- It wasn't your fault. - said by cutting Alec's line of reasoning. - Roy is the villain of all that. He's greedy. The men who did that would have attacked Cora with or without her presence.
- My mother said exactly that to me and my father. She had the brilliant idea of sending me to a monastery to start my studies in politics, arts and other things that would keep my mind busy. That's how I got the brilliant idea to infiltrate a group of mercenaries. - Alec smiled, grabbing another strand of hair and concentrating. - I had heard that MacGregor was recruiting men and that he paid very well. I managed to join Oliver's group and spent months getting used to it, studying and improving myself as a mercenary.
- MacGregor never suspected? - I asked.
- No. He just sent the money and never interacted with men.
- That's Roy's face. He's nothing but a coward.
- Exactly! - he laughed. - Lucky for me, because of the time I was trapped in the castle, I was unrecognizable because of my beard and very long hair. Even though his hair was shorter, Oliver recognized me.
- All right! All right! Alec, who's Morvan?
Alec stopped for a moment and stared at one of the tent walls.
- It was one of the men who killed my sister. - he threw the towel on the table. - Where's the comb?
- In the trunk.
He went to the trunk and picked up my wooden comb, a gift from Keilan that I kept lovingly.
- It was well known that Bruce was leading the hunt for mercenaries. Morvan and the brother had joined us that day and I saw my chance for revenge arise. I found out where Bruce would be and took my entire group straight into a trap. That night, everyone was attacked with nowhere to run. It was a real massacre. - Alec took a break before he went on and let out a laugh. - I just watched from afar, waiting until the two men I wanted were in the crosshairs of my bow. Oliver understood and attacked me. That's how Bruce discovered me among the soldiers.
- What happened to the brothers? Did you kill them?
- I lost sight of them. Before leaving, Bruce gave me a sermon and took Morvan's brother, whom he had captured, to Dunhill. He said he'd be tried, but I believe the man was killed in a cruel way. - Alec paused and looked on. - Morvan's escaped and we don't know where he is. I thought Oliver could tell me.
- Does Bruce know?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- And Alistair?
- Alistair knows nothing about it and Bruce swore to keep it a secret, but said I should tell him when it was all over.
- I agree with him!
Alec breathed another sigh and finished braiding my hair.
- I know I'm a monster and I'm sorry for most of my actions! - he said in a low tone. - It was the only way I could find to redeem myself from my sins.
- Sinning even more? - and Alec shook his head from side to side. - Look, it wasn't your fault and you'll have to accept that in an hour.
Standing up, I put Alec's face in my hands.
- Don't ever say you're a monster again! - I reprimanded him. - I'm sure Cora would hate to know that she feels this way, so don't punish yourself any more than you've already punished yourself. I'll help you find this Morvan and give him the punishment he deserves.
Alec smiled holding my hands and leaned her forehead against mine.
- Thanks for listening to me! - he whispered closing his eyes.
- No, that's why! - I answered, also closing my eyes.
We remain silent for a few moments. Time seemed to stop around us and everything turned into silence. I gradually realized that Alec's soul was as tormented as mine. He was broken too. We had a lot more in common than I could have imagined and there was no certainty that one day we would recover. If at some point in our lives, the shards would be together again and we would become complete again. A noise caused us to move away.
- I'm sorry to interrupt, but do you have a priest out here saying he's here to celebrate a wedding? - Keilan said with a frown and a confused voice. - Who the hell's getting married?
Alec smiled looking at me.
- Oh, me! - he answered.
- Is that so? - Keilan said ironically. - And who can I find out with?
- With me!
Alec laughed at Keilan's cough access and slapped him on the back several times.
- Stop it, man! - he mocked Keilan. - It's just business. I promise I'll explain later.
- I think it's really good! - Keilan said taking a deep breath.
- So, you want to be our best man? - I asked with an ironic smile.
Keilan took a deep breath.
- I don't know what you're up to, but it would be a great honor!
Chapter 14
Alec
The ceremony was simple, held only in the presence of Keilan and away from the eyes of the soldiers. It wasn't exactly what my mother dreamed of for my wedding, because, I'm sure, she was thinking of a big banquet. We tried as
