“He’s me heir, Finlay. He needs to be protected at all times,” Caden argued.
“That’s a load of horse shite.” Finlay barked a laugh. “Ye did far more dangerous things at his age, like climbing on the roof of the stables and chasing after wild dogs, trying to make them yer pets.”
“There was ye, in case I died,” Caden mumbled.
“Uh-huh. And what about that time when ye tried to kill me? I swear it was at least once a fortnight.”
“Och, please. We were just playing tag-o’-war. It isnae me fault ye werenae strong enough and fell in the lake.”
“I almost drowned.”
“I saved ye just fine.”
“Ye cannae save everyone alone, me Laird. Ye must let other people help ye with the saving, ye ken. I doubt we’ll ever hear Nathan’s voice again after today.”
Caden sighed but did not say anything. He hated it when his brother was right.
“Listen, get yer arse inside, at least. I wouldnae want ye to die of frostbite. Plus, I daenae want to take up the mantle and wait for Nathan to grow up to take his rightful place.” Finlay shoved his shoulder playfully, before turning to go back inside. “Oh, and find a way to apologize, me Laird!” he added over his shoulder.
Caden frowned down at his fingers, which were turning blue.
Ach, I hate that the bastard is right. I guess I shouldnae have been so harsh. I have to find a way to make it up to them.
CHAPTER 12
Orange flames dancedin the large fireplace of the Great Hall. Ava and Nathan curled up in one of the large, overstuffed chairs that was similar to the ones of the foyer. They were warming their feet and enjoying full bellies of sweet milk. Shadows and light danced across the walls, making the room feel cozy.
Nathan’s eyes had started to droop, but he kept fighting off slumber. Ava smiled down at him and set his cup on the table next to them, while telling him stories of her childhood.
“Me poor father was so embarrassed! He had brought all of his councilmen to officially meet his twins, and when he presented me, I was chasing a pig and fell into the mud with him! I was about yer age when I did that. I daenae remember it, others always told me about it. So, we cannae believe it to be true, can we?”
Nathan looked at her with a sly grin that told her that yes, they should. It sounded like her. She kissed his forehead and continued.
“What I do remember, was when I was slightly older than ye. I really liked chickens, we often played together. So one night I let one of the castle’s doors open and led them all inside. Everyone woke up at their little ‘chip chip chip’”. She laughed. “Then me and me sisters had to chase them out before we got caught.”
He gave a sneaky smile that told her she had just inspired him to be mischievous and she could not help but smile back.
When she told him how Emma accidentally pushed her into the priest’s robes in front of the entire village during Sunday service, he giggled. He started to fiddle with her fingers and her wedding band with one hand while still sucking his thumb on the other.
Ava mentally kicked herself. The boy had been sucking on his thumb all evening. Even while he was changing, he only removed it for a brief moment to let her pull off his mittens and shirt.
“Now, we have time for one more story, I think. What do ye say?” She looked down at him, waiting for his approval.
He lifted his head from her shoulder and nodded.
“All right. So, me younger sister came into the world screaming. Her name is Thalia. As the three of us grew up, we would often get blamed for her problems.”
Nathan raised questioning eyebrows.
“How, ye may ask. Well, I’ll tell ye.” Ava shifted in her seat to make herself more comfortable, and Nathan snuggled back into her. “Now, ye should ken that Thalia, being the baby of the family, always got whatever she wanted. Our maither and faither loved us equally, of course, but they had a special place in their hearts for her, since she is the youngest. Whenever she got into trouble, she would blame us, and she’d get away with it every time. So, me twin sister and I, thinking it was unfair that we took all the blame, decided to get back at her.”
Nathan hummed.
“We never did anything terrible, mind ye. Just played silly pranks to show our sister we could play her games as well. Thalia was terrified of Faither’s horse, Seamus. He was a big brown horse, and when she was little, he used to lick her mouth and nose. She had nay real reason to dislike him, but she was scared of him.”
The boy kept sucking on his thumb. Ava took it as a sign to continue.
“So, one day, we were all supposed to ride together into the village. Emma and I snuck some of Seamus’s favorite sugar cubes into Thalia’s pockets and waited. When we were all inthe stables, saddling up our horses, we heard Thalia shout and Seamus’ very loud snuffles and champs.”
