Page 47 of A Celtic Secret
Chapter Fifteen
WHEN RIONA FIRST sawthe state of Declán’s people as they approached the drawbridge, she thought they were under attack but soon realized word had spreadthatfast about the wall. Cian and Madison were trying to get things under control, but everything was too disorganized. Mayhem simmered.
Declán stopped his horse and looked at her. “’Twould be all right if you held back for now.” He gestured at one of his warriors. “That’s my third-in-command, just—”
“You must be kidding?” Caught somewhere in between the high of getting ready to marry him and the worry she felt over his people, she frowned. “If we’re doing this, we’re doing it together.” She gestured toward the chaos. “Not just the marriage part but that.” She arched her brows at him. “I might be wrong but isn’t that what they need? To see you and me together, assuring them everything’s going to be okay?”
She didn’t miss the flash of relief on his face or the guilt he kept inside. He didn’t want this for her. For their beginning together, however brief it might be. Not just because of Raghnall but because of the prophecy.
“You take the lead, and I’ll follow,” she urged. Feeling her magic blooming more by the moment, she inhaled deeply and nodded. “I’ll know what to do when the time comes. I’m certain of it.”
“Ta?”
She gave him a reassuring smile. “Ta.”
As it turned out, shedidknow what to do as they entered the fray. When Declán rallied everyone into the courtyard closer to the tree, he stayed on his horse so all could see and spoke to his people with more passion than she thought possible. She stayed by his side on Caith with her hand on the hilt of her dagger as he explained everything. More than she thought he would.
Everything from start to finish with admirable honesty.
It said a lot. Not only about how much his people cared about him but what she could expect from him going forward. The kind of man he really was.
Then he went on.
“Whilst my warriors,ourwarriors, knew my intentions, ye, my good people, were kept ignorant about much when I joined King Raghnall,” he said loud enough for all to hear as more and more gathered around. “Too much.” She felt his internal struggle. “I...”
When he paused, clearly unsure how he wanted to phrase things, she finally spoke up.
“Everything King Declán did was for you,” she said, knowing her conviction rang true. Despite his claim it was all for her, he couldn’t love her if he hadn’t loved Ireland first. His people first. The fate of all that matters most to him.
And she said as much.
Then she told her tale from the beginning. One much like Queen Madison’s, or Druidess Madison’s, as many called her. She told them who she was. What made her the woman standing in front of them today. Her love for drawing. The wild adventures she’d had.
And it turned out Madison and Declán were right.
Once she started talking, her inner druidess took over, and she felt comfortable. At home. Eager to ease the worried faces watching her. Wondering what came next.
She kept things as vague as possible, so she didn’t mess up history too much, but truth be told, these people were part of an untold history, so she suspected she wouldn’t cause that much trouble.
