At the front of the crowd, Breana took Eoin's hand, then gripped young Dirk's hand with her other. Then something remarkable happened. As one, the crowd all joined hands with those beside them, a silent but powerful reminder that, no matter the rebellion might have to face ahead, they were one.
17
Breana had delivered the information she'd collected to the council, and she knew she'd have to take some time with them to go over the maps and diaries in detail soon. She felt immensely proud that she'd been able to get this information which could no doubt turn the war in their favor, but right now, it wasn't her priority. Instead, for the moment, she was focused entirely on the refugees who had marched all this way to be part of the rebellion. Many would go on to fight or find other roles in order to help the cause, but many others—the elderly, the infirm, and children—would be the ones who needed support. Breana, who knew what it was to feel lost, was determined to give it.
She and Eoin, along with a few other rebels, were making individual rounds of the gathered refugees, spending a little time with each person, listening to their stories and seeing that their needs were tended to. Since they had returned to the castle, Breana had only seen Eoin in a fleeting glimpse; it had been a day and a night, and she had been more busy than she could ever have imagined.
Now, as morning broke on the day after their triumphant return, Breana sat with a young girl of about thirteen orfourteen, who had a little boy of around three years old curled up in her lap.
"He's yer brother?" Breana asked the girl, who had already said that her name was Shona.
"Aye, the last one remainin'," Shona replied. She spoke bravely, though it was clear that the girl was weary from the long journey. "There were four of us, though I was the oldest, and the only lassie. Me parents…they'd always been sad, stressed, always tellin' me tae keep me head down and obey, at least on the surface. But I always kent they resented Laird O'Sullivan and the harsh way he treated our people, and that they had nae loyalty tae the False King."
Breana sighed. She knew her father had treated his people terribly, but it had always been an abstract. She'd never been allowed to leave the castle and be among them, and though she had been powerless, she found herself wishing she could have done more. But a moment later, she steeled herself, dismissing those negative thoughts. Shecouldn'thave done more, and she needed to accept that. All that was in her power now was to make a change going forward.
"I'm afraid that there's nae much we can offer tae the rebellion," Shona went on, her voice almost a whisper now. "But when we heard that Laird O'Sullivan had faced a defeat and that the True King was on the march… I kent our parents would want us tae be here. And so we came."
Breana reached out and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. She knew exactly how Shona felt, but after her journey, after all of Eoin's support and the success she'd already managed to achieve in ways she'd never expected, she saw it differently now. "The rebellion isnae here for ye tae serve, Shona," she explained gently. "It's here tae serveye.Tae care for people like ye and yer brother—the people who are the beatin' heart of this country we're fightin' for."
The young boy shifted in his sleep, and Breana got up to fetch some bowls of hot porridge to bring back to them. She made sure that Shona and her brother were fed and comfortable, then went around some of the other refugees, offering food and comforting words or a listening ear as was needed.
Finally, she took a step to the side to take a small break and drink some water. She'd been working tirelessly since their return, and she knew that she had to care for herself as well—especially when another daunting task awaited her in unravelling the plans and maps she'd managed to take from her father.
"Breana?"
She turned at the sound of her name, and her tiredness sloughed off in an instant. A sunny smile broke out across her face as she saw Eoin approaching, looking as tired as she felt, but with the same satisfaction.
Breana put down her drinking cup, throwing caution to the winds. She was tired of being careful. She closed the small distance between them in a few bounds and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.
Eoin let out a little sound of surprise mixed with a laugh, and he returned her hug, holding her close. His arms felt wonderful around her waist, giving her a sense of safety and security, and she closed her eyes and leaned into him, just enjoying the chance to be together.
When at last they pulled apart, their hands lingered on each other's. Eoin gave her a lopsided smile and said, "If that's how ye'll react, perhaps I should greet ye more often."
Breana laughed. How light she suddenly felt, being here in this little room with him! How different she felt now than the uncertain woman who had left the castle to save her sister! "Thank ye, Eoin."
"Thankme?All I've done is me duty."
Breana shook her head, squeezing his hands gently. "That's nae true. Ye've shown utmost bravery in helpin' Cailean escape, and…and ye've changed me as well. Ye've made me realize the skills I've had all along, how I might be able tae contribute after all. I didnae think anyone would ever give me that chance."
Eoin's owlish eyes blinked, then softened as he met hers. "Ye gave yerself that chance, Breana. Ye're wonderful. Amazin'. And if ye've only just started tae see yer own talents, then God above only kens the power ye'll hold when ye see yerself as I see ye."
Breana's heart raced. "And how do ye see me?"
Eoin let go of one of her hands, reaching up to touch a stray lock of her hair. "Bonnier than the sunrise. Braver than the strongest warrior. And more clever than the wisewomen of old. Ye're astoundin'."
Pleasure and surprise echoed through Breana in equal measures at those words, and she felt a blush starting at her toes, creeping upward to cover her entire body. She did not try to hide it, instead looking at Eoin straight on as she responded. There was something still troubling her, and she needed to know what he thought.
"I…would ye still think me all these things if I told ye that me heart is glad that Cailean didnae kill me father?" she whispered. "I detest the man and what he stands for. I ken he deserves as bad if not worse than the likes of Murtagh McKenzie, and that eventually he must be punished for what he has done. But…" she closed her eyes.
"But he's the only father ye have, and part of ye is glad ye didnae see him slain," Eoin finished for her. She opened her eyes again to see him watching her with a new intensity in his gaze. "Breana, ye called me brave, but ye dinnae ken the full extent of the things I've done. I was with me father as he wreaked havoc in this very castle. I was part of the wrong side when Maeve was first brought here."
"Ye're makin' up for yer mistakes. Ye had little choice, but now ye're free—just like Maeve. Just like me," Breana told him steadfastly. She hesitated, then asked, "How…how does it feel? Bein' here, kennin' Cailean had tae slay yer father?"
"What Cailean did was just, but I struggle to accept it," Eoin confessed. "Dinnae get me wrong. If things happened all over again, I would hope they went the same way. But I tell ye this tae make ye understand—havin' complicated feelin's about yer father doesnae shame ye, Breana. It makes ye human."
Breana looked up into his blue eyes, her heart thrumming pleasantly as she did. He was so open, so earnest, that she felt she could believe anything he told her, and tell him anything she cared to without fear it would ever turn back on her. "Ye're the bravest man I ken, Eoin Darach," she told him. "For survivin' yer father. For savin' Cailean. For everythin' ye do, every choice ye make."
"We both carry family names that are heavy with shame and guilt. But ye're strong enough tae bear that burden, stronger than anyone I've ever kent, in a way beyond battle strength," Eoin told her. "Everythin' I do is a penance tae clear me name and tae build it again intae somethin' new. Our fathers were awful men, but I truly believe that ye and I… we can build a future together."
