Cael led Avalon next to Sean. “I promise you, brother, no one will harm her.”
I looked away, trying to put on a calm façade. The thought of seeing Cael regularly was dreary, but in the face of Sean’s concern for me, I couldn’t reject his wish. I made up my mind to be gracious about it.
While the rest of my family continued to ride along the lakeshore, I kept Ophelie steady and still. Other horses gathered around us and soon a small herd surrounded Sean, Cael, and me. I sat quietly; hating the awkward silence, hoping Cael would leave and allow us to talk in private. My wishes weren’t strong enough. With a groan, I nudged Ophelie and weaved her through the herd toward my family.
The casual ride was relaxing. After allowing everyone a final drink from the lake, Father led us south and back toward home. We laughed at Sean’s stories, entertained by his smile and wit. Although I smiled, my spirits were glum. The sun was dropping. After dawn, these memories would be all I had of him, for a while.
“It’ll be dark soon,” said Father, smiling from beneath his beard. “Who wants to race home? I’ll give you an early lead.”
He had barely finished the challenge, when Ethan and Cael prodded their horses and raced across the field. Leila, looking surprised, whispered into her horse’s ear, who then galloped after them in a cloud of dust. Father kicked Garrett and began his pursuit.
“Wait,” I said, grabbing the reins from Sean. With a nod, I acknowledged Mother, who had turned to look back at us before chasing the others.
Sean turned and smiled. “I won’t tell you what your father said.” He reached for the reins.
I chuckled. The peaceful afternoon had made me forget his earlier secret. “Why did you ask Cael to look after me?” I stared, almost glaring at my fiancé. “I’m not a child. I can take care of myself.”
Sean shifted in his saddle. “I know that,” he answered. “I also know how dangerous the village has become. There was another robbery last night, near my end of the village. It seems that even the rain won’t stop this villain.”
“My father rarely leaves the house and the meadow,” I said, refusing to release the reins to Sean’s prying fingers, “except for council and for celebrations. I dare the bandit to bother us—he wouldn’t wake the next morning.”
Sean laughed at my unexpected ferocity. “Maybe I should have you protect Cael,” he teased. “I’m sure any bandit within sight of Aisling would fear you.”
On any other day, I would have enjoyed his banter, but I found myself unusually quiet. I hadn’t told him I had met Darian and suddenly didn’t want to.
“What’s bothering you?” Sean asked. He always seemed to know what I was feeling. Maybe it came from years of working the land. A good farmer had to be attuned to the world around him, the seasons, the weather. This sensitivity would be a blessing in our marriage.
“I’m afraid.” I released the reins and touched his hand. “Why can’t your brother go with you? I have to prepare for the Moon Season Celebration, and find your armor. I don’t want him following me everywhere. It’s bad enough that Leila does that.”
“I trust Cael,” Sean answered. “He is a pest, but in a fight, there’s no one better. With him around, I know you’ll be safe. I won’t have to worry while I’m gone.” Sean locked my fingers with his. “By allowing him to protect you, you’re offering me peace in return. That’s important to me.”
His gentle words melted the last of my annoyance. Sean was the best thing in my life, and long ago, I had promised myself that I would do anything for the chance to marry him. He was asking me for a favor so that he could make that happen.
I nudged Ophelie gently forward, but didn’t allow her to run. Racing back to the house would hasten the end of a day that I suddenly wished could last forever.
Sean and I rode along the fence rails, chatting absently about friends and memories. I was nervous about his trip, and could tell that he was, too. Even when he laughed, Sean’s voice was empty and hollow. The day was passing and taking us into our future. Dusk and its violet shadows dominated the trees when we replaced the saddles and ropes in the stable. Then hand in hand, we wandered up the gentle slope toward the warm light of the dining room window.
Amid smiles from my family, Cael addressed me as I entered the house. “We were discussing,” he said, “my promise to Sean. When will you need an escort?”
“I don’t know. I need to prepare for the celebration,” I told him. I winced at my misspoken revelation.
“Great.” Cael stood from the bench. “When should I take you to Stone Meadow?”
I turned to Sean and gripped his tunic for comfort. He pleaded with his dark eyes.
“I should practice here at home,” I said, turning to face Cael and my family. “It’ll be safer.”
Sean nudged me in the back, and my heart pounded against my chest. Its beat was deafening.
“Will you come at dusk,” I asked Cael, “on the eve of the Moon Season Celebration? You and Ethan can watch for the bandit while I practice outside. That will allow Leila a chance to help Mother prepare the food.” I looked around; everyone, except me, seemed to enjoy the torturing moment.
“That’s a wonderful idea, Rhiannon,” said Mother, with a smile. “Cael, thank you for offering.” She turned to Sean. “And thank you for your kindness. This has been an unforgettable day.”
I caught Leila smirking as Ethan nudged her under the table.
“Sean,” said Father, wiping his beard. “Take a goblet. You should celebrate and warm yourself.
I had always objected to the village tradition of extreme inebriation—mostly because of Father and his family. Normally loud and full of curses, the alcohol amplified their rudeness and made them unbearable. As Sean hesitated to approach Father’s offering, an idea caught me.
“It’s all right, Sean,” I told him, “enjoy a drink with Father. I need to prepare something for you.”
My fiancé looked bewildered. “For certain?”
I prodded his ribs and whispered in his ear. “It’s okay. One drink. I’ll return in a moment.”
Ignoring the stares from my family, I bolted from the dining room and skipped up the dark stairs to my bedroom. I lit the small orange candle on my windowsill, and watched as the shadows from the wavering flame danced on the angled wooden ceiling of my room. I waited for its warm glow and then retrieved a small uneven piece of parchment from my top dresser drawer. Using a quill and small glass jar of black ink that I warmed over the candle, I scratched a short note. Examining it carefully, I blew across the paper, waiting for my message to dry, before folding it neatly. With a final stroke, I wrote Abigail’s name on the outside and rushed to the dining room.
Cael and Ethan were laughing at the table while Sean drank heartily from his goblet. Father was absorbed in his own cup, and Mother and Leila sat in front of the fireplace behind him, wrapped in a bear fur. After noticing my glare, Sean lowered the offering and straightened his smile.
“Sean,” I asked, “will you do something for me?”
“Of course,” he answered, wiping his mouth.
I handed him the parchment. “Will you deliver this to Abigail Bree this evening, during your walk home?”
Sean looked at the paper and opened the fold, revealing my inscriptions. “What does it say?” he asked. “You wrote faerie symbols.”
“Anyone could read it if I didn’t,” I said. “It’s a note for her, concerning the celebration. Will you deliver it, please?” Employing a trick from Mother, I put my hand on his arm and blew warm air into his hair, by his ear. I moved close and inhaled deep, allowing my body to expand into his.
“Yes,” he said, quivering. He motioned to Cael. “I think we should go, now. I have an early start in the morning.” While I held him, sharing my warmth as a blessing, he turned to Father. “Thank you, Neal. Thank you for the drink.” he paused. “And everything.” He pulled me with him and walked to Father, who set down his goblet.
I stepped away, allowing them
to hug. The air from Sean’s lungs squeezed out, leaving him gasping when Father released him. Then he turned to Mother with his arms open wide.
“Thank you, Sean,” she said, accepting the hug. She kissed him on the cheek.
Leila rushed to Sean, as soon as Mother released her grip, and jumped into his arms. “Good fortune, Sean,” she said, squeezing him tight. “We’ll miss you.”
“I’ll return soon,” he gently lowered Leila until her feet were back on the floor. He grabbed my hand and pulled me close.
I closed my eyed and accepted all of his warmth.
While Cael distracted my family with handshakes and hugs, Sean pulled me around the corner of the hall and kissed me warmly. “I have a white horse to find,” he whispered. “When I return, I will marry you.”
“You’re handsome when you’re being noble,” I said.
Sean held me tight. “You make me so. I love you.”
I squeezed him, ignoring the familiar giggles from Leila and Ethan behind us. When I dared, I released him. “Good fortune,” I whispered. “I love you.”
A final round of farewells, and promises to return with tales of adventure, and Sean and Cael left our home. We stood in the doorway watching while the night swallowed them.
“Well,” said Father, slapping his hands and rubbing them together. “That’s that. May good fortune bring him home.” He stepped back inside and disappeared.
Leila and I lingered in the doorway, watching the steam from our breath fade to the night. We sniffled and cried until Mother nudged us inside.
Leila closed the door behind her, allowing it to shake the walls. “What did the note say, Rhiannon?” she said, turning to confront me. Her cheeks were red.
“Yes, dear,” added Mother, “What did you write for Abigail?”
Expecting the question, I latched the brass lock on the door and dried my eyes with the sleeve of my gown. “I asked her to come to the house in the morning,” I said. “Tomorrow, we’ll search for Sean’s armor.”
Into the Darkness
I didn’t sleep much that night, if at all. I sobbed until my head hurt, and when I finally closed my eyes, my memory flashed images of Sean walking into the darkness. He had been noble and was honoring the challenge that I had given him, but I wasn’t ready for him to leave. The loneliness hurt already. I still lay in bed, watching sun as it arched through the morning clouds, when the knocker on our front door pounded. No one answered it, forcing me to leave the sanctuary of my room and wander downstairs.
“Nia, Abigail, come inside, where it’s warm.” I held the door wide and my shivering friends, bundled in thick wool, swept past me toward the kitchen and dining room.
“Rhiannon, you’re crazy to go out in this weather,” said Abigail. She grabbed a blanket from the corner of the dining room and huddled close to the fireplace. “We could freeze out there.”
Nia chose a spot behind my mother in the kitchen, and watched her with interest.
“What do you think, Nia?” I teased. “Should we abandon our adventure? We could cancel my wedding when I don’t have Sean’s gift.”
Abigail turned. “I’m sorry, Rhiannon,” she said. Her face was red. “I didn’t mean to sound rude. It’s just an awful cold day to go exploring. I am here, though. That means I want to help you.”
Kneeling beside my friend, I hugged her around the waist. “Thank you for coming,” I whispered. “And thank you for telling Nia. It’s going to be a fun day, even in the cold.”
Mother moved to another spot on the counter and deftly sliced several apples into a bowl. Nia followed behind her.
“How is Sean?” asked Nia, mimicking my mother’s strokes with her own hand. “I see Cael at the house a lot, but he’s always working with my father. He never mentions his brother.”
“Sean left this morning,” I answered, holding back my emotion. I had wasted the night with my sorrow and didn’t want to start the day with a somber fair of tears. “He wanted to leave before the weather changed.”
Abigail gasped and pulled me closer in consolation.
“That’s a good plan,” said Nia, without turning. Her eyes followed Mother’s hand with intensity. “My father says it will be a difficult season.”
“I hope it isn’t terrible for him to travel,” I said. I stood, rubbed Abigail’s back gently, and then walked into the kitchen. “He’s going east over Taylor’s Ridge. That’s the direction I want to go today. I know a good place to look.”
Mother stopped cutting.
“It’s near your home, Nia,” I continued. “Eldon Bauer told me about a cave on the north slope of the mountain. He said that, inside, there’s ancient armor from the last war with Morgan.”
“What about Morgan?” Father thundered through the back door as I finished my sentence. His cheeks and forehead were bright red, and his steaming breath twisted and spiraled into the air, only to yield to the cold above.
Leila followed him. She was shivering with emphasis. Mother had assigned her my portion of the chores, and I was certain that she wasn’t happy about it. She thanked me with a glare before slamming the back door.
“Nothing, Father,” I said, grinning. “There’s no problem with Morgan.”
Mother saved me by greeting him with a soft hug and a peck on the cheek above his beard. “Rhiannon was telling us where she plans to search for armor,” she said. “Near the mountains.”
Father rubbed his thick hands and ambled to the end of the table. He pulled out his chair and sat while Mother rushed back into the kitchen, emerging a moment later with a steaming goblet for Father.
“Drink something,” she ordered my father. “Ladies, would you like some warm apple cider?”
“Yes!” Abigail and Leila answered in unison.
While we enjoyed the steaming juice—apple cider can never be too hot—I told my friends about Sean’s visit the day prior. Leila and Mother joined us, and Father shared the story about Cael getting tangled in Avalon’s reins. While we sat in the dining room, laughing and drinking, Ethan stomped into the room. He glared and pointed, as if to protest the weather, or the fact that he had been working in it, but stopped once he noticed Father.
“It’s cold,” he grumbled instead, wiggling his fingers. “Rhiannon, next time you go to a council, ask the Fae to cancel Moon Season. I like it when it’s warm.”
His comment and his bright red face brought an eruption of laughter from all of us, which lasted until we finished drinking.
“Thank you for the cider, Keelia.” Nia handed her empty goblet to my mother. “And thank you for letting me to watch you cook.”
“You’re always welcome, dear,” said Mother, as she hugged Nia tight. “If Owen didn’t need you around, you could stay with us for the season. I could mold you into the best cook on your side of the horse meadow.”
“Thank you,” said Nia. She turned to me. “We should leave soon. I’m afraid the cold is here to stay.”
“Right.” I rubbed my hands together, excused myself, and rushed up to my bedroom. I put on my warmest clothes and then added a second pair of wool leggings, for extra comfort. I wrapped myself tight while returning back down the steps.
My brother sat with Abigail, covered in the blanket near the fireplace. His face wasn’t as bright as before, and he looked comfortable.
I grinned and turned to Father, who was enjoying a smoke from his favorite long pipe. “May I take some canvas bags from the stable? I’ll need something to carry what we find.”
Father puffed a yes and leaned back in his chair to inhale his tobacco.
“Would you like some food to take with you?” asked Mother from the kitchen. “I have several strips of smoked pork ready.”
“No thank you, Mother,” I answered. I hugged her. “We’ll take some good apples from the stable.”
“Be careful, dear.” She squeezed me tight.
I enjoyed her warmth, then turned to Leila and hugged her with good intention. “Goodbye, I’ll return after dusk.”
“Come back before dusk!” Father pounded his fist on the table. Dust sprinkled from the rafters. “I don’t want you girls out in the dark. There’s a bandit out there.”
“Oh, we’ll be careful,” said Nia, offering an innocent grin. “Don’t worry.”
“I won’t,” retorted my father. “Because, you’ll all return before the sun goes down.” He started to get up from his chair.
I released Leila and drifted toward him; it was always best to appease him when he acted this way. I reached around his neck, wrinkling my nose at the tobacco weed, and squeezed him tight. “I promise, I’ll return before dusk.” I kissed him on the cheek and then turned to my friends. “Follow me, ladies.”While I waited at the back door, Abigail tousled Ethan’s hair goodbye and Nia waved to my mother.
Outside, the sky was thinly gray and the cold air hung low and still. I pulled my cloak tight with one arm, pushed into the surge of icy discomfort, and headed to the stable.
“Why did you send a note?” asked Abigail, as I selected a pair of burlap bags from the wall. “Sean could have told me your message.”
I threw the bags over my shoulder and grabbed some apples from the fruit barrel, stuffing them into the pockets of my cloak. I bundled a bridle and tossed it at Abigail. “I didn’t want Cael to know where we’re going.” I shoved Leila’s saddle into Nia’s arms. “Can you handle this?”
“Of course,” said Nia, sagging from its weight. “I’m not helpless. Why didn’t you want Cael to come? I think he’d be very useful if we run into trouble.” She heaved the saddle onto the top fence rail, then skirted to the other side. “Besides, he’s cute.”
I released my frustration with a loud exhale while gathering my own riding supplies. “You’ve said that about every boy in the village.”
“I have not,” Nia protested.
“Name me one you find unattractive.”
“Weston, the tanner’s son.”
I slapped my friend in jest. “Nia, he’s thirteen and pimply. He doesn’t count yet.”
Abigail chimed in. “But give him a few years and you’ll think he’s cute too.”
On Fallen Wings Page 7