“I can never forgive them for that. When I left she begged me nae tae gae. She pleaded with me, but I knew we’d lose if I wasnae there tae inspire the men. She promised that she’d wait for me. I promised that I would be back before the babies came, but neither of us kept our promises, and it was all because of Bryn. He laid a deadly trap and it took us hours tae escape. While I was fighting for my life ye ma was losing hers. Deep in my heart, I knew that something was wrong. I could feel it.” He jabbed his fingers into the middle of his chest. “I wanted tae believe it was something else, but when I returned home and saw her…I swore then that I would hae my vengeance on him. So dinnae ye talk tae me about leaving them alive or changing the plan. I hae been thinking on this ever since yer brothers were born. I am gaeing tae take everything from him. I’m gaeing tae watch as his clan crumbles.” Malcolm closed his fist. “And then I’m gaeing tae kill him.”
His words dripped with malevolence and poison. He looked like a dark demon and Rhys shivered with fear. Malcolm lifted his head, and his gaze rose to meet Rhys’s eyes.
“And I’ll kill everyone who stands in my way,” Malcolm added. “We are Frasiers, and we bow tae naeone. If ye dinnae think ye can handle that responsibility then ye can take the maiden’s name and ye can die with the rest of them,” Malcolm spat. “But ye are my son. I expect ye tae dae as ye are told.”
“Yes Da,” Rhys said, having to force the words out. He left his father’s company swiftly and spent the rest of the morning by himself. Now he was standing there, waiting to be married, knowing that his father had brutal and deadly plans for everyone in attendance. There was no stopping him, no convincing him, and Rhys was at a loss for what to do. He knew that he couldn’t go through with the plan, but he also had no idea how he could stop it. His mind whirled and he looked to the sky for answers, but none presented themselves.
He was finally given respite from his tormented mind by Caitlin’s arrival. He heard the cheers and the minstrel’s jaunty tune, and then he laid his gaze upon her. His breath was taken away in an instant. She was the very picture of beauty. The dress sparkled and shimmered in a way that made it look as though it was alive, but it was only beautiful because it had been draped upon Caitlin’s body. Her smile was radiant and the flowers in her hair spoke to her wild spirit. It was almost impossible to believe that this was the same girl who had won an axe-throwing competition against Black Pete, but it was. There were so many distinct sides to her personality and he had only been exposed to a select few. The best was yet to come, and he looked forward to learning everything about her. There was a moment when his smile faded as he looked at her family and knew that in a short amount of time the Frasier clan would declare an unexpected war and break the treaty that was sealed by the marriage.
But Rhys forced the smile to appear on his face again. He summoned all the courage he could in his heart and vowed to himself that he would find some way to stop it and keep her safe. He would do it for her. He would do anything for her.
Bryn led her to Rhys.
“Take care of her, lad,” he said. Rhys nodded, and then he turned his eyes to Caitlin.
“Ye look sae beautiful.” He smiled widely and took her soft hand in his, feeling his entire body respond to her presence. Although there were hundreds of people in attendance, they all faded away into the distance. There was only her.
Caitlin responded with a smile of her own, a genuine smile. It took all his resistance to not sweep her in his arms there and then and take her away somewhere else, so they could be alone.
The priest stood in between them and allowed them a private moment before he announced the ceremony to the crowd. Rhys barely paid attention to him though. Everything apart from her was a blur. She was the only thing that provided him with clarity. He drowned in the scent of lilacs.
Thankfully, his mind worked subconsciously and ensured that he did everything he needed to do and say everything he needed to say. The vows came easily to him. He was prepared to promise her everything. In a way, he already had. As far as he was concerned, she had won him on that first night with the fleeting kiss that had left him wanting more.
The only moment of hesitation he experienced was when he had to vow that he would always be honest with her. She looked at him with wide, adoring eyes, and it hurt him terribly to know that he was going to have to break her heart. But he made the vow anyway because he was going to be honest with her, as soon as he had an opportune moment to tell her the truth. He only hoped that it wouldn’t lead to her hating him.
It warmed his heart when Caitlin vowed herself to him. They sealed their solemn promises with a kiss and the members of both clans cheered. The priest tied a ribbon around their wrists, binding their hands together. Not only was the marriage sealed, but the treaty was too. As they walked away they were congratulated on ushering
