Forbidden Fate (Sisters of Danu Book 1)

by Mia Pride

  “Shush, Gwynneth. You know that’s not true,” she said in a soothing, yet firm, voice. She ran a silver comb through Gwynn’s hair to detangle it. “You clean up nice, Gwynneth. Liam will never let you out of his sights again. Mark my words. By this time on the morrow, he will have made you his.” She waggled her brows at Gwynneth.

  “Stop being so jovial all the time, Ceara, tis sickening. Let me be mad.” She crossed her arms around her waist and plopped down onto a bench like a petulant child, but she could not suppress the small grin creeping up her face. Ceara was so brazen and forward, always helping to loosen Gwynneth’s proper mind.

  “Now, now Gwynn,” Ceara was smiling to herself while she walked behind Gwynn and started to plait her hair. “I’m only jovial because I know what you know.”

  “Oh? And what is that, exactly?”

  “That he is your destiny! Go ahead and be mad at him. Tis not going to change a thing. You are meant to be with him, Gwynn. How many people can say that?” She quirked her brows up, even though Gwynn could not see her, as she tied off the ends of Gwynn’s hair with a small strip of leather.

  “What about Fiona?” Gwynneth had raged to Ceara when she arrived, telling her everything that Liam confessed.

  “What about her? Did he stay with her when Baine left Iverni with you? Did he rescue you and then go back to her? Or did he nurture you and nurse you back to health? Did he not tell you he was your husband? Gwynn! He wasn’t doing that to be a cruel man, he was trying to give you the life you deserve! The life he deserves. He wants YOU. So what if he sought solace in another woman for a while! He’s a man, Gwynn. He didn’t marry her.”

  Gwynn knew Ceara’s words were all true, still, she felt a sting at the thought of Liam with another woman. It made her jealous to her core to imagine him with someone else, especially since she had yet to lie with him, herself. Now, she never wanted to touch him. It would always feel tainted with Fiona’s memory. What if Fiona was better than her at making love? She was certainly more experienced and if Liam went back to her time and time again, she must have pleased him well enough.

  Gwynneth had to stop the images in her head again. They made her beyond ill. “How can I look at him, or touch him, without imagining him with her?” Gwynneth cringed.

  “Listen, Gwynn,” Ceara came around to face her and sat down next to her. “Nobody likes to think of the person they love being with someone else. But he didn’t do anything wrong. You were married. He didn’t know you were unhappy. He was trying to make himself happy…and obviously it didn’t work. He’s the most miserable man I have ever seen.”

  Using her finger, Ceara lifted Gwynneth’s downward tilted chin. “Garreth had plenty of women before we married. Did I like that? Of course not! But he wasn’t my husband and I had to accept that men simply have needs, Gwynneth. As long as they are loyal to you once you are theirs, what more can you ask of them? Can you imagine Liam EVER hurting you intentionally?” Gwynneth shook her head slowly, still keeping contact with Ceara’s eyes.

  “It may take time to get over it…but you will. You must. Tis a part of life. Any unmarried man as handsome as Liam has bed many women.”

  “Many?” The thought of other women had not even crossed her mind. She grumbled and rolled her eyes.

  “It doesn’t matter, Gwynneth! Don’t even ask him. He is obviously determined to tell you the truth, so the more you ask, the more you will know. And, the less you know, the better.” Ceara smiled and giggled at her sister’s innocence. “You’re a lucky woman. Not many men would have waited around for the one woman he loved, even though she was taken. Stop beating him up, Gwynn. Go ahead and be mad at him as long as it takes. But, you ARE going back with him.” Ceara raised her eyebrows, daring Gwynneth to argue.

  Gwynneth sighed and Ceara took that as a sign of acceptance. “What about us, Ceara? I will miss you terribly.”

  Ceara leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Gwynneth. “Och, Gwynn! I will miss you so! But, remember what Patrick said. We have another sister and we have only a few moons to find her. By next Beltane, we will have all three of us together…and our kings.” She nudged Gwynneth playfully. “That means, we must come together again very soon and start looking for her! What do you think will happen when we are all together? With our powers, I mean?”

  Gwynneth twisted her mouth as she pondered the very same question she had been asking herself. “Let me ask you, Ceara. Have you ever felt like you can control fire?”

  “Not intentionally, nay. Once, Garreth and I were having a bad row, which is quite rare. And I was enflamed with rage. I felt my body heating up and as I looked over at the central hearth, without warning, the fire doubled in size, almost exploding. It almost burned down the thatched roof! Neither of us could ever explain why it had happened and we soon forgot it. But looking back…I suppose I had somehow caused that?” She tilted her head as she replayed that moment in her mind. “What about you?”

  “Never intentionally, and never anything obvious. But aye, I made a stream appear once, while Duncan and I were desperate for water. And I was able to make the water boil while I was angry at Liam in the bath.”

  Ceara laughed abruptly, making Gwynneth jump with a start. “Och, I’m sorry! Tis just that, well, you see? We do need these insufferable men of ours, after all. They bring the elemental goddess out of us!” This made Gwynneth laugh in earnest, as she tilted her head back and let out a giggle that lit up her face.

  “Only you can make me laugh like that, Ceara. I will miss you.” She leaned over and grabbed both of Ceara’s hands in hers. They looked fondly at one another for a moment, both with residual laughter in their eyes.

  At that exact moment, Gwynneth saw movement at the door and looked up to see Liam hesitantly peek his head into the room. His hair was disheveled from his obvious pulling of it in frustration. In any other situation, Gwynneth would have laughed at his appearance, but for now, she was filled with too much tension to laugh. At least he had put his tunic back on. His bare chest had been entirely too distracting.

  He saw Gwynneth looking in slightly better spirits, while holding Ceara’s hands. Would he ever get used to seeing two women with Gwynneth’s face? Knowing that there was still a third made him feel overwhelmed with the many tasks before them in the next half year. For now, he must focus on one thing at a time. His greatest task at the moment was getting Gwynneth to come home with him.

  Whether or not Gwynn decided to come, he could see that Ceara had tried her best. He felt his palms getting sweaty as he looked at Gwynneth in her new dress. The pink heightened the color in her laughter-infused cheeks and his heart did a flip inside his chest. Her hair was perfectly plaited and draped over her left shoulder, exposing her long neck, as well as the wound from Baine’s dagger. She had a few loose tendrils of silvery blonde hair that had escaped and they caught in the light beaming through the door, as the sun slowly crept over the hills to begin a new day.

  His face looked worried and anxious as he stared at the women. “Ready to go.” Gwynneth knew he intentionally worded it as a command, not a question. He made it clear he was not leaving her behind. Apparently his promise to allow her to choose had been revoked somewhere within the chaos. Still feeling an aching sadness within her, she knew she needed to go back with him to Iverni. She gave him a small nod of acceptance.

  Ceara let go of Gwynn’s hands and leaned in to kiss her forehead. Both of them stood up and Ceara grabbed a leather satchel off the bed filled with some new clothing for Gwynneth, a comb, some special tea herbs to brew at night and some lavender-scented lye soap, in case Gwynneth was able to find a place to bathe. The trip should take no more than 2 days, but Ceara wanted Gwynneth taken care of. She walked over to the bed and handed Gwynneth a new pair of leather slippers and her plaid wool cloak.

  As a final piece, Ceara dug into the satchel and pulled out their mother’s ruby brooch. She looked into its depths, feeling a strong connection to her mother, kissed it, then pinned it around
Gwynneth’s neck, securing her cloak.

  Gwynneth looked up through her veil of lashes at Liam. She was too afraid to look him directly in the eye, afraid her resolve to stay angry would dissipate. For now, she was determined to remain distant. It was the only way she could adequately shield herself from any further pain while she tried to recover from his current transgressions. She saw his ocean blue eyes glaring at her with an intensity that made her tingle down to her toes, but she turned her head quickly and took her satchel from Ceara with a nod.

  “Take care of my sister,” Ceara smiled at Liam, knowing that her words were not necessary. If ever a soul on this earth was capable of guarding Gwynneth with his life, it was Liam.

  “Aye. That I will,” he nodded at Ceara. “Thanks be to you and your mother, for taking care of my wounds and for the hospitality to us both.” He nodded and put a hand out to Gwynneth. She pulled the cloak’s hood over her head and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist, refusing to touch or look at him, signaling to Liam that she was not ready to forgive. But, she would accompany him home. It was enough for now and he was thankful for it. A spark of hope lit within him and he gave a nod of thanks over his shoulder to Ceara as he lightly placed a hand on Gwynneth’s back and led her out of the house.

  Chapter 23

  The group of five men and Gwynneth departed as the sun was peaking over the horizon, providing just enough light to start their journey and allowing for hours of daylight travel. Not a single one of them had slept the night before, but as of yet, nobody showed signs of tiredness slowing them down.

  As they headed out of the hillfort of Coraindt, they saw one familiar guard who waved amicably as they left. Liam and Duncan shouted cordial greetings to him with a smile and good wishes. On the other side of the pathway, was a new, unfamiliar guard to replace the now imprisoned Ogan. Instinctively, Liam glared at the new watch guard suspiciously. Sensing no danger, he turned his head forward and continued down the hill.

  The three brothers led the front of the party. They had large satchels strapped to the saddles of their horses and they rode in an equal line, leaning in to speak and laugh from time to time. Duncan was behind them, starring quietly ahead, neither smiling nor frowning. Gwynneth could only see the back of his head, but she wondered what Duncan was thinking about. Most likely, she thought, he was thinking about his wife. He had not seen Sharon or his children in almost a fortnight and must miss them dearly.

  Though Duncan was a private soul, it was obvious he was a devoted husband and father. Her heart warmed even more towards Duncan. He never complained, not even once, about having to help Liam and Gwynneth throughout this whole disaster. He was a loyal friend and she hoped Liam would reward him when they made it home.

  Home. It was such a foreign concept to Gwynneth. She had started getting many of her memories back and could vividly remember her home with Baine. It had been hers, given by her father. It was a typical roundhouse with white chalk walls and a thatched roof. It was a bit larger than the average house in the village. Her father had it built for her in hopes that she would, one day, fill it with children, but that had never happened. She thought about the babe she lost only a few days ago. It seemed like so much had happened since then, and yet, the loss of a child would never leave her. She had so many expectations for her life as a mother, but she had to accept that it was not the will of the gods. She would, one day, have another, if they deemed her worthy.

  She looked over at Liam, who was riding alongside her at the rear. He had not said a single word to her since they left Coraindt several hours ago. She realized she had no actual concept of how long, or how far, they had travelled, though it had taken longer as they avoided potential bog areas. Her mind had been skipping from one constant thought to another, passing the journey away in a restless silence.

  She wanted to remain angry with Liam. It was a much easier emotion to manage than the heartache she truly felt. His lack of conversation was starting to make her mind travel to a dark place, questioning what he was thinking about and if he was dreaming of Fiona. That did it. She was mad again. She decided she was glad he had not spoken to her, for she did not wish to speak to him anyhow. She turned her head away from him and stuck her chin up in the air slightly, trying to keep her resolve.

  Liam, though appearing to ignore her, was expertly using his peripherals to watch her the entire time. As he saw her turn her face away and lift her chin, he turned his head toward her in an intentionally obvious way and glared at her with a smirk on his face. She started to nibble on her lower lip as she felt him staring at her.

  He was making her nervous and she wished he would stop. She knew him well enough to know that he was yoking her on, but she could not ignore his staring. She attempted to use her peripherals to glare back at him, but his expertise at this game was far superior to hers. He started to chuckle as he saw her almost completely turning her head around, like an owl checking his perimeter, and he turned his head forward again, trying to stifle his laugher.

  “Ach! What is so funny, Liam?” she turned her head dramatically towards him, no longer pretending not to stare.

  “You are.”

  “Me? What did I do?” her cheeks, already a soft rose color from being windblown for hours, were now turning a brighter shade of pink. The more she felt her face enflame, the pinker she became. She removed one hand from her horse’s reigns and put it on her burning face, desperately attempting to cool herself down.

  “You are determined not to talk or look at me. Yet, I can physically see you trying so hard NOT to look at me. Tis very cute, Gwynn.” He looked over at her with admiration and flashed his dimples at her.

  Gwynneth turned away quickly to mask the affect he had on her. Those dimples, that smile. That was precisely what she was trying to avoid. His smile melted all of her resolve and aroused her in a way she was unwilling to admit. Not wanting to let him break through her hard exterior, she rolled her eyes at him, turned her head away again and put her nose up even higher than before.

  “Put your nose up any higher and you might inhale a fly…” he grunted at his own joke and then, seeing her disapproval, feigned shame and looked away. She could still see the irritating grin on his face and that dimple underneath his short brown stubble. Gwynneth wished he didn’t affect her as much as he did. It was getting quite difficult to not stare at his muscles flexing along with the movements of the horse.

  Gwynneth decided it was time to change the subject. She was losing her restraint and his playfulness was melting her into a puddle of warmth inside. “What will happen to Baine?”

  His brows creased at how quickly she shifted the atmosphere between them. He could see she was putting all her efforts into remaining distant. He would allow it for now, but she couldn’t escape him once night fell and they set up camp. He would do anything to win her over tonight. The thought of another day with the frigid Gwynneth made him cringe. All he wanted to do was kiss her senseless in a dark corner of the woods all night, but her body language was giving no hope of that.

  “Baine will be escorted back to Iverni---”

  “What? Why?” Her heart started racing at the thought of Baine coming back home. She could not stand being in the same village with him ever again.

  “To stand trial for his crimes, of course. He cannot be tried in Coraindt. He is a member of our tuath. Ogan will face justice at the hand of his own people. He hasn’t exactly committed treason, since he didn’t try to usurp Garreth, but he did conspire against a neighboring king. He also allowed Baine to enter Coraindt. Neither of these things will likely cost Ogan more than a few hefty fines. But, Baine…Baine will feel my justice. And there will be nay mercy.” His hands gripped the reigns tighter and his eyes narrowed as he starred at the woods ahead, nothing but trees and the sounds of the wild birds for miles. It was quite warm for the winter and the cerulean sky went on for as far as the eye could see.

  “What will you do with Baine?” Her voice was quiet, not to be mistaken for p
ity, but certainly apprehensive.

  “Tis not entirely up to me.” He turned his head quickly toward her to watch her face as he spoke. “He will have a trial and the assembly will decide a proper punishment. Though, tis bleak, considering his crimes. Aside from trying to kill his king, which many would find to be his biggest offense, I disagree. He violated your rights as a wife for five years and then tried to dispose of you when the assembly did not nominate him for a position as king. Even before I was named king, he knew he could not be. I believe, very much, that Baine wanted only two things from you: to become king, and to have a child.” He was watching Gwynneth’s face as he spoke, impressed by her calm, steady gaze as she looked straight ahead.

  “He thought he could nay longer obtain either from you, so he tried to get rid of you, which is preposterous. Your father had already dissolved your marriage. He could have walked away and let you go. But he is a wicked man, Gwynneth. He decided to harm you, most likely to harm me. He was always very competitive with me, but it got worse when he married you. It became his entire meaning in life to try to harm me, through you.

  “He couldn’t stand a world where I could possibly be king, have his wife and get her with child, proving capable of all that he was not.” Gwynneth looked up at Liam with a flush in her cheeks when he mentioned her carrying his child, then, remembering herself, she looked back down quickly. “When he realized you were with child that day, he was genuinely distraught. He suddenly had half of everything he wanted. He decided if he could get rid of me, he could have you back and get a step closer to the kingship. He became determined to rid himself of me.”

  He was glaring at her, waiting for a response, but none came. “I’m so sorry Gwynneth. Tis my fault. Everything you have had to endure was because of his hatred of me.” His mouth set in a firm line and he waited for her to acknowledge him, even yell at him. Any emotion was better than her silence.