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She smiled. “One you no doubt will have difficulty matching.”
He laughed. “I doubt that.”
They were a good match, their steps perfectly aligned and in rhythm. They spared no time for talking, their focus strictly on keeping a good gait. Only when dusk drew near did Trey slow them to a stop.
“We need to find shelter for the night,” he said.
“There is a grove of trees not far that would provide sufficient shelter.”
Trey nodded, and it wasn’t long after that they arrived at the secluded grove.
The circle of oak trees stood like alert sentinels, followed by another and another and another circle of oaks that eventually brought them to a small clearing.
“We may build a fire, but use only the broken branches and sticks on the ground. You must not break any branches off the oaks,” Bliss warned. “This is a scared grove and must be respected.”
“A sacred grove?” Trey asked.
“Aye, this land was once solely Pict territory, and many would come here to exchange vows or ask for help or simply seek a peaceful moment.”
“So this is like a church of sorts,” Trey said.
“To those who believe in our ways, aye it is.”
He released her hand and walked around the confined area. “The soaring height of the trees and the magnificent branches naked in preparation of winter’s rest make for an incredible roof and the thick trunks make for solid walls, and”—he nodded slowly—“it is peaceful here.”
“And safe,” she said. “The grove only welcomes those who know the way in.”
They went to work gathering wood and setting a campfire. Bliss spread out wool blankets on either side of the roaring flames, their cloaks serving as blankets.
After eating a light fare, they each stretched out on the blankets. Bliss wrapped her cloak snug around her and lay on her side, facing the fire.
Trey lay on his back, looking at the canopy of thick branches. “There is a soothing quietness about this place that calms the soul.”
“Why my people still seek its comfort.”
He turned on his side to face her. “People come here to exchange wedding vows?”
“Those who wish for a long, fulfilling life together, for vows exchanged in such a scared place are never broken.”
“The vows would be spoken as we exchanged ours?”
“Nay, it would be different.”
“How? Tell me what you would say if you exchanged vows here with me,” he said.
She felt a sudden desire to show him how it would be done, and so she spoke with love from the heart. “I take Trey MacAlpin as my husband. I give my heart to him and only him. And I will love him for all the days of my life and beyond.”
She heard him mumble but could not understand him. “What did you say?”
“The vows would then be sealed?”
“After the husband-to-be vowed his love, they would be sealed, and the vows honored, for I would not speak them here if I did not mean them.”
“I thought as much. And you would love the man who stood here beside you.”
“I would not bring him here if I didn’t,” she said.
“And you would never stop loving him?”
