Aine of Diarmada

Chapter 10

The pic above is meant to be Eoin 👆 (if it wasn't clear!) 😍😍😂 hope you enjoy the chapter 😊 happy reading! 🍀💚

After the arrival everyone had gone about their business, had a bit of space. The men rested and recovered from their travels and injuries were tended to. I had later been informed by Eileen that five men had died in the battle to rescue Roise. It had been organised to hold the funeral for them in a day's time. When supper time arrived everyone was glad to be reunited with the clan. I stopped by father's chambers to see how he was doing.
"Father, I thought I'd have supper with you," I said, sitting on the end of his bed. He smiled as I came in. "No Aine, I'll be fine dear, go have supper with the clan...with Chulann."
"But, you'll be by yourself," I pointed out.
"Like I said, I'll be fine. Go now go," he insisted. I sighed before leaving. "Aine,"he called. I turned around, presuming that he had changed his mind. "Yes?," I hoped.
"You look beautiful," he smiled. I came and bent over to kiss him on the forehead.
"Thank you father."

* * * * * *

When supper had been served and hungrily eaten, dancing and songs were played in rejoice of Roise's return, and of course the men from the journey. I watched Roise, trying not to laugh as she looked over at me with wide eyes, pleading silently for help; she was dancing with a very short fat man who just reached to her waist so his arm was around her bum.
"Why don't we dance like that," Chulann laughed, following my gaze. My eyes flickered from Roise to Chulann and finally settled on my cup of ale. He cleared his throat,"um, perhaps a slow dance?" he asked. I looked up at his deep blue eyes, he was handsome I had to admit. His beard was trimmed short and his dark hair was slightly wavy. Instead of his usual tight, dark-coloured tunic he wore a loose, open-buttoned shirt with wide sleeves, revealing his chiseled torso every time he moved. "Perhaps," I replied, standing up as he gently took my hand and brought me out on to the floor. The soft and melodious notes of flutes filled the air as couples joined us pair by pair. The air was cool and a large fire made everyone's faces glow as they moved across the floor. Chulann placed his hand on the small of my back as he whispered in my ear that I looked beautiful. I could feel my cheeks blushing but I convinced myself that I had just had too much to drink. We swayed and swung for what seemed like an hour but had only been the length of a song. We talked about my family, Chulann's family and the 'search journey' to find Roise. I sat down at the table slightly dazed after the dance wondering where Eoin was, my thoughts were abruptly interrupted when I heard a crash and a shouting voice. I looked in the distance and saw Chulann shouting and giving out to a young girl, who looked like she had spilled ale on Chulann's light-coloured shirt. Chulann had smashed the goblet on the ground in a burst of rage and was now giving out to the poor girl. I stared at him in shock as he tried unsuccessfully to recollect himself, saying to the scared girl that it was alright. He was so two-faced I thought to myself in disgust as I decided to leave for bed and Chulann went to get his shirt cleaned. As I passed father's chambers I saw Eoin emerge from them, he saw me and came over.
"You spent the evening with him? He didn't let me," I said crossing my arms.
"Well I am his chief protector Aine," he smiled, "besides he doesn't want to hold you down, you have to go and make the most of being young he said."
"I'm not much younger than you," I teased, as I started walking towards my chambers.
"Seven years," he smirked at me as we came inside. There was a brief moment of silence. "How's your shoulder?" I asked sitting down on the bed. He sat beside me, "much better," he said, showing me the nearly healed cut that was slowly forming a scar. Surprised, I found myself tracing the line softly with my finger. "Another battle scar," I said, glancing up at the scar in his cheek. He smiled at me, "you have a scar too, one to be proud of."
"What do you mean?" In response he gently took my hand and turned it over, stroking my clan mark on my wrist with his thumb; a green leaf. "Oh, that," I said, a bit dismissive.
"It's special," he said. I looked down at his wrist and confused, I saw that he didn't have one. "Where's yours?" He frowned, "I don't have one."
"Why not?"
"My family weren't born into this clan," he told me.
"Were you," I paused, "outcasts?"
"No, no, we were wanderers, you're father kindly took us into your clan. In return my parents agreed for me to train as a young boy to become his chief protector," he explained.
"Oh...I never knew that."
"Well you weren't born yet," he smiled.
"And when do you get your mark?" I asked.
He paused, "um when, when I marry." I couldn't help but smile, "Oh. Well you saved Roise, surely that's worthy of your clan mark," I said, unconsciously coming closer to him.
"One Diarmada sister saved, one to go," he grinned.
"Save me then," I whispered, our lips were now barely apart. He kissed me deeply as we sank down on to the bed.