But after that, she’d never seen him again, even though she’d gone out to the forest from time to time with her brother.
Mairead’s hand stopped upon an elder branch as the memory faded.‘This one, I think.’The branch was a dull grey color, and it seemed to warm beneath her fingers.
Alanna paused and said, ‘The elder will protect you from evil, yes.But you will need a strong guardian.’
Now, what did her cousin mean by that?She had no need of a guardian—she was surrounded by soldiers everywhere.Or possibly Alanna meant the man who would become her true love.‘My husband?’Mairead asked.
‘You will meet him soon,’ Alanna said.‘But not here.He is not one of us.’
It wasn’t entirely surprising.But the words seemed to burn through her as she thought of the boy again.He was probably a serf, but something about him haunted her still.
She needed to turn her attention towards someone who would actually gain her father’s approval.Perhaps one of the Normans from England.The idea of meeting a suitor with no connection to their people intrigued her.Her motherwas Norman, and so were her Uncle Ademar and Aunt Katherine.Mairead wondered if she could travel back to England with her cousin Velaria and find someone there.Was that what Alanna had meant?The idea held merit.
Her cousin was asking her to choose flowers to weave in with the elder branch, and Mairead interrupted her.‘Where will I meet him?’
The woman fully ignored her and repeated, ‘Choose.’
She sighed in frustration and selected dried heather, gorse, and yellow primroses.The bright colors made her smile as she arranged the May crown according to Alanna’s instructions.‘And look through it at dawn?’
Alanna shook her head.‘You will wear your crown two days’ hence, just after sunrise.And stay with Velaria.’
Two days from now?But that wasn’t the tradition at all.Why would Alanna say such a thing?May crowns were for the ceremony, and it made little sense.
‘But that’s after Bealtaine,’ Mairead argued.‘And it’s not what you told Sinead.’
Alanna once again ignored her, refusing to provide further information.Then she nodded to Velaria.‘It’s your turn now.’
With a sigh, Mairead took her branches and flowers, frowning as she took her place upon one of the stools.Her Aunt Katherine, Velaria’s mother, joined them and was standing just beyond the circle of women.Worry lined Katherine’s face, and Mairead watched mother and daughter closely.Her aunt’s expression held sadness, whereas Velaria appeared weary.
Her cousin had been gone for years, believed to be dead.And now that she’d returned from captivity in Constantinople, Velaria wasn’t the same young woman at all.There was a constant sadness that seemed to cloak her.
While Mairead wove the branches and flowers together, her own guilt magnified.She was starting to realize just how selfishly she’d behaved.She’d welcomed her cousin back with open arms, chattering on about Bealtaine and finding husbands.But the more she studied Velaria, the more she realized there was something in her that was broken.Mairead’s heart ached, and she found herself wanting to mend it.
She’d been so centered upon her own dreams, she hadn’t stopped to think of her cousin’s suffering.Velaria was brave and bold and had travelled across the world to come home, whereas Mairead was sheltered and spoiled.As the king’s only daughter, she’d never wanted for anything.
She knew nothing of the outside world.Nothing of pain or true suffering beyond heartbreak.And maybe it was time to crack open her shell and become stronger.
‘You have journeyed far,’ Alanna told Velaria, ‘but your travels are not over.’The older woman released Velaria’s hands, her face troubled.
Velaria ventured, ‘Should I choose a wood?’She touched each of the different branches and finally selected a rowan branch.
The silence was uncomfortable, so Mairead tried to ease it.‘What about her husband?’she asked.‘Tell Velaria about how she will meet him.’
It was a desperate attempt to lighten the mood, and she hoped Alanna would tell Velaria about Brian.Instead, her expression turned grim as she studied Velaria.‘There is darkness around you.Darkness and death.’She shuddered at her own words, and her tone grew morose.‘You will not find the happiness you seek.Not until you face what you fear most and overcome it.You must take your sword into the darkness and accept what you are.’
Mairead winced, wishing she’d never brought Velaria to see Alanna.Today was meant to be fun, a way of lifting her cousin’s spirits.And now, she’d made it so much worse.
Her aunt Katherine interrupted, ‘I think that’s enough.Velaria, choose some flowers and make your crown.’To Alanna, she warned, ‘This is not the time or place to tell such a fortune.’
Mairead wholeheartedly agreed.There was something about the woman’s predictions that unsettled her.But sometimes Alanna had a way of seeing things that weren’t quite of this world.
She left Velaria and Katherine to speak alone while she tried to think of a way to mend the damage she’d wrought to her cousin’s mood.Just as Velaria started to leave the Great Chamber, Mairead caught up to her and linked her arm with hers.‘It’s going to be all right, Velaria.’
Her cousin tried to smile, but it wasn’t real at all.Mairead guided her back outside.‘I know what will lift your spirits.’Right now, they both needed a distraction.And she knew exactly where to find it.
As they passed a servant, she handed her cousin a cup of mead and took one for herself.The fermented beverage would help both of them relax.
‘Where are we going?’Velaria asked.
