Chapter 35: Chapter Fourteen

ADA

We lay in bed, twisted together. Having our own home was much better than sharing it with four smelly, obnoxious men.

Cayden started telling me about something he had heard by the boatyard this morning, but I could barely keep my eyes open. The last thing I remember feeling before falling asleep was Cayden kissing my lips.

~I found myself traveling the woods again. It was even colder and darker than before. My pregnant stomach was replaced by a baby boy in my arms. He was crying.~

~I spoke to him in the same soothing tone that my mother once did to me, but it did not seem to help. He was cold. I wrapped him in my cape and searched for an opening in the woods.~

~Leaves crunched behind me, as if someone was following. I started walking faster and tried my best to quiet my son. The crunch followed faster behind me. It was getting louder and louder.~

~I began yelling for Cayden as I ran now, through the dark forest. I sought shelter behind a tree, throwing a large stick across the forest to confuse whatever was following us.~

~Then the footsteps stopped. I took a deep breath and peered around the corner of the tree. All I could see was darkness, when suddenly a faceless man appeared, about to plunge a knife into my child.~

“Ada.” Cayden was gently nudging me. “Ada!”

Tears were running down my face as I opened my eyes to see I was back in our bedroom. Cayden was next to me, still holding me in his arms.

I looked down to see my stomach still swollen, and the baby moved as if to tell me it was okay.

“It was just a dream, Ada,” Cayden assured me, drawing me into his chest. I tried to control my breathing, taking deep breaths one at a time.

But every time I closed my eyes, the scene replayed in my mind. When I finally could, I told Cayden of my dream, begging him not to leave me tonight. He promised he would not.

Cayden kept his word, sending for someone to bring dinner to the house that evening. He also sent word to Muireann that I was feeling ill and that he would stay with me.

She didn’t protest and sent a bounty of food. We sat at the table, sharing our meal, and I envisioned our future days together here ending this way.

“Those men that attacked us in the woods. What did you find out about them?” I asked him.

He paused for a moment before answering, and in his usual Cayden fashion, gave me the smallest amount of information as possible. “Nothing. They were travelers, and we were their unlucky prey.”

“No one in town recognized them?”

“They were not part of any of the boats, nor did the men know them.”

Frowning, I muttered, “That is strange…”

As if sensing that my questioning would persist, Cayden looked at me. “Ada, the forest and road outside of Dundalk is a dangerous one. It always has been. That’s why we barely rested on the way here.”

What he was saying made sense, but a part of me couldn’t help thinking he was holding something back. I opened my mouth to ask another question and he looked at me in exasperation.

“You have nothing to fear with me here. Since the day we first met, I gave you my word I would protect you. Tomorrow, you will become my wife, and the gods will only strengthen that promise.”

That was the end of the conversation about the men; I did not wish to spoil his kind words or the eve of our wedding. I spent the rest of the evening asking Cayden to tell me what to expect for tomorrow.

***

The next morning, we were awakened by Muireann and a flock of people holding different things for the house. They brought in garlands, flowers, plates of food, and barrels of ale.

Muireann directed them around the house while she dusted every surface she passed. Cayden sat up in bed, rubbing his face.

He unenthusiastically looked around at the people surrounding us and helped me sit up. I noticed one of the men staring at me, at my chest.

I looked down and realized my nightgown was a little more see-through in the daylight. Cayden noticed the man’s gaze and pulled the blanket up around me.

He said something in Danish to the man, and I could feel my cheeks growing red. “Mother. The sun has not even risen,” he said, voice grainy with sleep.

“We have a lot to do. You only gave me a day to prepare for your wedding. If there is an issue, then the issue is with your late notice.” She playfully smacked his head.

“Cayden, you may stay here and get ready with your friends. Remember not to drink too much ale before the ceremony, or I am sure your bride will be upset.”

She shooed her helpers out of the room, holding up a robe for me to slip into. The woman was all about business today and crossing her seemed the last thing I wanted to do.

I got out of the warmth of our bed, making a sad face at Cayden. Muireann wrapped the robe around me and tied it in the front.

“I see my grandchild is growing,” she said as she rubbed my belly. “Let’s go. We have much to do, daughter-in-law!”

Cayden smiled as his mother dragged me out of the house, and I smiled back at him, knowing our wedding would be the next time we would be together.

We entered the great hall, where everything had been decorated beautifully. Garlands hung from the rafters with flowers everywhere they would fit.

People hurried all about the hall preparing food and arranging the tables. Muireann brought me to the back and into another room I had never been in before.

It was the living quarters for Barra’s family. The first room held a table and storage, and three other rooms connected to it.

I assumed two had been shared between the children and the other was for Barra and Muireann. Kyra exited one, just waking up when we arrived.

“Eat, you two. We will start washing soon and then get dressed.”

Kyra and I looked at each other. It was apparent that, just like her brother, she did not agree with the early morning.

“You ~really~ wish to marry into this family? There’s still time to escape,” Kyra grumbled while grabbing a biscuit.