Chapter 1
Fourteen years later…
Moira Monroe awoke early as she often did, always wanting to make the most of the day.
She greeted the fresh morning air with a deep breath and made her way down to the kitchen, gazing out at the fields that were glistening with morning dew.
There was something so wonderful about the morning, so fresh and exciting, as if the day held the possibility for anything to happen.
She was twenty, with blue eyes and short, fiery red hair.
She was of average height and had a slender build, and a happy and charming disposition.
To anyone who met her, they would not immediately understand how her life had been defined by tragedy.
At a young age, she had stood by her brother as they watched their father be killed in a battle outside their keep.
Then there had been a dastardly plot by her uncle to try and kill her brother, Marcas.
He had actually been in league with her mother, who had died by taking poison that was meant for Marcas.
Her uncle Roderick had tried to take the position of laird for himself, but in the end, his plans had been foiled by Marcas’s wife, Kirsten.
There were times when Moira was plagued with guilt.
Roderick had planned things so that it would appear as though Kirsten had poisoned Marcas.
Moira had doubted that she would ever be capable of such a thing as they had become firm friends almost instantly upon meeting, and yet the way things seemed, Moira felt as though she should have been more trusting and done more to help Kirsten.
Thankfully everything had turned out for the best. Kirsten and Marcas had married while Roderick had been sent into exile. Kirsten gave birth to two wonderful children, Gregor and Lileas, and Moira was a devoted aunt to both of them.
“Would ye like some tea?” Caitriona asked, interrupting Moira’s thoughts.
Moira chuckled a little and shook her head. “After all the problems tea haes caused our family, I cannae stomach the idea of drinking any! But I would like some plain water, please.”
Caitriona smiled and resumed her chores. She used to be a simple kitchen maid, but once Kirsten had taken her position as lady of the clan, she gave Caitriona more responsibility, and now she ran the whole kitchen. “Ye look like there is something on yer mind,” Caitriona said.
“Oh, well, there always is, I suppose. I was thinking about what I’m gaeing tae dae with Gregor and Lileas later taeday, and just how peaceful the world is. All that trouble, it feels sae long ago now.”
“Aye, and we’re all the better for it,” Caitriona agreed.
“I just wonder if it can really last. Perhaps I’m being silly and I should just take joy in the fact that we hae a happy home. But I cannae shake the feeling that something bad is waiting for us.”
“I think ye are worrying tae much. Just because bad things happened in the past doesnae mean they’re gaeing tae happen in the future.
Ye seem happy enough with the way things are; ye should just enjoy life rather than worrying about it,” Caitriona said.
It was simple wisdom, but that didn’t make it any less true.
Moira sipped her water and breathed in deeply. It had taken a long time for things to feel right within the Monroe clan, but gradually they had improved to a point where Moira felt assured of her place in the world.
She was twenty now and was quite content with being an aunt and being able to watch Gregor and Lileas grow up into fine young people. She was surrounded by beauty and braying animals, and in Kirsten, she had a friend who was like the sister she had never had.
In many ways, her life was perfect, and even when she tried to think of ways in which her life could be improved, there was nothing that immediately came to mind. She assumed that most girls her own age would be filled with thoughts of love, but nothing like that came to her mind.
While a part of her would like to experience the heady feelings of romance, she found it difficult to trust anyone with her heart. After seeing the deviousness of her uncle, she knew that not everyone could be trusted, and it seemed too much of a risk to allow herself to be vulnerable.
Moira spent the early morning tending to the flowers and walking among the sheep and the cows.
Her peaceful reverie was interrupted by loud laughs and whooping screams as Gregor and Lileas ran towards her.
They were so filled with energy that they almost bundled Moira over as they wrapped their arms around her legs.
Moira laughed and told them to calm down.
“Mam said ye would play with us!” Gregor said.
“Oh, Gregor, ye know I’m always happy tae play,” Moira replied. Lileas reached up to Moira, wanting to be carried.
“Ye know, ye are really getting tae big tae be carried like that,” Moira said with a slanting smile, placing her hands on her hips, but she was unable to deny her niece the request. She picked up Lileas with a grunt, as Lileas was growing all the time.
The little girl was delighted, though, and squealed with delight as Moira spun her through the air. Gregor picked up a stick and threw it.
The noise of the children was accompanied by the familiar sound of another precious member of the family: Max, the dog.
He yapped as he ran forward and chased after the stick that Gregor had thrown.
While Max was Marcas’s dog, he actually belonged to the whole family and had shown quite an affinity for the children; his bond with Gregor was most notable.
Gregor guffawed as he threw the stick as far as he could and then chased after it along with Max.
Moira noticed how a few of the sheep moved away, but the cows remained undeterred. Moira held Lileas in her arms and enjoyed the comfortable weight.
“Ye know, ye are getting tae look more like yer mam every day,” Moira said.
Lileas smiled at this. “She’s sae pretty!”
“Aye, that she is.”
“Sae are ye,” Lileas said.
Moira smiled and thanked her for the compliment, although in her mind, she wasn’t anything special, especially not compared to Kirsten.
“I know what we can dae...shall we make a flower garland that yer mam can put in her hair?” Moira suggested.
Lileas thought this was a wonderful idea, and Moira set her down.
Lileas went scampering around to find daisies and other flowers.
Moira followed carefully, making sure that Lileas didn’t come across anything dangerous, as some of the most beautiful plants could also be the most deadly.
But Lileas’s legs weren’t long enough to carry her far, and Max was keeping a good eye on Gregor, although Moira also glanced over her shoulder to make sure that Gregor wasn’t getting in any trouble.
She and Lileas ended up gathering enough flowers to make garlands for the lot of them, although Gregor and Max did not wear theirs.
“Dae ye think she’ll like them?” Lileas asked.
“Oh, aye, I think she’ll love them,” Moira said, proud of the work that she had done. More time had passed than she had realized, and on the horizon, she saw the tall, imposing form of Marcas approach.
“Look, yer da is here,” she said.
Lileas and Gregor looked up with excitement, as did Max.
As soon as they realized that Marcas was near, they rushed towards him, babbling with excited conversation.
Unlike Moira, Marcas was strong enough to pick up both children at once.
Gregor was eager to tell him about how he had played with Marcas, while Lileas was proud to show him the garlands she had made with Moira.
Max, not to be outdone by the children, was on his hind legs, pawing at his master. Moira couldn’t help but laugh.
Even just a few years ago, she never would have thought that her brooding, reclusive brother would have turned into such a happy family man.
There were still elements of his old personality that would never be shed, such as his need to spend some time walking alone at night on the moors, but his disposition had changed, and much of that was because of Kirsten.
She had opened his heart and shown him that it was possible to fall in love. She had given him a family and changed the mood of the Monroe clan. Moira dreaded to think of what life would have been like had she not arrived.
“That looks wonderful,” Marcas said, and gladly took the garland that Lileas had made for him, placing it upon his head. Lileas chuckled and hugged her father. As soon as Gregor saw that Marcas was wearing a garland, he took his and put it on his head too, mimicking his father.
“Why dinnae ye gae and show yer mam? I’m sure she would be proud of ye, and I bet she cannae wait tae wear it.
I need tae talk tae yer aunt,” Marcas said.
Lileas and Gregor obeyed their father without question, showing the same devotion that Moira and Marcas had had for their father.
The children scurried back home, with Max keeping pace with them.
“I hope ye are proud of what ye hae created. They are wonderful children, sae happy and full of spirit. They remind me of us when we were younger, before…” She trailed off and her gaze drifted across the fields to the tall monument that stood outside the keep, marking the place where their father had fallen.
“Aye, well, let’s hope they dinnae suffer a similar tragedy,” Marcas said, forcing a smile. “I always wish that he was still with us, but there are times when I wish that more than ever.”
“Ye seem troubled, Marcas. How did the meeting with the Calbraiths gae?”
By the look on his face, she knew things hadn’t gone well. “I just dinnae know what I can dae. I thought all the troubles were behind us after the matters with Roderick. I gave them more territory and promised them more favorable terms in trade in the hope that it would lead tae peace.”
“Are they threatening war?” Moira asked, her voice terse with tension.
She had already seen her home besieged more than she would have liked, and she hated the idea of another army coming to threaten them, even more so now that Gregor and Lileas were in their lives.
She feared that history would be doomed to repeat itself and that Gregor and Lileas would be forced to stand near the window and watch Marcas die before their eyes.
Marcas pressed his lips together and scratched his chin.
“Nae yet, but it does worry me. I haed hoped we could hae put all our years of enmity behind us, but it seems as though they are reluctant tae change. They are never satisfied with what we give them. They want more and more…and I fear that eventually, they’re gaeing tae ask for tae much.
Then I’m worried about what they’ll dae when I finally tell them nay. ”
“There cannae be another war…there just cannae be. We hae suffered tae much, Marcas. Ye cannae let it happen!” Moira said, her face pinching in panic.
The color drained from her cheeks, and anxiety swam in the pit of her stomach.
Why did these clans have to be so complicated?
Why couldn’t they all just live in peace?
Was there not enough room in the Highlands for all of them?
“Actually, that’s something that I want tae talk tae ye about. As it happens, there is one way for us tae avoid another war, but it depends on ye, nae me.”
At first, Moira couldn’t glean the meaning of his words, but he stared intently into her eyes, and then she knew. The idea gripped her heart and squeezed all the hope out of it. Her eyes widened in terror, and she began to shake her head.
“Nay, Marcas. Please dinnae ask this of me.” The words rushed out in an anguished whisper as Moira felt everything begin to change.