Chapter 3
Morning arrived brisk and bright, the air crisp with the scent of pine, the kind that stirred a man to action.
Declan wasted no time. He walked through the village to see for himself what needed to be done.
Then he gathered the men and assigned chores according to how Hamish listed their abilities.
Three men were sent to hunt, those skilled with tools were sent to make repairs to the cottages, starting with the roofs.
Another group of men were instructed to repair the animal pens, while young lads got the unwanted but necessary chore of cleaning out the animal pens and shelters.
A good start for his first day, though there was far more to be done to make the place a thriving clan.
He then ate a tasteless meal, wondering what to do about that, before he went in search of Freyda, knowing Aura was to visit her today.
He walked with purpose, boots echoing softly over the packed dirt paths of the village.
It wasn’t long before he spotted two women near the healer’s garden beside her cottage.
Freyda stood there, her long white hair in a braid and a smile on her aged face.
Beside her stood a shorter woman, slim and plainly dressed, her dark brown hair twisted in a messy knot.
She nodded to Freyda then knelt near the edge of one of the garden beds.
Soon her fingers were dusted with soil and her full attention focused on the patch of plants she was examining.
Declan halted. So that was Aura.
She was plain featured and petite. Certainly not the type of woman who would have ever caught his eye. He preferred taller women with curves, striking ones who turned heads when they entered a room. Not the sort you might overlook entirely if you weren’t paying attention.
But even from a distance, he noted something about her, an ease to her movements, a quiet confidence. Still, appearance didn’t matter. All women favored him, whether they wanted to or not. It was no longer about attraction. It was the blasted cursed wish.
He approached, squaring his shoulders as he strode toward them.
Freyda looked up first. “Ah, Chieftain Declan, just in time. Aura and I were—”
She didn’t get the rest out.
Aura had gotten to her feet and, brushing her hands on her skirts, she took a step toward Declan.
He instinctively threw his hand out to ward her off. “Wait!”
Freyda echoed him. “Aura, stop—”
But she had already closed the distance.
Nothing happened.
Aura blinked, confused. “What is it?”
Declan stared, dumbstruck. She stood only a pace away, perfectly upright, completely unaffected. No stumble. No sudden collapse at his feet. Just standing there… like a normal woman.
He blinked again, as if his eyes deceived him. “I… I don’t understand.”
Freyda looked just as bewildered. “That’s… not what I expected.”
Aura glanced between them. “Did I miss something?”
Declan’s gaze locked with hers. And for the first time, in far too long, he felt something change. It wasn’t the weight of a curse, but the spark of something else entirely… curiosity. And the faintest, most dangerous hint of hope.
Aura arched a brow at both. “You act as if I just committed some offense by stepping toward him.”
Declan shook his head, still reeling. “Forgive me. I wasn’t expecting…” He paused, then said bluntly, “You didn’t fall.”
“Fall?” she asked, puzzled.
Freyda glanced at Declan. “Perhaps you two should speak alone.”
He gave a curt nod. “Aye. If you’ll permit it, Aura.”
Aura studied him a moment, unsure of the handsome man in front of her, then curiosity had her giving a small nod. “This way.”
She led him along the narrow, worn path, past the back of the cottage and into the quiet stretch of woods beyond. A few birds chirped overhead, and the scent of wild mint and damp earth scented the air.
But he heard none of that, his eyes focused on Aura as he kept pace by her side. Her footfalls were confident, determined, yet graceful. She looked more like she glided than walked all while she kept her focus on her surroundings, not out of caution but as if she saw a wonder in everything.
When they reached a small clearing, she turned to him. “This is a nice quiet spot. No one will hear us here, which I assume is what you want… no ears to hear what you ask?”
“Aye,” Declan said, wasting no time. “I’m cursed and I need help getting rid of it.”
She tilted her head, his fine features could certainly grab a woman’s attention, but it was his words that intrigued her the most. “That’s a bold way to start.”
He gave a single, grim nod. “Bold but true, I fear.”
She waited, expecting more. When he offered nothing, she prompted, “And by cursed, you mean…?”
“Any woman who comes too close to me, drops to the ground like her legs no longer work.” His mouth twitched with something that wasn’t quite humor. “Some have fainted. Others have simply crumpled. I’ve had to keep my distance from everyone. Even my own kin grew weary of the spectacle.”
Aura’s brow knitted as she studied him. “And this just… started? Without warning?”
His jaw grew tight, thinking about how long his suffering had been. “It began over a year ago now.”
“And you’ve no idea how or why?” she asked, her eyes narrowing as though trying to make sense of it.
Declan hesitated.
Aura didn’t miss it. “I see you are not being honest with me. What have you failed to tell me?”
He let out a slow breath, then ran a hand through his dark hair. He hadn’t breathed a word of the truth to anyone, and he was finding it difficult to do so now. But it would do him no good to lie to her if he wanted her help.
“It wasn’t a curse at first—” He hesitated again. “It was a wish.”
She lifted her brow, completely confused. “A wish?”
He nodded. “I said I never wanted to search for a woman again. I wanted women to fall at my feet.” He gave a dry laugh. “A jest. A foolish moment shared around a campfire. But someone must have heard it… someone capable of granting such a thing.”
Aura narrowed her eyes. “You have lived with the results for over a year, yet only now you seek help?”
“I’ve tried. I’ve spoken to endless healers and some who knew a touch of magic, but nothing worked. And then… you didn’t fall.” He looked at her with something akin to wonder. “You stood, as if whatever binds me has no hold on you.”
Aura was silent for a moment, thoughtful.
“You’ve told me more,” she said, “but still not everything. And if you want my help, truly want it, then you’ll need to give me all of it. No omissions. No pride.”
Declan studied her. Most women simpered or stammered under his gaze. Not her. She showed no interest at all in him, not even a touch that she found him appealing.
He met her gaze squarely. “I’ve told you the truth. It was a wish. A foolish one, and now I live with its curse.”
Aura didn’t flinch under the weight of his stare. “You leave something out.”
Frustration fell across his face. “What more do you want? I made a careless wish, and it came true in the worst possible way. I cannot go near women without them collapsing like puppets with no hands to guide them. I’ve been mocked, feared, and sent away.
And now—now you don’t fall, and I have no idea why. ”
Aura remained calm. “You told me what happened. But not why. Why did you make the wish? What were you running from? Who were you trying to impress? Curse or not, wishes are born of desire. There’s always a reason behind them.”
Declan went still.
She let the silence stretch, then said softly, “And until I understand that reason, I can’t help you.”
He looked away, jaw clenched, and something unspoken tightened his shoulders. He turned away from her and took a few steps toward the trees, hands clenched.
“I had no reason,” he said finally. “None that I can name.”
Aura stayed silent, giving him time.
“It was after a battle,” he continued, voice lower now, more thoughtful than defensive.
“We were bloodied, but victorious. Spirits were high. Ale was plentiful. I threw out the question without thinking. ‘If you could have one wish, what would it be?’” He shook his head.
“I said I wished I’d never have to search for a woman again…
that they’d simply fall at my feet, the bonniest ones, not that it mattered since all women young and old alike fall when they get too close.
” He let out a bitter breath. “We all laughed at our wishes, never thinking…”
He turned back to face her, shaking his head. “I never meant it. I wasn’t angry, or heartbroken, or desperate. It was a jest, nothing more. I don’t even know why that came to mind.”
Aura’s brow furrowed, but she said nothing.
Declan’s gaze drifted to the distance. “But I’ve thought about it since.
Why that wish? Of all the things I could have asked for…
wealth, peace, glory. Why that?” He looked at her again, eyes sharper now.
“Maybe I was tired of pretending to care when I didn’t.
Maybe I was too used to women wanting me only for my looks or my name.
Maybe I didn’t want to keep searching for something I wasn’t sure even existed. ”
Aura studied him closely, the layers behind his words beginning to show.
“You’ve given me more,” she said. “Now I can start thinking about what it means that I didn’t fall… and what that says about the curse.”
Declan tilted his head. “You believe me now?”
“I never said I didn’t believe you,” she said, faint amusement playing at the corners of her mouth. “I just don’t believe you understand your wish just yet. And until you do, we’re only peeling back the first layer.”
He found himself staring at her longer than he meant to, drawn in by her quiet strength and the lack of awe in her gaze. She didn’t fear him and didn’t fawn over him. And oddly, it was a relief.
“I’ll speak the truth as best I can if you will help me,” he said finally.
“I’ll do my best and try,” she said, then added with a wry smile, “But I’m not in the habit of curing curses born of foolish wishes.”
He cringed. “And I am not in the habit of making them and I’ll never make another wish again.”