by Mia Pride
Una nodded and felt the weight lift off her heart that had been nagging at her for far too long. Her body sagged against him as all the tension floated away and her head nestled into his chest. He stroked her wavy chestnut curls as he inhaled the sweet familiar scent of her favorite soap, his heart pounding wildly against her back.
“What are we going to do, Brocc?” She buried her face in his hard chest and inhaled deeply, enjoying his warm masculine scent and strength. Being back in his strong arms felt like coming home. She felt protected and something fluttered inside her as she absorbed the reality that she was carrying this strong, incredible man’s child. How had she missed all the signs? Was she really that naïve? Looking back, she could not remember her courses coming for several moons, but she had been so distracted that she never thought about it. As for her dizziness and sickness, she had simply believed those to be side effects of her lingering heartache.
“We are going to have a wee babe, half of you and half of me. And I could not be more pleased,” he whispered into her hair and the warmth spread throughout her body. “You should never worry about being alone. We are a family now.”
She looked up startled and stared at his affectionately dancing hazel eyes. “Brocc, I…this is all very sudden. Can we just take this a day at a time? I am not going to marry you just because—”
“REALLY?” his voice boomed violently, breaking the peaceful atmosphere and causing Una to flinch in his lap. “You are not going to marry me just because you are carrying my child? What better reason could you possibly have? Och, woman!”
“Ohhh...now I see, Brocc! This is why you are so pleased. You do have me where you want me after all, do you not? There is a better reason to marry, other than having a child…tis called love! And as far as I have seen, Brocc, you feel a mild affection for me tinged with intermittent waves of lust! That is, on those rare occasions you are not infuriated by me and screaming. I have seen nay evidence of love! I cannot marry a man that does not love me!” Una was shouting back in earnest as she jumped out of his lap and stormed down the left corridor, entering her chamber.
Una collapsed on her bed and sulked for what felt like hours. Could she really marry Brocc simply because he had successfully planted his seed within her womb during the only night of intimacy they had ever shared? It seemed like a petty excuse to enter into a loveless marriage. She would raise the child herself if she needed. But she would not, under any circumstances, agree to marry Brocc Mac Greine until she was certain that his love overpowered his lust and pride.
Chapter 6
“Mac Greine is the last king’s name?” Garreth asked as Ceara rested her feet upon a stool while happily nibbling on her steaming bowl of porridge with baked apples. She had not stopped eating since Garreth got her with child. She would need more porridge soon.
“Aye, I’m certain that is what Druid Patrick said in his telling of the legend during the Samhain festival. He said that each of the three Sisters of Danu would marry a king, just as the original three goddesses of Danann married the three High King brothers. The three kings of legend were named Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht, and Mac Greine. You are Garreth Mac Cecht and Gwynneth married Liam Mac Cuill, so our third sister must be married to a king with the surname Mac Greine.” She wiped her finger along the rim of her empty bowl and licked the remains of her porridge off her finger with a satisfying smacking sound.
“By all the gods, Ceara! Should I just throw you outside with the hogs? They have plenty of slop left around the rim of their feeders that you are welcome to.” Garreth grunted with amusement, but his eyes twinkled with adoration. They had been married for three summers and he found her more and more beautiful with each passing day. Her flaming red hair and beaming emerald eyes affected him just as much now as they had the day he married her, if not more so. He could hear her giggling to herself as he came to wrap his arms around her waist, feeling the ever-growing bulge of her belly.
“Three summers,” she sighed. “That’s how long it took to get me with child. I was beginning to feel useless to you, my love.” Ceara brought a hand up and gently stroked the blonde stubble on her husband’s square jaw, running a finger over the cleft of his chin.
He turned his lips into her upturned hand and gave it a gentle kiss. “You could never be useless to me, mo chroí. Trust me, tis been a fun three summers trying to plant a babe in you.” He kissed her neck and a feminine giggle escaped her lips.
“Beast!” she quipped as she playfully swatted at his arm. She looked up at him, her expression suddenly serious. “Are you really alright with me coming along with you to find my sister? I know you did not want me to go, but I really think I should.”
“I told you from the beginning I was not happy with my breeding wife accompanying me on this journey. I do not know who this King Mac Greine is, nor do I know where he is. And without the knowledge of your sister’s name, it will make our journey that much more complicated.”
She started to open her mouth to protest, but he quickly put up a hand to silence her. “However, I do see now what an asset you and Gwynn will both be to Liam and me as we search. After all, you two know the full legend by heart and it is your fate on the line. It would be wrong of me to deny you the journey…nay matter how much it displeases me to think of you in danger. I do, however, look forward to the chilly spring nights under the stars with you.” He waggled his eyebrows salaciously at her as she laughed.
“Diplomatic, as always,” Ceara said with a smile as she stood up and stretched her slim body and rubbed her sore bottom. “At least we know a few things about my other sister. She looks identical to Gwynneth and me, only with brown hair, and she will have the power to control nature in some way…whether she knows it yet or not.” She paused to chew on her lower lip in deep thought.
“Well, I suppose we should start packing and get ready to meet Liam and Gwynn. Why they chose that old abandoned house they stayed in after her accident as our meeting place, I cannot understand.” Ceara shivered and stared into the fire blazing in the hearth. “Gwynneth has been through so much. Her abusive marriage to Baine, her accident, memory loss…loss of her babe. It pleases me to see her finally happily married to Liam and expecting a child, but it seems so unjust that she should have suffered so. And all alone, without me by her side. I should have been there. For everything.”
Garreth looked over at his brooding wife. It was seldom that Ceara’s high spirits plummeted, but the discovery that Gwynneth had been her sister all along had been wearing on her conscious, as if she could have prevented any of Gwynn’s misfortunes from coming to fruition. Finding out that her sister’s life had been nothing short of miserable only added to Ceara’s inner turmoil.
“Ceara, mo chroí. You must cease your regrets where Gwynn is concerned. You did not know because the gods did not allow it. Her journey has led her to you. To Liam. To her babe. And soon, to another sister.” He walked up and grabbed her hand with his, stroking his thumb along her knuckles. “She is happy now.”
“I know, Garreth. But I had a loving mother, a kind husband and lived as a queen while she was being abused. What if- if my other sister is in distress as well?” She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed tightly. “I can feel it. I cannot explain how. But my other sister is distraught. She needs us!”
“Then we should prepare to depart, should we not?” He kissed her forehead and pulled away as she released her hold on him. “That is if I can keep you from eating everything…” He gave her a sideways glance as she whacked him in the rear and walked past him, into the corridor that lead to their chamber.
“I make nay promises,” she replied with a playful wink over her shoulder. Ceara was being her usual playful self again, but inside, Garreth knew she felt a deeply unsettling feeling of discontent as she dwelled on her instinctive belief that her third sister was in distress.
As the sun rose on the horizon, Liam and Gwynneth were awakened by the light of the new day caressing their bodies, limbs peacefu
lly entwined as they lay on the forest floor. They had spent several hours traveling the day before to get to their meeting place with Ceara and Garreth. Though Liam could have pressed on, Gwynneth’s constant need to adjust herself in the saddle while rubbing her sore backside indicated that they should stop and set up camp for the night.
Liam knew Gwynneth well enough to know that her stubbornness would get the best of her if he allowed it. The child growing within her had been weighing her down and causing her extreme exhaustion. The dark circles under her eyes were proof of that, though she would never let on. Feigning exhaustion, Liam had suggested they set up camp and travel the last few miles on the morrow, and the glint in Gwynneth’s green eyes was evidence of his accurate assessment of her discomfort. The night had been frigid, but something about lying on the forest floor under the stars with his wife chased away the chill as they huddled beneath wool blankets and furs, making love until they both fell into a deep, satiated sleep.
“It will be interesting to be back in that abandoned house together,” Gwynneth sighed nostalgically. “To think that only a few moons ago I woke up with nay memory of my previous life and you had me convinced that you were my husband instead of Baine!”
Liam looked over at her warily and grunted, “Aye, well, I would do it all over again too, just the same. Except I may not be as well behaved as I was before.” He smirked suggestively and she responded by whacking him playfully on the arm with a laugh.
“Look!” Gwynneth shouted excitedly. “There it is! Just ahead through that clearing. I can see the old thatched roof poking out above the trees!”
Liam squinted his cobalt eyes to see through the rays of sunshine beaming through every gnarly tree branch. Just a few more strides closer and he saw the roof in the distance. “You’re right! We are almost there. Garreth and Ceara should be arriving soon.”
“You know, this little house should bring back bad memories. But all I can think of is the amazing moments we spent together there.” She looked over her shoulder at Liam and he could see the pure love in her eyes. Feeling suddenly overwhelmed by his own memories, he only nodded and smiled in response. He could not even put into words how much he loved his wife in that moment. They had been through so much, but here they were now, happy, in love and expecting their first child.
They trotted along a few more yards and as they reached the front of the worn down house, they saw two black horses tied up to the posts out front. “Tis Ceara’s horse! They are here!” With a swiftness that Liam would have never expected from his breeding wife, she swung one leg over the horse and jumped down to the ground with a smile. She started to reach for the door, but Liam bounded off his horse and grabbed her hand away in time to stop her.
“Not yet, Gwynn!” Liam laughed and backed her away from the door with a grunt of amusement.
“Why ever for? My sister is in there and I wish to see her!” she said with a stubborn pout.
“Aye. She is in there…with her husband…alone after a long journey…you know how they are,” he said wryly.
“Oh by all the gods, Liam! They are not animals!”
We wanted to tell her that Garreth was about as close to an animal as a man could be, but he decided against it. “Do you see smoke coming up from the thatch?” he asked quizzically.
“Nay…”
“They did not even take the time to light the hearth, Gwynn!” he laughed at her scandalized face as he pounded on the door with his fist. “Play time is over!” After a moment, a few rustling sounds were heard from within followed by Ceara’s contagious laughter, and Garreth threw the door open with a mock scowl as he adjusted his trousers.
“I’ll remember that next time you are indisposed with your wife, Liam,” Garreth grumbled. “Just as well, we have finished anyway...” He winked and looked over at Ceara who was combing her red hair as a blush crept up her face.
Gwynneth bounded forward and rushed at her sister as they squealed loudly and embraced. Liam clasped forearms with Garreth and exchanged strong slaps on the back as he walked over to the hearth to start a fire. “This place is as frigid as the dead of winter!” he leaned over the hearth trying to start the fire. “A little help here, Ceara?” he quirked a brow at her in jest, knowing full well she had not yet harnessed her control of fire.
Ceara responded by sticking her pink tongue out at him and placing her hands on her sassy hips. “Very funny, Liam. I doubt I will gain control of fire until we find our sister. Though I have been practicing, tis impossible!” Suddenly the fire sparked to life and Liam stood up with a satisfied grin.
“Tis alright, I can handle it without magic. So, what is the plan?” he looked over at Garreth expectantly. “Any more information from Patrick?”
“Only that we need to head to the faery mounds and see if we can convince them to aid us in our search for the third sister.”
“Convince? Should they not be willing to help, knowing about the legend and the importance of us finding her in the next two moons?” Gwynneth's voice increased in pitch as her anxiety over their impending meeting with the notorious faeries increased.
“Not necessarily. They have a reputation for being quite fickle and don’t always work well with humans.” Garreth rubbed the blonde stubble on his chin as he pondered ways to placate the moody faeries.
“Not even humans descended from the Tuatha de Danann? We are ancestors of the faery, Dana, herself! Practically one of them!” Ceara chewed her lower lip between her teeth in worry.
“Nay sense worrying lassies! All we can do is prepare and plan. They will want some sort of offering…you know, something valuable.”
“I have my ruby-studded crown? Tis a simple band of gold inlaid with small rubies, but tis all I have,” Ceara suggested hopefully.
“That should do. We will head west on the morrow at dawn. I have located a faery mound that I think will be a good starting place. Each mound houses different faeries with different interests. We may not get an answer right away. Let us just hope they are willing to point us in the right direction.” Liam looked around at the other three silent occupants in the room. Their blank stares and nods indicated that they either agreed, or could not think of a better option, and he nodded in acceptance as he walked over to Gwynneth, giving her a kiss to alleviate her anxiety.
“Well, in the meantime, tis not even sundown yet! What shall we do?” Ceara asked while she jumped and clapped her hands excitedly. Gwynneth smiled affectionately as Ceara’s jovial mood returned.
“Sleep?” Garreth suggested with a shrug.
“Och, you are so droll! Fine, you men can do whatever you wish. Gwynneth and I will be over by the hearth doing our favorite thing. Warming our sore feet by the fire, rubbing our bellies, and gossiping about the two of you.” She sent them a mocking glance as she and Gwynn walked over to the wooden table, whispering among themselves.
“As you wish, mo chroí,” Garreth chuckled as he stretched his long legs out upon a wool blanket from his satchel. “I do not care if you tell Gwynneth my deepest secrets. Just do not wake me until dawn.”
Chapter 7
“Och, Una! You have been a stubborn woman! I told you that I forbid you to be my servant any longer!” Brocc stormed over to Una with fire blazing in his eyes as he roughly grabbed her by the arm and pulled her off the floor that she ceaselessly scrubbed out of spite. “Go take off that horrible brown tunic! I am going to burn it!”
Una seethed with anger as she balled up her fists to prevent herself from clawing at his face. “You are not my husband! You cannot make me do anything!”
He glared at her and his nostrils flared. “I am the father of your child and I forbid you to continue, Una! I will not have you waiting on me like a servant any longer! I never wanted this arrangement from the start! I went along with it because you insisted, but enough is enough. And…” he sent a wicked smile her way, “I can make you take off that tunic…and I will.” He threw her over his shoulder while she screamed and pummeled his back with
her fists. Brocc grunted as he carried Una’s struggling body down the corridor and into her bedchamber.
“Put me down!” she shouted in his ear as she attempted to pull at an ebony lock of his hair.
“Gladly,” he replied dryly as he gently tossed her onto to the bed. “Take off that hideous tunic and put something on that is suitable for the mother of the king’s child.”
“I will not!” Una wrapped her arms tightly around her body and turned her head up at him with a stubborn grunt.
“Nay?” Brocc walked over and pushed her onto her back. She flailed her legs in protest, but he never relented, dodging her flying bare feet as they came dangerously close to connecting with his nose. Grabbing the hem of the scratchy torn material, he yanked it up to her waist. She screamed and kicked furiously as the old fabric was ripped away from her body. Gathering the dress tightly in his fists, he yanked up over her navel, tugging even harder to pull it over her breasts. They were much too large for this old dress and he wondered how she had continued to cram them relentlessly into the thick wool fabric; no doubt it was her sheer will, spite, and stubbornness. “Raise your arms Una, or I will only continue to force you.”
Her struggling ceased and she sat up on the edge of the bed, blankly staring at Brocc as tears pooled in her eyes. “I hate you,” she said with a low stifled sob. But she obeyed and lifted her arms up over her head, allowing Brocc to tug off the remains of the filthy old tunic. Una was completely exposed now, covering each breast with her shaking palms and crossing her legs to gain more modesty. She was heaving with the exertion of her lost battle of wills and he felt a sting of guilt.
He crumpled the dress up into his fists and glared at her. Brocc was shocked by his own behavior, but it was too late to turn back now; he must keep himself unfeeling in the moment. He was furious with her stubborn behavior, but a much stronger emotion consumed him, bordering on insanity. Even after she found out she was carrying his child, Una still refused to marry him and insisted on playing the role of his servant, causing many arguments, all leading up to this one intense moment. He had lost all his will to control his anger.