by Fiona Faris
“I will,” she called. With her small satchel slung around her neck, containing medicines she thought she might need, she went into the barn for her horse before riding off to Sarah’s house.
The ride to the castle grounds was always a pleasant one. It was a route she had taken many times before and as such, one she knew by heart. Her horse, Daisy, knew it as well and so she could let her mind wander as she rode.
Daividh. It was rather hard not to think of him. It wasn’t that she found him fascinating. Rather, she found the situation fascinating. She wondered just what it was he wanted with her. She wished her father were alive. He had a knack for seeing through people. It was one trait she had never been able to copy from him.
“Me pet,” he would always say, “yer quick to think the best of people. ’Tis a strength but ’tis also a weakness. Ye cannae control what it is ye feel but ye can control what it is ye show. Do nae be too quick to extend a hand of friendship. Be kind, always, but reserved.”
She had learned early that her first views of people were good and usually wrong. Experience had taught her that it was better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed. Lord knew she had had her fair share of disappointments and so she stuck to constants that she understood; children, medicine, health, animals, nature. These were things with futures that one could predict from the past. One didn’t need to be guarded when dealing with any of them.
When she arrived at Sarah’s house, she tied her horse securely and walked up the cobblestone path. Since her husband was one of the castle guards, they lived on the castle grounds and in a house that was much more proper than hers.
It featured the same stonewall architecture that the castle had. However, just behind their house was a small garden. The front too was more homey and less pretentious as she felt the main castle was.
After a knock, Sarah threw the door open.
“Lorraine, I am glad to see ye. I hoped ye would nae forget.”
“Forget?”
“’Tis possible with how busy ye are.” Sarah led the way to her inner chambers where Dan was on the small bed. His eyes were closed but his breathing was steady. She put a hand to his head and felt for a temperature. She was relieved to find that it was slight and a lot better than the day before.
“He does nae burn so hot, anymore.” She looked to Sarah.
“Aye. I thank ye.”
“’Tis my job. There is nae a need for more medicine. Give him the ones I gave to ye. He will be fine. Send for me if aught is amiss, although I doubt that ye would need to.”
“I thank ye,” Sarah said and walked her out. “How much dae I owe ye?” she asked.
“I did nae administer any treatment today. What ye paid yesterday is sufficient.”
“But ye came all the way here,” Sarah argued.
“I needed to see my ma, either way. I will only charge ye if ’tis fair.”
“I thank ye,” Sarah repeated, following her out of the house.
“’Tis nay problem.”
Lorraine got on her horse and rode further into the castle grounds. With her horse tied in the stables, she set off to find her mother. She had the option of going in directly or taking the back route but she chose the direct one.
As always, when in the castle, the sense of uptightness she was familiar with settled into her stomach. The eyes never ceased to unsettle her. She wondered why people didn’t make it their way of life to mind their business.
She walked into the courtyard and then, into the castle.
“Why does she dress like that?” she heard a maid whisper as she walked past.
Lorraine had no idea if the girl had intended for her to hear but she put her head up higher than it had been and hung her thumbs on the buckle of her breeches and strutted into the hallway that led to the room her mother was working in.
When she was out of their sight, she gave a long sigh and walked as briskly as she could to the door and knocked on it.
It took a while before the door was opened. Her mother, with a tired look in her eyes, managed a weak smile.
“Good morn, mother,” she said.
“Good morn, to ye too. Will ye come in?”
“I’d rather nae stay. Maxwell sends his regards. I only wanted to see ye. ’Tis been a while ye have been home. I miss ye,” she confessed.
“I will be home today. ’Tis rare to have three children born in two days.”
“I ken. Are ye taking care, ma?”
“I am. Be good to yer brother. Do nae work yer body too much.”
“Aye, I will. Bye, ma.”
“Bye.”
Walking the way she had come, Lorraine made her way out of the castle. Luckily, the offending girls were nowhere to be found. Quickly, she made it out of the courtyard and walked smartly to the stable.
Daividh stood in the stall in which she had left Daisy. He was petting the animal that was gladly enjoying the attention. She seemed to be chewing on something but she wasn’t sure.
“Ye again!” she exclaimed before she could help herself.
He looked just as he had the night before. The same arrogant look was in his eyes and as it did the last night, it had bothered her. He was dressed in riding gear and was sporting a cocky grin that she had determined was second nature to him.
“I would have thought ye would have a more enthusiastic greeting after our meet yesterday evenin’,” he said.
“I didn’t expect to see ye here,” she explained, eyeing him, “I assume ye are here for a ride.”
“Aye. Then I saw yer horse. I knew ’twas yers from the market. I decided to wait.” He seemed pleased with himself.
“And give her an apple?”
“Aye. ’Twas one meant for my Bolt. But I could get another for him later.”
“Thank ye, that was kind,” Lorraine said, even though she was beginning to feel uncomfortable. People didn’t just do good things for nothing, did they?
“’Tis nae a bother.”
“Perhaps ye will do me one more favor.”
His ears perked up. “What do ye need?”
“I need,” she leaned forward at a respectful distance, “ye to tell me what ye want.” She was sure he didn’t want her company.
“Did I nae make meself clear last evenin’?”
Lorraine said nothing.
“I would love to spend time with ye to ken more about ye.”
He was lying and she knew it. “’Tis what ye want?”
“Aye.”
“There is a children’s puppet show today. ’Tis at the main town square. All the children will be there and I will be tellin’ them a puppet story. Ye are invited.”
“Ye mean this?”
“Aye. ’Tis at noon.”
Daividh smiled and nodded. “I will be there at noon.”
“Alright then, milord. See ye then.”
The town square hadn’t been properly planned out. When the rest of the structures were created, the space allocated to the town square had been insufficient. The clan members had managed it until three years ago. The men of the clan had come together to expand the space. As such, it had gotten all the latest techniques known. The result was beautiful. It made one of the most beautiful places to be in the whole of the clan. The stone floor was beautiful and never ceased to shine as it was always cleaned. The podium that was erected was befitting of a leader as well. It was where the clan chief stood to address his people at clan gatherings. It was also a stage for puppeteers.
The cool weather made it a wonderful paradise when the children were gathered. When Lorraine arrived, slightly before noon, she was accompanied by Tommy, who she hadn’t forgotten to pick up.
There was a lot to do and so, he was left with the other children. Soon enough, the table was set up, the chairs were arranged, and the children were seated.
Behind the curtain, Lorraine and several other puppet masters sat. Lorraine had discussed her plan with them and they had been in full support. She had assured them that it w
ould not take time. The only question was to whether or not he would actually show up.
The children followed each performance with full attention and clapped after each one. They sang along to each song and laughed when funny actions took place. They were absolutely immersed in it.
Soon enough, it was time for Lorraine to take the stage. Her story was simple and she had made her puppets herself. She walked up a puppet king to the center screen. The king introduced himself as King Lir. His voice was deep and proud and he acted like the important man that he was.
King Lir needed a wife and so, it was announced: the good king wanted to marry. Soon enough a beautiful woman presented herself. Her name was Eva and the king liked her immediately. She was soft spoken and kind and won the heart of the king.
When Lorraine looked to the crowd, there was absolute silence. Satisfied, she continued her story.
The king married Eva very soon after. They were very happy in their marriage. Their marriage was blessed, full of joy and happiness, and soon, Eva fell pregnant.
“My ma is pregnant too!” a little girl shouted from the crowds, causing the adults present to laugh. Lorraine smiled and went on with her story.
Her pregnancy pleased the king greatly. There was a large feast and the king made merry with his subjects for days. When it was time to give birth, Eva birthed a boy. The years passed and Eva birthed a girl. They were a very happy couple and when they least expected, Eva became pregnant again. The king was ecstatic as the midwives had informed them that she carried twins.
The king and his queen awaited the birth but then, tragedy struck. During the birth of the twins, Eva passed away. The king named the twins Fiachra and Conn. The king loved his children dearly and was always seen with them. They reminded him of his late wife. However, soon it became clear to the king that he needed a wife and a mother for his children.
Once more, the king sought for a wife and another woman was presented. Her name was Aoife. Aoife was Eva’s sister. However, Aoife was everything that Eva was not. She was evil, wicked, and jealous of the bond that the king had with his children. Soon, it was realized that she was a witch. She cast a long spell and before long, all the children appeared and then disappeared in a haze of smoke. When they smoke cleared, the children were no more. In their places were four beautiful swans.
However, Aoife was not done. She cast a spell that bound them to three hundred years in the lake, three hundred years on the straits of Moyle, and three hundred years on the Isle of Inish Glora. They would only be free when they heard a bell calling for a new god.
“She’s evil!” the children cried, interrupting the story.
When King Lir came back, he searched for his children but could not find them. He asked Aoife, who lied and claimed that they drowned in the lake. King Lir cried and ran away to the lake. There were several swans singing beautifully which made the king cry even more. As he cried, Fionnula appeared in her swan form and told him the truth. King Lir was full of sorrow and pains and so he ordered that Aoife be thrown to exile.
The children clapped, showing happiness.
King Lir waited for his children to spend three hundred years in the lake, three hundred years on the straits of Moyle, and three hundred years on the Isle of Inish Glora. One day, there was a ring; it was the tolling of the bell, announcing a new god. King Lir’s children changed back to human beings!
The curtain opened and showed King Lir surrounded by his children. They hugged each other and danced around.
“The end!” Lorraine narrated happily.
The children cheered and applauded.
All the puppeteers went out on stage and clapped with the children. Lorraine scanned the crowd and grinned when she spotted him.
“And for our last story today, we will have Laird Daividh MacDougall. Let’s clap our hands for him, children!”
Chapter Five
Daividh wasn’t sure he had heard right. She couldn’t have called him, could she? The children, however, all turned to him in anticipation and had beautiful grins on their faces. It would be terrible to turn down the offer. Most importantly, he couldn’t let her win and so with all the pomp and swagger, he walked behind the screens.
He watched her face express surprise and grinned to himself. She had been expecting him to turn down the offer.
However, his glee turned sour once he was alone. He racked his head for every folklore he knew while trying to understand how to work the puppets. There were so many puppets to choose from and he settled on one that looked like a man. He picked up the strings attached to the puppets and held them by their wooden handles, trying to make sense of how they worked but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t get the man to stand straight. Rather, he looked lame.
“When’s the story startin’?” he heard a child ask.
Lorraine slipped her head in. Her face wore guilt and it was obvious to him that she hadn’t expected to embarrass him. Rather, she had expected him to turn it down, perhaps to prove that he didn’t care about children. He knew that if he made it work, he would earn her attention genuinely and suddenly, his determination grew.
“Need some help?” she whispered. “I could control the puppets and ye narrate,” she offered.
“Nay,” he said confidently, “I want to teach the lads and lassies an important lesson. Join them in the crowd, miss.” He dismissed her, enjoying the look of shock on her face as she left.
There was little time and if he was going to avoid a total flop, he needed to make use of what he could do. He stared long and hard at the lame looking puppet and then smiled. He had a plan but it would take a lot of wit to work out. With a decided look, he begun.
He pulled the curtain apart and on the stage appeared the puppet of an old man who wasn’t standing upright. Beside him was a rock. His legs and arms wobbled. The children laughed and Lorraine felt her heart sink.
A weak and frail man walked down the road. His legs didn’t work so well and so, he had to limp along. The old man had to take a heavy rock to the next town. However, with the limp in his legs, it was almost impossible to do so. The man stood at the road as time passed by, wondering what he could do about his leg and the rock that he needed to move.
As he lamented about his plight, another lame man started down the road. He didn’t seem to notice the other old man. The second lame man too, had problems of his own. Apart from being too old to walk well, he missed his children. They had left the town years ago with their mother and they never came back. He missed them greatly and wished to see them again.
The men ran into each other and introductions were made. The first man was named Lock and the second, Pete. Lock explained his problems to Pete. He told him how he needed to move the rock to the next town but couldn't because of his bad back.
Pete then offered to help Lock and the two started down the road. After days of work on the road, the pair arrived at the next town together.
Lock was ecstatic to have finally made it and thanked his friend heartily and genuinely. With a full heart, he asked him how he could repay him but Pete would hear none of it. He refused to take anything from his friend. Instead, he bade him farewell and started the journey back, hoping to find his way.
As he walked back, he came upon two children seated alone. They seemed lonely and sad and he decided to speak to them.
To his surprise and joy, he realized that they were his children. There was a happy reunion and Pete realized that even though he had only intended to do good and forget his own pains, his good deeds had given him the thing he wanted more than anything.
The curtains closed and he ended it with a grand “The end!”
The kids clapped and screamed in excitement. Daividh stepped out of the small enclosure looking as though it hadn’t taken a lot from him to come up with the story. He watched Lorraine walk up to him and tried not to look too smug.
“If ye looked any prouder, yer head would burst,” she said, but there was a smile on her face.
; “Well, what can I say? ’Tis nae an easy feat to be a man of many talents.”
“Blimey,” she grinned, “Neither of yer characters walked straight.”
“’Tis nae because I was incapable of making them stand straight. ’Tis because lame people hardly get talked about,” he lied.
Lorraine laughed. She knew that he knew she was aware that he was fibbing. Lorraine and Daividh watched some of the adults clear out the stage.
“I must say that I didnae expect ye to say yes.”
