Chapter Thirty-four Lovers and Dreams
Chapter Thirty-four
Lovers and Dreams
Dawn peeked over the eastern edge of the cliffs surrounding The Falls of Culloch. The first rays of sun crept across the rock, filtering over the man and woman who lay sleeping upon one of the large flat stones near the waterfall.
Hea felt the sunlight kiss her naked skin, and her eyes flickered open.
A moment later, a sense of wellbeing, unlike any she had ever known, flowed over her. A smile spread across her face, and she sat up, gazing down at the man who still lay sleeping beside her.
Bridei mac Beli was a joy to gaze upon. In repose, his handsome face was beautiful, the sensual lines of his mouth relaxed.
His long dark lashes rested like butterfly wings against his cheeks.
Her gaze traveled down the long, muscular length of his body, taking in the blue-inked swirls and circles that decorated the left side of his body and arm.
She would never tire of looking upon him.
Perhaps feeling the weight of her stare, Bridei’s eyes opened. Their gazes met and held for a few moments, before that beautiful mouth of his spread into a smile.
“Sleep well?”
She smiled back. “Hardly at all—and you?”
He sat up, running a hand over his face. “We’ll have all the time in the world to sleep when we return to Dundurn.”
Hea snorted. “You do maybe. Modwen will have a list of jobs for me to help her with when we get back.”
Bridei laughed, rising to his feet with fluid grace. “You can say no to her occasionally, you know. Modwen managed just fine for years without your help. Don’t let her boss you around.”
He reached down, took Hea’s hand, and pulled her gently to her feet.
Standing together, bathed in the soft dawn light, Bridei gazed down at her a moment.
Then he reached out and brushed a curl that had fallen in her eyes.
“If I could, I would stop time at this moment,” he murmured. “Here at the falls—just you and me.”
Hea smiled up at him. “What … and give up Dundurn, your kingship?”
His expression was serious as he looked down at her. “Aye—without you it means nothing. I want you at my side, Hea. Will you be my queen?”
Hea’s breath caught. She did not think it was possible to be any happier than this—any more so and her chest would explode.
All her old fears dissolved like wood smoke on a windy day.
She had misjudged Bridei all those months ago, or perhaps he had changed.
Whatever the reason, he now wanted her to be his consort, his life’s companion.
Hea reached up, her finger tracing the line of his stubbled jaw. “Aye, I will.”
They rode back into the glen to find men fighting.
Hea’s gaze swept the gently-sloping green expanse.
She took in the still-smoking remains of the great fire, and the crowds of people—many of whom were still breaking their fast with the remains of last night’s feast—before her gaze came to rest upon a cluster of warriors on the southern side of the glen.
Rough, angry voices shattered the morning’s peace. From a distance, it looked as if two men were fighting off four others. Hea’s breathing hitched when she caught sight of the two men who had been backed into a corner: one red-headed, the other blond.
Heolstor and Rinan.
Heolstor, face flushed, wore a murderous expression. Meanwhile, Rinan had a black eye and was bleeding from the nose as he stared his aggressors down.
Ahead of Hea, Bridei urged Croí Cróga into a canter and rode toward the men. “What’s happening here?” he shouted.
The men ignored their leader. Instead, they closed in on Heolstor and Rinan, fists raised.
“Lower your fists,” Heolstor growled, “or I’ll make you regret it.”
One of them spat on the ground. “Angle dog!”
“The first moment you get the chance to side with your kind, you do … even the likes of him,” another added.
“You’re drunk, Longus,” Heolstor snarled back. “You’re always an aggressive little shit when you’ve had too much mead.”
The man he had just insulted, bellowed and lunged forward.
Heolstor, who was bigger, stronger—and soberer—met him with a punch to the eye that sent him sprawling.
However, the other men set upon Rinan, fists flying.
The slave was ready for them, felling the first with a kick to the groin, and the second with a punch to the nose.
Yet the third, a wiry, dark-haired man covered head-to-foot in blue tattoos, leaped upon Rinan’s back and tried to gouge his eyes out.
“Gurid!” Bridei bellowed, swinging down from the stallion’s back and striding toward the brawl. “Get off him.”
It was then they all realized their king had returned.
The felled warriors scrambled to their feet, cursing and cradling their injuries. Meanwhile, Bridei strode into their midst and pulled Gurid off Rinan by his scruff, shaking him like a dog. “What is the meaning of this?”
“It’s that straw-haired letch,” one of them mumbled, clutching his bleeding nose. “We caught him rutting Una, milord.”
It was then that Hea, who had ridden up silently behind Bridei, caught sight of a tall, slender figure cowering a few feet behind Rinan.
Bridei’s expression turned thunderous. “Una,” he called. “Come here.”
The young woman came forward, although she did not walk to Bridei’s side but Rinan’s. One slim hand reached out and disappeared into Rinan’s much larger one.
Bridei’s face hardened further. “Did he force you, Una?”
She shook her head, while Rinan merely glowered at Bridei, daring the king to challenge him.
“I went with him willingly,” she said after a few moments, her voice surprisingly firm. She cast a venomous look at the four warriors who encircled them. “I told these idiots that, but they wouldn’t believe me.”
“Slut,” Gurid spat at her. “So you prefer an Angle rod to a Pict one, eh?”
Rinan, who had learned enough of their tongue to understand the insult, glared at the warrior, while Una drew herself up, her gaze hard. “Just as long as it isn’t yours, Gurid.”
“Enough.” Bridei stepped forward. “If Una went with him willingly, then that’s her choice.”
“But he’s a slave,” the warrior named Longus spoke up, his words slurring slightly. Anyone could see the man was so drunk he could barely stand. “He can’t take one of our women.”
Bridei hesitated and a tense silence settled over the group. Around them, the chatter of early morning conversation in the glen had died; all gazes were now riveted upon their king. Hea climbed down from her pony and approached the group. She knew Bridei faced a difficult decision.
The laws regarding slaves in Northumbria were strict: a slave could own nothing, claim nothing. He did not have the right to a woman; he did not even own the clothes on his back. She did not know if the same rules applied here, but if they did, Rinan would lose Una.
She met Rinan’s gaze as she approached, and saw from the look in his eyes that he was thinking the same as her. Rinan’s attention then shifted to Bridei, and Hea watched a fatalistic expression settle over his face.
There was no friendship between these two men—Rinan expected the worst.
Stepping up beside Bridei, Hea met his gaze. She said nothing, for to intervene on Rinan’s behalf would cause a loss of honor for both men. This was something Bridei had to decide. Her lover’s face was difficult to read. He wore that cool, slightly distant expression she had seen at Dun Nechtáin.
Bridei’s gaze held Rinan’s for a few moments before he shifted his attention to Una. The woman watched Bridei, her eyes glittering with tears. “Do you care for him?” he asked.
“Aye,” she replied without hesitation.
“And would you willingly be his woman, if I allowed it?”
“I would.”
Bridei’s mouth curved, and then he looked back at Rinan. “Her taste is questionable,” he said, shifting to Englisc for the first time since entering the glen. “But who am I to keep lovers apart?”
Rinan’s pale-blue eyes widened. “You’ll allow it?”
Bridei’s face split into a grin. Reaching out he looped an arm around Hea’s shoulders drawing her close. “Let’s say you caught me in a benevolent mood this morning.”
The folk of Dundurn returned to their fort in the late afternoon, as the shadows grew long and the sun sank toward the west. After the morning’s excitement, the men, women, and children who flowed into the fort chattered excitedly amongst themselves.
The four warriors who had started the brawl that morning slunk at the back of the group, nursing their injuries, their faces sour. However, all of them knew better than to challenge Bridei’s word. He was a fair ruler, but he would not be crossed.
Inside the broch, Hea helped the other women prepare a light supper of fowl broth and barley bread. As she kneaded the bread, Ciara gave Hea a conspirator’s grin. “I see you and Bridei are getting along better.”
Hea nodded, feeling her face grow warm as she did so. She cursed herself for being so transparent, for her blush made Ciara and the surrounding women grin. They were enjoying her embarrassment.
“Don’t look so mortified lass,” one of the women chortled. “A fine man like that, I’d be grinning like a ferret that got into the fowl coop too.”
This set them all off laughing, and after a few moments, Hea felt a smile curve her own lips. “I’m still getting used to the idea, that’s all,” she admitted. “It hardly seems real.”
Ciara met her gaze. “Well believe it. A man like Bridei mac Beli doesn’t do anything by halves.”
The dream came upon her slowly, like spring mist creeping in from the sea. Hea left the nest of furs, where she was curled up against Bridei, and found herself walking up a hillside strewn with heather.
She recognized that this was not a usual dream, which were shadowy and fragmented.
Instead, this was a seeing dream, like the visions she used to have.
Everything was bright and sharp. She could smell the sweet scent of heather, the peaty aroma of sun-warmed earth, and feel the cool breeze on her face.
Hea crested the hill and stopped, catching her breath a moment.
To the west, she caught sight of the outline of Dundurn: a conical, tiered hill topped by a stone round tower.
She stood on the edge of a wide valley, where a creek meandered its way through granite rocks.
It was spring, for yellow, white, and blue wildflowers carpeted the valley …
and walking amongst them she spied a tall, dark-haired man.
Bridei.
“Cinn … Brei!” he called out, cupping his hands around his mouth so that his voice carried. “Where are you? Little buggers!”
Childish laughter erupted before two heads peeked out of the grass: one auburn the other dark. Two lads, both no older than four winters, leaped from their hiding places and rushed across to him.
“We’ve got you, da!” one of them called out, arms and legs windmilling.
Bridei let out a cry of mock fear and sank to the ground, rolling onto his back as the boys leaped upon him. The sounds of their laughter lifted high into the air.
Hea walked down the hillside toward them, happiness flowering in her breast. This was a glimpse of her and Bridei’s future … their sons.
“Hea.”
Bridei’s voice reached her from afar.
“Hea!”
Her eyes flickered open, and she found herself looking up into Bridei’s concerned face. The hearth had burned down low, casting a faint golden glow over them.
She gave him a sleepy smile, although she felt a sense of loss at being torn from that beautiful valley. “I was dreaming,” she murmured. “Did I wake you?”
“You were thrashing about, mumbling … I was worried.”
Hea reached up and stroked his face. “There was no need to be … it was a beautiful dream.”
His expression softened. “Really, what was it about?”
“The future … our future.”
His gaze widened. “Your gift—has it returned?”
“I’m not sure,” she replied, hesitant to admit such things now she had awoken. Recent experiences made her wary of trusting her visions again. The scene had been so real, so vivid that she wanted to believe it. “If it has, we have much to look forward to.”
He grinned down at her. “So are you going to tell me of it?”
Hea shook her head, smiling. “I think the future is best let be,” she replied, shifting her body under his so that her breasts rubbed up against his chest. “If what I dreamed comes to pass, I shall tell you … until then, let us focus on the present.”
It was true. She did not want to reject her gift, only she was not defined by it these days. She was content to let the future unfurl as it should.
Bridei raised an eyebrow, his gaze darkening as her hand snaked down, under the furs to caress him. “Heahburh … are you trying to distract me?”
“Aye, is it working?”
He gave a low groan, and rolled over onto his back, pulling her with him. A wicked smile crept over his face. “No—I believe you’ll have to try harder.”