by Kristen Cobb
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Ronan’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Perhaps she wants you to get dressed.” Eanna’s expression was, as usual, completely without humor.
Ronan grinned, popping the rest of the cheese wedge into his mouth.
“That is not why I am staring at him.”
Ronan nearly choked on the food in his mouth. Eanna immediately began banging on his back. Ronan pushed his brother’s arm away.
Once Ronan collected himself his eyes turned to her. “Excuse me.”
Seeing Ronan so nervous and flustered made him seem a bit more flawed and human, just like everyone else. There were moments she thought Ronan might be some kind of god sent down from the heavens. “Relax, I was not ogling your body. The only man I want is lying over there next to your father. I have a favor to ask, a rather large one.”
“Hand me my pants would you. I do not believe I should tempt her any longer with this stunning display of male beauty.” Ronan held out a hand to Eanna.
Eanna rolled his eyes. Picking up Ronan’s pants he threw them in his brother’s face.
Nessa took a bite of cheese while Ronan lie flat on his back pulling his pants on. Once the bottom half of Ronan’s body was covered Eanna dropped the tunic onto his face.
Ronan sat up, sliding the deep blue tunic over his head. “There, I am dressed and ready to hear about this favor that does not involve any of my distinctly male parts. This is entirely new territory for me.”
Eanna groaned in response, laying down, settling his hands comfortably behind his head. “He is all yours Nessa.”
Ronan grinned, reaching over Eanna to grab the sacs of food. In actuality he only grabbed one. Since the bags were connected the second sac dragged across Eanna’s body. Eanna sent his brother a scathing look but said nothing.
Ronan winked at her before rummaging through one of the sacs for more food.
Nessa turned to face Ronan, crossing her legs beneath her, taking a moment to consider the man sitting before her. It felt right. Ronan was the only person she knew, other than Rory, who could hold his own with Conri. “By revealing what I am about to say I am placing a great deal of trust in you. I am entrusting you with the person I love most in this world.”
Ronan pulled another half loaf of bread and a large wedge of cheese out of the bag. Laying the food on top of the bag he looked at her, his normally flirtatious expression nowhere to be found. He obviously understood the weighty nature of the topic they were embarking on. “I assume we are talking about my surly brother.”
Eanna sat up, suddenly focused on her as well.
“Yes.” Tears began to well in her eyes as she thought about leaving Conri forever. Taking a moment to collect her wayward emotions and stuff them somewhere deep down inside she looked out at the river. The one place she refused to look was over at Conri. Once a bit more in control she continued. “The only way to protect him is to make everyone believe I no longer love him. Even Conri must believe it. You can never tell him the truth.” Nessa looked into Ronan’s eyes, attempting to convey how strongly she felt about this particular facet of the plan. “He was taken because I love him. The only way to permanently remove that threat is to remove my love.”
“So you are not staying away from him because he is being horrid and impossible.” For the first time she saw true sadness in Ronan’s eyes.
“No. I adore him, even when he is horrid and impossible. I am staying away because it would be cruel to do anything else. Everything is already set up. As soon as we return Rory and I will pretend to be together. Conri, along with everyone else, must believe I am in love with Rory now.” Just considering that moment broke her heart into a thousand pieces.
“What is this favor you would ask of me?” The somber tone of Ronan’s voice reminded her of the truly disastrous nature of this entire affair.
“I want you to come with us and stay with Conri when I leave.” Nessa watched as Ronan’s eyes opened wide in shocked surprise.
“Me. Why me? We do not get along very well in case you have not noticed.” Ronan continued staring at her as if she had completely lost her mind.
“You are probably the only person who can do it. Your brother intimidates most people. You stand your ground without hesitation. He needs that. Add the fact that he is your brother and you are the only person I can send. I do not want him to be alone. I know it is a lot to ask but I need someone to watch over him. Too many people know that I love him. They may not all believe my feelings have changed. I need you to warn me immediately if there is even the slightest chance he is in danger. I also need you to stand by him even when he is horrid and impossible. You are the perfect person for the job. Even Conri will not be able to quash your indomitable cheer and good humor.” Nessa grabbed both of Ronan’s hands, looking into his eyes. “Please. I cannot bear to walk away leaving him all alone but neither can I stay and allow this to happen again.”
“I will stay with my miserable curmudgeon of a brother but only for the first hundred years or so. After that I reserve the right to beat him to a bloody pulp if he is still annoying me.” Ronan squeezed both of her hands.
Nessa threw her arms around Ronan and hugged him. Ronan wrapped his arms around her, holding her close until she pulled away.
“You will of course owe me a very, very big favor.” Ronan glanced over at Conri.
Nessa finally allowed herself to look in that direction. No longer lying down Conri sat watching them. It felt as if her heart dropped somewhere in the region of her feet. He already accused her of having feelings for Ronan. Quickly hardening her heart to Conri’s insecurities she turned her gaze back toward the river. It was almost completely dark now. Moonlight reflecting off the surface of the water cast a brilliant white light back at them. When she publicly announced her love for his best friend Conri would realize nothing romantic existed between her and Ronan.
KAELAN’S great hall was far from empty this time. There were at least twenty people in the room besides Conri, Kaelan, Ronan, and Eanna. Ronan said some were still out searching for information on Declan and his men. They would have no idea Conri had been found until they returned.
Conri attempted to be polite as people came over to greet him. He sat so close their hands were almost touching. She could tell their attention made him uncomfortable. Even under the most ideal of circumstances Conri did not enjoy being the center of everyone’s focus. She should have taken him straight back to Rory’s rather than manipulating him into coming here. While her intentions were good the result proved disastrous, causing her husband additional pain. It seemed to be all her presence ever created in his life.
Kaelan flanked Conri to the right while Ronan and Eanna were on the other side of the table. Everyone else in the hall sat scattered at other tables, giving the family a bit of privacy.
Nessa finally gave in, allowing her hand to touch Conri’s on the bench beside her. He turned immediately and looked at her. Their eyes met and held. In that moment she questioned her carefully crafted plan. She loved this man far too much to walk away. How could she ever do such a thing? Conri lifted her hand ever so slightly, winding his fingers through hers.
“Did Nessa relay the good news? I am coming with you brother. You will have the pleasure of my company for the foreseeable future.” Ronan’s unfortunate timing shattered the moment.
Conri pulled his hand away. His eyes remained locked on hers but the vulnerability and warmth disappeared, replaced by something closer to rage. “You are my wife. Would you truly shame me so openly?”
“It is not what you think.” She wanted to say I would never do that but she planned on doing exactly that in the not so distant future. It would be a blatant lie.
“Prove it. Tell him he cannot come.” Conri’s intensely angry gaze would undoubtedly terrify most women.
“I cannot do that. I need him to come with us.” It sounded like an admission of infidelity but at least she was attempting some degree of honest
y.
“Then stay here with your lover. Must you force me to watch? What have I ever done to warrant such treatment?” Conri’s voice rang out much louder than necessary now. Everyone in the hall likely heard although they were polite enough not to turn around.
“Ronan is not my lover.” He was already angry, why not tell him about Rory now and get it over with? She immediately thought of one very important reason not to implement her plan here. He would insist on leaving this instant, without her. There was no way she would allow him to travel back to Rory’s alone. She could change form and follow him but that seemed less than ideal. Deep down she realized it was merely an excuse to delay the inevitable.
“Then tell me what is going on because I do not understand.” The anger suddenly drained from her husband’s voice, brown eyes pleading, pain obvious for all to see and hear.
She could feel the tears begin welling in her eyes, hands clenched into fists trying to keep from reaching out to touch him. “I cannot.”
Kaelan stood, laying a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Come, let me show you to your room. All will be well son. Things work out exactly as they are meant to.”
Conri stood without argument, following Kaelan silently out of the hall. Nessa watched them leave, allowing the tears to fall unimpeded.
“Should I have allowed it to continue?” The meaning behind Ronan’s words clear, he noticed the tender moment between her and Conri.
“No. You did exactly as I asked, protected your brother, even from me.” The tears refused to stop now. How could she possibly convince Conri she loved Rory? It would break her heart into a million jagged shards destined to shred her insides for eternity. Something she would never be able to hide.
Ronan stood, walking over to her side of the table. “Come sister.” Ronan held out his hand, leaning down close to her ear. “I do believe you could use a bit of privacy.”
Nessa placed her hand in Ronan’s, barely able to see through the tears. He led her out of the hall then straight through the main door leading outside, the only way in or out, located almost directly off the great hall. A small hallway off to the side of the room led to a large wooden door. This lone entrance to the outside world could be considered the building’s only real defensive fortification.
The moment Ronan opened the door a now familiar terror assailed her. The open doorway appeared to lead nowhere, dropping off into the ocean from the frighteningly high cliff’s edge. The only entrance to Kaelan’s home was on the side of the building that faced the ocean. A narrow winding staircase had been carved into the jagged rock face. The stairs initially led you down the side of the cliff before slowly climbing back up. A wall of rock closed the stairs in partway, almost to her waist, due to the fact that the steps were carved deep into the cliff.
As a defensive strategy it was probably the best she had ever seen. Potential invaders would be forced to descend then climb the steep winding stairs single file. As each invader reached the doorway all a defender need do would be give them a gentle nudge off the cliff over the waist-high wall. She could almost hear the screams as men plunged to their deaths. Only a fool would attempt to invade Kaelan’s home.
Ronan remained directly behind her on the stairs, his hand on her waist in case she tripped. Fear helped stem the flow of tears. Blurry vision from tear filled eyes could cause a great deal of pain in this situation. Although the waist-high wall of rock provided a decent amount of security the possibility of falling was difficult to ignore. She would be forced to turn into a small bird to save herself if she started to fall, changing into a larger bird being less than helpful. The animal’s entire body would not fit through the neck of her tunic, leaving her wings trapped beneath the garment, unable to fly, plunging helplessly off the cliff. A shiver of fear traveled through her body at the thought.
Relief settled in when they reached the top of the cliff without plummeting to their deaths. Ronan led her to the edge, sitting down with his feet hanging off the steep drop. Closing her eyes she allowed the ocean breeze to wash over her face, listening to the rhythmic crash of the waves against the rocky shore.
They sat silently for a while, although she could not bring herself to sit quite as close to the edge as Ronan. The sound of the powerful waves crashing repeatedly against the shore slowly began to soothe her tormented emotions. It was easy to understand why Kaelan built his home here. He refused to reveal how he accomplished that particular feat. She suspected he used his powers. The thought brought up a question she had yet to give serious consideration. Where was she going to live?
Her initial intention had been to come here. She now realized her presence would prevent Conri from having a relationship with his father. More than anything she wanted Conri to be surrounded by people that loved him. No, coming here was not an option.
Perhaps she could return to Glendalough. Not to the monastery of course but the valley itself. Nestled between the Wicklow Mountains the valley sat isolated from the rest of the world. There was plenty of fresh water and no one but the monks lived there. Ideally she would have more time to learn from Kaelan but that could not be helped. Conri might actually be receptive to a relationship with his father. Learning to use her powers would come in time with or without Kaelan.
That settled she felt a bit better. Conri was going to be fine. He would get over losing her and have plenty of people in his life that cared about him. Etain had nowhere else to go so she would definitely be staying at Rory’s. Ronan did not technically love his brother yet but he would, of that she had no doubt. Loving Conri took time.
“Feeling a bit better?”
“Yes, thank you. There is something about this place. It is healing.” She really would miss it.
“I used to sit out here a lot as a boy and wonder about the mortal world.” Ronan’s striking features peered out at the ocean with a wistful look on his face.
The sun hung low in the sky, just getting ready to fall below the horizon, leaving them to the night. It burned bright orange as it met the faraway horizon of the seemingly endless blue ocean. Nessa watched Ronan, seeing him in a whole new light. There were hidden depths to the man she doubted he revealed very often. “Did you ever get to leave here as a boy?”
“Not really. My father, as you know, is a bit of a recluse. My mother was apparently a mortal who worked here occasionally although I never knew her.”
“Have you ever been out in the mortal world?” It seemed like a ridiculous question since she guessed him to be older than Conri but one never knew.
“We deal with the mortals a lot, in a kind of barter system that allows us both to flourish.” Ronan waved his hand out in an expansive gesture. “As you can see this is not exactly prime farm land. We help them work their farms and care for the animals, as well as providing defensive services. In return they give us food and most of the other goods we require. We also have residences that we maintain for some of them, including those that run our stables.”
That only partially answered her question. “But have you ever left this place for any length of time and lived out there?” Nessa watched Ronan’s reaction closely.
“No.” Ronan looked out at the ocean as he answered.
“Then what I am asking of you is no small favor.” The fact that Ronan agreed to upend his entire life for a brother he barely knew said a great deal about him.
“I suppose one could look at it that way.”
“But you do not?” Nessa pulled her legs up under her, turning to face him.
Ronan smiled, still looking out into the distance. “No. My father says there is a reason for everything that happens, follow where life leads you. I choose to believe this was meant to be. It is my time to have the grand adventure I sat here dreaming about as a boy.” Ronan turned and looked at her. His brow furrowed as if giving something serious consideration.
“What are you pondering in that handsome head of yours with such ferocity?”
Rather than the grin she expected to see Ronan’s
expression remained serious. “I would like to ask you something but am afraid to bring up the subject.”
“You may ask me anything.” Nessa laid a hand on Ronan’s arm to reassure him. “I owe you a great deal.”
“Tell me about this brother I am to follow into the mortal world. There must be a reason you love him.”
Rather than causing upset Ronan’s question brought a smile to her face. She would like nothing more than to recount a list of her husband’s better qualities. Ronan had thus far only experienced Conri at his worst. “Your brother is actually the kindest man I have ever met.”
“I find that difficult to believe.” Ronan cocked his head to the side as if to say come on now, tell me the truth.
“My friend Will attacked your brother because he wanted to marry me.”
“Will wanted to marry you or my brother did?”
“They both did, but as it turned out Will only pursued me because his father turned him away destitute. A mortal king raised me so Will assumed I would be able to take care of him. When Conri found out why Will was so desperate he talked Rory into allowing Will to stay on at the castle. Will is one of Conri’s men now. Not only do they train together but I can honestly say Will’s loyalty lies more with your brother than me.” She had no doubt Conri would eventually win over Ronan without even trying.
“Did Ciaran truly warn my brother to stay away from us? Where did he go?”
“Conri’s grandfather is an evil man with no compassion for anyone. Your brother was only ten when they cast him out and yes, Ciaran warned him never to come here or his life would be in danger. Having nowhere else to go he begged for food, working for it when people would allow. Occasionally someone allowed him to spend the night on their property. Other times he would get chased off, forced to wander through the night until he could find a safe place to sleep.” Nessa could see that her telling of Conri’s story affected Ronan. She continued on, believing it to be in Conri’s best interest for Ronan to understand why his brother acted as he did. “Your brother is used to being alone which makes it easy for him to push people away. He is more comfortable than most on his own.” Nessa grabbed one of Ronan’s hands, waiting until he looked into her eyes. “Do not allow him to push you away. He is truly the best of men.”
