The song in this chapter is "Noble Maiden Fair" from the film Brave. I do not own the song.

Raven

After their meeting, it was agreed that the travellers would be allowed to stay a short while in Deirdre's palace before setting off on the next stage of their journey. Each man was given a room of his own in which to rest and the servants in the castle were instructed to care for them and cater to their every need. After days of sleeping outside on cold, hard ground, this was a godsend to the travellers and they all made the most of their time in Murias.

There was a garden outside the palace surrounded by four high walls of grey stone that were hung with curtains of dark green ivy. Bushes covered with white and blue roses made up much of the garden's vegetation and a towering oak tree sat in the very centre of the place, with overhanging branches that were so low, they nearly touched the ground and they sheltered a well that had been built from an underground spring that had fed the tree in its youth. One evening, Ryan took a short stroll through this very garden and seated himself on one of the stone benches that lined the wall furthest from the garden entrance. It was a beautiful evening. The air, although cool, was still warm enough for him to not need a coat. The sun could be seen disappearing behind the roof of the castle in the distance as the sky slowly faded from blue to a mixture of pink, orange and yellow. He sighed, contentedly. It had been a long time since he had truly felt at peace. He froze at the sound of a voice floating towards him on the wind. Driven by curiosity, he listened harder and soon became aware that it was a young woman's voice singing. As expected, a girl entered the garden and drifted over to the well with light, ghost-like movements. Of course, it would be her.

She was wearing a plain white gown and black slippers on her feet. A wool shawl was draped around her shoulders to ward off the cold air. Her dark hair was untied and cascaded down to her waist and her hands were loaded with the handle of a bucket. She didn't appear to notice Ryan as she approached the well to retrieve water. Now that the girl was closer, the words of her song were easier to make out. She was singing an old Irish lullaby, one that Ryan hadn't heard for fifteen years but could still remember as clear as day.

"A naoidhean bhig,

cluinn mo ghuth.

Mise ri d' thaobh,

Ó mhaighdean bhàn.
Ar rìbhinn òg, fàs a's faic,
do thìr, dìleas fhéin.

A ghrian a's a ghealach, stiùir sinn.
Gu uair ar cliù 's ar glòir.
Naoidhean bhig,

ar rìbhinn òg.
Mhaighdean uasal bhàn."

The song brought a tear to Ryan's eye. Julianne had sung that very song to their daughter to get her to fall asleep. In fact, she had sung it on the same day she was taken. To hear his daughter singing it now all these years later brought back the memories of those nights when Julianne would sit by the fire with her baby in her arms, rocking her to sleep as she hummed that gentle melody. That sight was one of the few things in this world that brought a smile to his lips.

As Raven freed the now full bucket from the rope it was tied to, she began to repeat the tune. Ryan stood up and called to her "Do you mind, caterwauling like that?"

Raven gasped and looked up to see Ryan standing a few feet away from her. She didn't think anyone else was here."I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean…"

Ryan forced out a light chuckle and strolled over to her. "I'm teasing. You sing very prettily."

The girl blushed. It wasn't often that she was complimented for her singing, mainly because she rarely sung in front of others. "Thank you. I heard the song once when I was a baby."

"Is it a popular song here in Murias?"

The girl shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I've only lived here for five years, you see."

"Where did you live before?" Ryan asked. He already knew the answer but didn't think it prudent to say so.

"With the witch Carman. She raised me for most of my childhood. I knew she wasn't my real mother, though, because she once let it slip that I had been stolen from my parents as a baby but she refused to tell me who they were. The only memory I had of them was a bracelet with my name engraved on it. Then, one night when I was eleven, I ran away. After several days out in the wild, Deirdre found me. I must have looked terrible because she took pity on me and allowed me to come and live with her."

"It must have been awful for you, living with that witch" Ryan said. He could only imagine what Carman had put her through to make her run away.

Raven nodded. "Yes, but it's not so bad now. Murias is far better than Carman's shabby old hut and Deirdre is ever so kind. In a way, she's like a mother to me but I know she could never replace my birth mother." She sighed. "Ryan, do you think I'll ever find my real parents?"

Ryan was almost trembling with exasperation. How he longed to tell she had already found her father. That her father was him. But something told him that it wouldn't go down too well. She might think he was crazy. Instead, he patted her on the shoulder and smiled. "I'm sure you will. You just have to be patient. Remember, good things come to those who wait."

Before Raven could reply, she was interrupted by Neil who came into the garden calling for her. "Oh, Raven, there you are. Deirdre sent me to find you. She's wondering where you are."

"I'll be right with her" she told him. "It was nice speaking with you, Ryan," she added. With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the garden.

When Neil looked at Ryan, he immediately noticed that he seemed a little unsettled, as if there was something he longed to say. Neil approached his friend with a concerned expression etched onto his face. "Ryan, are you alright?"

Ryan was about to deny his uneasiness and tell him that everything was fine but he knew there was no point; one of the downsides of being friends with someone for so long was that it soon became impossible to hide anything from them. "Neil, aren't you a bit concerned that Raven has the same name as my daughter?"

Neil shrugged. "So what if she does? It's just a coincidence."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "A coincidence? I think not. You see, Raven and my daughter both have dark hair and blue eyes and a heart-shaped birthmark. And, if that's not enough, Raven was raised by the witch Carman who took my daughter. Raven lived with Carman until she was eleven when she was brought here to Murias and she's lived here for five years, making her sixteen. My daughter as a year old when she was taken and it's been fifteen years since then. That means she would be the same age as Raven. That could just be a coincidence, like you said, but tell me this: what are the odds of meeting a girl who just happens to be of the same age and same appearance as my lost daughter? Because they seem pretty low."

Neil's mouth hung open in surprise. "You mean…?"

"That girl, Raven, is my daughter."

Neil could scarcely believe his ears. He was so stunned, he could barely speak. "After all this time!" he cried. "Who would have guessed it? I wonder how the others will react when they find out."

Ryan rested his hands on Neil's shoulders. "Neil, listen to me. We've been friends for time out of mind and I know I can trust you to keep a promise. So promise me that you won't tell anyone about this. Not Raven or George or Paul or anyone. I'd prefer to tell them myself."

"I won't breathe a word" Neil promised.

But Ryan needn't have bothered forcing Neil to make that promise because Raven had overheard them. She hadn't intended to eavesdrop but as she was exiting the garden she heard her name being spoken. Curiosity got the better of her and she couldn't resist listening. What she heard surprised her almost to the point of paralysis. She'd always had a feeling that her father was out there somewhere but she never would have guessed that her father was Ryan. Until now, she'd never really had anyone in her life who she could truly call her parent. There was no way Carman could ever be her mother. She saw her as nothing more vermin and treated her so. Deirdre was a major improvement on Carman. She was far less severe and treated her with kindness and consideration rather than coldness and violence. But, as kind as she was, Deirdre could never be her mother either. Now, years later, her father had found her and he didn't even know that she was aware of it. What in the world was she supposed to do?

Haste made the decision for her when she heard footsteps coming towards her. She quickly sprinted away from the garden, water spilling from the bucket as she ran, back into the castle. She had to tell someone and who better to tell than the person she trusted the most?

Deirdre was waiting for Raven when she came running in through the door, her face red and hot. She had clearly ran all the way here. "I'm sorry, Deirdre. I got distracted" the girl said.

Deirdre didn't scold her but instead examined her with a concerned frown. Raven was distressed about something, she knew. Wordlessly, she took the bucket from the girl's hands and set it on the floor. Cupping Raven's chin in her hand, she tilted her face towards her, forcing her to meet Deirdre's gaze. "What is troubling you, child?" she asked softly.

"M-my father" Raven whispered, trying to hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

"Your father?" Deirdre repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I…I heard Ryan and Neil talking. Ryan used to have a daughter who he lost. And, apparently, that daughter is me. He even proved it. We're of the same age, we have the same hair, the same eyes, even the same birthmark. He said so himself." By this point, her lip was trembling and her tears were just a second away from escaping. Normally, she would hate herself for being this way in front of her benefactress. But there are times when emotions win the day and such things can't be helped.

Seeing the girl's deteriorating emotional state, Deirdre led Raven to a chair and sat her down. Raven couldn't be strong anymore. Her shell broke and the tears flowed freely from her eyes. She hid her face in her hands, not wanting Deirdre to see her so weak. Overcome with pity for the poor girl, Deirdre pulled Raven into her arms. Raven tried to pull away but eventually gave in and allowed Deirdre to hold her close and whisper words of comfort into her ear, occasionally planting a kiss on her temple. When Raven's tears subsided, Deirdre released her and asked "Have you cried yourself out?"

Raven wiped her eyes. "Yes. Please, forgive me for being so foolish."

"Nonsense. I could never think you foolish. It was just shock."

Raven smiled. "Thank you, Deirdre. But what am I to do now? I could never look at Ryan the same way again, knowing now that he is my father."

"Does he know that you are aware of it?"

"No, and he made Neil promise not to tell anyone. He said he would prefer to break the news himself and I doubt he would be very happy if I went about, informing people of our familial relationship when he wants to keep it a secret."

Deirdre chuckled. "Yes. Something tells me that would put a damper on your relationship. You'd better wait for him to tell you first."

"But he might never get the chance to!" Raven cried. "Remember, he and the others will be leaving soon. We cannot possibly expect them to stay here any longer and wait until Ryan is ready to break the news. And now that I know the truth, I don't want to be parted from my father again."

"Maybe you don't have to" Deirdre said.

Raven frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

Deirdre winked. "Leave it with me. I'll sort something out."