Chapter 32
The heavy wind and the waves rocked the dock. Water splashed up through the slats in between rotting wood that Oran was almost certain would break and wash away at any given moment.
Fiernan and her crew were hurrying down the gangplank as quickly as possible, carrying trunks and boxes.
Oran rushed to her cloaked form, wrapping her in an embrace that stole the air from her lungs.
Seeing that the dock was starting to tip, he pulled away from her, leading her down the rocking path and back to dry land.
She navigated the slippery rocks better than himself, her bare feet and lithe limbs defying the elements.
Oran slipped a few times, stumbling to his feet above the shoreline.
Her crew began passing their items off to him before they, themselves, took to scaling the natural wall above the sand.
Once every soul was accounted for and the ship Fiernan arrived on sank below the surface of the thrashing waves, Oran pressed his hand to his betrothed’s back and urged her on.
“We will find lodging in Fairnam and Newhaim. They are closest to Yaar, but far enough away that we won’t cross paths with my father.” Oran explained to her. Fiernan arched her brow, but said nothing. She’d put a lot of faith in him by coming here, but she was hopeful.
A gust of wind caught the underside of her hood, nearly sweeping it off her head entirely.
She caught it, securing the dark cloth back over her curls.
Her eyes swept over the horizon, noting that they were as far away from any place she was remotely familiar with.
When she’d come to Gaellagh, all those months ago, she’d been welcomed at port by a lively crew of guards.
There was fanfare and celebration, flag bearers standing on either side of the dock.
All she could see now were rolling hills that gave way to a rugged mountainside that was shrouded in white mist. An impending storm was rolling in, bringing more than just the rain that they were experiencing now.
“Where will we meet your brother?” She asked, her voice barely audible over the harsh wind.
Oran turned to her. “He will retrieve us at first light.”
Fiernan nodded, assessing each of his words carefully.
He didn’t speak the language of her people, but she’d been educated enough that she knew plenty of what he was saying, it just took a moment for her to gather all of the pieces.
“The army and naval fleets will be arriving soon. We must take cover as quickly as possible.” She explained.
“I have ordered them to travel straight through and have no mercy against any that stand in their way.”
Oran could have swept her up into his arms at that moment. He could have trailed kisses along the dark, freckled skin that covered her. She stared at him in the way she always had, with her chin raised and shoulders drawn. The image of strength. “You are magnificent.” He sighed.
The princess narrowed her eyes at him, seemingly struggling with a smile of her own.
“You must control yourself until all of this is over. This is hardly a time to be thinking with what dangles between your legs.” She glanced down at it, a single brow lifting.
“Though I do look forward to seeing it.”
Oran’s cheeks heated in the blistering wind, cursing at himself. Here he was, a man well into his twenty-sixth year of life, blushing like a schoolyard child. He shook all nefarious thoughts from his head and headed towards the man waiting for them upon the knoll of a nearby hill.
He wore no hood, nor did he seem bothered by the weather. His black clothing was stark against the misted backdrop, his hands tucked into his pockets. When Oran smiled at the man, he smiled back.
“So,” Trio hummed with delight. “This is the beautiful Fiernan I have heard so much about?” He bowed to the princess and took her hand, placing a single kiss upon the ring on her middle finger that bore the Shidoshan crest.
“This is the shadow man?” Fiernan asked.
Oran nodded, ignoring the glare that Trio was now shooting in his direction. “Yes,” he nodded. “The Shadow Man.”
Darkness flared and swirled around Trio’s form, giving way to a swirling tunnel of black that made Fiernan smile.
She’d known a Shadow Man once. It’d been years since he’d broken her heart, still she thought fondly of him—remembered his slumbering form whispering the name of the girl he loved most. She remembered the heartache that came with realizing she could not compete with the prince’s truest love.
It’d hurt her severely. But Fiernan’s heart no longer ached for the prince from her youth.
In fact, she’d given him a blessing on their final night together. One she hoped he would use wisely.
She looked at the man beside her, the man whose gentleness and strength had left a gaping wound in his absence. That was what love was, she supposed, and it was something that no god, nor king could control. It was not something that could be won in competition. It just was.
Fiernan placed her hand into Oran’s and stepped into the shadows—her men and the Shadow Man following close behind.
“I can only allow you to travel a certain amount of distance,” Trio explained. “But I will be back at first light to retrieve you again, once we’ve prepared your accommodations.”
Fiernan’s eyes widened as they stepped into a large room.
It was not like being in a palace, by any means.
It was humble and cozy, lit by candles and firelight.
Trio escorted her men out of the room and into the hall to escort them to their own rooms, leaving her and Oran to bask in the silence and warmth that the room offered.
Oran’s vibrant blue eyes lingered over her lips, nervously tugging a small thread between two of his fingers.
“Y-you should dress in something dry. There is a washroom—” He turned, prepared to show her exactly where the amenities were located, but Fiernan was already lunging towards him, wrapping her arms around him.
She had to press up onto the tips of her toes to kiss him, but it came with such ease that it felt like second nature.
It was, she supposed, within her nature. To love. Even if she’d never known it for herself until this man came into her life, love had been a part of her. It’d been woven into her bloodstream, sewn into the fabric of her being before she’d even been born.
And so, as her army and her naval fleets crashed through the waves of the Hagborn Sea en route for Gaellagh, the Goddess of Love…
Fell in love.