“I hae never thought of it that way,” Rhys admitted, and seemed to be considering Caitlin with a little more cordiality.
“Aye, well neither dae my brothers. I think it’s a trait among ye men that ye try tae gae for the biggest and baddest all the time. Sometimes ye need a lass tae show ye the way.”
“We’ll see about that,” Rhys said. “Dae ye hae any other surprises for me?”
“Well, if I told ye now there would hardly be any surprises, would there? And I’d hate tae deprive ye of the experience of finding out.”
She took another sip of ale, but decided she would stop then as she was already feeling lightheaded and didn’t want to be seen as without poise or etiquette. Rhys didn’t seem to be drinking much either after they started talking, and she took this to be a good sign.
“Dae ye always show ye brothers the way?” he asked.
“Oh aye, I hae tae! If I didnae then I dinnae ken what kind of trouble they’d be getting themselves intae! I’m the eldest after all, aye, it’ll be a shame leaving the four of them behind tae fend for themselves.” She let a moment of wistful longing creep into her voice as she was reminded of how much she was leaving behind. The wedding was taking place at her home, but the rest of her life would be lived elsewhere.
“Four?!” Rhys stated in disbelief. “I hae two and they’re enough of a handful. Sometimes it’s all I can dae tae stop myself from cracking their heads taegether! I dinnae ken how ye can handle four.”
“With a lot of patience,” Caitlin replied. “Perhaps I can help ye keep ye brothers in line.”
“Yes, perhaps ye can,” Rhys said, and a thoughtful look came upon his face. He lowered his voice. “Were ye surprised when ye da told ye of the agreement?”
“Aye. But happy. Tae many people hae died already. I think people will appreciate peace...lasting peace.” She fingered the ring around her neck again. “I think I like the idea that we will gae down in history as the first two members of a new clan, bringing the two families taegether and ending an eternity of war.”
Rhys pondered her words for a few moments, so Caitlin continued to fill the silence. “Have ye ever wondered how it all started in the first place? Naebody really seems tae know for sure.”
“I was told it was over territory. Your clan wanted a piece of land that was rightfully ours, and ye wouldnae let us have it.” A sharp hostility entered Rhys’s voice and Caitlin regretted asking the question. It wasn’t going to be easy to bridge the differences between the clans. She kept herself calm to ensure she did not instigate an argument.
“Our story is that two men fought over a woman, and in the end, they just kept fighting and never stopped. I suppose we’ll never know the truth. And it doesn’t matter since the fighting is gaeing tae be over anyway.”
“Aye, it’s funny, really. I always assumed I would grow up tae be a warrior like my da.”
“Hae ye ever been in battle?”
Rhys’s expression turned dark.
“Nae yet. A few duels here and there, but never a full-on battle. Da hasn’t thought I was ready, but I hae been for years.” Shadows fell over his face, but then he seemed to brighten. “I suppose I’ll hae tae console myself with hunting stags and boars…and squirrels,” he said with a quick smile. Caitlin giggled as they settled into a rhythm of conversation. She actually found him quite quick-witted with a wry sense of humor, and she started to think that this might not be so bad after all.
The evening passed swiftly and the rambunctious noise of the feast faded into the background as Caitlin lost herself in the pleasant act of talking with Rhys. It was so comfortable, in fact, that she was surprised they had only known each other for a matter of hours. There was a slight lull in the conversation and she took the opportunity to look around, appreciating the crowd.
“It makes ye wonder, why couldn’t this hae happened a long time ago? Look, everyone is in good spirits and getting on with each other. Ye would hardly believe that these people hae spent a lifetime hating each other,” she mused, mostly to herself, but of course, Rhys overheard. He didn’t say anything in reply, but the mood was perhaps embodied best by how deeply Bryn and Malcolm were in conversation. The two estranged childhood friends were boasting loudly about old conflicts from their youth, making a lot of people laugh.
Once people’s bellies were full, the minstrels increased their volume and struck up a merry tune. People started to flock to the dance floor and work off their meals. The music was lulling and Caitlin found herself tapping her foot to the beat. She looked at Rhys, whose head was bobbing. She grabbed his hand and tugged him up, urging him to come onto the dance floor. But she might as well have tried to move a rock. Her strength was nothing compared to his and he remained sitting down.
“I’m nae a dancer,” he said.
“Oh get away with ye! There’s naething tae it! Ye just move ye body tae the rhythm of the music. Come on, people will be expecting us tae hae at least one dance anyway,” she said. Rhys sighed reluctantly and got up. Caitlin moved to the middle of the room and began to sway in time with the music. Rhys stood there as tall as an oak tree, looking awkward as he moved from side to side. When Caitlin danced around him and he didn’t move, she rolled her eyes and pouted, then directed him to give her his hands.
“Watch my feet,” she said, and started to show
