Breana smiled, though her eyes were watering. "Is there a place for me here? I'm nae a warrior like ye are. I dinnae ken anythin' about cookin', or healin', or any of it."
"There's a place for everyone here," another voice said, and both women turned to see Cailean had approached them, resting his hand naturally on the small of Maeve's back.
Maeve could not help but smile at his closeness, even as she told him, "Ye're interruptin', ye ken."
"Forgive me," Cailean said, "But I had tae meet yer sister." He bowed his head toward Breana. "Miss O'Sullivan."
Breana blushed slightly. "Yer… yer Majesty," she said awkwardly. "Ye must call me Breana."
He smiled that gentle smile that Maeve had come to adore so much. "I shall, Breana, so long as ye call me Cailean."
"Cailean," Breana repeated. She glanced at how Cailean was still touching Maeve's back and gave her sister a sidelong glance full of questions, but she thankfully didn't say anything yet. Maeve wasn't sure she'd have the answers even if Breana were toask now. "Well, it's a pleasure tae meet ye, Cailean. I… am nae used tae such a welcome. Did ye mean what ye said?"
"About everyone bein' welcome here?" Cailean asked. "Of course I did. So long as ye support our cause of bringin' freedom back tae our country."
"I do. I've never supported me father, nae more than Maeve did. We just never kent that there was anythin' else that we were capable of, but I see me sister now, and I think… I think maybe there's hope." Breana spoke falteringly, but Maeve could hear that same hope she mentioned in her voice. "But I dinnae want… I want tae find a use. Tae earn me place."
"Ye're Maeve's family, which means ye're our family, if ye want tae be," Cailean told her. "Though I do want one favor from ye."
"Anythin'," Breana said immediately.
"May I steal yer sister away for a dance?" Cailean asked. He turned to look at Maeve and said, "Would ye like tae dance with me?"
"I…" Maeve started, surprised.
"Go on," Breana encouraged, even more of the questions in her eyes, but a smile on her face. "Have fun. I wanted tae meet some others anyway."
Cailean took Maeve's hand, and the two of them headed toward the area that had been cleared for dancing.
"Have fun," Maeve mused. "Have we ever had time tae do that?"
Cailean laughed. "I suppose we havenae. But there's nae better time than the present."
A reel had started when the two of them reached the circle, and they slipped into place quickly, falling into step with the jaunty music. Maeve barely remembered the steps from her lessons as a girl, but her nervousness melted away as Cailean led her through the dance. Every misstep was met with encouraginglaughter, and by the time the next song started, Maeve ceased to care about perfection — she was losing herself in the fun.
"Ye dance well," Cailean told her as they moved into place for the next dance.
"I dance terribly," Maeve laughed in response. "But never mind. It's yer feet that'll hurt from me steppin' on them."
"Worth every ache," Cailean told her, and grabbed her hands, swinging her in a circle as the music began again. Maeve shrieked with laughter, and they spun around, lost in each other's arms, simply having fun just as Breana had said. Just as they should have been doing all along.
Other pairs and couples joined the dancing too — Ferda, dancing with one of her young cousins who was tripping over his feet even more than Maeve was, Fergus, awkwardly dancing with a young woman from the healers, and the young cook, Ben, dwarfed and laughing as he swung around with Patty. Darren seemed to be trying to dance with every woman at the party, making everyone laugh with his dramatic flirtations, his easygoing manner adding light to an already high-spirited evening.
"Look," Cailean told her as they stopped once more between songs. Eoin was joining the dancing circle, and he stood opposite Breana, who looked nervous but eager to join in the fun.
Maeve beamed to see Eoin able to keep his spirits up despite how troubled he must have been inside over the death of his father — a loss, but a victory too. She hadn't had a chance to speak to him yet, and she was glad he seemed to be working through it. Breana, too, needed the levity for the first time in her life, and Maeve hoped this was the first step in both of these broken people finding healing amongst the rebels — amongst the family — just as she had.
"Another dance?" Maeve asked.
Cailean hesitated. "We can," he said. "Though, I was thinkin' maybe we could sneak off. Maybe we could have a moment alone. What do ye think?"
"I think…" Maeve said, "That sounds wonderful."
Cailean grabbed her hand, and Maeve let out a little laugh. As the music started up again, they headed off together into the night. Into the future.
EPILOGUE
"Ican't believe they gave ye such a big room. What are ye, a king or somethin'?" Maeve teased as Cailean led her into his rooms. Though they were grand, she was thoroughly relieved to discover that he had not taken the main laird's bedchambers for himself — the chambers where both Malcolm and Kyle had met their ends. Instead, it was another room, one she believed was often used for important guests.
