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kitchen
Lachlan’s wife Alyce caught her by the arm.
    “Zia needs your help,” Alyce said and tossed
a heavy wool cloak to her.
    Honora draped it over her shoulders as she
followed her sister-in-law out of the keep. She had no siblings,
and so her three sister-in-laws had become true sisters to her.
Carissa, Ronan’s wife joined them along the way.
    “I heard Zia needed help,” Carissa said.
    “Not sure what it’s about,” Alyce said. “I
only know it’s urgent.”
    They hurried along knowing Zia well enough to
know that urgent meant a serious matter and in no time they were at
Zia’s healing cottage.
    Usually calm and confident, it was surprising
to see Zia, her long red hair with blond streaks flying wildly
about her and her green eyes aglow with worry.
    Alyce, the most analytical of them took hold
of her arm and spoke calmly. “Tell us what’s wrong and we’ll
help.”
    “Holly, the young girl who arrived here with
her husband Patrick only a few days ago and about ready to give
birth has gone into labor. She’s been having some problems, and I
fear she may bleed more than she should. I have searched my entire
cottage and can find no root plant to help stem the bleeding. And I
have no time to go collect some.”
    “I’ll go get what you need,” Alyce
offered.
    At that moment a servant came running into
the cottage upset. It seemed there was a mishap in the kitchen and
Roark and Ryan needed immediate attention. Alyce and Carissa went
running.
    Zia grabbed her healing basket, she kept in
readiness by the door, and stopped to cast pleading eyes at
Honora.
    “Don’t worry. I’ll get Neddie to help me find
what you need.”
    “You’ll need to hurry,” Zia said and was out
the door.
    Honora didn’t waste a moment. She found
Neddie, Zia’s helper and they were soon hurrying across the snow
covered moors to the woods. Gray clouds and bitter cold warned of
more snow, so the two women hurried along, not wanting to get
caught in a storm.
    In no time, Neddie found the root plant, and
she and Honora used thick sticks and flat stones to dig up several.
They filled the basket to be certain they had enough.
    When they were all done they turned with a
flourish eager to be on their way, stopped with a sudden jolt and
screamed.
    ~~~
    Cavan wrapped his chilled hands around a
tankard of hot cider, his brothers joining him at the table in the
far corner of the great hall, out of the way of the chaos. He
searched the frantic scene for a glimpse of his wife and not seeing
her thought she was probably still with the children in the
kitchen. As soon as he finished here with his brothers he would
find her. He had an uneasy feeling, especially since when outside
with his brothers he had thought for sure he had heard her call out
to him. And not a simple shout but a fearful one, and it had
troubled him. It was one of the reasons why he had suggested they
return to the hall, to look for his wife and that the weather had
turned bitter cold, puffs of smoke accenting every word.
    “Hagen’s a good man,” Lachlan said
reiterating what they all thought.
    “Yet you object to the marriage?” Cavan
asked.
    “I don’t think it is that we object,” Artair
said. “I believe it is simply difficult for us to accept that
mother loves another man, that Christmas was special to father, and
she weds another on that day.”
    “Father always did enjoy the day,” Ronan said
with a smile. “Remember how he would sing the loudest when the
villagers gathered around the bonfire?”
    “And how he would warn us with a twinkle in
his eyes that if we dared let the Yule log go cold on Christmas Eve
the elves would come down the chimney and create havoc,” Lachlan
said with a laugh.
    The four brothers turned silent, the loving
memories having them missing their father.
    Cavan finally spoke up. “I think father would
be pleased that mum was getting married on such a special day. She
has been alone long enough.”
    “She has us and the