The Return of Bryn 2
As soon as the words 'my father and my uncles' left through her unfiltered mouth, Maeve felt like smashing her head against a wall and clenching her teeth together as the warning began to sting deep inside close to her heart.
Her thoughts immediately went into emergency override to get herself out of this mess.
A wonderful skill, her above mentioned male family members had taught her.
She was in a tricky bind, and once Rose found out about it, her second cousin would tease her endlessly. Roslyn was a gentle soul with a real knack-as the saying went-for teasing. At this point in time though, it was a rather unlovable characteristic she had unfortunately inherited from her father.
Her mind quickly drew itself back into its emergency override deathcon 1 and laid all the facts and problems out for her to analyze…
FACT 1: She had a past the guys didn't know about.
PROBLEM 1- an unknown past she had refused to reveal making her friends and family think that she didn't trust them enough to tell them.
FACT 2: Roslyn was here and Fergus too.
PROBLEM 2- surprised arrival of second cousin which had encouraged the boys to question her about said unknown past.
FACT 3: Sinbad and the others were hurt.
PROBLEM 3- Overprotective males forcing her into an Oath of Secrecy before allowing her to leave Albion which in turn made it impossible for her to talk to her friends.
FACT 4: Roslyn was here now; Bryn too. Oath can now be broken.
PROBLEM 4- There was NO wall to bang her head against either.
She blinked and shook her head. Why was it that she always turned a bit silly when things like this occurred?
She turned to Roslyn and asked, "You are the Wandering Priestess. You travel on the very breath of the Lady, herself, why do you need a ship?"
Roslyn rolled her eyes, held out her arm for Dermott to settle on and said as she nuzzled his feathered head with her chin, "Pregnant, Darrel, daddy, and all the others refused to let me use to much magic, but they have no problems with letting me travel by sea."
Maeve's mouth dropped open at that. She hadn't even considered the possibility that her generation was in the process of continuing the lines of their royal blood.
She, herself, was only twenty and two having left Albion as a young lady of about ten and four. As such, at the time, she had, had very little time and inclination to pay the young men any attention as her studies into the Priestess hood had taken up much of her time. Her family had monopolized the other half happily.
She blinked and said with a giant smile and a large hug, "Congratulations Rose! How far along are you?"
Roslyn beamed happily up at her and said as her hand lightly rubbed against her belly, "I am only a few weeks in. Momma and Orrin and the others are over the roof to be a Grandmother and aunts and uncles."
Maeve grinned knowingly and led as the warning stung again, "And Uncle Lance..?"
She cousin smiled a smile reminiscent of her uncle and said cheerfully though a slight warning was in her eyes, "Bemoaning the fact that he has gray hairs to go along with the new grandchild."
She smiled and then remembered who was listening in; they were the reason her warning was going off after all-and progressively getting more painful. She could feel each section of her heart alternately squeeze in on itself and release.
Maeve turned to the others and promised apologetically at them as they were watching the two of them with confusion clearly written on their faces, "I'll explain everything once we are on board and on our way."
She hid a grimace and let her hand lightly massage the skin above her heart. It was beginning to hurt now more than sting. Daddy is such an overprotective bastard at times….
She made a face at Roslyn as she shot her a small scolding glance at her thoughts.
'Right….barriers….I need those now with her close by….' She shook her head and rubbed her head to stave off the headache her cousin had unintentionally created with her presence. She hadn't closed off her mind in such a way in a long time.
She looked up and winched.
Sinbad's face, it hurt her worse than her Oath-pain. It was dark and he was glaring at Rose with anger. She wasn't sure why her Sinbad was acting this way, but she was determined to find out!
She reached out to him and bit her lip as her hands came into contact with his chilled ones.
It wasn't cold out.
This was a darkness inside that chilled his heart to her.
She moved right in front of him, placed her hand on his stubble cheek, he really needed to shave- 'focus Maeve!' she scolded herself mentally and said, "Sinbad, after we lost my brother, my father grew very protective. In order for me to even be allowed to leave, I had to take an Oath of Secrecy…"
A large welling of pain began to thump painfully against her chest; she was dangerously close to going over the line."
"Maeve…" warned Roslyn as Dermott squawked and flapped his wings, 'Maevelynn don't you dare…!'
She turned and glared at them and said sharply even as her stance began to wobble a bit as the pain began to grow and cause her to breath in and out harshly and her face flush, "I don't care! They need to know!"
She turned to Bryn and ordered, "Bryn, I need you to say something for me."
Her cousin eyed her with some trepidation, not because she was fearful of her, but because she was fearful FOR her, "And that is?"
Maeve squeezed Sinbad's arm for reassurance, and noticed that it wasn't nearly as cold anymore and said, "I, Brenna Pendragon, craigh of Pendragon of the Royal House of Pendragon. Daughter of High King Arthur Pendragon, Liege Lord of the Dragon Order of the Round Table, guardian of the Mighty Lady Cainnacht Sioraiocht, High King of All Albion, and King's Consort Lady Genevieve nee Cudyll Bach (Merlin) of the Houses of Shadow and the Royal House of Britannia do declare the magic oath of secrecy bound to Lady Maevelynn of the House of Paldor be broken! So mote it be!"
Bryn blinked and she could see her cousin's nerves grow as she unconsciously stood tall and recited, "I, Brenna Pendragon, craigh Pendragon of the Royal House of Britannia, daughter of High King Arthur Pendragon, Liege Lord of the Dragon Order of the Round Table, guardian of the Mighty Lady Cainnacht Sioraiocht, High King of All Albion and King's Consort Lady Genevieve nee Cudyll Bach (Merlin) of the House of Shadow and the Royal House of Britannia do declare the magic oath of secrecy bound to Lady Maevelynn of the House of Paldor daughter of Lord Tristan Paldor, Knight of the Round Table, Head of Intelligence and the Lady Isolde Paldor nee Cuid a uisce the Lady of the Lake, Gatekeeper of Avalon be broken! So mote it be!"
She felt a huge grin rise in her as Bryn added on more than she had asked her too. Her memories, while not actively enabled inside her, were instinctively engaged when her cousin's magic was in the forefront of her mind!
Maeve grinned as a golden glow rose up from Bryn and hit her and entered her through her mouth.
"Lass!" shouted Doubar with worry in his blue eyes.
"Maeve!" cried out Sinbad as he gripped her in an effort to hold her close and keep her safe. She loved him for that-she was barely able to stay on her feet as it was right now because of the pain of the Oath and the magic that was currently running through her.
"Impossible!" cried out Firouz. She sighed, even with his test to prove himself to her element, to show how he loved and believed in her; she knew his logical mind was already trying to find another reason for the magic that was steadily growing around her, Bryn, and Roslyn.
She knew he wouldn't find it.
She knew he'd come to the understanding of her magic soon enough.
For now though, he'd be his loyally, silly, stubborn, logical self.
She wouldn't want him any other way though.
She turned to Roslyn and raised an eyebrow.
She smirked and said smoothly, as if she had been waiting for this the entire time, "I, Lady Roslyn craigh Lyon of the House of Lyon, Roaming Priestess of Avalon, daughter of Lord Lancelot Lyon, King Protectorate, Knight Commander, and First Knight of the Dragon Order of the Round Table, and Princess Elaine Lyon nee Pendragon of the Houses of Lyon and the Royal House of Britannia, and Dowager Priestess of the Lady's Breath do declare the magic oath of secrecy bound to Lady Maevelynn of the House of Paldor, daughter of Lord Tristan Paldor, Knight of the Round Table, Head of Intelligence and the Lady Isolde Paldor nee Cuid a uisce the Lady of the Lake, Gatekeeper of Avalon be broken! So mote it be!"
Maeve felt the heavy burden of her secret fly away from her. She felt the magic that had bound her past deep within her heart, unlock. It was like the very core of her being was now free, and she felt ecstatic! She could really, truly, and honestly feel the Lady within her for the first time in nearly a decade. She felt so happy she could burst. She was nearly vibrating as the energy her oath kept at bay rush through her veins igniting her very being once more.
In fact, she grinned impishly at her family, and wiggled her fingers.
All, but Rose, gasped and jumped back in shock.
Her fingers were surrounded by the fires of her spirit and danced majestically on her fingertips.
The fire, at its core, was crystal clear.
Where once had glowed the fires of red, orange, yellow, and blue, now glowed with a pure, clear, energy.
Hot enough to liquefy and vaporize any metal within seconds.
She turned to them and said, "Let's go."