Epilogue
SIX MONTHS LATER
The chapel by the river gleamed like silver in the spring sunshine, the weather warm for the season.
Cloudless blue skies allowed the sun to cast every bit of its golden glow on that structure of gray stone, which had been adorned for the happy occasion.
Flowers of all kinds, medicinal and decorative alike, surrounded the entrance, while MacNairn banners and garlands of ivy were draped along the walls.
It was a stark difference from the way the chapel had looked on Ailis and Killian’s wedding day, the mood entirely different and so infectious that Ailis didn’t even remember the past anxiety and uncertainty.
“Everythin’ is perfect,” she sighed, grinning from ear to ear.
Paisley, seated beside her in the carriage, nodded eagerly.
“Och, it is, but it could be a shack in the woods with nay roof and one wall, and I’d still call it perfect.
” She kicked her feet with girlish excitement.
“Ye daenae ken how long I’ve been waitin’ for this day. I just want to be married already!”
“Then let’s get ye married,” Ailis encouraged, getting out of the carriage.
She turned and held out her hand to her friend, for though Killian had offered to give Paisley away, the two women had decided that they would follow the tradition they had started at Ailis’s wedding. With no father to give Paisley away, Ailis would stand in.
Together, the two women approached the chapel, where everyone was waiting. There would be a true celebration back at the castle, so no one felt left out, but the chapel still sounded like it was packed to the rafters with well-wishers. A wave of giddy chatter to reflect the giddiness of the bride.
“Ready?” Ailis asked as they reached the chapel doors.
Paisley beamed and gripped her bouquet of flowers, brimming with their secret meanings, tighter. “Ready.”
With a flutter of nervous excitement, Ailis pushed the doors open.
The congregation fell silent as the bride entered on Ailis’s arm, smiles and wide eyes and gasps of approval rippling through the pews as the two women walked slowly to the altar. There, the two men they loved were waiting.
Killian caught Ailis’s eye, mouthing, I love ye.
I love ye too, she mouthed back, her heart so full.
She was so swept up by the joy of the moment and the thrill of seeing her husband in this very chapel, looking a great deal happier than the last time, that she nearly forgot to pass Paisley’s hand into Fraser’s.
Fortunately, Fraser wasn’t going to wait anyway. He came forward, too impatient, and took Paisley’s other hand in his, leading her to the altar.
Laughing at the sight, Ailis hurried to her husband’s side, slipping her arm through his as they took their seats and let the priest begin the ceremony.
“They look so happy,” Ailis whispered.
The priest welcomed the congregation, though Fraser and Paisley didn’t seem to hear him. They were too busy gazing at each other and smiling so wide.
Killian wrapped his arm around her. “Aye, they do.”
As the priest droned on, and the joyful couple finally noticed that he was talking, Ailis let her gaze wander around the crowded chapel. It was filled with smiling faces, filled with the people she adored, not just from Clan MacNairn but also from Clan Ainsley.
Skye caught her eye and raised her hand in an excited wave.
Ailis chuckled and waved back, delighted beyond belief that her niece had a place to call home in both territories.
As did her brother, who sat beside Skye, not as stony-faced as usual.
Indeed, he was staring almost fondly—enviously, perhaps—at the happy couple.
And he wasn’t the only one. Kristen sat on Skye’s other side, her arm wrapped around the little girl, looking tired but at peace.
She had only arrived at Castle MacNairn that morning, after a lengthy journey from her husband’s lands in the far, far north, but she had promised to stay for a few weeks. And that was worth everything.
In truth, none of the Lyall siblings had had the most celebratory of weddings, so it was to be expected that they would envy an obviously besotted couple who were enjoying an obviously joyful wedding.
After everythin’ ye went through, there’s nay one more deservin’.
Ailis returned her attention to Paisley and Fraser. The latter’s wound had healed well, and the missing finger didn’t seem to trouble him at all, though it would be a lasting reminder of how close Paisley and Killian had come to losing him.
If anything, that made the wedding all the more touching, seeing how full of life the couple were, and how determined they were to make the most of the time they had together.
“Would ye want to get married again?” Killian asked, surprising her.
Ailis frowned up at him. “What do ye mean?”
“Another weddin’. Same husband,” he replied, chuckling softly. “A weddin’ worthy of ye.”
Leaning her head against his shoulder, she made a quiet noise of disagreement. “Nay, I wouldnae. I love the husband I have, so what does the weddin’ matter?”
“Because I hear lasses dream of such things,” he murmured.
She laughed. “Aye, they do, but I daenae need the weddin’ of me dreams when I have the marriage of me dreams. That is what matters.”
“Very well, then,” he said, gently caressing her arm. “We’ll nae get married again.”
“Good,” she breathed, so safe in his arms that she needed nothing more than that.
Well… almost nothing more.
Bawdy music and raucous laughter echoed through the hallways of Castle MacNairn, layered with the chatter of merrymakers and the shrieks of dancers whirling around and around.
It was a celebration indeed, the entire castle coming and going to partake in the festivities, while many more guests had traveled in from the nearby villages and towns. There were even a few Ainsleys from the border villages, more shyly partaking in the revelries.
“I wish me weddin’ was like this,” Kristen gushed, a touch inebriated, as she stood at Ailis’s side on the periphery of the Great Hall, watching the dancers and the musicians.
Ailis laughed. “Ye wouldnae have wanted to draw so much attention.”
“Aye, ye’re probably right,” Kristen sighed, gazing at Paisley, who was every bit the blushing, happy bride.
At that moment, the healer was in the middle of the dance floor with her husband, being thrown around in increasingly daring lifts and spins. Loving every moment, if her beaming smile and rippling laughter were anything to go by.
“I’m sorry I wasnae at yer weddin’,” Kristen added with a sad smile. “Lookin’ at the two of ye, I bet it was more wonderful than this one.”
Ailis pulled a face. “We didnae really have a celebration. It wasnae the most… comfortable situation. I was worried about Skye and Fraser, about our faither comin’ to seek vengeance, so it was… good that there was nay fuss. Back then, it didnae seem like somethin’ to bother with.”
“Did ye ken ye loved him?” Kristen asked, sage as ever.
Chuckling, Ailis nodded. “Aye, I think I did.” She paused. “But what of ye and Laird Drummond?”
“The less said about it, the better,” Kristen replied with a grimace. “For as long as I’m here with ye, I daenae want to speak of him. I havenae had nearly enough wine to start spillin’ me guts yet.”
Ailis was considering pressing the issue, wanting to know what her sister’s life was truly like in the distant north, when a shadow fell across her. A familiar hand came to rest on the small of her back.
“Can I borrow me wife for a moment?” Killian asked.
Kristen waved a dismissive hand and took a long sip of her wine. “Aye, go on. Daenae let me stand in the way of true love.” She flashed her younger sister a wink. “I’ll just be here, enjoyin’ the festivities. See if I cannae persuade one of these fine young lads to spin me around in a reel or two.”
“Nay one would dare to refuse ye, Kristen,” Killian quipped, before promptly whisking his wife away.
At first, Ailis thought he wanted to dance, but as he led her straight across the Great Hall and out the door, she realized he must have something else in mind. Something that didn’t require an audience. Something she had been craving since they parted ways that morning to prepare for the wedding.
Reaching the foot of the main stairwell, she gave a muffled yelp as Killian picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. He smacked her backside lightly for good measure, bringing a helpless laugh to her lips as he carried her up the stairs to their bedchamber.
There, the music and merriment of the festivities faded into a background thrum, joined by the crackle of the fire that burned in the grate.
“I just needed ye to meself for a moment,” Killian said as he set her down and brought his hands to her face, his thumb brushing her cheek.
Ailis smiled. “Aye, I guessed that.”
“Ye look so beautiful, love. How could I resist?” he purred, one hand sliding down the side of her neck. “And seein’ ye today, it got me thinkin’. I still owe ye a proper weddin’ night. Aye, it’s nae our weddin’, but the night can be ours.”
She gazed up at him, so helplessly in love that she wondered how she had ever existed without it, without him.
“We’ve had many weddin’ nights, love, and they’ve more than made up for the one that was rudely interrupted.” Her heart began to race with sudden nerves. “But if ye insist, then I should also tell ye that I have a belated weddin’ gift for ye.”
He frowned, his head tilting to the side. “It’s nae a severed limb, is it?”
“Nay, ye dolt!” She smacked him playfully on the arm, grateful that they could joke about it now. “It’s… um… news that I received from Paisley, in fact. Ye ken I went to her because I wasnae feelin’ quite like meself for a while?”
He nodded, his frown suddenly one of concern instead of curiosity. “Aye. What did she say? Are ye unwell? Did she give ye somethin’ to help? Is there anythin’ I can do?”
Chuckling at his sweet concern, she rested her palms on his chest and smiled. “Aye, ye can prepare yerself to be the best faither there ever was.” She took a deep breath. “I’m with child, me love. Paisley is certain of it.”
“What?” His voice hitched, eyes wide.
“I’m with child,” she repeated. “Ye’re goin’ to be a faither. I’m goin’ to be a maither.”
Killian stared at her for a moment, each passing second ratcheting up her nerves.
They hadn’t much discussed children in the past six months, content to enjoy their time as newlyweds, and as aunt and uncle to Skye.
It was just occurring to her that perhaps it wasn’t the happy news she thought it was.
Before her doubts could spiral, his lips were on hers, kissing her with such passion, such fierce fire, that all of her nerves evaporated.
Smiling against his mouth, she kissed him back, pressing herself close to the man she loved so much, sinking into his kiss and his embrace.
“A bairn?” he whispered.
She nodded. “Aye.”
“Och, love… ye cannae ken how much I’ve been wantin’ to hear ye say that,” he said, his face breaking into the widest grin. “I didnae want to ask, didnae want to rush anythin’, but… aye, ye’ve made me the happiest man in the world, and I was already the happiest man in the world.”
Her heart soared as she lightly stroked his cheek. “So, ye’re pleased?”
“More than pleased,” he told her in earnest. “Och, I love ye. Ye cannae ken how much I love ye.”
“I think I have a notion, if it’s anythin’ close to the love I have for ye,” she insisted. “I love ye too. So very much.”
He swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed, tilting her head up to kiss her more slowly as he walked with his precious cargo. When they reached the bed, he laid her down gently, the smile never leaving his face as he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her.
“It might nae be our weddin’ night,” he murmured, “but it’s a night to celebrate.”
“I cannae disagree with that,” she replied, biting her lip as he began to kiss his way down her body, where he would leave no part of her untouched.
Closing her eyes to savor the moment, four words echoed in her mind like a cry of victory resounding across a battlefield to bring hope to all those who fought and lost.
A cry of victory for the life they had made together—Ailis and Killian, Fraser and Paisley, Murdock, Skye, Kristen.
A cry of victory for the child growing in her belly, who would know nothing but peace and contentment in these lands, and for every other child who would have the same blessing.
All because two people from two warring clans fell in love.
To a new era.
The End?