid, we wouldn’t let you go to that summit.”

“You can trust us!” Thor declared and I gave a solemn nod.

Magni leaned down, pushing on Indiana’s neck and mine. “You two are responsible for making sure no one touches Freya and Aubri.”

Thor straightened in his chair. “What about me? Freya is my sister.”

“You too, Thor,” Khan assured his son. “Now listen carefully. We need a promise that you won’t do anything stupid. The Motlanders will try to indoctrinate you to believe that inclusion is the way to go. Don’t fall for it. The Northlands need to remain a proud and independent nation by carrying on our traditions. That’s why it matters who you end up marrying.”

“I’m marrying a Northlander,” I declared. “That’s not even a question.”

“Me too,” Indiana said quickly.

Aubri scoffed, “As if I could ever fall for a soft Motlander man anyway.”

“Yeah. I’m going to carry on our traditions too,” Thor promised with a stern nod.

We all looked to Freya, who hadn’t spoken.

“Freya, are you willing to do what it takes to hold our nation together?” Magni asked her.

“Of course, but I don’t understand why this is necessary. Mila married Jonah and he’s a Motlander. That didn’t devastate the nation. She was free to marry who she wanted, so why aren’t the rest of us?”

My father took a strong stance and gave Freya one of his stubborn glances. “Trust me, Laura and I weren’t happy about Mila choosing Jonah. We wanted her to have a traditional bridal tournament. But even though Mila is our adopted daughter, people understand that she was born as a Motlander. That makes her different from you five. Freya, you are smart enough to know that what our people need is to see our country stabilized after all the extreme changes we’ve faced these past years. Bringing in more outsiders to our family will do the opposite.”

Freya chewed on her lower lip. “Yes, I’m aware.” With five pairs of Nmen eyes on her, she hesitated before declaring. “Fine. If I ever marry, it’ll be an Nman.”

Khan stepped to stand next to her. “If, what do you mean if?”

Freya gave him a sweet smile. “It depends on whether or not I can find anyone as handsome and clever as my father.”

I had watched my cousin play her dad like this since we were young kids, and sure enough, Khan’s shoulders eased their tension. He was a hard man who didn’t show his emotions in public, but affection flashed over his face. Freya was his oldest child and the two of them had always been close.

“That was all. Magni and I have important things to discuss, so you can all run along now.”

As the five of us moved out of his office, Freya took time to give Khan a kiss on his cheek. “I know this is stressing you out, Dad, but I think Mom is right. It’s actually a good thing.”

“Let’s hope that you and Mom are right, kiddo. Still, I need you to use that sharp genius you inherited from me and pay close attention. Trust me, this summer summit is nothing but the Motherlands’ attempt to influence you youngsters to