Storm Maiden

by Mary Gillgannon

  “And what cares do you have that need easing, my child?” Siobhan responded.

  Fiona sighed again.”I face the same trouble as when I visited you at the beginning of the sunseason. I despise the man my father has chosen to be my bridegroom.”

  “Ah, the Mac Cartan chieftain. I remember your complaining of his foul breath and ill-favored visage. Have you not yet found something to recommend the man?”

  “Nay. You told me to look beyond his disgusting appearance, but in doing so, I discovered only his greedy, grasping temperament and a taste for bestial pleasures.”

  Siobhan shook her head. “How fortunate I was to avoid marriage. Of course,” she added, “my circumstances were much different from yours. I was not a princess. You have my sister to thank for your royal blood. Many times I warned her that marriage to a warrior king would be disastrous.”

  Siobhan visibly shook off the mood, and a warm smile chased away the lines in her countenance. “Of course, Aisling was happy, for a time at least, and she was blessed with you.”

  Fiona nodded, feeling an answering ache in her heart. Her sweet, gentle mother had died two years ago of a wasting sickness. Even Siobhan, with all her herbs and medicines, had not been able to save her.

  “Enough of the past,” Siobhan announced briskly. “How can I aid you? A potion to put your bridegroom to sleep on his wedding night? Something to shrivel his manhood?” Her fine features crinkled with mirth.

  “If my plan succeeds,” Fiona said grimly, “there will be no wedding night.”

  “Tell me.” Siobhan settled opposite Fiona, her gray eyes bright. “Tell me your plan.”

  “... and if I can heal the Viking and entice him to fornicate with me, my father will have to call off the wedding.” Finishing her tale, Fiona sat back and waited for Siobhan’s response. The older woman frowned, but she had not dismissed Fiona’s scheme outright. There was hope.

  Siobhan stood up. “How bad is the man’s wound?”

  “Almost two days now it has been untended, and he has been without food and water as well.”

  Siobhan shook her head. “Once the poison starts, it is difficult to stop. The wound must be cleaned, then stitched. Mayhap if you drugged him, but even then... if he is fevered and weak already...”

  “You can show me; I know you can,” Fiona insisted.

  Siobhan abruptly faced her. “And after you have healed him and coaxed him to deliver you of your maidenhead—not that I think he will need coaxing, mind you—what then? You’re father is sure to kill the Viking, after he tortures him, of course.”

  Fiona blanched. Her aunt had seized upon the very thing she did not want to be reminded of. “I... I... I don’t know. Mayhap I could free him before I go to my father.”

  “Free him? A brutish fiend like that? Do you think he would go meekly on his way, content to return to his people with never a thought of vengeance against those who captured him and held him prisoner?” Siobhan made a contemptuous sound. “Fiona, sometimes you are as much a fool as your mother was.”

  “It may not work, but I must try.” Fiona looked up, her eyes pleading with Siobhan. “You are a healer, sworn to aid all who seek out your skill. Do you advise me to turn away from this man, to leave him to perish in my father’s prison?”

  Siobhan smiled, a quirky, mischievous grin that made her look like a young girl. “Of course I will aid you. You do not think I would pass up a chance to thwart the great Donall Mac Frachnan’s will, do you?”

  Fiona watched her aunt, uneasy with her mocking words. There had always been bad blood between her father and her mother’s sister. The look of malice she saw glinting in Siobhan’s eyes made Fiona’s own guilt intensify. She did not hate her father or wish him ill; she only wanted to foil his wedding plans for her.

  “Come.” Siobhan gestured to the corner of the dwelling where she kept her herbs. “If I am to give you a quick lesson in healing a man’s battle wounds, we’d best begin at once.”

  Chapter 2

  “Fiona!”

  Her father’s sharp voice made Fiona jerk around as she hurried across the muddy courtyard. She quickly hid the leather bag of healing supplies Siobhan had given her, behind her back. “Aye, Father. You wish speech with me?”

  “Daughter.” Donall’s eyes swept over her. “Where are you going in servant’s attire?”

  Fiona hesitated, then met his stern gaze. “I went to visit Siobhan.” Let him dare to tell her she had no right to visit her aunt, her own blood kin.

  “Alone?”

  “Nay, Tully was with me.”

  Donall’s stance relaxed, but his shrewd green eyes continued to pierce her. “What business did you have with your aunt?”

  “I asked her to show me some of her healing methods. Since I am to wed a warrior, I need to know how to drain an oozing wound or make a healing poultice.”

  “Healing?” Her father snorted in disgust. “More likely you have obtained poison to help your bridegroom into the spirit world ere you have to wed him.”

  Fiona set her jaw. Her father obviously knew how much she

  despised Sivney Longbeard, but he intended to wed her against her will. “I would do no such a thing. You must know it, Father.”

  “I would hope not. Still, your sulky look reveals your feelings for Sivney haven’t softened.” He sighed, and his scowl eased. “Come with me into my private chamber. We’ll talk of this some more.”

  Fiona followed her father into the spacious sleeping area built into the back of the feasthall. The walls were draped with rich, vivid cloths, and woven mats covered the floor. Wooden chests bound with enameled bronze strips held her father’s clothes and the gold and jewels Fiona would take as her dowry when she wed. A bronze ewer and priceless glassware from Brittany graced the carved table near the wickerwork bed. Fiona fidgeted. Her father had taken no concubine since her mother’s death, and the fine ornaments that adorned the place remained as they always had, reawakening Fiona’s dull, aching grief over her loss.

  Donall saw her wistful look and nodded. “Aye, I still miss her, too. I’ve wondered sometimes if it would be better if I gave away her things. Perhaps you would like them as part of your dowry when you go to Rath Morrig?”

  At the mention of the wedding, Fiona’s mood again turned rebellious. She glowered at her father. “I’ve told you, I’m not going to Morrig.”

  Her father’s jaw clenched; but when he spoke, his voice was surprisingly mild. “Acushla, I don’t make this decision lightly. If I didn’t need Sivney’s support, I would not think to give you to him.”

  “And how many cattle and bondsmen make up the price of my maidenhead?”

  Her father’s face flushed with anger, and the veins stood out on his forehead. “Would that your mother ever heard you speak so! ‘Tis a fine and honorable match I have arranged for you. Sivney has vowed to treat you with utmost respect and honor.”

  “Oh, so ‘tis only serving girls and sluts he cavorts with in his banquet hall! ‘Tis pleased I am that his vow to you will save me from his coarse attentions.”

  Her father grabbed her wrist. “Do not speak so of your future husband.”

  “ ‘Tis true, though, isn’t it, Father?” Fiona spoke acidly.

  A stricken look crossed Donall’s face. He dropped her wrist and turned away. Fiona noticed how much silver threaded his dark hair. Her father had aged greatly in the two sunseasons since Aisling died. An unwanted sense of compassion disturbed Fiona’s thoughts as she realized how much her mother’s death had affected him.

  It vanished as her father spoke in his cold, imperious voice once more. “ ‘Tis my right to command you to wed this man, and you will do as I bid. Sivney Longbeard is a powerful, wealthy man. He will keep you safe. You’ll want for nothing.”

  Fiona took an outraged breath. “Safety! Wealth! Is that what you think a woman should seek from marriage? What of fondness and affection? You and my mother married for love—and against the wishes of both your families as well. Wh
y is it different for me? Why must you barter me off in a loveless marriage to a man I despise?”

  Donall turned to face her, his eyes cold. “These are dangerous times, daughter. You need a man to protect you. I knew I could protect your mother, else I would never have wed her.” He drew back, his lean, still-powerful body rigid with tension. “If your mother were alive, she would be grieved to see you question your sire’s wishes. You shame her memory.”

  Tears sprang to Fiona’s eyes. How dare her father evoke her mother to hurt her! Anger and reason warred within her, making her shake. She wanted to shout at her father, to wound him as he had wounded her. She knew arguing would avail her nothing. Better to make peace with Donall so she could be about her business with the Viking.

  “You are right, Father,” she said with as much calmness as she could muster. “Only an ill-mannered, disrespectful daughter would question her sire’s wisdom in wedding her to a man she hates.”

  Silence fell on Fiona’s ears as she walked briskly from the bedchamber. A twinge of doubt nagged at her. Most men would beat their offspring for speaking as she had. Donall had always shown remarkable forbearance in his dealings with her; it was almost as if he cared for her feelings. But that could not be, Fiona told herself. If Donall cared, he would not insist she wed Sivney.

  She quickened her pace as she made her way to the main kitchen of the settlement. The evening meal had long since passed, and the place was vacant except for the ancient cook, Vevina. The old women said nothing as Fiona entered and went purposefully to the supply area behind the cookroom.

  Fiona hastily wrapped a joint of beef in a piece of linen, then grabbed a chunk of hard white cheese to add to her provisions. Vevina stepped behind her. “Hungry are we, little Fi? I have some fine stew simmering.”

  Fiona shook her head. “ ‘Tis not for me, but Tully. The silly hound caught a thorn in her front paw. I’m taking her some healing ointment, and I need a treat to distract her.” She pointed to the leather bag draped over her shoulder. “I’ll also need fresh water to clean the wound.”

  “Tully, eh? I knew her for an awfully fancy beast, but I had not heard the chieftain be giving his hounds wine these days.” Vevina gestured to the bulging wineskin tied to the bottom of Fiona’s bag.

  Fiona blushed, and her eyes met the cook’s pleadingly. She could hardly pretend that the drugged wine Siobhan had given her was meant for a dog. Vevina gave a hearty laugh that made her massive belly jiggle and revealed the single ivory-colored tooth remaining in her broad mouth.

  “Ecch now, your secret’s safe with me, princess. No one could blame you for seeking out a little sport before your father binds you to that greasy cattleherder. Wait here while I fetch you and your lover a blanket for comfort.” Vevina gave an exaggerated wink, then waddled off to the little cubbyhole behind the kitchen where she slept.

  Fiona gave a sigh of relief. Vevina would not breathe a word of her secret. She had known the old cook since babyhood, and the huge, cheerful woman had always indulged her craving for sweetmeats; now Vevina obviously thought to indulge her tastes for even more forbidden pleasures.

  Fiona shivered, a thrill of fear and anticipation shimmering down her spine. What would Vevina think if she knew Fiona’s “lover” was really a Viking prisoner?

  Vevina returned in a moment, and Fiona collected the rest of her supplies. Then she set off for the souterrain, weighed down by a caldron of water, the blanket, and the bag of supplies. Fiona’s progress was slow, and her muscles tightened with apprehension as she neared the edge of the palisade. The entrance to the souterrain was located a few paces behind the granary. If anyone saw her, it would be difficult to explain her numerous burdens.

  Fortunately, she met no one. When she reached the wooden door set in the ground, she put down her provisions and glanced around warily. It was almost twilight. It would not do to light the torch until she was well down in the passageway; someone might mark the glowing light and come to investigate.

  She took a deep breath, shuddering involuntarily as she contemplated again entering the damp, gloomy hole. The place made her shiver, and not only because of the darkness and the crawling things that lived there. Her father’s fort had been built almost on top of one of the old burial mounds of the Tuatha De Danaan, the original inhabitants of Eire, and the storage chambers of the souterrain made up part of the passageways of the ancient barrow. Although Fiona had never sensed spirits lingering there, the place still made her uneasy.

  Now her dread was intensified by the fear that the Viking had roused and freed himself of his shackles. Her throat closed up at the thought, but she forced her fear aside and unfastened the souterrain door. Jerking it open, she maneuvered into the opening and found the crude stairway that led downward. She took a few steps, then fumbled for the torch and the flintstone tied at her waist. She struck the flint, and the passageway flared into light. The pitch on the torch caught quickly, burning with a pungent odor. She placed the lighted torch in a crack on the side of the stone stairs and went up to retrieve the rest of her supplies.

  Sweat trickled down Fiona’s brow as she moved gingerly down the steps and reached the floor of the main storage area. Come winter, these rooms would be full of cabbages, turnips, leeks, and apples; now, only a few weeks into summer, they stood almost empty. The Viking was in the farthest chamber. Fiona made her way to the room and paused in the doorway, wondering what her torch would reveal.

  He was still there, his body twisted awkwardly as he sagged sideways in his shackles. His head hung forward, hiding the finely-chiseled features and piercing eyes that had so struck her when she first saw him. She approached cautiously, expecting him to raise his head and stare at her again. He did not move.

  She dropped the full wineskin to the floor to make noise, then called out “Viking” in a loud voice. Still, he did not stir. Fiona took a deep breath; it appeared the man was unconscious or dead.

  She went to him and touched his arm. The heat of it made her draw back. Aye, he lived, but he was clearly ill with fever. It would take all her efforts to keep him alive. Fiona felt some of the tension leave her body. The chore of healing was much easier to contemplate than seduction.

  She found the bracket in the wall and hung up the torch, than began to unburden herself, spreading her supplies on the dirt floor. Siobhan had laid out her tasks carefully. She must get the man to drink. First water, then the drugged wine.

  Fiona filled an empty skin with water from the cauldron, then stood on tiptoe and aimed the skin at the man’s mouth. She squirted some water between his lips. His mouth hung open, slack, motionless, and the water dribbled down on the filthy straw beneath the prisoner. She swore softly and lowered herself to the balls of her feet. How to make him drink if he was insensible? She searched her mind for some memory that would aid her. Sometimes newborn babes would not suckle at first, and Siobhan would stroke their throats. If it worked with a babe, why not a man?

  Fionna again stretched up on tiptoe. With one hand, she dribbled the water toward the man’s mouth. With the other, she touched his throat. His skin felt searingly hot. She stroked gently, trying to coax him to swallow. Abruptly, he coughed. The vibration echoed down her fingertips. She drew her hand away and concentrated on holding the waterskin.

  He drank deeply, pausing occasionally for breath, his great chest shuddering. She was so close; every movement he made seemed to transfer to her own body. He smelled rank, sweaty, and sick. Still, it was fascinating to be so close to this foreign man-beast, akin to petting a wolf or a panther or some such savage but beautiful creature.

  The skin emptied. The man took the last swallow and sighed, still seemingly insensible. Fiona took the waterskin away, then retrieved the one full of drugged wine. Siobhan had warned her that she must get the man to drink some of it before she attempted to clean the wound in his arm. Otherwise, he might thrash around and make it impossible to aid him.

  Cautiously, Fiona lifted the wine to the man’s mouth. He moan
ed, but allowed her to force the spout between his lips. The wine dribbled down his chin at first, then he mastered the technique of gulping as she poured it into his mouth.

  Fiona’s hands shook and her legs ached with the effort of standing on tiptoe. She began to worry that he imbibed too much of the drug. Weakened as he was, it would not take much to induce a deep and dangerous stupor. She tried to take the wineskin away, but as she lowered her arms, the man’s shackled left arm jerked around to grasp her by the hair. Fiona gasped and dropped the wineskin. She struggled, but the man held her tightly pressed against him, his massive, fevered body like a banked fire next to hers.

  “Swanhilde, Brunhilde—what art thou?” The Viking’s deep, gutteral voice sounded thunderously in the low-ceilinged chamber. His foreign words meant nothing to Fiona, but the tone of his voice reminded her of an endearment. Was he dreaming; did he think her his lover?

  Fiona fought to catch her breath. She should let him ravish her here and now and be done with it.

  She relaxed in his embrace, letting her body meld to his. He mumbled something intelligible, then his fingers moved down to touch her breast. Fiona drew in her breath. No man had ever touched her so intimately. Even through her wool kirtle and linen shift, she felt the heat of his fingers, the deftness with which he teased her nipple to throbbing hardness. Her body went limp, tingling with wanting.

  He mumbled again, then released her so abruptly she almost pitched to the ground. She caught herself as the Viking sagged backwards. The drug had clearly taken effect.

  She felt frustrated, aching. She glanced at the Viking, half hanging on his shackled good arm, half braced against the wall behind him. The pure, clean lines of his handsome face and heavily-muscled neck sent a thrill through her. If she could ever get him fit enough to manage it, she might actually enjoy losing her maidenhead to this wild barbarian.