Chapter 41

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England, 1245

The morning sun warmed his face as he snuggled deep between the sheets. In the back of his mind he was going to strangle Aidan for drawing his curtains and letting sunlight into his room. He didn't want it.

Suddenly an unforgettable scent passed his nose that he strongly inhaled followed by something warm and soft gliding down his nose.

He frowned.

Again, it softly made its descent on the bridge of his nose and it forced his eyes to slowly open.

He layed still squinting at the bright rays of the sun pouring in through the window and casting the shadow of a silhouetted face before him. Slowly his vision cleared and focused on the most beautiful eyes and smile he swore to never forget.

Gorgeous amber eyes filled with life, love and a hint of mischief smiled back at him as she lowered her head and pressed her lips to his. He froze.

He felt her warm soft lips press to his. He stared in awe at her as she leaned back with a smile.

"Good Morning" she whispered softly to him.

He swallowed hard but said nothing. His heart furiously thrumbed in his chest as he stared at her. Shakey hands raised to confirm he was not going mad and with a breath of relief they touched soft delicate skin.

He still said nothing.

He just absorbed her presence as she stared lovingly down at him. His callused hands gently touched her cheek.

Swiftly he raised up as her eyes widened and he pulled her close claiming her lips in a passionate kiss that went soul deep.

He glided her down gently above the pillows until she lay beneath him. Her lips were warm, her tongue velvety soft and sweet. The most alluring sounds escaped her as he deepened the kiss.

He could feel her fingers caress his skin and he trembled with need for her.

He pulled his head back and stared down into her beautiful face.

She raised her finger and traced his jaw. He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them.

"I love you," she whispered cupping his cheek.

"And I love you," he said staring at her like the most precious thing he laid his eyes upon.

No words were spoken as he gazed into her eyes.
It was that unspoken sign of love and desire that moved him closer to her. It was that unspoken sign of need that had her thighs lovingly circle his waist.

With devotion and care he gently buried himself inside her. Her whimper was ecstacy to his ears as he held her close and nuzzled his lips near her ears whispered words of endearment and made passionate love to her.

Moments later sated and complete he lay with her cradled in his arms as they stare into eachothers eyes.

The faint sounds of a bell rang. Once. Twice. Three times.

Her fingers grazed his jaw. He looked at her.

"Its time I must leave." she said softly.

He lovingly pressed his forehead to hers.

"Stay," he swallowed past the lump in his throat.

He watched her slowly sit up. At her leisure their kiss was one to last him an eternity.

She stood and he quickly reached for her hand. He held her there reluctant to let her go. Beautiful breathtaking light shined around her. Fascinated by it all he watched it brighten as her fingers slipped from his and she slowly faded away.

Her smile was the last thing he saw.

"I love you, Duncan," her voice floated to his ears.

His heart slammed in his chest wanting to reach out for her but he couldn't move. With a roar he bolted upright.

Tara!!!!

Nothing.....

Dragging in labored breaths he looked around it was pitch black in his room. Sweat trickled down his back as he cursed holding his chest. The searing pain was unbareable.

The back of his eyes burned with cruelness of the dream. She was so near but then she was not.

Her scent lingered and it jarred him.

He buried his face in his hands and let out a heartwrenching cry.

*******

Passive grey eyes both old and young peered back at him as he stood by a nearby hearth riled and angered to no end that they would mock his intelligence.

His gaze darkened as they stood before him with a sinister plan he could not fathom. It had been a while since he stood far away from them and the hooded figure that had stepped forward to reveal it was a gypsie woman. Mysterious eyes that held more secrets than any in the world could imagine looked at him to reveal she was sent to him by Liora the seer.

His eyes widdened when the most absurd things came from her lips.

"I can send you to her, the one that slipped beyond our dimension, and holds your heart," she said.

He shook his head in disbelief and underlying fear, some hope and skeptisism. It was a pagan act they could all be killed for.

"Is that your plan?" he trembled furiously.

His fathered gazed at him with saddened eyes then turned to look at Aidan.

"T'is your choice brother," Aidan said.

Duncan shook his head at his brother with an astonished gaze as if he had grown horns.

"My choice?" he spat.

The temptation was too great. Unfathomable..... But too great.

He sat back in wonder astonished by the tales that spilled from her lips. Talk of Magic, Faeries, and Druids.....Gypsies and dark art.... were touchy subjects rarely mentioned for fear of being put to death.

It would be here in the confines of his fathers solar, where the tales and lore of ancient beings more powerful then any race to walk the planet walked amongst them unknown.

The mention of the Tuatha Dé Danann being real as well as Druids and Gypsy Spells and enchantments had his head spinning.

"So you just up and render your service but at what price?" his gaze landed squarely on the woman with writings and symbols etched across her tanned skin.

"I am Rom, and our services indeed cost a heavy coin but that debt has been settled m'lord," she walked closer and stood before him.

He scowled. "What debt?"

She gazed up into his silver eyes and smiled.

"I can see you ache for her, and I can asure you she feels the same," she stepped closer and stared deep as if trying to see into his soul.

He swallowed hard with as much control to not shed a tear before them the way his eyes was beginning to burn.
Sympathy formed in her gaze as she slowly reached up to touch his brow.

Heat washed over him and ice tingled up his spine with an image (Tara laying awake staring into nothing with reddened eyes...she was crying.) and he flinched with a curse and grabbed her wrist in shock.

"What manner of trickery was that?" he hissed tightening his grip.

"Your celestial souls are entertwined. She was meant for you." she beamed satisfactorily.

He frowned with her words.

He shook his head trying to do away with the confusion.

"This can not be. It simply can not be," furiously he turned away and stormed off.

He took off down the steps and fled out the doors to the courtyard then towards the stables in a run and mounted his horse.

He rode the charger out the gates over the porticullis towards the outer east wall. He needed to get away. From the truth.

There was nothing he wanted more than to be with her. But at what cost?
He would lose his family and his home. The image of Tara was so real.
He haulted the stallion and slipped off of his back only to weakly fall to his knees.

He sought answers in his head to the very question he spoke out loud.
"What must I do love?"

In agony and despair he lowered his head and wept.

"Go to her!" the familiar voice said.

His head shotup and his eyes widened as he abruptly stood to his feet and backed away. Breathing heavily he stared at the saddend eyes of Liora.

He looked around confused.

She slowly approached as he stumbled back.

"Begone, you are not suppose to be here," he ordered.

Frantically the horse nayed and stomped at his side impatiently pulling away.

She smiled and shook her head then chuckled.

"For this very reason they do not appear amongst us. Our closed minded ways refuse to see beyond the unnatural." she chimed.

"What do you speak of?," he scowled.

Has he gone daft? He is speaking to a ghost.

"For centuries they roamed the earth with great power and tended to the land. Their abilities and gifts were far beyond anyones comprehension. It was finally concluded that such power could never be seen or used. So to protect us they hid only to become subjects of stories and folklore," she sighed.

She stood now before him.

Wearily he looked down at her. It seemed unreal. A warlord the strongest and fiercest upon this land feared the feable ghostly apparition that now counciled him.

"Go to her," she insisted.

He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Many have wished for such an opportunity. You had a living breathing beauty from the future in your arms lad. Your better half. Your soulmate. Go to her before it is too late." Liora insisted.

Her words were true he sighed. His shoulders slouched with understanding. He lowered his head and nodded. It was a mere second that he shut his eyes and exhaled that when they opened she was gone.

*********

He rode into the courtyard more flummoxed than when he left but less angry.

When next he confronted his father, the woman and Aidan they spoke of what needed to be done as he stood by in awe of their resolve to help him go to Tara.

He sat in silence and listened to what needed to be done and when.

She needed something of Tara's. A lock of hair or her blood. The place where she was found next and they needed all of this by the next Winter Solstice.

He listened to his father ask the purpose of such things. He felt withdrawn and saddened that it would come to this. Now he knows what she felt.

He still needed some convincing of the proper course needed to be taken so that things do not go wrong. What if he ends up else where? What if he ends up in her future where they have not yet met? What if she forgot him?

The questions alone had him perplexed as he voiced them aloud.

 Aidans solution of pushing off of the balustrade in the chapel had him fuming.

"You are trying to toss me into the future you jackdaw, not render me unconscious, broken, and dead." he snapped.

"Twas a simple suggestion.  I thought impact was the key. T'is how Tara came to be here is it not?" Aidan countered feeling flustered.

"Then let's test the theory on you, let me shove you off of it and see what impact it has on you," Duncan shot back angrily.

"Enough! Both of you. Is this how my last days of seeing you Duncan will pass, arguing with Aidan?" Ardolf shook his head.

Immediately they faced him. Duncan turned to his father. "I'm not sure I can do this. I can't leave you," his voice strained.

Ardolf stepped closer. His age more evident in his gaze. He sighed with a murmur and waved Duncan off. "Lad, I'm not getting any younger. I want grandchildren, I want our legacy to continue. You will go to Tara." he said firmly blinking the tears back that threatened to fall.

Late that night after the Gypsy left they sat and drank. It would be their last night together where between a few cups of ale they would say their good-byes.

Tired and exhausted he made his way slowly up the steps with his mind in the clouds. He sadly made it to his room and entered.

He never bothered to remove his clothing as he plopped face first into the sheets letting sleep claim him.

~·~·~·~·~·~·~·~

By morning he had slowly stirred and woke up. Feeling no better than what he felt going to bed. He felt the weight of his decision on his shoulders.

His eyes glanced over to the chair that held Tara"s bag. Immobilized with its view he stared at it for a while. He missed her so much. He swallowed at the lump that now formed in his thoat and sat up and quickly grabbed it.

He sat on the floor by the bed with it. He pulled out the two objects inside. One she called a IPod the other was her cell-phone.

Already familiar with the later he pressed the button and it lit up. His chest tightened staring at the image of her. Her beautiful smile stared back at him.

It suddenly beeped and darkened.

AT&T
No Service Available
7:28am
Battery power low!!!
2%

He frowned not knowing what it meant. He moved his fingers around the darkened screen with a frown and sighed when he found the familiar app that played the beautiful music she listened to.

He tapped it and slowly raised the string with nubs at the end and placed it in his ear as she showed him.

He sat tense with a heaviness in his heart as he listened to the melody.

He shut his eyes and listened envisioning her beside him. He felt his gut tighten with the words. All the way to the end he listened. As soon as he lifted it to choose another song the screen went black.

He suddenly understood what it meant as he pressed the button once more and nothing.

It died....

His vision blurred as his cheeks became damp with warm tears.

His decision was made as he tossed it angrily in her bag then stood and gripped her bag to his side.

He walked in long strides down the corridor to the greathall. His courage and determination evident in his stare as he stood before his father and brother.

Breathless and sure as he has ever been, he nodded.

"I am ready....."

********

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