Bernard shook his head.“I told ye already what we must do.”
Cormag sighed wearily and looked out at the men in the room.
“With death must come life, and I would have Robb, Brian’s son, assume his role as my tanist.”
Nods and table-banging followed this announcement.
Robb, however, must not have been aware of this news, and his pale face did not hide his surprise.He shook his head in a stupor.
“Nay, I’ve no’ seen even twenty-five summers.I’m too young ...”his voice trailed off.
Bernard nodded his head.“Aye, a wee bit young, but ye are bloodied as much as any man here.Ye are clever, and ye are the son of Brian, half Viking in your own right.‘Tis only just that ye fill the role.I have offered to help guide ye until ye are learned and experienced enough to take on the mantle of tanist in full.”
Robb’s mouth opened and closed as his continued surprise stole the words from his mouth.
Iain, another cousin, slapped Robb on the back.“Say aye, ye fool,” he said.
Robb stood.He tried to straighten his stooped shoulders.“I am honored by the faith ye have in me to take the place of my father.If ye are patient enough, then I would accept.”
More rousing cheers and the slamming of cups and fists onto the tables once more followed Robb’s acceptance.
Out of the bad, something good.
“What of the Morays?”a voice shouted out.More chatter and grumbles.
That was William’s question as well.If he had his way, the MacDougals would invade and exterminate the lot of them.
“Aye!”another voice shouted.“If they still try to align with Morays and Keiths, they will keep the clans divided.And probably try to kiss the arse of the new king and leech off him as well!”
Cormag waved his hand at the crowd and shook his head.“Nay, Causantín is a man of Alba who believes in the unity of the clans.Trying to form loyalties with him to divide the clans will no’ work in their favor.”
“’Twill no’ stop them from vying for power,” the first voice called out.Several heads nodded in agreement, including Cormag’s and Bernard’s.
“Aye, ‘tis a concern.And we will keep a fierce eye on them.”Cormac replied as his eye found William again.
Uh-oh,he thought.What now?
“We do have something to celebrate, something to revive us from the heavy nature of the past few days.My nephew, William, is finally having his wedding.”
The cheers and pounding on tables resumed, louder and uncontrollable, with many nearby men slapping William’s shoulder and head.He ducked and grinned, and his cheeks heated at the attention.
Bernard leaned over his table.“The Keiths are set to be invited to my son’s wedding.”He gestured to William.“Callum Keith, their chieftain, and his man Alistair are set to attend.Mayhap we can feel them out and see where their loyalties will be regarding the new king.”
William started at that bit of information.He hadn’t known that any Keiths had been invited, though they shared a southern border.The Keiths had been in bed with the Morays as of late, and William recalled the last time the Morays had been invited to any gatherings.It had been at the Gordons, in celebration of his betrothal to Ailith, and had ended with him killing a Moray man who had accosted his bride-to-be.
Having the Keiths at his wedding did not please him at all.
Bernard must have noticed William’s disgust at that prospect.“Unifying the clans and seeing that the king moves toward that is our goal.We must continue to work for that.”
Ahh, leave it to his father to call out clan loyalty.William nodded in acquiescence to his father’s and Cormag’s desires.
“And with regards to William’s wedding,” Cormag added, “I ken ye have waited so long, lad, and ye said last night ye wish to wed no later than tomorrow at dawn, but ye must give us one more day.‘Twill be before the ides of July, this I vow.But we need time to send notice to our allied clans and prepare your feast.”
William bowed his head.“As long as the priest is in attendance, ‘tis all I need.Two days, nay longer.”
“Aye.”Cormag smiled at his nephew.“When ye bring Ailith home, speak with Seocan.We will have the celebration here, gather all the clans.We will use your feast as a celebration of ye and your bride, but also a celebration of the union of clans.And a gathering to support the clans and the new king.My apologies lad, your wedding feast will yet have a political motive.”
William shrugged.“What in this day and age does no’?As long as I am wed to Ailith, ‘tis the only issue of importance to me.”
