Chapter Ten
Daniel was a dead man. No man followed his wife, hid behind trees, and watched her disrobe. Alastar’s blood boiled and his stomach clenched. He did not even care that Daniel had told Aislin about Elwynna. She was far in his past and, though he had cared about her more than he had other lassies at the time, at no point had he considered it love or desired marriage with her. As much as it pained him to remember how badly he had hurt her heart, it had never been his intention, and he had been quite clear from the first that he had no intensions toward her aside from companionship and physical lust. If he ever saw the lass again, he would apologize for hurting her, but he knew he would never see her, especially since her father was now the man trying to start a war with Tuathal.
But Aislin was his wife. She was the woman he vowed to protect and had grown to love very much. He would slay any man who threatened her safety or disrespected her honor. Daniel had done both of those, along with his subtle threats in the past and his apparent need to try to form a wedge between them.
The cold night wind whipped him in the face and he only just realized that he had left the house without a tunic, but he was much too heated to let the chill affect him. It also did nothing to cool his temper. He had always been an amicable man, seeking peace and companionship before war and violence, but sometimes a man had to what a man had to do.
The gathering hall came into view. Alastar truly had no idea where to find Daniel, but this was as good of a place as any to look. Daniel tended to stick close to his fellow hunters, even though many of them were warriors and he was not. He could hear the loud voices coming from the rectangular building and, as an inebriated man being carried out by two men on either side of him stumbled through the door, he saw the bright lights spill onto the muddy ground, shimmering off a rather large mud puddle just to the left of the entrance.
“Al!” the drunken man slurred, and he realized it was one of his fellow warriors. While normally he would laugh at the fool and say something witty to honor the occasion, the only thing on his mind at the moment was justice for the wrong done to his wee wife.
“Is Daniel inside?” he came closer to his companion and asked. The man was covered in ale and it had run down his now soaked red tunic. His blond hair stood on end, also soaked with ale that had dried and it created a rather unsightly nest of hair on the man’s head.
“Who ish Dan... yell?” the man murmured.
Alastar was too annoyed to be patient. “Och, man. He is that strange hunter with the long dark hair.”
One of the two men holding up his mate nodded and struggled to hold on to the warrior’s dead weight. “Aye, he is in there. I warn you. He has been running his mouth about you. Saying you are undeserving of Aislin and that he would find a way to have her. I do not like what I have heard.”
“I am here to kill him,” Alastar growled and began to push his way through the crowd.
“Truly? Och, I need to see this!” The two men dropped the warrior in the very same mud puddle Alastar had only just noticed, causing his mate to curse at his friends.
Alastar stormed inside the hall, banging the door against the wall so that it splintered down the middle with a loud cracking sound. The voices and laughter died as all eyes turned toward him, but he only sought out one man.
“Daniel Mac Simon!” Alastar roared so loud he swore the thatched roof would fall around him. “Where is the bastard?”
The entire room separated to create a walkway for him as he searched the hall for one man amongst scores. “Come out, you coward! Face me like a man and prepare to die!”
A few lassies gasped and scrambled behind benches or large men as he gripped his sword even tighter in his hand.
“What goes on here, Mac Murray?” He knew the deep voice of his High King. He heard that very same voice for hours a day in the fields as they practiced.
Continuing to scan the room, he answered his king. “That bastard Mac Simon has been harassing my wife!” he roared. “He follows her when she is unknowing. He hid in the forest today and watched her disrobe before bathing in the lake! Then he cornered her while she was naked and vulnerable, filling her ears with vile lies!” Turning to look his king in the eyes, he continued, “I care not if he tries to turn my wife against me. We are stronger than his lies. I do care that he has violated her privacy and dishonors her! I vowed to protect Aislin and that I will.”
He was seething inside now. Where was that bastard? Too cowardly to pay the price for his dirty deeds? “I want his blood! He will fight me to the death!”
Tuathal nodded and glowered, an audible growl escaping his throat. Aislin was his cousin by marriage and Alastar knew Tuathal took the protection of all his people very seriously. “Mac Simon!” If Alastar had thought his roar would bring the roof down, Tuathal’s nearly split the walls in twain.
One man pushed Daniel out into the center of the room to face his king. Daniel looked respectful enough when he faced Tuathal but when his gaze shifted to Alastar, he saw pure hatred gleaming in the man’s eyes. The feeling was mutual, and Alastar bared his teeth and growled, lunging forward to bring himself face to face with the man he desperately wished to tear to pieces. Daniel was smart enough to take a step back.
“It this true, Mac Simon?” Tuathal asked calmly. “Have you been following my cousin around? Causing her trouble and spying on her?” The disgust was apparent in the king’s voice and Daniel put his head down. “Is… it… true?”
Daniel lifted his head and pointed an accusatory finger in Alastar’s direction. “I loved her first! I was trying to court her and Alastar just took her away, just like he does with all the lassies! He will only break her heart in the end! I would have been good to her!”
“By disrespecting her privacy while she bathes?” Alastar shouted in the man’s face, causing him to flinch.
Tuathal stepped forward and placed a hand on Alastar’s shoulder to hold him back. “It matters not if you loved her first. She chose Mac Murray and is wed to him.”
“Tis only a handfast,” Daniel spat in response. The look Tuathal sent him was enough to shut up any man. If Daniel was a hound, his tail would be between his legs.
“Did you follow Aislin?” Tuathal continued as if Daniel had not spoken.
“Aye.”’
“Did you hide in the trees while she disrobed, then approach her while she was in the lake?”
“Aye.”
Hearing the man admit as much made Alastar’s rage double, if it were possible. The need to destroy this man who lusted after his wife was stronger than ever. Daniel had always been a shy, quiet man but now Alastar knew he was capable of more than he let on.
“Then ‘tis Alastar’s right as her husband to seek his revenge and to honor his wife. You know this Mac Simon,” Tuathal shouted.
“Outside. Now!” Alastar pushed the man toward the door. When Daniel tried to run, several men surrounded him and guided him toward the entrance.
Just then the familiar lilt of his wife’s voice drifted over the shouts of bloodthirsty men. “Al!” He saw her run through the door of the hall, heaving with exertion and holding onto her sides. “Wait!”
Suddenly distracted by her plea and beautiful face, he turned from Daniel and walked toward her, scooping her tangled red hair away from her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and her nose was nipped red from the snow starting to fall outside again. She must have run the entire way here. “I need to do this, mo chroí.” That was the first time he had ever called her his “love” before, but she truly was, and he needed her to know it.
She nodded and swallowed hard, bending over to catch her breath. “Aye. I know. At least I know there is nothing I can say to prevent you from doing what is your right as my husband.” He nodded at her and stared down into her warm green eyes.
“I just wanted to tell you… needed to tell you… to be careful,” she whispered, looking nervous and worried. His heart fluttered to see her concerned for his well-being. “And also, I love you too.”
He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her to his lips, kissing her hard, savagely, letting his love, lust, pride, and need to honor her shine through with every slide of his tongue around hers. He tore himself away and struggled to catch his breath. “Gods, I love you, lass.” The crowd started hooting and whistling, stomping their feet and shouting out crude jests as Aislin turned a beautiful shade of pink. “’Tis time, Lin. I must do this.”
She frowned, but nodded and backed away. He knew she understood. Sometimes, a man had to fight for the woman he loved. And he loved her more than he loved anyone in his entire life.
“Someone give Mac Simon a sword,” he growled and turned back around just in time to watch the man turn ashen. Mayhap he had only just realized that he was likely to die, but he should have thought of that before dishonoring Alastar’s wife.
When no man came forward to aid Daniel, Tuathal slipped his own sword from its sheath and handed it to Daniel. Alastar nodded at his King and cousin by marriage, then proceeded to walk silently outside into the falling snow, knowing every person inside the hall silently followed.
When he turned, he saw Daniel standing there, awkwardly holding the sword. A slight niggle of doubt shook his conscience. Daniel Mac Simon was no warrior. Aye, the man was a fair hunter and had better aim with a bow than most men, but when it came to the use of a sword, it was clear the man had never been properly trained. The fight was necessary, but Alastar decided to go as easy on the man as possible. He could gut him with one swipe of his blade, but in truth, killing was never something Alastar had ever enjoyed. Nor was it something he had ever had to do outside of a battleground. But, he had never been a married man before, never had a woman to defend. If he showed the man mercy now, as he had over three moons ago at their marriage celebration, Daniel would only continue to harass Aislin and cause trouble. He may even cross a line and violate her. In fact, he had already violated her simply by watching her.
“You ready?” He watched Daniel squat low and lift the sword. Alastar would not take the first swing. It seemed only fair to give the man a reasonable chance. He signaled Daniel with his hand to swing first. “Come at me, Mac Simon!” he roared. “Or are you too much of a coward to pay for your wrongdoing? Only brave enough to harass an innocent woman?”
His words were getting to Daniel, just as he hoped they would. Sometimes the verbal spar was just as effective as the physical one. Daniel began to shake and look around as if seeking an ally. But nobody in the tuath would come between a husband and his rightful vengeance.
Just when Alastar was readying himself to start another round of verbal abuse, Daniel threw the sword down into the dirt and bolted from the fight, pushing through the ring of stunned onlookers. “Where are you going, Mac Simon?” Tuathal roared as he scooped his precious sword out of the thin layer of snow now covering the ground. “After him!”
A handful of warriors trailed after Daniel, but he was quick and knew those woods as well as Aislin did. The hunters had that advantage over the warriors and there was any number of places the man could hide once he reached the thick wall of trees where the snow could not fall and create tracks for the warriors to follow. Alastar watched in anger and disappointment as the biggest threat to his wife’s safety vanished into the tree lines. The warriors were far behind him and Alastar knew they would not give up easily, but they would likely not be successful.
“Cursed coward!” he shouted, throwing his sword down into the snow. “I should have just killed him!”
“Nay.” Aislin stepped forward and placed her forehead against his, her breath coming out in cold wisps against his lips. “I know what you did. You saw he could not handle his weapon and had mercy on him. You are a good man, Alastar and I love you more for it.” She kissed him softly and he felt some of his anger melt.
“I will find him, Lin. I cannot allow him to hurt you. Someday, he might.”
“I can protect myself,” she argued. “If he ever tried to touch me, I could handle him.”
“I won’t allow that to happen, my love. Not while I am your husband... which shall be until the day I die. I hope you have nay more plans to rid yourself of me, for I will never allow it.”
She smiled, and he felt himself calm a little more. Aye, he had let his instinct for kindness guide him just enough to allow the man the first swing. He should have come at him and skewered him for his offenses, but nay, he had shown mercy and now the bastard was gone.
“He is nay longer welcome here, so he will either be found and face the consequences another day, or he will flee into the wilderness and die a coward’s death,” Tuathal grunted.
There was another option, a likely one at that, and Alastar knew he needed to make his king aware of the facts. “’Tis likely he will flee to his Uncle’s camp. He is the nephew of Mal Mac Rochride. He grew up with me at Elim’s camp and his father was Elim’s best fighter.”
Tuathal frowned. “I know who his kin are. I promised all my people sanctuary when I defeated Elim. He was a tyrant and people feared him. With the threat of death or harm to their families, people will do aught asked of them. I offered an opportunity to choose one’s path here in Ráth Mór. Nobody was forced to be here. We fight with honor, live with honor.” His king’s deep voice grew sad at the thought of one of his own defecting and he ran a hand through his shoulder length dark hair, blue eyes blazing. “We know not what he plans. He may seek his uncle simply for safety now that he is unwelcome here.”
Alastar nodded and sighed deeply. He should have finished the lad, and yet, he had never had to face an untrained enemy. It had seemed unfair in the moment to cut him down. Now that the man had fled, he hoped he did not live to regret it. Daniel knew this land well and if he went to his uncle, he could lead the enemy here. Alastar had to simply hope that Daniel was only an arse, and not a traitor.
“Come, Lin. Let us go home.” Aislin nodded and took his outstretched hand, resting her head on his arm as they slowly walked home in silence. He enjoyed the silence while it lasted, for he knew as soon as they arrived home, he would need to answer all her burning questions about Elwynna.
***
Aislin knew Alastar was still seething with anger when they arrived back to their home. He was tense and quiet, two very unusual qualities for him. Without him having to say so, she knew he was battling with his own hesitation to strike down Daniel before he fled, but she had seen the man attempting to wield Tuathal’s sword. Daniel was very skilled with the bow or dagger, but he clearly had little experience with a sword. At that moment, she had prayed Alastar would see the disadvantage his adversary had, and she was proud of him for considering it, even through his haze of rage. A lesser man would have struck first.
Wrapping her arms around his neck as they entered their home, she planted a quick kiss on his lips, then cupped his face as Branwen barked with wild excitement. “I am very proud of you.”
“Och, why? For letting the bastard get away?” he murmured and covered her hands with his large calloused ones. Those callouses were a testament to his many years of practice with a sword.
“You know why. It was clear to everyone Daniel had nay ability with a sword. I saw you hesitate. Your honor would not allow you to cut him down without giving him the first open swing. He chose to flee. He is the coward here, Al, not you. You are a warrior, but you are an honorable one. I vow I love you all the more for it.”
That finally made him smile, that devastating smile full of dimples and white teeth. It made her knees weak that a man so handsome could be hers forever. It seemed most unfair to all the other lassies of the world. “So, you love me, lass?” he murmured against her lips and the rasp of his unshaved chin brushed her cheek.
“Despite my many attempts not to? Aye, I do love you, Alastar. I cannot help it.”
He tickled her side to make her laugh and squirm. “You make it sound like a bad thing to love me.”
She playfully jerked out of his hold and put her hands on her hips. “I am not certain yet that it is not a bad thing. I never wanted to be anyone’s wife and never wanted to be vulnerable to another person. Yet, here I am: completely in love, unwilling to leave your side, and open to any hurt you should ever afflict upon my heart.”
Her words stopped him in his place, causing his beautiful smile to morph into a frown of concern. “Why do you think I would ever hurt you? Have I not proved tonight that I will always honor you?”
She took a deep breath and sighed. “Alastar. You are a man who lived his life, by all accounts, on his own terms. You fancied many lassies and they fancied you. I know you have been with more lassies than I care to think of.” He opened his mouth in defense, but she shook her head and silenced him. “I am not angry at your past. ‘Twas before me. My concerns lie with the unknown, for us both. There has seemingly only ever been one woman you promised yourself to, who knew of your past as I do and, from what I am to believe, you broke her heart. How am I to trust the same won’t happen to me? Is this the price I will someday pay for loving a man whose head can be so easily turned by another bonny face?”
“Aislin. I never promised myself to Elwynna. She was the daughter of Mal, Elim’s best warrior. She was there the night my family was slaughtered. I was devastated and alone. I needed companionship like I needed air. I would have died from a broken heart if not for her.”
His words were not helping to ease the sudden ache in Aislin’s heart. To hear him speak of Elwynna with such tenderness caused her gut to clench with pain and envy. This was why love was a dangerous emotion. It made fools of men and women alike. But it was too late. Fool or not, her heart was in his hands and at this moment, she hated herself for giving it to him. “It sounds like you cared for her very much. Mayhap you still do.” She also hated the quiver in her own voice. She had become the pathetic woman she had always refused to be.
“I did care for her very much. I still do, aye, but not in that way, Lin. She was a good companion to me. She made the pain bearable. She knew my family and loved them, so she shared in that loss.”
The woman knew her husband in a way Aislin never would, and that thought made her throat constrict again with envy and despair. She could never know his twin brother or share laughs with his mother. It was impossible for Aislin to have ever been a part of his family like Elwynna was.
“If I told you I did not have strong emotions for Elwynna, it would be a lie, Lin. But was it love? Nay. I knew it then just as I know it now. Our connection was one created through loss and pain. It was volatile and unsustainable. I cared for her very much, but it became clear to me that she hoped for much more than I was willing to give to her, or any lass, at the time. I was busy defending my king and fighting enemies. I had nay place in my life for commitment to a woman. So, when she started speaking of a future for me and her, I ended what we had. It gutted me to cause her pain. Aside from Jeoffrey, she was all I had left in the world and I had wrecked her heart. But, I knew that for me, she was not the one. She was a special part of my life and I will always care for her and remember her role in helping me heal, but I never regretted not marrying her. And now that I have you, Lin…”
He shook his head and his eyes grew more serious than ever. “I know I made the right choice. I was incapable of giving my heart to a lass, to making such a commitment. Yet, I knew the very moment I saw you, that you were it for me. It was like a bolt of lightning struck me down. I would never have given up my pursuit of you. Never. And now that you are my wife, I vow to be true to you always, to love you always. Nay other lass will ever turn my head, mo chroí. I do not know how to make you trust that, and I do not blame you for being wary of my past, but I have forever to prove to you that I will never falter in my devotion.”
His words left her breathless. She had been so certain she would never wed, he had been so certain he would never wed, and, somehow, they found their way to this place together. Two stubborn, independent people who swore to never settle, and yet they were now in too deep to consider any alternative. To lose him now would be akin to losing a limb. She was not a lass prone to tears, but his words made her chin quiver and she knew her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. He had laid his heart open for her, told her all. What more could she ask for? Though, she did have one more question for him.
“At the lake, Daniel said one more thing that I cannot understand. He mentioned the dagger Àdhamh gave to you. He asked me why I thought a man would so easily give up a fine dagger to another. I had thought about that myself. Is there something I should know about that dagger, Alastar? I cannot imagine what it has to do with me, and yet I get the feeling it has everything to do with me.”
His eyes grew wide and he glanced away from her briefly, just as he had the last time she spoke of the dagger. It was quite strange. Chewing on her lip nervously, she waited in silence for him to speak.
“Daniel is unstable, Lin. He would say aught to make you question my love for you.”
Crinkling her brow, she pondered his answer. In truth, it was not much of an answer at all. It felt evasive, but the man had had a trying night and she decided he had answered enough questions for one day. She decided to change the subject, and knew just what would make them both forget the events of the night.
“I think you need to make love to me now, husband.” She needed to show him her love. Words were not enough, would never be enough. What she felt for him ran through her veins, bore into her bones, and wrapped around her soul. There was no other way to show him how much she loved him besides showing him with her body. Had she known that their physical connection would be so strong, so all-consuming, she never would have waited so long to discover it. Now, it was an addiction, something she thought about all day, something that thrummed through her whenever he was near. Her body needed his like the trees she loved so very much needed the sun.
When he wordlessly scooped her up behind the knees and carried her slowly to their bed with that helpless fire of lust dancing in his eyes, she knew he felt the same way.