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“I’m afraid that I hae nae been entirely honest with ye. After speaking with the healer, it came tae my attention that ye may hae been poisoned. I haed Gowan’s possessions searched, and we found a vial among his things. I believe it was he who poisoned ye, Maeve. I’m sae sorry, but I dinnae think he is here with the honorable intentions that he claimed. I believe he only wants one thing: the throne.”

Harrison’s words were a dagger to her heart. She was glad she was already sitting because her knees were weak, and there was an uneasy feeling in her heart.

“This cannae be. I cannae believe that he would dae such a thing,” she said, her thoughts whipping through her mind. He was the one who had come to her with a warning. Perhaps he had just been trying to throw her off the scent or making sure to act protective so that she would never think he would do anything to harm her.

“I thought ye would say that, which is why I brought Thea here, a scullery maid.” Harrison gestured beyond the door, and a young girl walked through. She looked terrified, which didn’t take Maeve by surprise. It was a burdensome thing to tell the Lady of the clan that her husband had plotted to kill her. She glanced at Harrison, who had to reassure the girl that it was okay to say what she had seen. Maeve had to listen as this maid told her that she had seen Gowan speak to his men when he thought nobody was looking. It broke Maeve’s heart to hear this, and she felt as though the world was closing in on her.

“I know this is difficult, but we must act fast, Maeve. If there is a traitor in the keep, then we must root him out before he can dae any more damage.”

14

Gowan had worked up a good sweat in the sparring ring. The novelty of seeing him duel with his friend had been lost somewhat, so there wasn’t nearly as big a crowd as there had been the first time he had entered the ring. The smattering of people was mostly made up of children, who watched in awe.

Karl grinned. “It looks as though we hae some admirers.”

“Aye. I remember what it was like when I was that age. I never thought I could grow as tall as the warriors we used tae watch duel. They seemed larger than life, like giants.”

“Aye, then ye became a giant yerself,” Karl said as he placed the sword back into its place on the rack. “Imagine what yer children are gaeing tae be like,” he added.

“As long as they inherit their ma’s beauty and spirit, they will hae a fine life,” Gowan replied with a knowing smile.

“Well, I’m glad that she haes given ye a warmer welcome in bed than she did when we arrived here.”

“She was grieving. I see that now. I tell ye, Karl, I cannae imagine what life would be without her. She is special. I never realized how much more there could be tae life.”

“Sae, if I told ye I had heard about a group of bandits harassing a nearby village, ye wouldnae be interested in dispensing some justice?” Karl asked with an arched eyebrow.

Gowan gazed wistfully into the distance. “I’m nae sure that life is for me any longer. Ye might hae tae take all the glory for yerself this time.”

“That would be a nice change. I never did get as much as I was owed on account of everyone thinking ye must hae done all the work given the size of ye,” Karl grumbled, although he made it clear he was joking. Gowan chortled loudly and turned, noticing a boy who was standing on the edge of the sparring ring. He had been there every day and always watched Gowan.

“What’s yer name, lad?” Gowan asked.

“N-Nate,” the boy stammered. He looked terrified as Gowan walked up to him.

“Well, greetings tae ye, Nate. I hae noticed ye standing here day after day, but I’m yet tae see ye pick up a sword. Hae ye held one before?” Gowan asked.

Nate shook his head. “Ma says it’s dangerous.”

“Well, sometimes it’s more dangerous if ye dinnae know how tae use a sword. If ye cannae defend yerself, what are ye gaeing tae dae if someone attacks?” Gowan asked. Nate looked to struggle with the question, not realizing that it was rhetorical. “Come here, lad,” Gowan said, and placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder, leading him over to the rack of swords. He pulled a small wooden sword off the rack, one that was used for training, and handed it to the lad. “Try this,” he said.

Nate took the sword and held it clumsily. Gowan had to stifle a laugh, although there had even been a point where he had looked clumsy with a sword. He leaned down and adjusted the boy’s grip, teaching him how to hold a sword properly, and then walked through a few simple movements with him, showing him how to plant his feet on the ground to give him a great base of strength.

Nate was quiet and took everything in, and Gowan could see himself doing the same thing with a child of his own someday. His heart swelled with hope and pride as he thought about the future with Maeve. She continued to surprise him every day, and with every moment that passed, he fell deeper and deeper in love. Something even stronger than might flowed through his body, and it was the missing piece to his life. The only taint on things was the fact that he still suspected there was a nefarious plot to steal the throne from her, but he couldn’t quite put all the pieces together. She seemed adamant that he was being ridiculous, and he supposed that she hadn’t been threatened since then or had any hint of illness. As long as he kept a protective eye on her, then he was sure that no harm would come to her.

“Get away from that lad!” a voice cried out across the grounds, commanding everyone’s attention. At first, Gowan did not realize the words were intended for him as he wasn’t doing anything wrong. The voice was male, so this was no angry mother coming to scold him for teaching a child how to wield a sword. Gowan’s gaze flicked up, and he saw a cluster of guards walking toward him, and behind them were Maeve and her uncle. Maeve’s face was a picture of pain. Her eyes were ringed red, and tears cascaded down her pale cheeks, marring the happy beauty that she had worn mere hours earlier.

“What is this?” Karl asked in a low voice. The two men had a keen sense of danger, and right now, they were both thinking the same thing. Gowan noticed Karl taking the sword away from the rack again, but he shook his head.

“I dinnae think that’s gaeing tae help,” Gowan said.

Karl reluctantly released his grip and turned to stand by his friend.

“Why would ye dae this tae me, Gowan? How could ye dae this tae me?” Maeve yelled, the anguish in her voice scraping against his heart.

“What are ye talking about, Maeve? I hae nae done anything. What is this about?” Gowan asked, protesting his innocence.

“Ye know what this is about. Ye cannae fool me again. Ye should be ashamed, taking advantage of me when I was lost in grief. Ye hae no honor. Take him away, guards. Take him away! I dinnae want him in my sight again!” she cried, and then turned away from him.