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In many ways, her life was perfect, and even when she tried to think of ways in which her life could be improved, there was nothing that immediately came to mind. She assumed that most girls her own age would be filled with thoughts of love, but nothing like that came to her mind.

While a part of her would like to experience the heady feelings of romance, she found it difficult to trust anyone with her heart. After seeing the deviousness of her uncle, she knew that not everyone could be trusted, and it seemed too much of a risk to allow herself to be vulnerable.

Moira spent the early morning tending to the flowers and walking among the sheep and the cows. Her peaceful reverie was interrupted by loud laughs and whooping screams as Gregor and Lileas ran towards her. They were so filled with energy that they almost bundled Moira over as they wrapped their arms around her legs. Moira laughed and told them to calm down.

“Mam said ye would play with us!” Gregor said.

“Oh, Gregor, ye know I’m always happy tae play,” Moira replied. Lileas reached up to Moira, wanting to be carried.

“Ye know, ye are really getting tae big tae be carried like that,” Moira said with a slanting smile, placing her hands on her hips, but she was unable to deny her niece the request. She picked up Lileas with a grunt, as Lileas was growing all the time. The little girl was delighted, though, and squealed with delight as Moira spun her through the air. Gregor picked up a stick and threw it.

The noise of the children was accompanied by the familiar sound of another precious member of the family: Max, the dog. He yapped as he ran forward and chased after the stick that Gregor had thrown. While Max was Marcas’s dog, he actually belonged to the whole family and had shown quite an affinity for the children; his bond with Gregor was most notable. Gregor guffawed as he threw the stick as far as he could and then chased after it along with Max.

Moira noticed how a few of the sheep moved away, but the cows remained undeterred. Moira held Lileas in her arms and enjoyed the comfortable weight.

“Ye know, ye are getting tae look more like yer mam every day,” Moira said.

Lileas smiled at this. “She’s sae pretty!”

“Aye, that she is.”

“Sae are ye,” Lileas said.

Moira smiled and thanked her for the compliment, although in her mind, she wasn’t anything special, especially not compared to Kirsten.

“I know what we can dae...shall we make a flower garland that yer mam can put in her hair?” Moira suggested. Lileas thought this was a wonderful idea, and Moira set her down. Lileas went scampering around to find daisies and other flowers. Moira followed carefully, making sure that Lileas didn’t come across anything dangerous, as some of the most beautiful plants could also be the most deadly.

But Lileas’s legs weren’t long enough to carry her far, and Max was keeping a good eye on Gregor, although Moira also glanced over her shoulder to make sure that Gregor wasn’t getting in any trouble.

She and Lileas ended up gathering enough flowers to make garlands for the lot of them, although Gregor and Max did not wear theirs.

“Dae ye think she’ll like them?” Lileas asked.

“Oh, aye, I think she’ll love them,” Moira said, proud of the work that she had done. More time had passed than she had realized, and on the horizon, she saw the tall, imposing form of Marcas approach.

“Look, yer da is here,” she said.

Lileas and Gregor looked up with excitement, as did Max. As soon as they realized that Marcas was near, they rushed towards him, babbling with excited conversation. Unlike Moira, Marcas was strong enough to pick up both children at once. Gregor was eager to tell him about how he had played with Marcas, while Lileas was proud to show him the garlands she had made with Moira. Max, not to be outdone by the children, was on his hind legs, pawing at his master. Moira couldn’t help but laugh.

Even just a few years ago, she never would have thought that her brooding, reclusive brother would have turned into such a happy family man. There were still elements of his old personality that would never be shed, such as his need to spend some time walking alone at night on the moors, but his disposition had changed, and much of that was because of Kirsten.

She had opened his heart and shown him that it was possible to fall in love. She had given him a family and changed the mood of the Monroe clan. Moira dreaded to think of what life would have been like had she not arrived.

“That looks wonderful,” Marcas said, and gladly took the garland that Lileas had made for him, placing it upon his head. Lileas chuckled and hugged her father. As soon as Gregor saw that Marcas was wearing a garland, he took his and put it on his head too, mimicking his father.

“Why dinnae ye gae and show yer mam? I’m sure she would be proud of ye, and I bet she cannae wait tae wear it. I need tae talk tae yer aunt,” Marcas said. Lileas and Gregor obeyed their father without question, showing the same devotion that Moira and Marcas had had for their father. The children scurried back home, with Max keeping pace with them.

“I hope ye are proud of what ye hae created. They are wonderful children, sae happy and full of spirit. They remind me of us when we were younger, before…” She trailed off and her gaze drifted across the fields to the tall monument that stood outside the keep, marking the place where their father had fallen.

“Aye, well, let’s hope they dinnae suffer a similar tragedy,” Marcas said, forcing a smile. “I always wish that he was still with us, but there are times when I wish that more than ever.”

“Ye seem troubled, Marcas. How did the meeting with the Calbraiths gae?”

By the look on his face, she knew things hadn’t gone well. “I just dinnae know what I can dae. I thought all the troubles were behind us after the matters with Roderick. I gave them more territory and promised them more favorable terms in trade in the hope that it would lead tae peace.”

“Are they threatening war?” Moira asked, her voice terse with tension. She had already seen her home besieged more than she would have liked, and she hated the idea of another army coming to threaten them, even more so now that Gregor and Lileas were in their lives. She feared that history would be doomed to repeat itself and that Gregor and Lileas would be forced to stand near the window and watch Marcas die before their eyes.

Marcas pressed his lips together and scratched his chin. “Nae yet, but it does worry me. I haed hoped we could hae put all our years of enmity behind us, but it seems as though they are reluctant tae change. They are never satisfied with what we give them. They want more and more…and I fear that eventually, they’re gaeing tae ask for tae much. Then I’m worried about what they’ll dae when I finally tell them nay.”