The Realm of the Sun

The Promise

          Connor watched Eirainna tend to the pot above the fire, marveling at the way she moved when she thought no one was watching—how elegance was engrained in her every breath. Even in the way she stirred the tea, her wrist arched and her hand curved to the side like the neck of a swan—it was natural, but had an inherent grace. The flames rose to heat the steaming pot, which she continued to stir. He glanced out the window, where darkness began to fall on their wet clothes hanging on a rope to dry. Eirainna began to hum lightly to herself, her voice inviting and warm as it vibrated behind closed lips. Smiling, Connor listened for awhile longer, growing lost in her spell.

          "The tea is very sweet," he finally said, watching her turn around with eagerness at the deep sound of his voice against the delicate whisper of the autumn breeze.

          "That's the rose petals," she replied, playfully, turning back around to stir the tea again, "I told you it was delicious."

          Connor stood quietly from his chair at the table across the room and started toward her, enchanted by the curve of her body in her pale blue dress.

          "When I was a little girl," she continued, her back still turned to him, "Nessie and I would always go out to the glen to collect fresh herbs for tea. She would gather petals from roses, daisies, wild lilies—all kinds of flowers...and sprinkle them into the tea. She told me that besides adding flavour, drinking flower petals could make a person happy. That they could help to ease any melancholy."

          Silently, she recalled one night in her childhood when she brought a cup of tea with flower petals to Maeve's bedchamber. Eirainna grew lost in stirring the steaming brew, the pastel petals dissolving into the heat. Young Eirainna had been compelled to bring the healing brew to her sister, but the reason she did not fully know as a child. Perhaps it was almost coming to her now, a memory she had long suppressed, but Connor's hand on her lower back caused all thought to escape her.

          "What else did Nessie teach you?" Connor asked in a low, seductive murmur as he came up behind her, his arms finding their way around her waist. Eirainna smiled and her stirring became slower as one of her hands met his.

          "Oh, many things," she replied, as he began to kiss her neck. "She taught me how to make dresses and mend them, how to...tell wonderful bedtime stories..." her voice trailed off and her thoughts and words seemed to melt away as his mouth traveled down her neck to her back. Her breath shortened as his hands found her breasts, half exposed from the loose lacing of her bodice. Placing her hand on top of his, she followed his arm and turned around to face him.

          "I have to have you now, Eirainna, or I shall run mad," he confessed in her ear as if she did not already know it. Hastily, she pulled his ruddy white shirt over his head, running her fingers down his broad torso in amazement to think how she could fit twice over within the breadth of his upper body. His chest heaved at her touch and without further thought, he began to unlace her bodice, tugging gently at the light green ribbons.

          "What did they teach you about love at Tara?" he whispered, his face tightening and relaxing as her cold fingers brushed his muscular upper back. Her lips briefly met his shoulder and parted as her spine shivered and straightened.

          "Nothing," she whispered. They began to laugh together, both surprised at the candor and brevity of her answer. He twirled her around mischievously and they began to turn around each other, laughing until they fell to the ground near the opened cross-paned window. A gentle breeze blew against Eirainna's face. They simply looked at one another, wondering if they would ever grow tired of doing so.