The Chieftain's Daughter

by Leigh Ann Edwards

  Alainn smiled warmly and looked into her husband’s eyes so filled with fondness in his memory of his mother and her nurturing.

  “At any rate, she had me dwelling on what the dragon would look like, how big it was, how powerful, and of course he was mine so he would be willing to fight off any monster or horrid creature to protect me. I’d go to sleep with that image in my mind and it proved effective every time. And it helped throughout my life whenever I worried unduly about something of which I had no control. It still does, except now when my thoughts go to a dark place or a dark time, my dragon has beautiful long golden hair and large expressive blue eyes and a lovely enthralling shapely body that would make any man want to die just to have a glimpse of the heaven of it. And of course she is mine so she’s willin’ to do anythin’ for me.”

  He leaned over and kissed her and saw tears in her eyes again.

  “Aye, I’d do anything for you, Killian. Sure I promise you that!”

  “Then come now, Alainn, let’s go look through the portals and see what we might see, for by my estimation we’ve only tomorrow and one more night after this one before we must leave this lovely place and ...”

  “What if I caused it to rain for two fortnights, Killian? The challenges would need to be postponed much longer. Could we perhaps spend another moon here in the glade?”

  His eyes became filled with anticipation that soon gave way to doubt.

  “How does the different measurement in time affect our child, Alainn? Does he continue to grow at a similar rate within you when time nearly stands still here?”

  “I am uncertain of that truth, Killian. As you know, because of my unusual abilities, I felt movement unusually early and he continues to move strong and often, but sure I have no clear answer to your question then.”

  “Then best we make the most of the time we have here and then leave when we intended.”

  She sighed deeply and nodded. “Aye, for I would do anything for him as well,” she whispered as she lovingly placed her hand to her belly.

  Killian bent over and placed a soft kiss upon the spot she’d touched. It tickled and she giggled and the baby moved yet again.

  “He knows you love him as well, Killian!”

  “Aye, I do, Alainn, for he is a part of you, of course I will always love him and to know we created him together from our love, it causes me to experience a deep unfamiliar emotion I did not know I was capable of.”

  “I think I could spend an eternity with you, Killian, and never tire of hearing you speak to me. Even today when I was so angry with you and you with me, the love I felt for you was growing with each moment. Is it right to love another so completely, so intensely? For I love you more than life, Killian. I could not bear it if something untoward should happen to you. How could I live on if...”

  “I think you’d best call upon your dragon, Alainn, for you do have a tendency to fret about things you cannot control, and if you cannot then surely no one, bar God himself, can. So wipe the maudlin look off yer lovely sweet face and get some form of garment on you, for we’ve other realms to see, my beautiful Lainna.”

  He stood and extended his arm. She rose as well and she snapped her fingers again and she was dressed in a lovely green gown.

  “You said you favored green!” She commented when he looked at her still finding it unusual seeing her using her powers so often and so effortlessly.

  “And have you some other garments for me as well then, though you’ve assured me the fairies can’t enter through the barrier you’ve created, the wee creatures seem to keep stealin’ mine.

  She soon held out her arms and was holding a rich gold set of tunic and trews for him. She started to pass them to him then thought better of it, she closed her eyes, waved her hands and he was clothed in the outfit.

  “That does seem to save considerable time!” he simply said as he took her hand.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Killian found himself completely in awe of all that he was witnessing. He was being allowed to see a realm that few humans could ever lay claim to. He was surrounded by hundreds of fairies and unusual creatures of varying sizes and shapes. Some were startlingly beautiful, some undeniably quite homely, perhaps even frightening, but all mystical and enchanting.

  Alainn smiled at his reaction to the various creatures and when his eyes bulged at the sight of a radiantly and captivatingly beautiful young fairy nearly the size of Alainn, and with considerably less clothing, she held her hands over his eyes and scolded him.

  “Never you mind gazin’ at her with that look. You’re a married man now, Killian O’Brien, and should act accordingly.” She taunted.

  “Well, ’tis a wee bit difficult not to look at her, Alainn. She’s flyin’ right before us.”

  “Then close your eyes!” she stated simply, but laughed when he seemed unable to pull his gaze from her. “So it would appear I might be glancin’ into other realms and times alone, for you seem content to remain in this spot. ’Tis fine. I’ll see to it Lugh accompanies me. He would not turn me down, I’d wager!”

  “What?” Killian managed as the young fairy sensually batted her eyelashes and smiled suggestively at the handsome man on Alainn’s arm.

  Alainn glowered at the fairy and chastised her. “Don’t flirt so openly with my husband, Tara! Be off with you, go find another to entrance!” She glared at the fairy as she spoke, and Killian caught the displeased look.

  The fairy openly challenged Alainn and drew closer to Killian with seduction heavy on her mind.

  “Would you like me to place a spell upon you, Tara, to ensure you appear hideously unappealing to males of all species?”

  She glared at Alainn, but did not move from her position where she continued to eagerly eye and openly appraise Killian from head to toe.

  “So be it!” Alainn raised her hands and began to chant in a combination of druid and Gaelic. A swirling wind formed around the fairy and she shrieked and flew away before the whirlwind drew nearer to her. Alainn dismissed the spell and the wind diminished.

  “Don’t be jealous, Alainn!” Killian shook his head and seemed to be capable of clear thought once more. ’Tis you I am married to, I’ll not risk losin’ you, no matter what a woman or a fairy might look like. I was just admirin’ her wings.”

  “Aye, well, fairy wings are indeed quite the sight to behold, but if her wings were on her chest, I might actually believe you, and Tara is a love nymph so her sole purpose is to entice, enchant, and to mate, repeatedly, so I suppose you would be drawn to her, you are a man, and I can’t fault you for looking, but sure if you were ever to do anything more than look, Killian...”

  The thunder rumbled threateningly to the north and Killian saw the sky darken, as did her blue eyes.

  “You can’t truly be questioning my faithfulness so early on in our marriage, Alainn. ’Tis a ludicrous consideration, so get those damnable thoughts out of your mind straightaway!”

  “And later on in our marriage I might be warranted in having suspicions?” She quipped, only partly in jest, despising her jealousy yet, driven by it as well.

  “Do I need to repeat my vows daily then, to reassure you I intend to remain faithful to you all the days of our lives, Alainn?”

  “Not daily, but I would welcome a reassurance occasionally that it will always be me your heart yearns for and your body responds to for ’tis a certainty there have been others before me whom you have shared a passionate time with.”

  “Aye, we have discussed this previously, Alainn, and you’re well aware I’ve bedded other women. I’ve not ever attempted to conceal that from you. But that was in the past.”

  “Aye, I know it, Killian, but it does sadden me to know you’ve shared with others what we now share.” She morosely lamented.

  He threw his arms up in exasperation and placed his palms out toward her in attempt to prove his point. “Nay, Alainn, that is untrue by every measure known to man. I assure you what we share is unusual and exceedingly rare. I tell
you plain, what I share with you I have never shared with anyone else. Bedding someone for simple gratification to still a physical urge is by no means anywhere close to what you and I share!”

  She wore a pained expression and a look of uncertainty in her blue eyes as he continued to speak.

  “When I love you, of course I gladly love you with my body, but I love you with all that I am, with my heart and my soul. You cannot continue to let my past indiscretions interfere with the great love we share now. Perhaps, I should then be jealous of the young druid, Danhoul?”

  “Danhoul? Why ever would you be jealous of Danhoul?” She appeared almost amused, “Sure I barely know him, and I’ve certainly never entertained the notion of sharing his bed, much less actually done so.”

  “Aye, but you share much with the boy. You can hear his thoughts, you can speak to him telepathically, you are both capable of many magical feats and you are both druids. The two of you are able to travel to other realms. I can never be part of any of that, Alainn.”

  She glanced up at him with new understanding, “But ’tis not entirely the same, Killian. And how can you know for certain you will never tire of what we share, that you won’t require the variety of women you once knew? What if one day you should find our time together with all the many uncertainties that come with my magical abilities, too difficult to bear any longer?”

  Killian’s face took on a much more serious expression as he clasped her hands in his and he looked deeply into her unsure eyes. “You must trust in me and our mutual love, as I do. How do I know for certain you will be content in our marriage, that one day you won’t long to journey to the realm of the gods once more to ride upon a dragon?”

  She shook her head. “Killian, you are being ridiculously absurd! When I was in the realm of the gods all I could think of was getting back to you.”

  “So no part of your experience there was intriguing or exciting?”

  “Not enough to warrant being parted from you, Killian!”

  “Then sure you must not doubt me, Lainna! He spoke on with words of understanding and reassurance. “I well know the man you believed to be your father abandoned you when you were only a wee girl, and the woman who is truly your mother handed you over to strangers when you were only days old, but don’t judge me by their actions, Alainn! I love you with every breath I take, with every time my heart beats! I’ll never, ever disavow you, and I don’t know how to calm your jealousy or quell your uncertainty.”

  His green eyes filled with seriousness and his handsome face pleaded with her as much as his words. “Even though we both know our union isn’t likely to be without its trying challenges or uncommon obstacles, I’d never willingly choose to do anything to put our marriage in jeopardy. I’ll be with you till one of us no longer lives. I’ll not ever do you wrong. You’ve heard me speak the vows before God, but I’ll do whatever pagan ritual you require if it will make you more confident and secure in my love and my word. So draw my blood if you must, but never again question my love or fidelity, Alainn. I promise you, there’ll never be another woman in my heart or my bed!”

  He remained standing there his hand still extended to her, but she smiled instead.

  “I have no dagger with me just now!” She dismissed his offer and stood on her tiptoes, placed a gentle kiss on his lips and then took his strong hand in her own. “I’ll not question nor mention your fidelity again, Killian!” She pledged.

  His eyes registered relief at appearing to have finally managed to settle her many doubts.

  They walked on together hand in hand, Alainn offering further explanation of what type each fairy and creature was, where each had apparently originated, and what powers or magical abilities each possessed. He was entirely intrigued with every detail. When they came upon a dark shadow on the ground, Alainn carefully took a wide berth and guided Killian around it.

  “Never step into the round shadows for they are portals to other realms, usually to darker worlds!”

  Killian seemed filled with disbelief. “I thought it was only in the edges of the glade that the evil creatures were found.

  “Many congregate in the Unseelie Court, but there are openings to other worlds within the fairy realm and even within the human world.”

  “And are there people who simply stumble upon them mistakenly and are carried off to other worlds?”

  “Not often, but aye, I have heard it has happened so.”

  “And are they able to get back again?”

  “Sometimes the portal reopens and they are allowed to make their way back, other times those with supernatural abilities, appointed searchers or guardians must pursue them and right the wrong. They must see to it that they are brought back to their own realm or to their own time so the future will not be adversely affected.”

  They came upon a vast, rounded hill that looked like any other, but Alainn gestured to Killian to peek through a tiny opening and to look within.

  “What is this place?” he asked his voice laced with curiosity.

  “ ’Tis this precise location, but another time...a time very, very long ago.”

  Killian curiously peered in once more and noticed how remarkably beautiful it was. The grass appeared even greener than usual, there were many more trees, and there seemed to be an all-encompassing serenity and peacefulness to the place. He could see no buildings, not a castle or cottage, not even a stone wall or a roadway. Alainn leaned closer to him and they looked in together.

  He grew extremely excited at what he next saw. “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Alainn, is that a...”

  “A giant Irish elk?” she excitedly answered. “Aye, when you made mention of that animal the other day, I thought you might like to view one since they’ve been gone from this earth since long before man inhabited it. Aren’t they stunningly majestic creatures and even more immense than simply looking upon a set of their broad antlers pulled from a peat bog would indicate?”

  “You’ve seen them before then; lookin’ through this magical portal you’ve seen these enormous beasts on other occasions?”

  “Aye, I’ve always been drawn to gaze upon them, and they can see us, too?”

  Killian remained doubtful even after all he’d seen, so he moved his hand before the portal as if motioning to the creature. The giant animal slowly turned its massive head and knowingly looked straight into Killian’s eyes.

  “Shite, you’re right, he can see us. Could he come through the portal?

  “It is doubtful. He knows where he belongs, what time and what place. I think it is only humans who make the mistake of heading to another time. Of course, sometimes it is not a mistake. There are those who deem it adventurous to head off to other times.”

  “And you’ve never gone, Alainn? I find that difficult to believe; you were always so desperate for adventure when you were younger.”

  “I have looked into the past many times, but never ventured back for I was always fearful of being unable to return to you. And the future is less appealing to me. I have taken quick glances, but it does not hold my interest.”

  “And what frightens you about the future, Alainn?”

  “I did not say I was frightened.”

  “You didn’t have to speak the words, Alainn. I can see well enough you are fearful to look ahead in time.”

  “Well, sure I’d not care to look upon myself on my own deathbed or, worse yet, on you at the end of your life.”

  “And can you not look far, far ahead into the future, perhaps many centuries ahead then? We will only be dust by then so your fears would be unwarranted.”

  “I suppose,” she whispered, but it was obvious it was not a consideration she desired.

  They walked on again, Alainn pointing out several other portals. Some were actual arched doorways, others oval-shaped windows, and some appeared only as a shadow or a circle of light upon the ground.

  “And so we are to avoid the dark shadows, but what of the circles of light upon the ground?”

  “They
usually indicate a place where the veil is thin between our worlds, they lead to magical lands, but even they are not without danger, for not all magical beings can simply be classified as good or evil, just as humans I suppose. Some are capable of both!”

  “And how are you able to distinguish between the portals that lead to other worlds and those that lead to other times?”

  “The past is often found in a hill, for the many secrets lie deep within, memories and events layered one upon the other... the culmination is often a rounded hill. The future is sometimes in a gulley for the events have not yet produced distinct memories, but not always. Doorways to the past are also simpler to open for they have been opened before. The portals that lead to the future are more deceptive, for to dare to go into the future you risk changing events in the past and that can have irreversibly tragic results, I am told!”

  “And where does this doorway lead then, Alainn?” Killian pointed to a small circle liken to a ray of light from the sun.

  “That is the past, but the recent past, and it is lighted with such an appealing glow because it holds a pleasing memory for you and me.”

  Alainn closed her eyes and moved her hand gently over the spot and soon Killian saw the two of them standing before the priest, exchanging their vows. He listened to every word and he noticed how Alainn’s eyes were glistening with tears when they watched their first kiss as husband and wife. She moved her hand again and the image was gone.

  “Why is it women tend to weep so at weddings, Alainn?”

  “ ’Tis a time of great emotion, to give oneself to another forever. Sure it can be the happiest, most meaningful time in one’s life or perhaps the saddest, most disparaging day for many women...and men, I suppose!”

  She showed him many other portals, some held memories of his childhood, others were their shared memories, and they laughed and talked together of happy times in days gone by. She passed an especially dark circle on the ground before them and hurriedly moved from it without directly looking down at it. This only proved to pique his curiosity.