Page 60 of Kilted Sins

“Well,” Thora said as she pulled back from Enya and reached into her pocket, producing a small notebook bound in leather, old and worn, clearly from long before her days. “Cillian was dead. I saw it happen.”

Enya let out an awkward chuckle, eyes narrowing as her head tilted to the side. “What dae ye mean? He couldnae be dead if I brought him back.”

“He was.”

There was a certainty to Thora’s voice that was more than enough to convince both him and Enya. A chill ran down his spine at the revelation. Had he truly died? Had Enya somehow brought him back?

“But if he was dead, then I should be dead now too,” Enya pointed out. “Surely, he was only badly hurt an’ I… I was just exhausted by healin’ him.”

Thora shook her head gently and opened the journal, leafing through it. “Ach, here it is.”

“Is that maither’s?” Enya asked, leaning closer to take a look at the page Thora had found.

“Aye,” said Thora. “I was searchin’ through it in case she had left an explanation fer this. An’ she has. Hear this. March 22nd, 1259. Aunt Beathag brought Uncle Hamish back from the dead. There is nae doubt he was dead. He had stopped breathin’ an’ his heart had ceased tae beat. Perhaps this confirms the old belief that one who holds this gift may bring one’s true love back once from the dead. Once. Reference Ailis MacLeod, Caitriona MacLeod, Arran MacLeod.”

Enya and Thora stared at each other for a few moments, both of them in disbelief. It was nothing compared to how Cillian felt, though, upon hearing those words.

Me true love… an’ she risked her life tae save mine. She risked everythin’ fer me.

Turning around, Enya said, “Cillian, I⁠—”

Before she could finish her sentence, though, Cillian jumped out of bed and pulled her into his arms, holding her just as tightly, just as desperately as Thora had. He couldn’t find the words to tell her how much he loved her. He didn’t even think there were any actions that could begin to describe how he felt for her, but he knew of at least one with which he could start.

“I will write tae the king an’ demand he allows us tae wed,” he said. He had already regretted listening to the elders in his council instead of following his heart and doing the right thing—fighting for the woman he loved. He would not make that mistake again.

“What?” Enya asked, laughing at first before she looked at Cillian and realized he was entirely serious. “But, the council an’ the banns an’—”

“I dinnae care about any o’ that,” said Cillian. “I dinnae care if they send me tae the gaol. Dae ye?”

Enya hesitated, glancing between him and Thora, but her sister only nodded with a small smile, giving her shoulder an encouraging squeeze.

“Ach, go on then,” Thora said. “Tell him ye’ll marry him. Poor lad’s been waitin’ long enough.”

With tears of happiness in her eyes, Enya nodded, pulling Cillian in for a chaste kiss. “I’ll be yer wife,” she said. “Naethin’ would make me happier.”

Cillian pulled Enya into another kiss, giving her a twirl before he let go of her to run to his study for some pen and paper. They had both already waited for too long. He would not waste another minute.

EPILOGUE

Two weeks later…

Cillian roamed the castle with a letter from the king clutched in his hand, looking for Enya, only she was nowhere to be found. He had checked her chambers, the great hall, the drawing room, the library, and even Skye’s cottage, but it was as though she had disappeared off the face of the Earth.

He wasn’t too worried as he had come across Thora in his search and she had assured him she had had no visions about her sister. Sooner or later, he was bound to find her.

In the end, he spotted her just as he was passing the training grounds. It was a cold day, even colder than usual for the time of the year, and the ground was slippery and covered in frost, so he hadn’t expected to find anyone there. Enya, Kai, and Archibald were there, engaged in some strange three-way fight where it seemed that everyone was against everyone.

Cillian came to a slow stop, watching as the three of them exchanged blows. Ever since her ordeal in Duncan’s hands, Enya had been more insistent than ever that she had to be prepared for any eventuality and she had taken to training with her siblings and Archibald, who was always glad to help. He seemed to have taken a liking to Kai, too, after losing Duncan. Though nothing could replace the friendship they had had, Cillian was glad to see the first hints of a smile gracing his face once more whenever he spent time with Kai.

For a while, Cillian stood there to observe, as he didn’t want to cut them off in the middle of their practice. They seemed to be having fun and he thought it was important after everything that had happened, especially Archibald and Enya, who had both gone through so much. When Enya spotted him, though, she tossed her sword aside and broke into a sprint, eager to greet him after spending an entire morning away from each other.

“I have news,” Cillian said before Enya could even come to a proper stop. Her gaze fell to the letter in his hand and she promptly snatched it, quickly perusing it as Cillian waited for her with a smile.

“He agrees?” Enya asked, her voice full of disbelief.

It hadn’t been the most usual request to marry the sister of his betrothed, but Cillian had done his best to express just how much he and Enya loved each other and how this union would surely be more beneficial in the long run rather than him getting married to a woman he didn’t love and who didn’t love him. He had spent two weeks agonizing over the kind of reply he would receive, oscillating between thinking the king would have no reason to disagree and being certain he would forbid it.

“He does,” Cillian confirmed, nodding enthusiastically. “We can wed whenever we wish.”