- Can somebody tell me what's going on? - Alistair insisted.
- My brother... - said I slapped him on the shoulder. - This is a long story. I just hope there's a happy ending.
Chapter 20
Bree
- So that's what happened? - Aideen asked, making a face of wonder. - Was it because of Ravenna and Roy that you disappeared all those years?
- Yeah. - I whispered. - Ravenna made me believe he'd kill them if I told the MacCalisters what had happened. She feared being arrested for conspiracy and treason.
I walked around the room where we were. It was Dunhill's main hall. I've never been in that castle before, because Ravenna confined us to Inverness. My life, practically all of it, was built behind those walls. Despite all the suffering she had caused us, I must admit that fleeing and living with an army was the most liberating experience I had ever had.
- Still, that's unfair! - has stirred up Aileen. - I could have sent a letter telling you I was alive. What you did was inhuman!
- Aileen, try to understand. Please, please, please, please, please, please! - I said with a voice embargoed. - Everything I did was to protect them.
- Protect? To us? - she said ironically. - It was to protect herself and her sordid revenge.
- No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
- Yes! - She screamed. - If Roy thought she was dead, you could get to her without a problem and kill him. The problem is, you didn't consider our suffering. Our pain. Aideen was weakened by what had happened and the constant humiliations, and blamed herself for her banishment.
- Stop it, Aileen! - I asked with a firm voice. - You don't know what you're saying.
Aileen came up to me. She was out of control and anger overflowed from her eyes.
- I had to console Aideen while pretending to be dead!
- I'm not the one who lied! - I screamed, grabbing Aileen's throat and throwing her against the wall. - I'm not the one who took advantage of the fact that I'm the favorite, am I? Spoiled girl!
- Stop! - She asked for no breath. - Aila, you're hurting me!
- Aila! - Alec screamed in the room. - Let her go!
Alec grabbed my waist and took me away from Aileen. She coughed up looking at me with contempt and fury. Alistair came in behind him and hugged Aideen who was terrified because of our discussion. She always paralyzed when Aideen and I fought.
- I'm not a spoiled one! - Aileen said between one cough and another. - It was you who chose to abandon us. You've always been jealous of me.
- I would never abandon you! - I screamed in tears. - I would die for you and that's what almost happened. I almost die in that damn dungeon, you ungrateful bastard!
- What... - Aileen choked. - What do you mean by that?
Alec turned me around so I'd stare at him and hugged me.
- Shii! - he whispered passing his hands on my hair. - Ravenna threatened to beat you for telling Aila about Aideen's rape. She offered to placate her mother's anger that her plan had not worked out and still lost her lover. Aila was beaten for days straight until she was sent to Edinburgh.
- No. You're wrong. - Aileen replied. - Aila was sent to Gretna Green the day after the fight against Roy. My mother had said that she needed to learn some ways and that the nuns would do a better job than hers. I didn't agree to that and Aideen was terrible about your departure.
- Ravenna lied to you. - Alec said. - Aila has lived in hiding believing that Ravenna could do something to you if she found out she was alive. Only Sinclair and I knew who Bree was.
Alec pulled me away from him and took a deep breath.
- Show them what you showed me. - he said smiling.
- They're horrible! - I declared in tears.
- I know that, but they're for survival.
Settling down, I began to loosen the restraints on the leather armbands. Alec helped me pull out one at a time very carefully. He knew that sometimes I still felt pain. I slowly turned around showing the burn marks on the shackles.
- That's what I got for switching places with you, Aileen. - said sniffling. - These aren't the only ones. The ones on the back are the worst and still hurt a lot more.
Aileen approached slowly. Aideen put her hand on one of my wrists and covered her mouth with the other.
- Jesus! What are those scars? - Aideen asked with tears in her eyes.
- They're fetters burns. - Alec answered.
- Grilhão? - Aileen sighed in amazement. - To hurt them to the point of leaving marks you must...
- Several days in that dungeon. - I whispered. - Even knowing that her punishment would be less painful, I preferred not to risk it and asked her to take her anger
