Jaelle and Breth were entwined in each other's arms in front of the head druid, who stood there looking official. This was it. She was finally going to marry Breth! Lonely for him after that oh-so-intimate feeling of being of one mind, she clung to him and kissed him for all she was worth.

Breth reciprocated her kiss with the same ferocity.

Morleo smiled.

"Breth, as the reigning champion, you are now our leader. If Jaelle is your choice of bride, then Jaelle will be your bride. But you must choose now. We cannot have chaos in the clans, and chaos will reign so long as such an influential spot as the wife of the leader of all the chieftains is not filled. So tell me, do you wish to marry Jaelle?"

Still holding her close, Breth looked to Jaelle for her decision.

She smiled back at him, nodding.

Smiling at her as big as the grey Scottish sky, Breth answered the lead druid.

"I've wanted to marry Jaelle from the moment I first saw her."

Jaelle enjoyed a moment of pure bliss. Here was her man saying what she had longed to hear. They had defeated those who threatened the peace of the people and united ten clans in an even stronger bond that was voluntary and based on respect rather than fear. All was as she wanted.

So of course Morna stepped forward and tried to ruin it.

“What about the promise that was made to me, that I would be Breth’s wife and I would help him lead his clan?”

On hearing this much, Jaelle was so annoyed, she wanted to turn around and smack the little woman. She did turn around, but the more Morna stood there talking all alone and small, the more uncomfortable Jaelle felt, until she outright felt sorry for Morna. Imagine that.

“I depended on that promise of being Breth’s wife when I left my own clan to come live with his. And now my clan has been wiped out by the southern barbarians. I have nothing and no one.”

Breth’s mother came up, and then his father did as well, looking to Talorac and plainly expecting him to do the same. When Talorac looked off toward the hills, pretending he hadn’t seen his father’s beckoning look, his father spoke up.

“Regardless if one of our sons marries you, we adopt you as our daughter, Morna, with all the rights of a clan chieftain’s only daughter. We will dower you if you desire to be married; we will feed, clothe, and shelter you as long as we live if you don’t; and our sons will do the same as long as they live after us.”

Breth’s father put his arm around his wife, and both held out their other arm.

Morna went to them, and all three hugged.

Breth looked so gorgeous to Jaelle, covered in the flush of battle, that she just couldn’t keep her eyes off him any longer. His eyes bored into hers so that she thought he saw into her very soul.

Morleo raised his arms for quiet again, and got it.

“Breth has defeated Drest in combat, and so he is your new chieftain.”

Cheers again.

“Rrr rrr rrr rrr!”

Then, with a thousand people watching, Morleo simply joined Breth and Jaelle’s hands together, raised their joined hands up, and turned them around to face everybody.

“Breth has taken Jaelle as his wife, and so she is your new chieftain’s second.”

Again the cheers, but all Jaelle heard was Breth groaning with anticipation as the two of them sealed the deal in front of all their cheering people with another ferocious kiss.

And then Breth carried Jaelle all the way from the torchlit arena up to the top of the spirally staircase between the inner and outer walls of the broch to his room, where he at last laid her down.

* * *

Someone had left honeyed mead and other necessities for them up there, so they didn’t have to leave the room. It was mostly into the next day before they were hungry, and then Breth reluctantly pulled away from her only when his stomach growled.

"We fight fair, my love. I will have food delivered to us. Nothing but this small space shall part us for an entire honeyed moon."

Jaelle smiled up at him lazily.

"A whole month!"

Smiling and then laughing with her, Breth went to the door and called Deoord. Once he was done, he turned back to her and…

They indeed spent an entire month together in that room. Amazing. Every evening and every morning they were brought honeyed mead.…

And of course Jaelle was with child. Boanne told her and Breth so together, and Breth held her tight and told her he loved her. At first, she was anxious about bearing children here, but Boanne reassured her, showing considerably more knowledge in such things than Jaelle expected in the first century. Then again, the woman was a druidess... Jaelle smiled at how silly she had been. It would all be right.

However, now that their honeyed moon was over, Jaelle was susceptible to having Breth's family members around. His father of course was overjoyed for them, and he informed them that Morna seemed satisfied with her status as his daughter, so they needn’t worry about her.

Breth’s mother, on the other hand…

* * *

Lauren woke up from the memories Alasdair had been sharing with her, with Jaelle’s permission, he insisted.

"Will Jaelle and Breth really rule over all those people?"

"Aye, but they will only dae sae in matters o war. They are leaving each clan tae rule itself for the most part, and that is tae the good."

Lauren knew there was something off about the old gray-haired druid, but she didn't care. Why should Jaelle and Kelsey and Amber have all the fun? Lauren wanted in, and Alasdair was her ticket.

* * *

Jaelle was anxious, and with good reason. Breth’s mother Almba was formidable, she held considerable sway in the community, and the first chance she got, she sent Breth on an errand so that she could spend some time alone with her new daughter-in-law.

"You are afraid of me — don't deny it — and that is to the good." Almba’s chest filled up with pride and she lifted her chin before returning to her neutral diplomatic stance. "My son has very few who will look out for him now that he has risen so high. Most of the chieftains will envy him his power, and some will try to take it away. He needs a wife who will always stand by him, oftentimes in battle..."

Jaelle was thinking ‘I’m the best one for that.’ In fact, she opened her mouth to say so.

But Breth’s mother put her hand over Jaelle's mouth.

"I know, Jaelle. I know you can fight beside him, and that you will. That is the only reason I did not fight harder against your marriage. You need to understand how things work in this time. On the one hand, even though Morna’s clan is gone, the other chieftains have known her all her life. She has strong allies among them. On the other hand, the only alliance you bring is with yourself — and perhaps with the druid Alasdair. I have decided that is enough. Don't let me down."

Almba’s eyes bore into Jaelle's almost as powerfully as Breth’s had, but with only a tiny fragment of the affection he had for her. This was a command, and a stare to enforce that command, and a promise of severe bodily harm should she not obey the command.

Jaelle’s mouth surprised her with something good this time.

"You needn't worry. I genuinely love your son. I do have his back, always. I will stand by him to the end. I already have in what might've been the end. You needn't fear."

Breth's mother softened then. She actually smiled at Jaelle — and then hugged her.

"I am convinced this is true." And then she turned to the door of Jaelle and Breth’s room and called out, “Enter."

The door opened, and in came Morna. Looking like she'd been crying, she knelt at Jaelle’s feet and bowed low.

"I accept you as my chieftain's wife and my leader and my better. I will resist you no more. I will only do things to help you, for the land's sake."

Almba put Jaelle's hand on Morna’s head and then nodded toward the crying woman, moving her lips.

Jaelle nodded and turned to the woman kneeling in front of her.

"I accept your fealty, but I deny that I'm your better."

Both the other women gasped, looking at her in wonder.

Jaelle went on.

"I know that our society has betters, but I consider everyone equal. We hold positions that are unequal, and we must respect the position, but in my mind and my heart, all people are equal.  Rise, Morna. I hope we shall be sisters.”

Morna raised her head, eyes loaded with fear, and Jaelle realized there was a misunderstanding.

“Not on the battlefield, to be sure. I don’t expect you to become a warrior.”

Morna relaxed and breathed again.

Jaelle gave the small beautiful woman a tentative friendly smile.

“I wish for there to be love between us, and nothing else."

The tiniest smile of gratefulness appeared on Morna’s face. It wasn't much at all, but Jaelle saw it and nodded. For now, it was enough.

* * *

Talorac felt anxious about this meeting. Being summoned to the sacred grove always meant preparing for battle. He was in no way prepared to make the acquaintance of the woman he found there. Deirdre was beautiful, and a warrior, and from the way she was flitting around the grove, she was the most powerful druid he had ever heard of in his life.

* * *

The next book, Time of the Druids,  contains Talorac and Deirdre’s complete romance with happily ever after — and more of Breth and Jaelle’s clan’s dealings with the Gaels. To find out more about Deirdre, read .