band-geek-Thank you so much! I find battle scenes hard to write, but apparently I'm doing a good job. Thank you for helping my (over-inflated) ego!

chiefhow-Your review made me laugh! Of course Taidhg must die!

lindalee4-When I was little, I was so scared of the Beauty and the Beast! I used to hide behind the sofa! Homework sucks, doesn't it? I'm meant to be doing mine, but I can't be bothered right now...

Camreyn-She might do worse than kick his arse. I was thinking something involving a heated poker, five blunt stones and his sensitive parts...

ElvenStar5-Have you considered anger management? (joke). Please don't hurt me...

Veronica-It's in the pipeline" Thanks for reviewing!

BillieLiv-What would make you think I wouldn't like it? Thanks for the review!

I'm sorry but this is the penultimate chapter...of Aibhilín's story. Got you worried there, didn't I? Nope, this story is not ending anytime soon. Please review and I'll write more...

Blessed Be

ChiaraStorm

X111: A Wedding of Despair

Now the Miracle and the Sleeper know that the third is love

"You cheated" Aibhilín told him.

He leaned in closer to her. "Prove it"

Aibhilín struggled away, onto her feet. Taidhg clutched at her arm with his clammy hand. Aibhilín brought her other hand down sharply onto his arm. "You cannot have me" she told him.

She pulled back, so that she was behind him. She then raised the dagger and brought the hilt down on the back of his head. It stunned him instantly and he fell. Aibhilín did not waste her moment. She ran quickly and silently into the woods, running like she didn't have a damned placed to go. Which was true. She could not go back to the fort, for no matter what she did she knew that Woads were excellent trackers. They would find her and then possibly attack the fort. She would have no way out if that happened, and she did not want to wish a bunch of very angry Woads on Arthur's doorstep. No, there had to be somewhere she could go. Somewhere secluded and somewhere private.

Something grabbed her hand as she went past. Aibhilín was whirled around and ended up on her back again.

"This has got to stop" she murmured to herself as she felt the salty metallic tang of blood in her mouth. A hand extended and pulled her onto her feet.

"Aibhilín" Ealusaid began in a tone which Aibhilín knew was not good. "I thought we agreed to go together"

"No, you agreed" Aibhilín told her. "I said if you must. I never said I would be there"

Guinevere took her arm. "So, who is it?"

Aibhilín spat a little blood out of her mouth. "Taidhg"

"What?"

"He's decided to plan a wedding ceremony. For us"

"What?" Guinevere repeated.

"And I think I'm practically a prisoner until then"

"Now you see why we wanted to come with you?" Ealusaid protested.

"It wouldn't have done any good" Aibhilín informed her. "He seems really determined to do this. I think he wants to lead the tribe"

"No, he doesn't" Taidhg's father stepped forwards. Aibhilín silently cursed herself for not checking the woods for other people. She was obviously letting soft living get to her.

"You want it" Ealusaid breathed as she started to understand.

"You evil bastard" Guinevere cursed him. Next to her, Ealusaid slipped away and behind Bhriain. Aibhilín did not let a flicker of her eyes betray her.

Bhriain bent down, just as the dagger left Ealusaid's hand. She tried to stop herself, but all her hands closed around was empty air. The dagger sailed through the air, making a loud sound as it glided into a leafy bush. Bhriain turned towards her, and she braced herself for a battle, but she knew she would be crushed. Bhrain was a full-grown man with many years of battle experience. He advanced on her, with Aibhilín and Guinevere watched anxiously.

It was then that Aibhilín did a very brave thing. She turned to Guinevere.

"Tell him I love him" she whispered to Guinevere. Before she could fully comprehend what had taken place, Aibhilín had launched herself at Bhriain's back.

"Go!" she yelled at them. "Go!" Bhriain reached around for Aibhilín and easily pulled her away. With a quick movement Aibhilín pulled an arrow out of her quiver and stabbed him in the neck. Bhriain threw her on the floor. Aibhilín squirmed and fought with her best moves, but she was tired and outmanoeuvred. She looked for the last time at her sisters. Her eyes asked them what her mouth could not. With a last agonised glance at her sister, Ealusaid grabbed Guinevere's hand. They melted into the forest like smoke on a breeze.

Aibhilín lay on the floor. She was very well acquainted with the stars in the sky by now. She turned her gaze to Bhriain. "You wouldn't kill me" she told him boldly. "You need me"

"I do" Bhriain admitted. "So you will stay of your own free will"

"No, I will leave of my own free will" Aibhilín told him. She pressed a hand to her face, which was bleeding.

"You will stay"

"Why?" Aibhilín asked as she was on the brink of fainting.

Bhriain told her. At once Aibhilín was awake, and for a second she was speechless. "You can't" she whispered as her voice broke.

"I can and I will" Bhriain informed her. "So prepare for a wedding, Dauídh's daughter, for I promise you that you cannot get out of this"

"I will find my father and make him stop you"

He threw her a pendant. Aibhilín recognised the design immediately. It never left Dauídh's throat. The chunk of quartz at the end was said to induce visions and Imbas. "He's dead" Bhriain said in a tone of undisguised glee. "'Twas the news of Leofwen's death that stopped him" He looked at her directly "So, Aibhilín, daughter of Dauídh, you are truly alone in this world"

He left, leaving Aibhilín with a bloody face and an aching heart. She pressed the pendant to her forehead and sobbed.

Guinevere grabbed Arthur; Ealusaid dragged Lancelot into the Round Table room which was thankfully empty.

"Aibhilín's in trouble" Ealusaid dived right in. "Very big trouble"

"The man that she was promised to has taken her back. He's holding her prisoner in the forest"

"What?" Lancelot's eyes immediately turned grave and worried.

"She cannot escape herself, and I don't think we can get in"

"How can you be so calm?" Lancelot asked Ealusaid who had recounted this with a straight and serene face.

"I'm not" Ealusaid told him. "She's my younger sister. I have an obligation to save her"

"I'm talking about more than duty!"

"So am I! She's only been my sister for a few days! She's my friend and I want to help her" Ealusaid thought of the words she had uttered yesterday. 'I will not lose another sister'.

"It's not going to be easy" Guinevere told them. "Bhriain has practically got control of the tribe. If we take Aibhilín you could have a war on your hands"

"So, it's hopeless, is that what you're saying?" Lancelot said despairingly.

"No" Ealusaid sighed. "I'm saying that we're going to need a very good plan"

A sudden sound, like a hammer on wood sounded on the wall.

"That sounded like-"

"An arrow" Guinevere suddenly and irrationally smiled. She ran out of the room and onto the battlement. She stood on the battlement and stared out into the wood. Ealusaid walked along the battlement, her eyes on the fort. She reached up and pulled an arrow out of the wooden window. It had a piece of barkcloth tied around it.

"Aibhilín" she and Guinevere both said at the same time.

"In writing?" Arthur asked.

"In person" Guinevere pointed. On the edge of the forest surrounding the fort, a small figure was holding up a bow. Lancelot stared at her, his eyes memorising every inch of her.

Ealusaid scanned the note. "She says that she is trapped in the forest. She reckons that the wedding will take place soon. She does not want us to go into the forest, because..." Ealusaid's voice trailed off. "her father-in-law has put a price on our heads. If we go back, we will be slaughtered. Dauídh is dead. He cannot help us. Stay there. I will survive" Ealusaid's voice was flat and despairing.

They all waited while the implications of the letter sank in.

"So Aibhilín will be left to a living death?"

Lancelot lay against the wall and banged his head against it. It hurt but that was good. It was good to feel physical pain and not just heartache.

Aibhilín was still standing there, her bow raised. She wondered whether they could see her tears.

"Aibhilín will not be left to any kind of death" Arthur said slowly. "Do you think there is any chance of finding her in the forest?" he asked Guinevere.

Guinevere shook her head. "You don't see Woads. They see you. You would all be slaughtered before you reached anywhere near her. It's our land and we know every inch of it. They could see you a hundred feet away"

Everyone was reduced to silence.

"Well, we can't just do nothing!" Anger was rising in Lancelot's voice.

Ealusaid smartly slapped him. "Shut up or I'll give you more than that" she snarled. "We're all trying to help Aibhilín, but if you don't shut your mouth I will start to get out my daggers and do some strategic poking"

From the forest, Aibhilín smiled. Ealusaid had a firm hand, as she knew herself. She could imagine the threats that were coming out of her mouth. Leofwen had been good at them, but Ealusaid was eloquent too.

Guinevere was smiling slightly, standing into Arthur a little. She was sad and grieving, but at least she still had one sister who would not change.

"Look" Ealusaid began in her normal voice. "We all want Aibhilín back but there is nothing we can do now"

Guinevere stared directly at Lancelot. "Do not worry" she told him. "Aibhilín is resourceful. She will not resign herself to this life. She will have a plan"

"But how will we get a letter to her?" Arthur worried. "Could one of you shoot an arrow to her?"

Guinevere looked at Ealusaid. "I could" she began. "but I do not want to risk it. I am not as good an archer as Aibhilín. I would worry about hitting her"

There was a pause as they thought.

"I have an idea" Ealusaid said slowly. "Would Tristan let us borrow his hawk?"

Aibhilín stood as some stupid woman twittered around her, decorating her with blue paint. This time though, the symbols weren't of power, but of love and fidelity. She was wearing her traditional leather outfit and carrying her bow and quiver. It was customary for the couple to wear battle gear, to swear faithfulness to each other in battle and board. Aibhilín anointed herself with a few carefully chosen symbols as well; symbols of survival and power. She etched them permanently onto her skin with the tip of a dagger. Anyone who tried to stop her got a jab with the wickedly sharp stiletto.

Aibhilín was never alone that day. All day she was tugged and pulled about like a piece of baggage rather than a person. That makes sense, she mused to herself. All they need is my bloodline.

She was pushed through a wedding ceremony, and all she felt was the floating feeling that she had got before, when she was sitting with the knights. The day before Leofwen died. Was it the day before Dauídh died too? If that was true, then tomorrow someone would die. She prayed to every god she had ever heard of and several that she hadn't that it was Taidhg, Bhriain or both, and it was at her hand. She imagined herself, knife in hand, probably castrating the both of them before slitting their throats as slowly and painfully as possible. It was that surge of hatred that kept her alive throughout the ceremony. When Taidhg's slimy hand was put in hers, the hatred and revulsion almost made her vomit. She responded by pouring all of her strength into her hand, and then using it to crush Taidhg's. He winced slightly.

The people there did not seem to think that there was anything unusual about a bride being married whilst covered in blood. Aibhilín herself could not move because of the people either side of her. If she moved then she would be pressed back into her position.

I'm sorry, Lancelot she thought to herself. I'm sorry for being arrogant and foolish, and now we are both paying for it. I'm sorry.

She barely even noticed when she was led away into a clearing. The ground was mossy and the air was thick with fragrant flowers surrounding the faery ring. She was glad that finally she would be alone.

Suddenly, she saw Taidhg next to her. He was fiddling with his leather fastenings...oh my god. Aibhilín cursed herself for being so naïve. As soon as he turned away, she suddenly whipped out her dagger and as he turned, she brought the hilt down on his head, right on the bump she had given him last time.

She had no idea what would happen when she woke up, but she didn't care. She moved away and settled against a huge beech tree. She put her head against it, and listened to the sound of her heart shattering. Her heart filled with despair. The ball of rage in her throat rose up and threatened to choke her, but suddenly it dissipated into pure despondency. She turned over and pressed her face into the moss. She sobbed quietly yet the shards of her heart were pressed into her chest and ripping long gashes in her chest that wept crystal tears and droplets of blood, for he sisters, her lover, and for her as well.

Thus passed Aibhilín's wedding night.

Another angsty chapter...sorry, recently I've not been up to writing MRC. The next chapter however, is the most romantic thing ever, as well as Part II of the story.

Blessed Be

ChiaraStorm