Chapter 2
Thalia didn’t know where she was going. Not back to her sister’s, for surely they would find her there. It didn’t matter. She only knew that she needed to put as much distance between her and MacFinn Castle as possible.
On the second day after running away from her wedding, Thalia decided it might be best to stay off the main roads. She began trekking through the forest, finding much-needed shelter under the trees. The horse, too, was grateful to settle into a trot rather than the full gallop on the main roads.
She was able to make camp that night near a babbling stream, and she finally let sleep pull her under. Her dreams, however, were anything but peaceful, and she awoke feeling just as exhausted as she had been.
She was lost and utterly alone. She had not brought much with her at the start of her trip, and she had left MacFinn Castle with even less.
The forest did provide her with some nourishment; there were plenty of streams to be found and fruits that she knew were safe to eat.
Though she knew they would not be able to sustain her for long.
Her dress was beyond ruined. It was the same one she had left MacCabe Castle in, and it was made almost stiff by the dirt and dust that clung to it. It snagged on a stray root as she walked, and as she tried to pry it free, it ripped a large hole along the bottom of the skirt.
Frustrated tears stung her eyes, but she continued her journey. She did not know to whom she could turn, or where she could go next, and by the third day, she did not even know how to find her way back from where she had come.
The hopelessness began to settle into her bones like a winter chill. She feared she would never find her way back home, and she prayed that her sisters and mother would not despair too much over her death.
On the fourth day, there was a shift in the air. Thalia walked across the forest ground, leading the horse behind her. The smell of rain hung thick on the wind, and the air thrummed with the promise of a storm.
She could not make out the clouds properly through the thick canopy, but she knew it was coming. The horse knew as well, and she could feel his anxiety. She petted his neck reassuringly.
“Daenae worry, me friend. It’s just a wee bit of rain. It’ll be over before ye ken it,” she told him.
The horse remained unconvinced.
She led him over to a spot that had far fewer roots sticking up from the ground.
“How about we just take a moment to wait it out? Would that make ye feel better?” she asked.
As if in answer, the horse gave a small huff.
Just as she tossed the reins around one of the lower branches of the tree, the sky ignited in a flash of bright white light, and the following boom shook the very ground beneath their feet.
The horse whinnied, rearing up on his hind legs as he broke free from the feeble knot Thalia had only just started tying. Before she could stop him, he was already galloping through the trees.
“Nay! Daenae leave me here alone! Wait! Wait!” she called, trying in vain to chase after the beast, but it was long gone.
She panted, exhausted from the journey and lack of proper rest, as she took in her surroundings again.
The storm had not only chased away her only companion but also all of the light.
The darkness had crept in fast, and Thalia began to feel frightened.
She wrapped her arms around herself to try to fight off the wave of despair that threatened to overtake her.
She was well and truly lost now, and even if she knew the way back, she had no way of returning.
She started walking idly in the direction the horse had gone, and another crack of thunder sent a jolt of fear down her spine.
The rain began to fall, and her only consolation was that the trees protected her from most of it.
She was already caked with dirt; she did not want to add cold and wet to it.
“Maybe I should have stayed and taken me chances with Laird MacGibbon. Or maybe Uncle would have taken pity on me if I’d tried to talk with him,” she said aloud, if only to feel a little less alone.
She dropped her head into her hands. “Oh, I fear I’ve made a terrible mistake in runnin’ away! How could I have been so foolish!”
She was so lost in her own self-pity that she almost didn’t hear it. A sniffle. She lifted her head, eyes swiveling around as she took in her surroundings. Then she heard it again, louder this time.
“Is someone there?” she called out.
She headed in the direction of the sound.
She came around a wide tree where she found a small clearing with a large tan horse tied to a nearby branch.
Behind the horse sat a little girl. She looked to be about seven years old, wearing what must have once been a pretty blue dress, but was now covered in mud.
The girl’s head was buried in her knees as she tried to muffle her sobs.
Thalia quickly raced to her side, her own troubles forgotten.
“Are ye lost, too, lassie?” she asked, kneeling before the girl.
The girl looked up in surprise, before shaking her head.
“Are ye hurt?” Thalia murmured.
The girl shook her head again.
Thalia looked around once more. It seemed that they were alone, but she had heard stories from Caden, her brother-in-law, about how villains would use children to lure their victims in.
How they set out little ones who would pretend to cry or be hurt, and then, when someone stopped to help, they would swoop in to rob or hurt them.
Thalia didn’t think this was the case, and even if it were, she could never stop herself from helping a child in need.
She turned her attention back to the girl, who had started crying again.
“Oh, daenae cry, lassie. Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll do me best to help ye,” she said gently.
The girl sniffed again, sweeping a hand over her face. “It’s… me faither,” she finally said. “Well, he says he’s me faither, but he’s nae. Nae really.”
“What do ye mean by that?” Thalia asked, confused.
It was the wrong question to ask; it seemed to make the girl angry. Her face scrunched up, and she pulled her knees up closer to her chest.
“It doesnae matter! I hate him!” she cried.
Thalia took a closer look at the girl. Despite the dirt on her clothes, she seemed to be in good health. She did not look malnourished, nor were there any visible bruises on her body.
It didn’t look like the girl was being abused, so maybe there was another reason why she had run away from home.
“Me name is Thalia,” Thalia shared. “What’s yers?”
The girl sniffed again. “I’m Daisy.”
“Like the flower.” Thalia smiled. “Did ye ken that daisies are very good for healin’ cuts and scrapes?”
Daisy shook her head.
Thalia continued, “Well, it’s true. So the next time ye’re out playin’, and ye fall and get hurt, just take some daisies and crush them between yer hands. Like this.”
She rubbed the palms of her hands together, and Daisy mimicked the action.
“Very good!” Thalia praised. “Then, once they’re all nice and crushed, put them on yer cut, or wherever ye’re hurtin’, and they will take the pain away.”
Daisy’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Really. I’m a healer. Ye can trust me.” Thalia winked.
Daisy smiled widely, her anger forgotten.
The rain slowed to a stop around them, and a few rays of sunlight began filtering through the leaves. The storm was finally about to pass.
Thalia stood, attempting to brush off excess dirt before giving up.
“Well, Daisy, I think we had better take ye back home before it gets dark. Ye said ye werenae lost earlier, did ye mean it? Do ye ken how to get back home?”
Daisy nodded. “Aye, I do.”
“Then I’ll help ye get there. And maybe ye’d be so kind as to give me shelter for the night? I’m sort of lost meself.”
“Aye, I kent that already.”
Thalia cocked an eyebrow. “Oh? Did ye now?”
“Ye look like ye’ve been sleepin’ in the woods. Nae to mention ye also smell,” Daisy said. “I didnae say anything before because me faither says it’s nae polite to comment on someone’s appearance.”
Thalia laughed. “Yer faither sounds like a smart man.”
“Were ye also runnin’ away from something?” Daisy asked.
“Aye. I was,” Thalia admitted. “Still am, I suppose.”
Daisy raised her chin proudly. “Then I’d love to help ye.”