The Chieftain's Daughter

by Leigh Ann Edwards

  Riley will have my patient and loving father to see him safe, and you and Killian will be nearby also, and so I will not worry for him as readily. And perhaps if I remain here, I might serve as a voice of reason when Rory and his father are surely at odds with the joint chieftainship for Rory has already begun to join in many of the duties of a chieftain.”

  “I believe you may have made the decision after all.” Alainn smiled, and the other woman nodded.

  “I believe I have at that!”

  Alainn recalled the relieved expression on her aunt’s face as she’d taken leave from the chamber in a much lighter disposition as though a great weight had been lifted from her.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  As Alainn rested upon the settee and brushed her lengthy hair, she continued to dwell on the events of the past weeks. The old farrier had died. Alainn had felt deeply affected by his passing. She had not expected to experience such sadness. Although they’d never been close and she hadn’t lived with him since a very young age, she had always thought of him as her father. And though it had proven to be incorrect, a part of her would always feel like the farrier’s daughter.

  Now Mara had title to his cottage and was living there. Hugh O’Brien had greatly surprised Alainn by allowing Mara to take over her duties as healer once more. And the physician seemed most accepting of her. In fact, Alainn noticed how Thomas O’Donaugh had been looking at her mother most appraisingly as of late. She believed he might well be quite smitten with her. She was, in truth, a very beautiful woman, and even the residents of the castle and the villagers seemed to no longer fear her and were accepting her now that the chieftain and his family had so clearly done so.

  Rory had stopped by to visit Alainn often in the past weeks. Rory was one of her most treasured people. He was warm and caring and they shared an unusual sense of humor. Ever since they’d been children she’d thought of him as a friend, but perhaps nearly as close as a brother. She’d been undoubtedly pleased to learn they were cousins and she was very much relieved she’d been able to go back in time and prevent his death. She seldom allowed herself to think of that day for each time it made her heartsick.

  Rory had come to see her again just yesterday and Alainn recalled their pleasant conversation.

  “You look most jubilant and mirthful, Rory! I am well pleased you and Brigid are happily wed.”

  “Aye, she’s turned out to be a lovely girl, Alainn. We get along splendidly and she’s quite humorous as well, when she’s kept away from her sister for a time!” he added in confidence.

  “I’m well pleased, Rory, to know you will live a happy, wedded life.”

  “And I you, Alainn. I was beyond despair when we thought you would not live, and now you are radiant once more and I see the love that shines in your eyes for Killian and he for you.”

  “Aye, we shall both live happy lives, Rory!” She beamed.

  He’d held her tight for a moment, smiled at her, and kissed her cheek as he’d left. Though she’d always despised the notion of having someone choose a husband for her, with seeing Rory so well matched with Brigid, she’d been forced to admit, occasionally, arranged marriages worked out remarkably well.

  So seldom had she been left on her own in all these weeks, she hadn’t realized how much she’d needed this time to collect her thoughts and sort out her feelings. As she’d told her aunt, she’d allowed her powers to become almost entirely dormant. Other than the witchcraft required to assist in healing Killian, herself, and their unborn son, she had used no magic. And she was content with that... for now.

  Maybe the dark ones would not be so interested in her if she allowed her powers to simply be kept hidden. She doubted that and, as always, she wrestled with the ever-present notion that leaving them hidden and allowing them to become less than perfected might well be a detriment when dealing with a being of such evil origins. It was a conundrum best left to dwell upon another day and perhaps it was something that would never be clear to her.

  She touched her amulet and felt the raised ridge on the back. On both her mother’s and grandfather’s insistence, the O’Rorke crest that had belonged to her father, Teige, had been forged to her own amulet. And when she touched it, she felt close to him. One day when she felt stronger, she would employ her powers in attempt to search for him, for she sensed he still lived. When their child had been born, she would use her abilities to see what she could see.

  The English had once more become a force within Ireland. More and more often messengers brought reports of English soldiers being spotted in many areas. Once mostly restricted to The Pale in Dublin in the east of Ireland, they had slowly begun to penetrate many areas and Alainn knew minor battles had already been fought, and she did not need to possess the gift of second sight to know there would be many more. They had begun to place and enforce strict laws once more and Alainn had heard once again they had taken to controlling much of everyday life of the Irish. They were apparently strictly forbidding the spoken Gaelic language and the manner of dress as they had done in the past. She signed and wondered if the Irish would ever be entirely free of the rule of the English.

  She’d had the disturbing vision more and more often, the one she had first witnessed in Galway, and it was the exact image of what she’d seen then. And, once again, Killian, Riley, and Rory had been killed at the hands of the English. She’d been wide awake so she knew well enough it had not been a dream, and she’d broken into a cold sweat, and as before it had seemed so real she’d been relieved to see Killian walk into the room, well and unharmed.

  When Riley had left to go to their grandfather’s castle, she had breathed a heavy sigh of relief, for if the three were not together, they could not die together as the vision had implied. Before he left, she’d called the three of them to her bedside and warned all of them, that much to their displeasure, they could not all three be together, perhaps never again! She remembered the reaction she’d gotten from the often stubborn Riley, by making that suggestion.

  “You can’t truly mean to tell me you believe Rory and Killian and I cannot ever be together again?” Riley had scoffed at her insistence.

  “Aye, that is precisely what I’m indicating. I have seen the three of you dead on a bloodied moor after doing battle with the English. I cannot say where it is to happen or even when it will take place. I am not remotely certain how to prevent it. The only solution I can now render is this manner of separation. If the three of you are apart then surely you cannot die together. I do not mean to suggest you cannot see Rory again or Killian, or that Rory and Killian cannot be together, just not the three of you, not at the same time.”

  “Well I’ll not have it, Alainn! You’ll not dictate what time I spend with my brother or my cousin!” Riley had stormed out of the bedchamber.

  But Killian and Rory had taken her completely seriously and agreed without question.

  “Don’t pay attention to my unruly brother, Alainn. You know well he doesn’t take kindly to be bein’ told what to do. But I’ll do what I can to see to it we all do as you’ve instructed. As I’ve told you many times, your powers saved my life once before when you experienced that telling vision so long ago and because of that I have been allowed to live these past ten years. If you believe this is the way to ensure we remain safe then I’ll do what I must to abide by your wishes.”

  “As will I, Alainn,” Killian had agreed.

  She knew how difficult it would be for them, for they’d been together and the closest of kin for so long. But with Riley to the central area of Ireland, even though Killian would be close by, Rory would be at least a hard day’s ride from them. She felt better knowing that. And she’d stressed again to all of them they must never enter into battle with the English if all three could end up on the same battlefield.

  She’d made her grandfather and Hugh O’Brien listen intently to the portent warnings as well. And, much like Riley, she didn’t believe Hugh was entirely confident in her prophetic visions. However, her gr
andfather had worn such a look of certain dread at the possibility of losing his grandsons and Killian in battle, he had sworn he, too, would do all in his power to make certain her vision could never come to fruition.

  Killian had been displeased that she had wanted to speak with his uncle even on this topic, for things had not been mended between them. Alainn had decided she would soon convince Killian they must make the journey to their own home. She knew he wanted to be distanced from his uncle, to begin their life together, and that he was eager to become chieftain as he was destined to be.

  She felt the sturdy movement within her and smiled. She would be thankful always that she had not lost their son. She prayed all was well with him and that the poison had caused no ill effects that would be presented upon his birth. She felt a persistent needling within her whenever she dwelled upon the time of his birth, an uneasiness that she pushed far back within her mind and would not allow herself to think upon it.

  Surely, within the week, she would be able to persuade Killian to take her to their home, to their impressive castle on the lovely land near the sea. She remembered the night they’d spent there and she felt a heat within her. She’d missed being with her husband in an intimate manner. How she longed once more to have him love her and for them to reclaim the passion they once shared.

  Killian had agreed he would share their bed for he did not want to be apart from her, but he’d kept his distance save a quick kiss or a short loving embrace. Persuading him it would be safe for them to make love would be perhaps a difficult feat. As it stood now, he would barely allow her to brush her lips to his, even though she recognized the fact he had begun to look at her with desire in his eyes once more. She would not have him seeking out a servant girl or making a trip to Galway City to find a harlot to ease his needs. No, they would resume their physical intimacy, and soon, she thought, for she could hardly go for months without him loving her.

  Alainn slowly made her way back into the bedchamber and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She was still pale, but surely a pleasant walk in the sunshine would remedy that. Her hair remained shiny and healthy-looking. She glanced at her figure in the large, oval looking glass that hung upon the wall, as she turned to the side she saw the tiny swelling in her belly. She smiled at that. She was pleased her blessed condition was becoming outwardly evident.

  As she glanced at the shiny reflection in the mirror, she thought of the fairy glade. She often thought of the fairy glade. When she thought of the glade, she thought of the time they’d spent there after they’d been wed and it reminded her yet again of their passion, and once again she felt herself wanting Killian in that manner. It seemed no matter what subject she’d brought to mind in the past few days, she ended up feeling in need of a time between the bedsheets with her husband.

  When she thought of the glade it also made her dwell on the disturbing vision she had seen when she’d glanced into the portal that led to the future. It had foretold of a time when she would be there, in a future she did not desire. She disliked pondering that and decided there was little use fretting about it. Fate had a way of dealing its blows or blessings and sometimes she thought it best to leave it to its will.

  She stood on the open area once more and glanced down at the ground below. She gazed at the garden. She would miss the herb garden, but Killian had already promised her she could develop as big a garden as she’d like at their castle, and she would take many of the herbs from this garden to begin her own.

  She knew she would miss the castle itself, for she did adore Castle O’Brien, although there had been undeniable unpleasantness, she had spent her childhood here and it housed many happy memories. It was where she’d met Killian, spent so much time with him, and where they’d fallen in love.

  She would also miss the herb chamber and the kitchen as well as the people here at the castle; the people who had always been an intricate part of her life. She would miss Cook and Margaret, Molly, and their family. Molly and Pierce would be wed next spring and both were noticeably unhappy about the prospect of Pierce moving with his father to Killian’s castle, while Molly stayed behind with her family. But Cook would not allow them to be wed until his daughter turned six and ten. He was firm on that point and would not be swayed.

  Mac and Cook and Margaret had assured them time would pass quickly and if their affection toward one another was truly strong and meant to be it would withstand a time of separation. They had agreed they would allow Molly and Pierce to visit a time or two in the next year. Alainn was certain their love would span the time and the distance, but she was most empathetic of how the two young people must be feeling for she knew a year apart from Killian would seem an insufferably long time.

  Alainn had been most pleased to learn that Cookson would be journeying to their castle as well, for Killian had employed him as head cook. The young man had been hesitant at first and somewhat disbelieving that Killian wanted him when Castle O’Donnel surely already boasted a cook, but Killian explained the man was elderly and had expressed his desire to leave once Killian had found another to replace him. So Cookson had agreed wholeheartedly.

  And in contemplating all she would miss here, Alainn thought of her mother. She believed she would miss Mara. Although she’d felt angered and bitter when she’d first learned Mara had kept the secret of her parentage for so long, she’d grown to understand the reasoning. And perhaps, more importantly now that she carried a child, she understood what an extreme sacrifice Mara had made to allow her to have a chance at a normal life. She felt sad in knowing that now that she’d begun to care for and become closer to her mother, they would soon be parted again. But they would not be such an insurmountable distance apart they would never see each other.

  Alainn knew she would miss many of her friends, but she was grateful Riley and Mary would be living nearby and Mac, Pierce, and Cookson would all be there living in the castle, and sure she would make many new friends at Castle O’Donnel. She suspected she would surely make a few enemies as well. She always seemed to manage that!

  She would miss the fairy glade here, but she knew there were many other glades. In truth, the fairies had once told her she would only ever have to imagine and look and there would be a glade, or tree, or hill inhabited by fairies somewhere nearby, so numerous were they in Ireland. Sure there’d be many close to Killian’s castle as well.

  She decided she’d had quite enough on dwelling upon what she would miss here, at what she would be leaving behind, for she would be starting an exciting new life with her husband, and soon their son and that was all that really mattered to her. She would from now on simply choose to look forward for she and Killian would make many new happy memories of their own at Castle O’Donnel.

  She was suddenly overcome by the distinct scent of thyme. As she heard a soft sound behind her she turned to see Morag’s spirit beside her. She was elated to see the spirit of the old healer. She hadn’t been able to come to her in a long while, and they’d not actually spoken since Alainn had journeyed to the spirit world. Morag had insistently urged Alainn to go back, to return to her life with her husband, and Alainn believed this woman who had been so influential to her in life had been equally so when she hovered between life and death. For although Mara believed it was the evening nightshade potion that had counteracted the initial poisoning, Alainn believed it was surely God’s will and Morag’s strong pleading that had greatly affected the outcome.

  “You look well, caileag leanabh! Though I see well enough, you are clearly no longer a child, my dear, Alainn.” The old woman stared at the young woman’s slightly swollen middle.

  Alainn felt the tears threatening to fall for the old woman had never ever referred to her by her given name, not in all the years that she had lived with the old healer. She went to the woman and to both their surprise, she was able to actually embrace Morag’s spirit. She held on tightly until the old woman finally moved away.

  “Your powers grow more diverse and ever stronger, my darl
in’ girl. You must be cautious in using them.”

  “I know, Morag, you have always warned me of such, and perhaps I would have been wise to listen more closely.”

  “But, sure you were given them for a reason.”

  “Aye, but will I ever really know the reason entirely, Morag? Do you suppose?”

  “I wonder that myself. I always have since you were a wee girl, even before you came to live with me.”

  “I’d somehow forgotten the time you spent with me when I was still a young infant. You cared for me even long before it was your duty.”

  “Aye, well I cared for your mother and her mother as well. Three generations of the fairy line of Aine.”

  “You knew all those years we descended from Aine?”

  “Aye, she came to me one night when your grandmother was only a wee babe, only days old, to ensure I was carryin’ out my part of the bargain.”

  “You bargained with Aine?”

  “Aye, she asked me to care for her child the night after she left her here in the castle’s courtyard. I would have done so anyway, for she was a beautiful wee baby, as you all were. But she insisted I be given a wish. I was given the gift of healing, and it allowed a life of reasonable health and safety for me and you girls as well.”

  “But sure it cost you so very much, Morag. You never married, never had children of your own. You spent your entire life dedicated to healing others and raising us.”

  “But I was of an advanced age by most standards even when Ainna came to live with me, and I tell you now it was well worth it all, caileag. I was a healer since I was a young girl for I learned all that I knew from my father. My path was chosen long before any of you came to be my charges; in fact, when I was but a young woman not yet your own age, my entire family was stricken by an unrelenting plague. They were one by one taken from me in a matter of days. Then and there I decided I would continue to be a healer and do what I could to ensure no one else I cared for would be taken without a mighty fight from me.