by Jane Stain
And then all the farewells were over, and the raiders got up and started running toward the faraway wall.
Deirdre thrilled Tal even more by grabbing his hand to run together with him the way they had on the way home from the Gaels. Her hand was warm and her smile at him even warmer as the two of them ran together in the middle of the pack of warriors and druids.
He squeezed her hand back, not thinking about the future when they might have to say farewell but only reveling in the present when she was by his side, swift and beautiful, her blonde hair flying out behind her like a cloak in the morning sunshine that had broken through the clouds that usually sheltered the land. He wanted this day to last forever, the two of them running through field and forest in a pack of a thousand raiders, naked but for woad and scabbarded weapons.
The woad’s magic spared them the need to rest or eat, so they made excellent time, only stopping to drink water, which they did from the river nearby, careful not to remain in the water long enough for the woad and goose grease to become smudged.
And all the while, Deirdre stayed by his side, her staff at the ready in her other hand and her dagger lashed to her naked waist over a spot in the woad that had been made for it, making it shine like the sun with rays going out over her back and stomach and up to her chest and down to her thighs.
The dagger’s woad pattern made him want to see her fight with it. She must be an imposing knife fighter, indeed.
Once the fort’s defenders had been woaded and everyone had drank their fill from the well, the group changed its tactics. They all went up just over the hill on the non-invaded side of the wall and crept as silently as possible down the line of the wall toward the next fort the Picts hadn't yet taken.
Even as they crept, Deirdre kept hold of Tal’s hand, telling him, "I've never crept into battle before. I'll keep a close eye on you and do what you do."
He squeezed her hand in response and kept a hold of it, watching ahead for the occasional signal that he explained indicated whether they were going left or right, through the stream here or further on down — and passing those signals on to those behind them.
And then his nostrils flared and all his muscles stiffened.
Alarmed, she looked about for the threat.
But shaking his head no, he turned sharply away from the path they'd been on to go down toward the wall.
Oh. This was it. They were going down to the wall.
Deirdre hefted her staff a few times, reassuring herself that it was still there. That it would serve. But she was just as good a warrior as any here, she told herself. She did feel better after her pep talk, and just in time, as they had reached another Roman fort.
She clung to Tal’s hand as they ran down the hill and then waited for those in front of them to climb over the wall while muffled shouts went up beyond it.
He let go of her hand and boosted her up, whispering "wait for me at the top and we’ll go in together."
She nodded at him, and it was as he said.
Tal struck the first Roman in the gut with his sword.
She knocked the next one in the head with her staff.
The next half hour was a fight for life, the lives of the Roman soldiers versus the freedom of the clans they sought to enslave or annihilate.
Deirdre knew the history. These noble Picts were destined to be absorbed into the Gaelic culture, and in her time no credit remained of their desperate attempt to remain sovereign. She thought of all this as she fought one Roman soldier after another, sometimes in concert with Tal, and sometimes on her own.
But mostly she just tried to stay alive. It helped greatly that Galdus flitted her out of harm’s way whenever things got too close.
Deirdre raided the Romans with Tal and his people for a month, waiting for Alasdair.
Tal’s sister-in-law Jaelle had twin sons, and there was much rejoicing, especially on her part. “An heir and a spare!” she said joyfully to everyone she spoke with. “I’m done!”
Jaelle and Breth took the babes for a walk up out of the broch valley, and the babes came back stronger and bigger. The people speculated about all kinds of magic, but Deirdre and the druids knew she’d taken them home — to her time — to see her people. And to get something called birth control.
Deirdre raided and waited for Alasdair another month.
And another.
All this time, she was careful with Tal, not letting him get too close. Unwilling to take his heart entirely. Unwilling to break it when she left.
Her appeals to Galdus grew less and less frequent until it had been ten days since she could remember asking him when she was going to leave, when Alasdair would come for her. And then on that day, she realized she no longer wished Alasdair would come for her, no longer wished to leave this time. She wanted to stay. To be Tal’s wife and live out her life with him.
She thought she heard an amused chuckle from Galdus at this realization, but it was so faint she dismissed it as her imagination.
Deirdre ran to tell Talorac her decision and found him sitting at yet another boring meeting. How he could stand these things, she had no idea. Peeking through the trees to where he sat at the bonfire with the other leaders, she waited until he saw her and met her eye and then gestured behind her with her head, giving him the most smoldering look she could manage and then turning and running the other way before he could tell her with his own gesture that there was no way he could leave.
She laughed inside as she ran through the woods, deftly keeping the long billowing sleeves of her leine from getting tangled in the branches. Only stopping when she felt she was far enough away that her and Tal’s talk wouldn't be overheard by the others. She found a tiny meadow to stop in, a circle of light and grass and flowers amid the trees, just big enough for the two of them to sprawl out in each other's arms. She lay down there and waited for him, knowing he would show up. Never doubting it for a moment.
Nevertheless, when she heard Talorac coming through the trees to join her, the sound made her heart soar and her cheeks blush red. She'd never felt more alive, and she rolled over on the sweet-smelling grass to sit up and face him with her smile when he came to her.
"You cannot make this a habit, Deirdre, you wicked little thing," Tal said with a laugh as he sat down and put his arms around her.
And then they were kissing, and she forgot all about her plans for a time, reveling in the feel of his kisses and caresses with the warm sun on her back as she lay facing him. It wasn't until their customary stopping point, the point where they must pull away from each other or do something that would entangle their hearts in each other's forever, that she remembered what she had brought him here to say.
"Tal, I no longer want to leave. I want to stay. Tell me you want me to, and I will. I'll stop looking for Alasdair to come for me. I'll tell him no if he does come."
Tal’s reaction was instant. He grabbed ahold of her and held her tight.
"Of course I want you stay. Will you please stay and live out your life by my side, have my children and be my wife and make me the happiest man in the world?"
As she gleefully allowed Tal to lead her by the hand through the trees back toward the sound of the chieftains’ gathering, Deirdre wondered what weddings were like in this time. She prepared herself to be surprised. After all, Sasha had been almost mortified at how different weddings were in Deirdre's time, and that had only been 800 years’ difference. How different would weddings 1200 years before Deirdre's time be? She knew she wanted to invite everyone, but if Tal wanted something smaller that was fine. She would be happy if Nyla could stand with her. That would be enough.
Well, Jaelle might expect to be included because of their loose association, Sasha and Jaelle having a friend in common, Kelsey. And it wouldn't do to make Jaelle feel left out. No, it wouldn't. So yes, she would have two women to stand up with her.
All the rest she would leave up to Tal: who would officiate and where it would take place and how soon…
&nbs
p; Deirdre laughed out loud.
"What is it, my love?" Tal said as he gently squeezed her hand, making goosebumps go up her arm and down her back. All the other squeezes they had shared had been consolation prizes. Now, she felt his squeeze as promise of things to come. Wonderful things, which reminded her of why she'd laughed.
"I leave all the arrangements to you, for our wedding, I just hope it's soon!”
He chuckled.
"Never fear. Our wedding is imminent, my Deirdre."
With that, he quickened his step through the woods.
Having just one hand free made it a challenge to clear the long billowing sleeves of her leine through the tree branches, but she was glad of the distraction. They were headed straight toward the boring chieftains’ meeting, and it didn't sound to be winding down.
Tal pulled her closer to him when they got near the gathering. Throwing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her arm around his waist, he stopped near his brother Breth, who was speaking.
"Aye, you heard right. The Romans have offered us a fortune in silver to stop raiding them!"
A general cheer went up.
Breth was about to say more, but someone pointed and he glanced over at Tal and Deirdre. The look on his face changed to one of congratulations and he smiled at the two of them, then came over and gave them both hugs. She felt welcomed into the family with this simple act, and she beamed her smile at both of them.
Breth then turned to the gathered chieftains, and Deirdre guessed he was waiting for their murmurings and congratulations to die down before he announced they planned to wed.
She was flabbergasted at what Breth actually did say.
"All of you here are witnesses and will tell your clans straightaway that my brother Talorac, second in line to be chieftain over you all, has taken as his bride Deirdre the druid. Do you hear?"
What? That was it? She was a married woman?
Apparently so, because everyone present affirmed it.
"Much happiness, Talorac and Deirdre!"
"Many children, Talorac and Deirdre!"
"Congratulations, Talorac. She's the finest wife is anyone could hope for."
They were all getting up and coming over, and Breth said his next piece hurriedly and happily.
"Let everyone honor their choice, and any who defies their choice, clan or no, be under the penalty of us all!"
"Aye!"
"It is agreed!"
And with that, all the chieftains came over and congratulated Tal and welcomed Deirdre into what they had begun calling the grand clan.
When the congratulations had died down and Tal was tugging on her hand to follow him up to the broch, Deoord took them off to the side.
"Deirdre, take him to your bower this first night. I'm working on a surprise for you up in the broch."
Deirdre looked over at Tal to see if this bothered him and was amused.
Looking more than eager, he gave her a very bright smile indeed and gestured toward the sacred grove.
"You have but to step in any direction, my Deirdre, and I will follow you, even to the ends of the earth."
Even dour-faced Deoord chuckled at this.
Laughing, Deirdre took Tal’s hand and went with him to the sacred grove, running faster than any other time before.
Chapter 25
Tal startled when he awoke in the sacred grove. Why was he sleeping here? What had happened to the broch? Instinctively, he grabbed for his sword.
And then he felt Deirdre by his side, and it all came back. She was his. Finally his. He rolled over and took her in his arms.
"Mother Nature calls," he said to her softly. “Do you want to get up with me? We can go see our surprise at the broch."
She hummed a delightful note as she rolled over on her back and stretched her arms up over her beautiful long golden hair and stretched lazily.
“Oh, I suppose," she said to him with a teasing smile. "If Mother Nature is calling, then I suppose I won't get what I want."
Tal's voice sounded husky to him when he reached for her.
"I don’t know about that…"
Boann brought them breakfast in bed soon after, and it was almost midday before they made it up to the broch to see their surprise.
Everyone they met congratulated them and hugged them and wished them many happy years together and many children. Everyone.
Deirdre was relieved to see that Nyla wasn't at all upset at having missed her wedding. Her friend hugged her longer than most.
"Of course I'm happy for you and wish you many years of happiness as well," Nyla allowed. But in the middle of their hug Deirdre's friend whispered in her ear, "and I'm overjoyed you're staying with us."
"I am too," Deirdre whispered back. "But Tal’s excited about a surprise Deoord’s making for us, so—"
"Let's go!" Nyla said, shooing the two of them toward the broch. “I know what it is, but there's no way I'm telling. Let's go!"
It took them 50 times longer than usual to make it to the broch, with everyone wishing them well.
“Long life together!”
“Many healthy bairns!”
Deirdre wouldn't have stopped the greetings for the world. The people hugged her and kissed her cheeks and smiled so warmly.
When they got to the bottom floor of the broch, Tal went over to get patted on the back by Breth and their father.
With tears in her eyes, Deirdre fell into Jaelle’s embrace there by the two cradles for her twin boys.
“I feel so terrible, Jaelle.”
This woman who was now her sister stroked Deirdre’s hair and made soothing sounds.
“Whatever for?”
Deirdre clung to her.
“I still don't know the names of the thousand Picts in the grand clan, let alone the names of all the Gaels who tarry to raid the Romans.”
But Jaelle set her straight.
"No one expects you to know everyone's name, Deirdre. Don't even mention it. You are such a blessing to the grand clan that everyone should be honored you have joined us. And from what I've seen, they are. Now please relax. This is your new family, and I think I speak for everyone when I say we all love you and hope for nothing but the best for you and Tal."
The mothers of the other young children came over then and also hugged Deirdre, making tears of joy come to her eyes as she hugged Jaelle in return.
Deoord made a dramatic entrance from the spiral stairway door.
“Are you coming up to see the surprise or not?”
“We definitely are!” cried Tal.
The mothers with babies remained down at the bottom floor, but absolutely everyone else followed Deoord, Talorac, and Deirdre up the spiral staircase between the broch’s two outer stone walls to the fourth of five floors, where stood the chieftain’s kitchen and Talorac's pallet.
Deoord stopped at the door in front of them and turned to smile, but before he could say whatever he had planned to say, Talorac gave him a playful push.
"Just open the door already! I'm dying to see what you’ve been planning to surprise me with all this time!"
Everyone on the stairs below laughed, including Deirdre.
Deoord crossed his arms over his chest and gave Talorac a stern look that was ruined by the smile he fought.
"Manners, Talorac, manners. I've been up all night working on this, and plenty of other people have too. They await you inside, and you will greatly disappoint me if you don't thank them before taking advantage of their handiwork, understand?"
Talorac's stance softened at that, and he put a gentle hand on the druid’s arm.
"Aye, I do understand. Thank you, my friend, for watching out for my long-term interests. You have always been superior at that, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Deoord nodded, apparently satisfied with this, and opened the door.
Ten workmen in those baggy Pictish shorts stood in the kitchen smiling. But that wasn't what caught Deirdre's eye. No, their work was indeed a cause fo
r celebration and thanks.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Tal practically screamed as he scooped Deirdre up and carried her toward the door in the wooden wall the workmen had put up between the kitchen table and the far wall, separating Tal’s pallet into a private alcove.
"I will thank you until my dying day,” Tal told the workmen, “I promise, but for now please let us through that door!"
Chapter 26
Her first pregnancy was sad for her, not having her mother there to share her joy. Sad enough that she pleaded with Galdus one last time.
"Oh, canna we go home sae that Mum can be with me when the bairn is born? Only this foremaist time, the time that makes me a mum as wull? I will na ask again. Please?"
But all Galdus did was chuckle. He hadn’t shared a coherent thought in months.
It made her wonder if he'd gone insane, but all her wondering brought was more chuckles.
Before she'd conceived the child, he had continued to flit her out of harm's way during battle, and for that she was most grateful. But then one day he had staunchly refused to let anyone woad her, and when she'd given them quizzical looks, they had smiled their congratulations at her.
"You have begotten a son, if I am not mistaken."
"The first of many, we hope."
"Aye, 'tis the end of your warrior days, we are thinking."
The tears had fallen and she had choked up when she looked over at Tal to see how he took the news. He had amazed and delighted her.
Tal shook his head at Deoord and moved away from him. With only one leg woaded, her husband ran over to embrace Deirdre.
"I'm happier even than I was when you agreed to be my wife, Deirdre. This is wonderful."
Glad of his embrace but despairing nonetheless, Deirdre spoke with her cheek pressed against his chest.
"Easy for you to say. You can still go raiding. It'll be you saying goodbye to me when you all go off." Her sobs were so great when she said that last bit that her chin bumped against his chest, making him jump a bit.
