Page 5 of Highland Prince of Darkness

She thought often of the man with dark hair who had her heart. He had been right all of those years ago; she wouldn’t ever find a love like theirs, it seemed that she was doomed to live out that prophesy. Especially now that she was to marry a man from a clan that she knew little about, a stranger that could be the worst decision her sick father had ever made. The thought of living out the rest of her life unhappy was devastating to May.

She could see that her father was slowly slipping into sleep, his head lulled forward slightly, and he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

“Will he be all right?” May dared to ask. However, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer after all.

“He needs to rest,” the healer said with pursed lips. May didn’t feel as though he was finished with speaking though, and her fear was realized when he continued. “I’m sorry, but if his coughing continues like this... I’m nae sure how much longer he has left.”

May let the words sink like a stone in her mind. She was terrified of the outcome that had been laid out for her, she was going to have to marry whoever her father said, even if it was his dying wish.

She blinked away her tears and tried not to think about how different her life would have been if she had run away with Iain all those years ago. May didn’t want to even wonder if she would have been happier because she knew that she would have been.

“I see,” May nodded. Inside she felt like a piece of herself was dying, but she knew that she needed to remain strong in front of the people that she might soon be in charge of. In reality, she wanted to fall to the floor and cry until she felt better.

She glanced over at her father, wishing that she could touch him. All she wanted was to feel his embrace and comfort. However, the sickness drew her away. She was the last healthy member of her family, and May knew that she couldn’t jeopardize that by seeking comfort.

May sat in the room while her father slept for some time. She needed the quiet of the room to organize her thoughts and better understand what was the best way for her to accept her fate. Every time that he turned in his turbulent sleep, May winced, hoping that her father wasn’t in too much pain and would be all right. She shuddered and hugged her arms to try and make herself feel any kind of comfort.

After a while, she allowed her heavy eyes to close. Overcome with emotion, May felt exhausted by the day, even before she had found out the news throughout the town. She had felt foolish to have not known of this news before other members of the town. It had been a surprise, one that she hadn’t welcomed either.

Closing her eyes had been a mistake. May knew that instantly, despite the fact that she was so tired. Behind her eyes flashed images of Iain in his youth. She wondered how he would look after six years apart. However, there was no hope anymore.

She pictured him smiling, laughing, and holding on to her hand as though it were a lifeline. He really had loved her, and May couldn’t get over the fact that she had thrown it away for the very purpose that she now found herself in.

When she awoke, May realized that the wetness on her cheeks were tears that she had shed for her lover. She had not cried over him for a very long time, but the new prospect of marriage meant that she was going to truly never be able to see him again.

“May? Are ye there?” her father spoke through his wheezing.

“Aye, father, I’m here,” May said groggily while rubbing her eyes. She moved off of the uncomfortable wooden chair in the corner over to his bedside. May hadn’t kept track of when the healer had left, but it was evident that a couple of servants had come and gone since she had fallen asleep.

As though kept at bay by a wall that she couldn’t see, May stayed back as far as she could bear, but it was incredibly difficult while her father was so ill.

“Ah, me child,” Alistair breathed out weakly. He settled back into his bed with the knowledge that his daughter was close by.

“Father, I will marry whoever ye say I should. I will do it, I promise,” May nodded eagerly.

She wanted to put his mind at ease during such a sickness.

“Ye’re too good to me, child,” he breathed out, “Ye’ll dae good for this clan, I always knew that ye would.”

May smiled and felt her heartwarming at her father’s praise. She couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sadness following the welcomed moment.

“I will make the arrangements soon,” Alistair whispered, “I will send off the letter of agreement to the proposal and we will have all of the official arrangements made quickly. Trust me, I’m sure that ye’ll find the arrangement interesting, Diabhal has quite the reputation.”

May felt dizzy as she finally left the room. She felt as though she had been in there for a small eternity. She didn’t know much of this Diabhal, but she didn’t welcome the idea of becoming his wife either way. May wanted to find out more about him and this reputation that her father spoke about, and quickly decided that she would use her remaining time in the castle to do so.

Everything was going to happen so quickly after that day, she just knew that things were going to slowly slip out of her control. Her father was going to make all of the plans, and she was soon going to be traveling off to a different land to marry a man that she had never met before.

“Is everything all right, my Lady?” one of the servants asked, as she passed them in the hall.

“I’m fine,” May muttered without looking up. She quickly made her way back down the corridor that she had previously stalked up to reach her father and toward her chambers. These were going to be the last days that she spent around the castle before she was moved off to be with a Laird. May suddenly found herself filled with a stony reverence for the walls around her.

It was where she had grown up and it was where she had shared so many memories that had made her the woman that she was that day.

Those were the very halls that she had once walked with Iain, a time that had been filled with so much happiness and joy that she couldn’t help but feel bitter at her circumstance. She wondered where in the land Iain had gone to, what he was doing with his life. But most of all, May wondered if he was happy.