Apologies to all those who got confused about the twins' eye colours. What I meant in chapter 2, was that Mary remembered Meadhbh's eye colour from childhood! Sorry I did not make that more clear! Enjoy the rest though!
Meadhbh and Tristan jumped apart, as if scalded. They both looked over to the source of the scream and saw Mary being held tight against a painted man's chest. The man had a wild look in his eyes and the dagger being held at Mary's throat, began to shake with terrifying force. Meadhbh could hear the sound of Tristan sliding a dagger from under his surcoat, but when she made a quick glance in his direction, she could swear he had not moved.
Turning back to Mary, Meadhbh could feel the anger and fear for her sister, quickly bubble to the surface. The look of absolute terror on Mary's face, made Meadhbh snarl in response. She knew her twin was not yet ready for this type of assault and Meadhbh could only try to focus as hundreds of thoughts flew through her head.
"Meadhbh please! Help me…" Shutting her eyes against the onslaught of memories from her past, she opened her eyes and found herself absolutely powerless to this type of fear. Looking over at Tristan, she made a silent plea with her eyes that she hoped the quiet knight would be able to decipher. He looked over at her and the look of calm and patience on his face, only made Meadhbh's ire worse.
Suddenly a high pitch scream filled the air, leaving Meadhbh able to do nothing as she watched her sister fall to the ground. Frozen, she could only watch as the painted man was left standing in his exact position, with his face frozen into a look of surprise. It took only moments to realise that there was a void where his hand had been leaving a gigantic axe placed firmly in his left breast. The man fell backwards like a tree felled into the rough behind him. Leaving only Dag standing there, chest heaving and a look of absolute hatred shadowing his normally placid face. He ran to where Mary was now attempting to sit up and sweeping her into his arms, he moved to the log and sat down, holding her close to his chest and stroking her hair. He soothed her as she sobbed into the safety of his tunic. Dag looked so concerned and with one last hated glance at the blue man, he turned back to the object of his tumultuous emotions, rocking her like a babe and whispering words of encouragement into her hair.
Meadhbh felt the world begin to spin around her and she began to fall to the ground. Only she never made it. Instead she was held up against a hard chest and imitating Dagonet, Tristan swept her up and sat on the floor holding her close, as she gasped for air. She had never felt so terrible in her life. She had sworn to herself and to her father in his last breaths, that she would protect her only sister, her twin, as she was so much stronger than she. Yet when she saw the look on Mary's face as she was held at knifepoint, Meadhbh was rendered useless. Fear holding her against her will, in an invisible prison. It was then, against this stranger's chest that she began to cry for the first time since she was a small girl. Nine years of bottled up emotion welled forth like a river bursting it's banks in a flood. She sobbed and cried for what seemed like hours. Yet this man, this seemingly empty hearted man, held her tightly and whispered into her ear, while rocking her in a silent lullaby.
The hours passed and when Meadhbh felt that the anvil on her chest had eased somewhat, the past event came back to haunt her. Pulling herself away from her temporary haven against this man's chest, she looked over to where Mary had sat with Dag. Only to discover that she was gone. In a panic, she looked wildly around the camp, her heartbeat accelerating more until she saw her. Lying down in a pallet fast asleep. The look of fear was smoothed from Mary's perfect face yet there were shadows present that had not been there before. Meadhbh gently pushed against Tristan's chest in a plea to be released. He looked down at her and with one more sweep of his hand over her hair, he let her go. Meadhbh stood up and walked over to her sister. She lay down and held her twin close, closing her eyes, while Tristan pulled a fur from his pack and placed it over the now slumbering women.
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Straightening, Tristan rubbed a hand over his face and turned to join Dag in his position by the now dying embers of the fire. They sat in silence for minutes, neither of the men desiring much conversation at that present time. Finally, Tristan threw in the piece of wood he had been whittling and turned to his brother in arms. "I think we should let them sleep off as much of their ordeal as possible." Dag looked up from the cage of his hands and looked at Tristan pensively. After a moment he replied gruffly, "You know, I think we are in way over our heads." acknowledging Tristan's grunt, he looked back into the spitting embers and sighed. "Maybe if we don't spend too much time around them we might be OK. We know they will be safe inside the Wall." Stealing another glance at the mound that held their women, he fingered his scar absently in thought. "I don't think I have ever been so afraid in my life. I could have missed… I could have…" Tristan did his best to ignore his normally passive brother's surge of raw emotion. Dag had already lost one love years before and he could only imagine what the thought of losing another potential mate, could do to a man like him.
Tristan stared at the place where Meadhbh lay. He had almost kissed her. He was no virgin or stranger to these kind of emotions, but he had never felt them himself. He had only seen his brothers fall into what had seemed like utter vulnerability. But now… He dropped his head to his chest. "I will take first watch, you sleep. One of us will have to be fully alert for tomorrow's ride. If they attack here, there will likely be more, closer to the fort." Dag nodded to the scout and lay down close to the girls in a protective position. Tristan shook his head again and moved to the outskirts of the camp. He sat against a tree and removing any emotions lingering, forced himself to concentrate on the sounds of the forest around him. Yet his thoughts kept lingering back to the smell of her hair, the look on her face as he leant in close and the ultimate look of pain in her eyes as he silently did nothing to help her sister. Unlike she, Tristan had seen Dag coming and knew he would have a better shot with the Woad. But how to explain that to her? He sighed again. It was going to be a long night. But when he saw the first glimmers of dawn on the sky above he allowed a smile to grace his lips. Maybe not so long.
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Meadhbh awoke to the sound of humming and movement around the camp. As she groggily awoke from the slumber she had so soundly slept in, she brushed her hair out of her eyes, only to be greeted by her sister laying across from her smiling and looking very awake. Then the ordeal of last night came flying back to her. She sat up quickly and grabbed her sister close. "Oh Mary I'm so sorry, please forgive me I couldn't help you, I swear I tried but then you fell and he… and then I…" At the sound of her sister's soft chuckle, Meadhbh looked into the face she knew so well. The confused look on her face must have shown for Mary just laughed again and held Meadhbh's face in her hands. "Meadhbh it's fine Dag saved me! You were scared and that is perfectly normal. I was scared too! All is well now and I was told that we would be at the Wall by late this afternoon! How great is that!?" Meadhbh could only look in shock at her sister as she rambled on and on. She didn't blame her? How could that be? She was sworn to protect her and what did she do? Nothing!
Her sister smiled again, and stood from the pallet towards the fresh flames of a new fire where something very delicious was cooking. Meadhbh's stomach rumbled and she held her hands there in an attempt to quieten it. Still dazed, she stood up to approach the fire where Mary stood laughing up at Dag, who smiled indulgently back at her. She then swatted his chest and the deep rumble from Dag's chest grew louder, along with the wide smile on his face. Meadhbh just watched the two as they interacted and felt a sharp pain in her chest as she recognised the one thing that she would never have.
Picking up some firewood, she moved to the fire and threw them on, hoping someone would give her something to do. Quickly. When another presence entered the camp, Meadhbh stiffened as she remembered the look on Tristan's face as he practically slapped her with the refusal to help her sister. Then she remembered crying, and the almost kiss and her face flamed red again for the second time in hours. She never blushed. For it was looked down upon if a warrior blushed for any other reason than a serious infection from a wound. Meadhbh's wound was not visible, but she feared the infection could be deadly. Straightening her back she turned slowly to confront the object of her confusion.
He stood holding the reins of two mighty war horses and was staring right at her. His eyes seemed to search her face and what he saw there caused a flicker of pain to cross his features, but it was quickly replaced with the look of impassivity that he mastered so well. Meadhbh only became more confused. He broke the smothering tension first. "I think we should leave now. The sooner we leave, the quicker we will arrive at the wall." He seemed to be determined not to look at her, as he addressed the clearly smitten pair by the fire. "But Tris," her sister began to complain, "We just made food! Why don't we leave after we eat?" Dag registered Tristan's impatience to leave and taking Mary's hand he kissed her knuckles before quietly compromising "Why don't we take this delicious meal with us on the journey we could make a….picnic out of it." Once again, Dag had to cut off Tristan's mocking snort before waiting for Mary's reply. Her twin's face lit up with joy that Meadhbh could not remember ever feeling herself and when Mary clapped her hands together in glee, Meadhbh knew that her sister had fallen. Hard.