Sheamus pulled Myria into a dance and Abby watched as everyone she loved laughed as if there wasn’t a care in the world.
She couldn’t help but feel something nagging at the back of her mind, though. She did her best to push it aside when Aengus moved to stand next to her.
“Are you feeling okay Abby?” She saw the worry in his eyes and smiled up at him.
“I feel wonderful Aengus. Can we dance?”
He grinned and pulled her into his arms. She would protect what was hers, she thought to herself as they began to move into a slow dance despite the beat of the music, she wouldn’t allow anything to happen to anyone she loved and she made a silent promise that Caipre would not get the chance to hurt their baby this time.
“Isleen is ill.”
“And you have come to me?” Caipre kept his back turned to her as he arranged small vials in a cabinet.
“No one else will help anymore. I have tried all the doctors in town and no one is able to save her. They say she will die without a miracle.”
“Yet, you have not asked the witch.” He kept his back turned to her, and Aine was beginning to lose any shred of hope she had that there was some humanity inside his black heart.
“Myria doesn’t possess the level of magic you do, Caipre. I fear Isleen does not have long left. Please, I will do anything.” She touched his arm, and he turned to face her now.
His eyes filled with greed as he gazed upon her just as they always did. It was the reason she had come to him. She knew he watched her, wanting and she hoped that would be enough to save her sister.
She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat as he licked his lips.
“What of your Aengus? What would he think about your bargain?”
“He is not mine.” Her heart grew heavy at the mention of his name. “He can never be mine, his parents would never allow it.”
“I will make you forget him.” He ripped the front of her gown and Aine shut her eyes to hold in the tears.
“You will help my sister then?” She choked out the words and bit back a cry when he grabbed her breast.
“Yes, I will help your sister.”
It would be worth it then. Aine knew that this humiliation wouldn’t be for nothing as long as her sister was able to live a long life the way she deserved too. She kept her eyes closed and did her best to pretend she was anywhere but where she was. She would forget about this after tonight, only one night of pain to bear for her sister’s life. Yes, she thought to herself, it would all be worth it.
Abby shot out of bed and ran straight to the bathroom. “Oh my God.” She cried. She vomited and stood to stare at herself in the mirror. “This is all my fault.” Tears streamed down her face as she realized what she had done. She had started all of it. Had she never gone down to Caipre’s room none of this would have happened. Yes, her sister would have died but how was that different than where she was now?
Abby screamed in anger and for the first time in her life she punched something. The mirror shattered and she didn’t even notice the blood on her hands.
Everything was her fault.
She didn’t notice when Myria came running in behind her. She just continued to stare at the shards of broken glass. Why would she have gone to him? Even now, she wouldn’t have gone to him for anything. How had she not known that there was no other way it could have ended with him? Not realized that he would never let her go.
Now she knew what he meant when he said he wanted her to remember everything he had done for her. She also knew, why some of her memories had refused to come back. They had been centered around this horribly disturbing one.
“It's all my fault.” She said again out loud.
“Abby, what’s all your fault?” Myria grabbed her hands and began looking at the wounds.
Abby looked into her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks. “I slept with him. Back when I was Aine, I slept with him Myria. I started all of this.” She fell to her knees, ignoring the pain when she realized the glass hadn’t been cleaned up yet.
“What the hell happened?” She heard Aengus’s voice, but it sounded as if he were miles away. How could she ever face him again? How could she ever tell him what she had done?
“Aengus give us a moment, she is fine.” Myria held her hand up to stop him from coming any closer. “Just give us a moment, I swear to you she is alright.” Aengus began to protest but instead backed out of the room and they were alone again. “Abby talk to me.” Myria pleaded. She pulled her to her feet and moved her to the chair that sat in the corner of the room.
“Isleen had been sick.” She started. “I had sent for all the doctors I could find, but no one could heal her.”
“I remember, I had gone to Caipre begging for him to teach me some healing magic so I could help her. He refused and told me I wasn’t ready yet, that it would drain me and she would still die.”
Anger rose in her chest. So he had known she would go to him, knew that he would be her last resort. “I went to him to heal her.” Abby looked up into Myria’s eyes, ashamed.
“And your body had been the price.” Myria finished. “Oh Abby, I’m so sorry.” She pulled her into her arms and held her while she cried.
“Why are you sorry?” Abby sobbed. “I betrayed you all, I’m the whole reason this all started.”
“Abby it’s not your fault. None of this is. I would have done the same thing had I been in your shoes, I would do whatever it took to save my brother.”
“But I betrayed him.”
“Abby when Isleen got sick, you and Aengus hadn’t been together yet, you were friends, but it was nearly a year after she had been healed that you two finally admitted your feelings for each other.”
“I gave Caipre my virginity.”
“Aine gave Caipre her virginity Abby.”
“There is no difference.”
“Yes there is, Aine died. You may share a soul but not a body.” Myria pulled away and looked at Abby. “Aengus will not blame you, Abby. You need to tell him, nothing will tear you apart and you need to not give Caipre any reason to believe it can. Don’t give Caipre the opportunity to try and use this against you two.”
Myria stood and brushed the knees of her long skirt off. “I imagine he is right outside that door.” She gestured moving towards it. “I am going to tell him to give you a minute.”
Abby sat for a moment pondering what Myria had said. True, in this lifetime she had given her virginity to Aengus so in a way it was as if Caipre had never touched her. She still felt as if she had betrayed him and worried he would feel the same but she knew Myria had been right, she had to tell him.
Caipre had tricked her. She realized that now. Myria could have healed Isleen had he given her the knowledge on how to do so. But he had wanted her to feel helpless, wanted Aine to come running to him as a last resort. He must have believed that if he had her body, then he would have had her heart as well. Except that hadn’t been possible, even if he hadn’t been an evil person, she had already given her heart away.
And Aengus still held it.
Abby stood and walked towards the door. When she opened it she wasn’t surprised to see Aengus on the other side. “I’m sorry that I broke your mirror.” She started and he rushed forward grabbing her hand where she had punched it.
“Oh Abby, I’m not worried about my mirror. What happened love?”
Her heart hurt, surely he wouldn’t call her that anymore once she admitted what had gotten her so angry.
She pulled her hand from his and smoothed the front of her sleep shirt.
“Another of my memories returned. When Isleen had been sick,” she started and stopped staring at her feet. She couldn’t bear to see his face. “I went to Caipre to heal her. He did, but for a price.” She slowly backed away and into the hallway. “I slept with him Aengus. I gave him my body and my innocence in order to save her.” She turned and fled down the hall and into the room she had first stayed in.
“Abby wait!” He
yelled and flung himself in front of the door.
Mortified, she wiped the tears from her face and continued staring at her feet.
“Abby, look at me, love.” She gently lifted her chin and she saw no anger in his eyes.
“How can you still call me that? After what I did? Don’t you see? This is all my fault!”
He pulled her into his arms. “None of this is your fault. You can't tell me something like that and then run away. You didn’t even give me a chance to respond.” He pushed her forward so he could see her face.
“I’m angry, but not at you. I’m furious that he would have asked so much of you to save your sister. I can't say that I’m surprised he did, but I’m disgusted that he manipulated you. I am not mad at you.” He repeated. “You love your sister, I would have done anything necessary if it had been Myria who needed help.”
“But Aengus, I slept with him don’t you understand that?”
“I heard you. I had wondered whom you had been with before me, but it hadn’t mattered then and it doesn’t matter now. In this life you chose me, and I know that you never would have gone to him unless it had been a last resort. I love you, Abby.”
She collapsed into his arms. What had she done right in her life to deserve to be loved this way?
They spent the next few days only leaving his room when they absolutely had to. It seemed as if love were in the water as if with the anniversary coming up no one knew how much time they had left.
She’d had no more memories surface and no more nightmares and although she wasn’t sure how long it would last, she had been grateful for the reprieve.
“Hey handsome.” She said to Eamon as she entered the barn. Aengus turned away from his current project to look at her.
“Abby you shouldn’t be walking out here alone.” He moved to her and kissed her forehead. “He could be out there.”
“Aengus I’m fine. Sheamus was watching me from the house.” He hadn’t known that she had seen him keeping an eye on her, but she had felt safer knowing he was.
“Good man.” He smiled now and placed a hand gently on her stomach. “How are you feeling?”
“As long as it's not the morning I feel great. Myria estimates I am about five weeks along.” She truly felt wonderful, just knowing she had his baby inside of her gave her such a happy feeling that she hadn’t even believed could have existed. She felt as if together, she and Aengus could take on the world.
“You look amazing.” Her blood warmed as he looked her up and down.
“No, no.” She laughed and put her hand on his chest. “I’m here to see the horses. You're just a nice benefit.” She kissed him loudly and went to pet Caley. “You are gorgeous.” She opened the gate and went into her stall.
“I have missed you girl. You too Eamon.” She added at his neigh. “Unfortunately, it's going to be awhile before I can ride you again. But I won't forget you.” She kissed the mare on the nose and walked back into the breezeway.
Aengus had gone back to work sanding what he was working on. “So you’re really not going to tell me what this is going to be?” She smiled and put her arms around him.
“It's a surprise. You’ll find out soon enough.” He turned around to face her and wrapped his arms around her. They stood there for a moment, wrapped around each other and each in their own thoughts.
“It has to be done there Aengus. I’m sorry, but there is no way around it.” Myria stood in the kitchen and watched her brother trying to come up with ways around the location of the handfasting.
“But he will be there Myria, you know he will. I don’t want to risk Abby or the baby.”
“Aengus there is nothing I can do about it. Because of the curse, the handfasting has to be done where she was killed. We will do everything we can to protect them, to protect all of us from him but it has to be there.”
Defeated Aengus took a seat at the small kitchen table. He rubbed his hands over his face and Myria saw the worry in his eyes.
“I’m sorry Aengus, had I thought about it then I might have reworded the original spell.”
“No Myria, it's not your fault. I know it has to be there I just know he will be there as well.”
“The second we get out there I will put up protection around the area to try and keep us hidden from him. I’m not sure how long it will last, though, not with how powerful he is.”
“The most we can do is try. If there is truly no way around it, then there is nothing left for us to do.”
“It has to be completed by midnight.”
“Once it’s done he can be destroyed?”
“Yes, but so can we.” She added trying to sway him from doing anything crazy. Two hundred years was a long time to seek vengeance.
“I understand Myria, I won't do anything to put myself or any of us at risk. I just want to know he is gone for good.”
“I know Aengus. It will definitely be different won't it?” She laughed. “Knowing he is gone and we can leave this place if we want.”
“Yes, it will be. Myria I cannot thank you enough for what you did for me.” He stood and walked over to her. Aengus held her hands in his and smiled. “You sacrificed so much for my happiness and I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
“Just be happy Aengus. Be fully happy and that is enough for me.” What would it be like she wondered? For all of her brother’s worries to disappear? To see him truly smile with no reservation? She couldn’t wait for the moment he could.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The morning of the anniversary Abby woke to find Aengus staring at her. “I love when my days start with you.” She smiled and sat up.
Aengus handed her a few crackers Myria had set on the side table for her when she woke up. She said it would help with her morning sickness, and so far it had almost eliminated it.
“I love you.” He said still staring at her.
“I love you too. What’s wrong?” She asked, knowing his answer.
“I’m just worried about today.”
“It will all go as planned, you’ll see.” She beamed at him. “Second thoughts Aengus?” She joked hoping to lighten his mood.
“Never my love.” He smiled at her and leaned forward to kiss her gently. “After tonight we will have a proper wedding. One where we can invite all of your friends and you can wear a gorgeous white dress.”
She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she had no one she considered friends back home. Her entire family was here, with her.
“You are amazing.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her.
“I want to wear the gown that Aengus had made for me.” Abby stood in Myria’s room staring in the mirror, “But I don’t think it will fit right now.” She laughed and touched her stomach gently. It was slightly bumped out already and her breasts had already gotten a bit bigger.
“Hmm.” Myria stood staring into her closet. “We can try!” She pulled the dress out and looked at it hopefully.
They did try, and fail. Myria couldn’t get the dress closed all the way and Abby was paranoid it would hurt the baby. They settled on one of Myria’s loose fitting skirts and a light cream colored sweatshirt.
“You look beautiful Abby.” Myria smiled at her.
“Everything’s going to be okay right?”
“Everything’s going to be fine Abby.” She patted her on the shoulder. “Now let's go meet the men. They are going to go crazy if we don’t get going soon.”
The ride out was not as joyous as Abby would have hoped it would have been. Not that she didn’t understand why everyone was on edge, she, herself was already expecting the worst. She and Aengus rode on Eamon, walking as easily as they could for her comfort and the baby’s safety, while Sheamus and Myria rode on Caley in front. They had insisted on going first in case there was any sort of ambush waiting. Myria believed she would have a better chance of recognizing it before they walked into it.
When they entered the clearing, Abby felt a wave of sa
dness wash over her. The area was saturated with it. She was suddenly gasping for breath as a panic attack set in.
“Just breathe Abby.” He said gently.
She looked up at him and saw that his jaw was set, his body tense.
“I feel it to love.” He added softly.
They dismounted and Abby watched as Myria walked the perimeter whispering a chant she couldn’t quite make out.
When she turned and started towards the center, Abby felt Aengus take a deep breath of relief behind her.
“It's eleven forty-five now. We should get set up!” Myria was doing her best to sound cheerful, but Abby noted the edginess of her voice. Abby watched in awe as Myria sent up balls of light to hover just above their heads. The glow that they provided was hopelessly romantic. It was absolutely beautiful. She looked at Aengus and realized that she couldn’t have imagined promising herself to him in any other way.
Sheamus removed a woven cord and five candles from the saddlebags. Myria placed the candles in a circle and chanted something over the rope.
She looked up and smiled. He smiled at her as Myria came to stand in front of them. Sheamus moved to stand next to Abby but kept his eyes on the tree line.
“On this day two hundred years ago, two lovers were torn apart by another’s greed. I cast a spell so that they may have another chance at the life they were so wrongly robbed of.” Myria’s words rang out in the darkness and Abby smiled as she saw Isleen appear next to her. “Please step into the circle.” Abby and Aengus stepped into the circle and turned to face each other.
“Aengus, will you carry Abby’s burden’s as if they were your own?”
“I will.”
“Abby, will you carry Aengus’s burden’s as if they were your own?”
“I will.” She replied without hesitation.
“A binding is made.” Myria placed the cord over their joined hands. Aengus’s smile at the gesture had Abby’s heart blooming with happiness. They were actually going to be bound together! Maybe their luck was good and he wasn’t going to show, maybe he knew he had already lost.
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