*
In the greathall, Ailis sat beside Moira at the supper table, venison and freshly baked bread tantalizing their senses. The flickering candlelight showcased Lucas’s annoyance as he confronted the sisters.
“Tell me,” Lucas began sharply, “do ye truly believe any man would take to wife a lass who can best him in feats of strength and skill?” His eyes challenged Ailis’s composure.
Ailis met his gaze, a smile disguising the tension between them. She shared a glance with Moira, whose eyes gleamed with mischief.
“Lucas,” Ailis replied, measured words hiding the turmoil within, “a true marriage is a partnership of equals. If a man’s pride is so fragile that it cannot withstand the talents of his lady, then perhaps it is not a match forged by destiny.” She shook her head. “I worry for whomever ye take to wife, Lucas. Is she allowed to have any skills of which ye dinnae approve?”
Next to her, Moira laughed. “Indeed,” she added, “we seek not to diminish our suitors, but to rise alongside them. Strength recognizes strength. Do ye not see us as strong, capable women?”
Lucas, Horas, and Bearnard exchanged incredulous glances, taken aback by the sisters’ response. Their confidence wavered as Ailis and Moira’s unwavering resolve challenged their perception of women’s roles. The flickering torches cast dancing shadows across the hall, mirroring the shifting dynamics at play.
Horas cleared his throat, attempting to regain his composure. “Ye jest, lasses,” he scoffed, his voice betraying a hint of uncertainty. “Men seek women who need protection and guidance, not those who can outshine them in every endeavor.”
Ailis raised an eyebrow at his words, a playful glint in her emerald eyes. “Oh, Horas, are ye suggesting that a woman’s worth lies solely in her need for protection? Are we to be delicate flowers, wilting under the weight of a man’s expectations?”
Moira’s laughter rang out like silver bells in the night air. “We shall not diminish ourselves to fit into the box ye have crafted for us, sirs,” she declared. “We are McAfee women,strong and capable in our own right. If that intimidates ye, then perhaps ye are not worthy of our company.”
The voices around them fell silent, the crackling of the hearth the only sound permeating the tension that hung thick in the air. Ailis stood gracefully, her every movement exuding quiet defiance.
“We are not seeking protection, sirs,” Ailis insisted, addressing Horas, Lucas, and Bearnard. “We seek respect, partnership, and understanding. If those qualities elude ye, then we bid ye good morrow.”
With a graceful nod to Moira by her side, Ailis turned on her heel and led the way out of the great hall, her head held high and her spirit unbroken. The echo of their laughter followed them out, a melody of independence and strength that resonated through the stone walls of the castle. The flickering torches cast long shadows that danced along the corridor, a silent testament to the fire within the McAfee sisters.
*
Horas, Lucas, andBearnard watched in stunned silence as Ailis and Moira departed. The aroma of the feast still hung around them, mingling with the tension that now gripped the hall.
“We cannot let them slip through our fingers,” Horas finally spoke, his voice tinged with desperation. “They are slipping away from us. I feel that we need to be more understanding of their chosen pursuits, and not let them know we think they are never going to be able to find men. Me father wants me to marry one of them.”
Lucas nodded slowly, furrowing his brows. “Aye, they are not like any other women we have encountered. Their spirit is as untamed as the winds.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, me fatherwants me to marry one of them as well. Me father will not get his way in this.”
Bearnard’s gaze followed the retreating forms of Ailis and Moira, a flicker of admiration in his eyes. “Perhaps we have underestimated them,” he mused.
Their laughter, like a cascade of silver bells, lingered in the air.
Horas squared his shoulders, his expression a mask of determination. “We must show them that our intentions are sincere, that our desire to protect stems from a place of love. We should have been working on our acting skills, not our warrior skills.”
Lucas nodded, his rugged features softened by a hint of vulnerability. “Aye, we have erred in underestimating the depth of their spirit. It is not weakness they seek but understanding and equality.”
Bearnard’s gaze lingered on the doorway through which Ailis and Moira had vanished, his thoughts a whirlwind of contemplation. “We must prove ourselves worthy of their trust and respect. Actions shall speak louder than words.”
“Ye are right,” Horas replied. “I just have one question.”
“What’s that?” Lucas asked.
“What will we do if one of them actually agrees to marry one of us? Will we be able to handle them?”
Lucas laughed. “They are mere women! They will follow our orders as all women do.”
“Have ye met them?” Bearnard asked.
