Still moving rather gingerly, Tara stood and followed Bryan to the house fire where his mother was busy stirring a pot that, to Tara’s empty stomach, smelled heavenly. She inhaled deeply and tried to ignore the rumblings coming from her stomach.

“Mam?” Bryan asked, his hand still in Tara’s.

The warmth of a male hand in hers brought back the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her belly as she thought about Angel. Where was he? What was he doing? Was he suffering right now, wondering about her? Mentally, she gave herself a shake. Pull it together, Quinn. You’ll see Angel soon enough. All you have to do is find a suitable disguise and concoct a story that will get you inside the castle.

Bryan’s mother turned at the sound of her son’s voice. “Aye?” At the sight of Tara up and walking, she simply stated, “All better now, are we? We didn’t think ye were going to see the sunrise with us.”

Tara nodded, smiled slightly and bobbed a small curtsy. “’Tis thanks to you that I am here, ma’am. I owe you my life.”

Bryan’s mother turned red and said, “’Twas no trouble at all m’lady. Bryan told me of your plight and asked me to assist. I was only too happy to help.” She stopped and stirred the pot once again. “Oh!” she said, looking up. “My name is Madge.”

“I thank ye most kindly Madge, but I do have another favor to ask ye for.”

“Of course, m’lady. Whatever I can do to help. Ye have but to ask.”

Tara took a deep breath and plunged in. Stalling because of nerves or fear could be deadly. “I need to get back in the castle. Someone there wishes me dead, for what reason I still don’t know, but I need to sneak in. I was hoping that you would be able to help me.”

Madge thought for a moment and finally looked over at Bryan with a smile. “Charaid, go and fetch the box from the corner. The one with my clothes in it.”

Bryan nodded and went off to fetch the box. Madge began to undo the braid that held Tara’s hair up. Although she knew she was doing the right thing, she still worried about what was going to happen. It was obvious she was putting herself in danger by sneaking into the castle; but that mattered little right now. What did matter was getting back into Castle Flynn and getting rid of whoever hated her.

Lost in her thoughts, Tara didn’t notice that Madge had finished brushing her hair and now was braiding it in a simpler, common fashion. Once it was finished, Madge tucked the ends under and pinned it into place.

As she finished, Bryan returned with a large, rather heavy looking wooden box. Madge fished around in the box, finally coming out with a simple muslin handkerchief and a dress of the same fabric. A bodice of black velvet went on top, cinching in with black laces. Tara, adept now at changing into and out of and just plain wearing 18th Century clothing now, put this on quickly. The hose were a soft butter yellow and the soft leather shoes were a deep black to match the bodice. There was no embellishment, no embroidery or beading. These were strictly utilitarian, work clothes. Madge tied the scarf around Tara’s head, its long tail hiding her trademark red hair.

Madge stood back and took a long look at Tara. She nodded approvingly and smiled. “You look just like a right kitchen maid. I think you’ll fit right in.” She furrowed her eyebrows and put her finger along side her cheek, tapping thoughtfully. “All except for one thing. You are too clean, but I think I can fix that; if you’ll allow it?”

Tara nodded and Madge beat the dust into her clothes, hair and face. In no time at all Tara looked just like everyone else in the village. Especially when she imitated the servants’ walk, head bowed and shoulders crouched. “I think I am ready to go. Will you accompany me Bryan? I’m afraid I don’t know the way to the castle from here. How far are we exactly?”

Bryan nodded. “Of course, m’lady. Anything I can do to help. We’re only a short distance away, we should be there by nightfall.” He looked over at his mother. “Mayhaps we should pack a bit of food and drink, the walk can be dusty.”

His mother nodded. “I agree. You two get ready to go and I shall pack you a hearty lunch.” He bowed to her and kissed her on the cheek. “I thank you, Mam.”

“Yes, I do as well ma’am. If it wasn’t for you, I would not be alive to attempt this mission.” Tara looked around as if to get ready and realized there was nothing for her to pack. Bryan had taken her here as she was. In fact she was wearing borrowed clothes right then. She decided to sit and try to be in the way as little as possible.

Not one hour later, Bryan announced they were ready to go. After once again thanking Bryan’s mother, the two set out on the road to Castle Flynn.

Angel was standing at the window in the room he had, until recently, shared with Tara. It had been a week since she had disappeared. There had been no word from either Tara or Bryan, although the Queen assured him that she would be all right.

When Ravyn had shown him the attack on Tara, he had had to fight not to turn into a full-fledged vampire. Something primal had been activated deep within him and a rage he had not felt before had risen to choke him. He’d fought it down, locked it away. It wouldn’t do either of them any good if he were locked away for being a demon. Then how would he be able to help Tara?

It seemed there was nothing left for Angel to do but wait. Wait and hope that Tara was still alive and trying to make her way back to the castle and him. He turned away from the window and lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Tara and Bryan had been walking for hours. The only way Tara knew that was by tracking the progress of the sun as it moved across the sky. It must have been about mid-evening when they decided to stop and eat the lunch Madge had packed for them.

It wasn’t until she had taken the first bite of the homemade bread that Tara realized how hungry she was. All the walking and fresh air really burned the calories. She knew she needed to keep up her strength if she was going to find and defeat the person who was trying to kill her.

Watching Bryan as he ate, Tara decided to broach the subject of his relationship with the Queen. “Bryan, may I ask you something a bit personal?” she asked.

Bryan nodded. “Of course.”

She took a deep breath and went ahead. “Her Majesty told me the story of your relationship before she was crowned. I know what it’s like to be away from your love and unable to be together, but it must be hard to be right next to your true love and not be able to be together or do anything about it.” She hoped that she hadn’t crossed the line with the question, but she felt for Bryan and the Queen.

Bryan stopped eating and chewed thoughtfully for a moment before answering. “I was wondering if you knew. I could tell by the way you looked at me when I told you my name. Rhiannon must trust you a great deal to have told you that secret. Precious few in the court know about us.”

“It is exceedingly hard having to pretend that all I am to her is a guard. It is also very rare that we have any private time together in which to give in to our feelings. It has put a tremendous strain on us over the years.” He looked in such pain that Tara couldn’t help but give him a hug.

“If Angel or I can ever help to give you both a private moment, we will. Believe me when I say you can trust us.”

Bryan took a final gulp from the jug of water and stood. “Thank you m’lady. I will remember that. It is nice to know we have friends in this world. However,” he said glancing at the sky as the sun inched its way toward the horizon, “it is time for us to continue to the castle.” He extended his hand to Tara and helped her to her feet.

It turned out that they were closer to the Castle than Tara thought. It took little more than another hours walk before they were at the outer walls. “There is a secret entrance a little ways away from here. Rhiannon and I used to use it to sneak out and be together before things changed,” he said. “It will provide cover for us to enter the castle and get to your chambers without being seen.”

Tara nodded. “Well, we had better get going, shouldn’t we?” As they entered the tunnel that connected to the castle, Tara could feel a mixture of excitement, anticipation and fear collect in her belly. She couldn’t wait to see Angel and let him know that she was all right and at the same time she was anxious about meeting and stopping the person who had it out for her.

“From this point we must be silent lest the guards should hear us,” Bryan whispered into her ear.

Tara nodded in agreement and started off silently along the path. She tried to keep her thoughts focused and her senses alert for anything unexpected. It wasn’t long until they were at the door that would put them back inside the castle. Bryan carefully opened the door and went ahead of Tara to make sure there wasn’t anyone waiting or other surprises to greet them. Finally, he motioned Tara in to join him. She walked in and tried to look around and get her bearings.

Motioning for her to follow him, Bryan led Tara through the corridors of the castle, nodding in greeting to any servants they met. Once he had to actually stop and talk to someone, he introduced her as Aileen, the new kitchen maid. Luckily, it was not someone Tara knew from before the attack, someone who would recognize her, even with the disguise.

Finally, they made it to the door of Tara and Angel’s chambers. Tara hugged Bryan and whispered a thank you before she gently pushed open the door. Quietly, she stepped inside and, keeping her head bowed and her shoulders hunched, she shuffled forward. Out of the corner of her eyes, Tara could see Angel lying on the bed, staring at her, a bit bewildered.

“Her Majesty has sent me to see if there was anything m’lord wished. She said to tend to you and make sure that m’lord was comfortable and well cared for.” She waited to see what his reaction would be.

“Please tell Her Majesty that I thank her and I am as comfortable as I can be at the present moment. I believe I will retire, if you will excuse me.” He made to get up and change clothes, turning down the covers of the bed.

Tara waited until he was turned around and raised her head and body into her normal posture saying in her normal voice, “Of course m’lord, but would you happen to have any room in that bed for me?”

There was a silence that lasted several heartbeats before Angel turned around. When he did, he did so slowly. Once he made it all the way around, he simply stared at Tara, his eyes wide. Finally, he seemed to regain the ability to move and crossed the distance between them to touch her cheek gently, almost as if he were afraid that she was a figment of his imagination. When she didn’t disappear at his touch, he grabbed her in a bear hug, swinging her around several times before he set her down.

“Darling, are you all right? What happened? How did you get here?” There were tears shining in his eyes although the smile on his face was huge. His hands moved over her as if checking to make sure she was all there. Suddenly, she needed to touch him and slid her arms around his waist, leaning into him for support.

There was so much to tell Angel that she didn’t know where to start. Finally, she decided to simply start at the beginning. “When I was injured, I passed out and awoke three days later in the home of Bryan’s mother. He couldn’t tell anyone where we were going because the information could have fallen into the hands of the person who is trying to kill me. If that happened, they would not have had to try to hard to finish the job.”

She stopped and took a deep breath before going on with the story. “His mother was attempting to heal me but things were not looking good. I was very sick; the knife that stabbed me had been cursed. However, just when I was sure that this was the end and I was going to die, I was introduced to my guardian fairies, Flera and Emily, and they healed me, driving the poison out of my system. It turns out they live in the emerald that you gave me. It seems when I began to think of you and wonder how you were doing and thinking about how much I wanted to be back with you, they appeared. Flera told me they were called by true love and you and I have that rare connection. They healed me completely and helped me to formulate a plan. Madge and Bryan helped me to get a disguise and get back to the castle unnoticed. I couldn’t let anyone know I was here so the person who is trying to kill me wouldn’t be alerted. I am so sorry that I put you through all of this trouble, but if it had not been for Bryan and his mother, I would be dead right now.”

Angel shook his head chuckling slightly. “That sounds like the plot of a bad spy movie. But no matter what the circumstances, you are back with me and alive. I was so worried I had lost you forever.” He gathered Tara to him and kissed her fervently, all the relief and fear that he had felt, pouring out into the kiss. “I love you and I am so glad you are back.”

“Me too Angel, me too.” Tara sighed. For a moment, she allowed herself to relax and simply enjoy being with her love.

Angel held Tara for quite a while before letting her go even the slightest distance away from him. When he did, he did so reluctantly. Tara knew exactly how he felt. After being away from Angel even for the one week that she had been; she didn’t want to let him out of her sight, let alone her touch.

Angel never removed his hand from Tara’s while he reached over to the bed and grabbed a new nightshirt. Evidently, Angel had replaced the one that had been destroyed when she had been injured. It warmed her to her soul to think that he never lost hope that she would return. He could have written her off and found someone new, but he didn’t.

Handing it to her, he smiled. "Why don’t you get changed and then get into bed? We have to talk, you have to tell me what the heck happened to you; every last detail."

Tara kissed Angel deeply and went behind the screen to change. She carefully folded the dress she had borrowed from Madge. She would have to return it someday, along with the news that the evil stalking her had been stopped.

Not five minutes later, Tara emerged from behind the screen in a soft yellow nightdress. Angel had changed as well and was waiting for her on the bed. He patted her side of the bed. "C’mon, get in and I’ll tuck you in." Tara hotfooted it across the cold stone floor and hopped into bed. Angel made good on his promise and tucked her in. Lying down next to her, his face only inches from hers, he settled in. "So, spill it. What happened? When I got back to the room, all that was there was a drying puddle of blood and a note from Bryan saying he had taken you to a safe place and you were injured but would survive. I was pertrified I had lost you forever, darling."

Tara pulled her hand out from under the covers and laid it on Angel’s cheek. "I’m so sorry to have worried you, my love, but there was no way I could get you a message without giving away the fact I was still alive. I had to trust that you would not give up on me."

Angel rose up on one elbow and stared directly into Tara’s eyes. "Never, darling, I would never give up on you. Not if there was still a chance you were still alive."

Tara kissed Angel and went on. "I was attacked by some sort of phantom something while you were away. Before I was able to stop it, it got in a slice at my stomach. I was cut rather deeply across the belly, but I didn’t feel a thing. That was what worried me, it is the fatal wounds that you never feel. The shallow ones hurt like hell."

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