Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Fantasy

                Chapter 3 ○ Muirgen

                    Ireland 1912


The walk to the dining hall was short and filled with grumbling between Muirgen and her brother. It was clear Ronan didn’t like Emmet one bit, he probably wanted to put the brat through a wall. Muirgen would probably stop him because she didn’t want to bother the faires by asking them to fix any damages. She fixed her bangs so they sat across her forehead once more instead of them being pushed to the side thanks to the dreadlocked bastard. Muirgen huffed to herself and tried to keep her eyes focused on her surroundings; people flocking to the dining hall as the bells chime five times, indicating it was five in the afternoon. She watched as nymphs melted out of trees, bodies of water, appearing in a gust of wind and some even sprouted from flames. She watched their shimmering outfits sparkle in the sun, their hair billowing around them in multicolored halos, their skin- which were different shades of different colors- glowing and pulsating with excitement. Muirgen watched groups of friends walk together, laughing about some inside joke or catching up on their day. She watched the dark thick clouds roll over the sky, like squadrants of warriors marching by to a low rumbling beat; Rain was coming. The snow haired girl kept her eyes on anything and everything to stop them from staring straight ahead at the rude druid. Yet…her icy eyes kept focusing back to him.
He walked with perfect posture and always looked ahead, he never turned his head to look at his surroundings. He was focused on only what was in front of him, he seemed to walk as if he was on a mission. His dreads were long, they fell to the middle of his back and swayed gently. Muirgen guessed he was at least six-foot, you really couldn’t tell how he was shaped due to the large coat he wore. What was he hiding underneath it? Muirgen blushed at the thought.

Once inside the Dining hall, Muirgen and Ronan were greeted with cheers and birthday wishes. Some people threw confetti and glitter over them others kissed their cheeks, some children ran up and gave them presents. The Twins thanked the children with bright smiles and tussle of hair. Muirgen scanned the room for Emmet, why was she doing that? She made herself so angry at times. Emmet stood behind his chair at the Tábla Ceannairí, Table of Leaders. He was eyeing Muirgen and when he noticed her gaze he winked with a sneer. Muirgen furrowed her brows and glared at him.

‘Bastard!!’ She thought to herself.

She stood up and walked over to the table and stood by her chair, the other council men did the same. Muirgen watched as Ronan walked through the sea of people and finally approached the table, he stood by his chair and opened his arms wide.

“Let’s eat!” He exclaimed. Everyone happily cheered and sat down at their tables. Muirgen sat down and smiled at her brother. Ronan sat in the middle, on his left were three council men; Henry, the Man of Finance, he was an older gentleman with dark hair and whiskers, he was a round man that stood at only five-foot-eight . His blue eyes looked dull and milky, like a blind persons eye but he was skilled with equations and numbers, he could solve long math problems in just a few minutes. Next to him sat Alibe, the Man of Trade. He was only thirty years of age but he knew his way with words. He had curly chestnut brown hair and playful brown eyes, he always had a smirk on his face that was surrounded by scruff. He was lanky and had a crooked nose that hooked down. Next to him was Alroy, Man of the People. He was a ginger with no beard and was only in his mid-twenties. He was muscular and toned and had the softest voice imaginable. However, if you put him in front of a crowd or in front of the council his voice would draw you in and make sure you listened and hung on every word. Muirgen noticed how he would eye her occasionally, he was handsome and kind but Muirgen would always politely decline his offers to dance or to go out; much to Ronan’s dismay. At Ronan’s right, Muirgen sat properly and beautiful. The light in the dining hall beamed down onto her hair, causing the illusion of it glowing. Next to her sat Emmet and next to him was Patrick, man of Artillery. He was not only the best blacksmith of all four Clans but also the one in charge of testing them and improving them if need be. He had short dark hair that was in a buzz-cut style. Sharp features and piercing black eyes that only seemed to reflect the dimmist of light. He didn’t say much but his actions always spoke louder. He was essential to the clan and well cherished. He had just married a sweet woman not too long ago, they were complete opposites but they seemed to make it work.

Emmet pushed his dreads back so they didn’t cover his shoulders. He still wore his fluffy coat but removed his gloves, oh how polite he was. His fingers were long and pale but surprisingly, even though he comes from a well rich family, his hands were rough from work. They had scars on them, some pale and almost invisible and some fresh and still vibrant with red. He didn’t eat much on his plate, he took small bites out of his meat and nibbled on his bread. Muirgen was about to look away from him but his eyes weren’t scanning the crowd. They were focused on Muirgen, his green eyes intense as he scanned over her face and hair. His bushy brows furrowed slightly, as if he was trying to figure out a difficult puzzle. Behind her she could feel Ronan’s prominent glare at the boy, in short; Muirgen was caught between a crossfire. Finally, she met Emmet’s eyes. It startled him a bit, she knew this by the way he jolted slightly when her icy eyes met his vibrant ones.

“Is there something you’d like to say to me, Emmet?” She asked, trying to sound as unimpressed as she possibly could.

“You look nothing like Ronan.” He said. Muirgen gasped and brought her hand to her mouth.

“No! That cannot be!” She turned to Ronan and gripped his shoulder. “Brother! Say it isn’t so! Do we really look nothing alike!?” She cried out, tears forming in her eyes. Ronan patted her small hand and nodded solemnly.

“I’ve wanted to tell you for some time, now, Rinny. I just…I couldn’t bring myself to do so.” He sighed sadly. Muirgen sniffled and looked at Emmet with big sad eyes, she reached out and touched his face, he tensed up as her hand cupped his cheek.

“Thank you for bringing the truth to light, Emmet.” She said with a pout. The dining hall watched closely, some snickered and whispered. Emmet glared at the crowd from the corner of his eye. “Is there anything I can do to repay you, sir?” She pushed. Ronan was trying to hide his smile behind his goblet. Emmet smacked her hand away with a huff.

“I can see you enjoy dramatics. You could be an actress, Mo Caomhnóir.” He grumbled as he sipped his drink. Muirgen smiled and ate her food. The dining hall clapped and went back to their usual activities, most of the conversations were the same.

“How was your day?” “Did you notice how cold the weather is? It’s only October!” “I can’t believe taxes went up in the human world.” “The Gods have been silent for quite some time, now.” “How’s your harvest?” The same thing over and over. Muirgen noticed a small flash of light coming from Emmet, when she turned her head it was as if nothing had happened. No one seemed to notice it either, maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Music began to fill the air and the voices of fairies filtered around the room. Muirgen smiled big and sat up straight, Ronan nodded and tilted his head. Four male fairies came up to them with an enormous cake that was decorated in candy shells and painted on waves. Figures danced around the top of the cake and it took Muirgen a few moments to realize that the figures were of her and Ronan. She gasped at the glittering two inch and four inch figures that sang in a soft incoherent melody. Both figures were pure white and looked more like flames, they danced to the beat of the song that the faires were currently singing. They didn’t have birthday songs, they had songs that were about their victories and personalities. Muirgen clapped along and laughed here and there as she watched people dance and some act out the battles her and her brother fought.
Battles against giants and evil witches. The occasional Banshee fight, the slaying of Kelpies and demonic legends. They sung about her and Ronan’s trials to please the Gods and be fully accepted of them. They sung about Ronan’s perilous battles at sea with rogue sea witches, Sirens and small kraken. They talked about his battle with a giant sea serpent and how Ronan is so picky with women that not even a Sirens song can phase him. To which, Ronan laughed and nodded in agreement. They sung about how you should always keep your eye out for Muirgen and, though she is beautiful, how looks can be deceiving if you’ve crossed her path

After their song had finished they both clapped and cheered, the dancing figures gave them a small bow and dissipated into thin air. Pieces of cake were cut into equal sized pieces and shared among the entire hall. Some pieces were put on a table, set to the side for the older folk who couldn’t make it tonight. Everyone ate and sang and danced until late into the night. Muirgen noticed Emmet’s bored expression and scowled, she quickly changed her expression and smiled.

“Are you sleepy, Emmet?” She asked. Emmet looked at her out of the corner of his eye and was silent for a moment. He blinked and arched an eyebrow.

“What? I couldn’t hear you, you talk so quietly. Did you ask me something?” He said. Muirgen thought he was just being rude until she noticed his sincerity. She spoke a little louder.

“You look tired, would you like me to show you to your cabin?” She asked. Emmet blinked then turned his face, his shoulders moved up and down five times, he was taking deep breaths, then turned to Muirgen. He nodded and stood up.

“Yeah, I would like that very much.” He mumbled. Muirgen nodded and leaned to Ronan and told him what she was doing. He gave her a look then glared at Emmet, then looked back at her and nodded. Muirgen kissed her brothers cheek and walked out of the dining hall with Emmet trailing behind her.



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