The journey through the twisting hallways of the great stone building had been silent. All in the party were still hurting from the confrontation in the hall. Ashling wasn't sure where anyone stood. Declan's shoulders were tense, his fist balled showing the thin grip he held over his temper. Seamus was more composed, his face impassive save for the slightest frown and furrow of his brow.
Ashling herself was conflicted. She had been so excited to meet this mysterious family member Eoin had told her about. So much so that she had completely forgotten that she should mention it to her brothers, a fact that she felt unendingly horrendous about. However, now that she had met Maire, her father's mother, she almost wished she never had.
The woman had spoken kindly to her, but the way she had spoken to her brothers was so cold and distant, it made her second guess exactly how this woman truly treated people.
Her father had been a kind man, if not a little reserved. She had difficulty understanding how a man like that had been raised by a woman like Maire. Maybe her husband had the same disposition as her son.
"Ashling, you will sleep here," were the first words spoken when they came to a stop in front of another large wooden door. Maire didn't even turn to look at her, simply paused to point to the door and then continued. "The boys will follow me further down the hall."
Ashling stopped by her door and watched her brothers continue to trudge down the hallway. Declan looked back quickly over his shoulder, silently asking if she was ok. She smiled back at him in reassurance before watching him and Declan disappear around a corner.
"Are you doing alright, love?" The question made her jump. She had forgotten that Eoin had been walking behind her the entire time and had not followed the others. Turning, she saw that he stood right behind her, leaning against the wall near the door she had been directed to.
The hallways were slightly darker than the bright dining hall had been due to the smaller space and shadows passed along Eoin's face making him look all the more striking.
"I'm fine…" she started, before seeing Eoin's eyebrow rise in question, clearly not believing her. Ashling realized that she would not be getting out of talking about it. "Just shocked, I guess. She's not exactly what I was expecting."
"Maire is a tad harsh sometimes," Eoin agreed, moving to open the door and gently herd her inside. " Give her some time, though. She might grow on you."
"She was perfectly pleasant to me, I suppose. But, I can't get over the way she spoke to my brothers." The inside of the room was spacious and bright, two large windows stood on either side of a large king-sized bed. She had almost expected the furniture to be as ancient as the fortress itself and was surprised to see that it was very modern.
The furniture was dark-stained wood and looked solid and handmade. The bedding was a mix of white and ivory with a knitted duvet cover that Ashling wanted nothing more than to crawl into. Off to the right of the bed was a wardrobe and to the left, there were two huge bookcases filled with leather-bound tomes. She filed away the thought of exploring what was in those books later. A little room was situated next to the bookshelves which was a bathroom, judging by the tile flooring she could see the beginnings of beyond the stone floor of the bedroom.
"I don't think I will ever get used to this," Ashling said, blatantly gawking at the room around her. She felt like a princess. She heard Eoin chuckle behind her before his form filled her vision as he moved to stand in front of her.
"I know things have been difficult today and will probably continue to be as you get settled," Eoin said, raising a hand to rest on the juncture between her neck and shoulder, squeezing ever so gently in a way that made her knees feel a bit jelly-like. "But, I am here for whatever you need."
A shuddering breath escaped her lungs as she attempted to wrangle her thoughts back into the realm of appropriateness. She swore he was trying to kill her. "You had mentioned your favorite spots in the village."
"I had," he answered, taking another slight step forward. "Would you like me to show you tomorrow?" She chose to nod rather than risk attempting to form a coherent sentence. She was a relatively intelligent woman, but whenever Eoin was this close, her brain turned to mush.
"Alright then, it's a date." Eoin agreed, before leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek before pulling back. "I will come to get you in the morning for breakfast and then we will escape before Maire tries to get her hands on you. She will want to start your training right away, but I think there is nothing wrong with exploring a bit first!"
He walked towards the door, leaving a stunned Ashling in his wake. Pausing as he opened the door, he turned back to throw a crooked smile over his shoulder and a quick "Sweet dreams, love" before closing the door behind him. Good god, that man does things to her.
Shaking herself out of her Eoin-induced stupor, she suddenly felt exhaustion slam through her body. The bed and duvet called out to her like an old friend and, despite the sun which still hung low in the sky, she decided that sleep was exactly what she needed. Hopefully, tomorrow will prove to be a much better day.
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Eoin left Ashling to rest and began to weave through the passageways of the fortress toward the exit, feeling lighter than he had during the confrontation in the hall. He had known Maire his whole life and even he had been surprised when she had ordered himself and Eamon to withhold all information regarding her from Ashling (and by extension, Ashling's previously unknown siblings). She didn't explain her motives to him, claiming that it was her family and her call to make. The whole situation struck him as odd and left him with more questions than answers.
Speaking of Eamon, something was going on there. He had never seen his friend become attached so quickly to someone like he seems to be with Cian. He had a sneaking suspicion, but what would be the chances that Cian and Eamon were anamchara? He was fully aware of how blessed he was with knowing his whole life that he would eventually find Ashling due to the prophecy. But, could it be possible that Eamon had found his as well? Maybe the McCoubrie siblings were destined for more than just fighting the darkness.
Almost as if he had summoned them, he saw Eamon and Cian pass through the intersection of the hallway in front of him. Cian looked exhausted, dark circles under his hooded eyes. Eamon had an arm around the smaller man's shoulders, pressing him close and guiding him down the hall, concern written across his face.
"Eamon," Eoin called. The duo stopped and turned to meet him. He walked to meet the two, not trusting that Cian wouldn't fall over if he had to walk too much farther. "Is everything ok?"
He saw Eamon heave a heavy sigh, sparing a glance at Cian before meeting his friend's gaze. "They will be, I hope. Just a lot all at once." Cian didn't even acknowledge that Eoin existed, staring down at his shoes.
"We should talk later?" It was partly a question and partly a request. Eoin had some questions for his friend.
"Yes, we definitely should. I need to get him to rest first." Eamon then turned, gently taking Cian with him before resuming their trek down the hall towards more guest chambers.
Yes, Eoin mused, things were definitely about to change around here.