Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters originally from Roar. However, I do own those not from the show, they are
products of my imagination.

Send all output to gwenls@hotmail.com

    Aerin sat cross legged on her bed. Yawning, she was running a comb through her hair, attempting to manage her unruly curls.
The night was chilly, and the damp feeling could be felt on her skin through the thin night shift. Katherine poked her head in, still
laughing. Aerin could hear a masculine voice laughing with her, but no one's voice was that familiar to her, yet.
    "Aerin, are you alright for the night? I was just talking with Conor..." she asked, her eyes merry.
    "Yes, Katie. I'm alright. But, can I talk to you really fast?" Aerin requested.
    "Aye." she came in, and closed the flap tightly behind her. "Is anything wrong? Has someone...?" worried, she sat on the bed
next to her charge.
    "No, Katie. I just wanted to ask you a question." Katherine nodded, so she went on. "Well, Katherine, do you love my
father?"
    Katherine didn't know what to say. "Aerin, I don't know how to answer that. Your father and I...are good friends. Nothing
more. I love him as my best friend." she hoped that she hadn't blushed like a little girl when she replied.
    "Oh." Aerin sounded disappointed. Katherine stood up. "Well, good night, little one." she kissed the top of her head, and
left.
    Aerin sighed. "She acts as if I was a tiny little girl again. Never once does she treat me like a woman." she twisted the ring on
her finger around a few times. This was her link to her family, what she had thought was her family. Picking up the heavy furs
and quilts, she slid under them. Shivering, she blew out the candle by the side. "Good night, father, mother, brothers, and
sisters. Good night to you all." she closed her eyes, and held her hands together to pray. "Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And
forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For
thine is the Kingdom, will, and glory, forever. Bless my family. Bless my father. Bless my foster mother. Bless everyone. In
Jesus' precious and Holy name I pray. Amen." she closed her eyes. For the first time since she came to Eire, she knew
everything was back to normal.
    The next morning, bright and early, she crawled out of her bed, and into some clothes. It didn't matter what she wore, she
was going to go on an adventure, today. She didn't know where she would go, but if she was going to live on this island for the
rest of her life, she would get to know the landscape around the village. Pulling her boots on, she stumbled out the door.
    No one was around. 'Do they all sleep late around here? How does any one get any work done around here?' she walked
up to the hut that she knew was her father's. Opening the door, she saw one of the worst sights she had ever seen in her life.

    She saw her father. What he was doing, however, made it so shocking to her. He was sleeping with a woman. With
Katherine. "I can't believe you two!" she shouted at them. Conor opened his eyes, blinking away sleep. Disoriented for a
moment, he yawned, then realized where he was and who was confronting him. His eyes widened, and he muttered under his
breath a string of curse words, all of which Aerin had never been privileged to hear.
    "Its not what you think it is." he protested.
    "What is it, then?" tears were coming to her eyes. They lied to her. They were sinning. Worst off, they were lying now!
    "We got drunk." he said.
    Aerin shook her head. This is not happening. This is not happening! "How could you? You should behave yourself better
when you get drunk. You aren't my father. My father wouldn't do this." she yelled at him. Turning quickly away, she fled,
towards the woods. The last thing she heard was her father mention a random curse under his breath.
    She ran faster than she ever had, before. Home. Home. That was the place to go. Home. Where they were Christians.
Where she knew the people. Where she would walk into her parent's room and find them together, not with the various other
people of the clan. HOME! She tripped on the underbrush, but kept going. Nothing would stop her, now. Swatting branches
out of her way, she came at the river. Following it, she tripped on a rock, and fell.

    Conor pulled on his breeches with one hand, yanking a tunic over his head with another. He had to go after his daughter.
What would happen if she got hurt? Conor winced, Caitlin would have killed him, by now. He ran after her, following the trail
of broken branches and boot prints.
    He found her crumpled up by the river. "Aerin!" he shouted. She didn't move. His heart in his mouth, he dropped to her side.
Had he lost her? His fingers fumbled at her throat, feeling for a pulse. They were in the same place on her neck that he had
placed on Caitlin's. Caitlin...please don't let her be dead! There was a beat. It was there, strong and steady. "Sweet Mother!"
he closed his eyes, and picked up his little girl in his arms. Carefully, he carried her back to the Sanctuary with the pain-staking
care he had held her with when she was first born.

    Katherine hugged her knees against her chest, rocking herself. She stared down at Aerin, a worried expression on her face.
Aerin was like her daughter. She couldn't die. This was Caitlin's child. And Conor's child...she would not let Conor mess up her
thoughts. How many times she had wished she was in her sister's shoes she could not remember. They hadn't really wanted
everyone to know that they were indeed sisters, but it was let out at Caitlin's funeral. Now, she wasn't planning to have to lay
her niece's body beside her sister's.
    "Conor, please, will she be alright?" she begged.
    Conor looked up at her. "And its all my fault. All mine. I can't believe that she's actually...that she might...she won't die." he
decided on those words, his eyes clamped tight. "It was my fault her mother died. And now she will...I couldn't bear it if two of
mine died. And with tomorrow being Samhain... she's got to live to be fourteen. At least that. I promised her mother at least
that much." thinking of Caitlin was getting too much. Trying hard not to let it get out of hand, he thought quickly of last night. He
had lied to his daughter. Last night was not a night in which he merely got drunk and let other things run his thinking, but a night
in which his mind was clear, or rather more sharpened. At least it was before he went to bed. Once there... well, things were
different once he was in bed. THAT cleared his mind of Caitlin.
    "Katie, what do you think that last night...well, what happened last night?" he asked her, his eyes focusing on her.
    She blushed, smiling. "Last night, things went very well. I think we both felt the same way. That was real." her voice was soft.
    Grinning like a fool, he whispered, "And what if something comes of it?" she couldn't answer for a moment.
    What if...someone found out...if she got pregnant...OH MY GOD! What if she got pregnant? There was always that option.
She would bear Conor a child. And Aerin would have a half brother or sister. What would people think of her, then? Relaxing,
she remembered that the people here did not believe in God, and that what the Bible called adultery she could commit her
whole life without being punished. This was sounding ever so much better than Christianity. Finally having an answer, she softly
told him, "I hope something does come of it." He was about to lean over, and kiss her, when Aerin made a noise. She groaned,
moving her head around on her pillow. Both their eyes were focused on her.
    "Da?" she asked. Her eyes opened, and she stared up at him.
    "Aye, my little Aerin?" he smiled, that was the first time she had ever called him Da. He wanted another child, so that maybe
he could help a baby grow up. One that he could teach to talk, and then maybe lovingly hear the first word of Da.
    She reached up, and hugged him. "I love you, Da. Please, don't ever lie to me again. Don't ever hide any thing." Conor didn't
think he could. Now was the time to tell her everything. But, how could he ever tell her everything?

    Later that night, as Aerin slept in her room, Molly watching close by her, Katherine sat beside Conor, running a comb
through her hair. Conor took it from her, doing it for her. "Conor, this is confusing. Aerin will be fourteen summers tomorrow.
We're going to have to tell her everything sooner or later. She's getting older. Soon, she'll completely be a woman." his hands
started running down her back, and he tossed the comb to the ground.
    "We'll tell her." he said. His hands kept going, in circles. He seemed to know just where the pressure points were. Feeling
more relaxed in each rub, she sighed. His hands stopped around her neck, where he bent to kiss where he stopped. He was so
confused, at first. She was so much like Caitlin. But she was more. She was Katherine. Before he had married Caitlin,
Katherine made herself noticed to him. It almost happened that he had married Katherine instead of Caitlin. Something had
happened, and he had chosen Caitlin. Now, although he loved Caitlin very much, he loved Katherine. Things were getting
confusing, so confusing that he wouldn't try to sort them out until later. Now, he would go on instinct, He loved Katherine. She
was going to wear one of his big shirts to bed, that night. Even though it was one that had shrunk after many wearings, it was
still big on her. One of the shoulders was slipping off, and he bent to kiss where her shoulder met her neck. She closed her
eyes, and imagined that everything was alright. He would make it all better. Everything would be alright.
    Everything would be alright. She remembered that. He would make things better. Forgetting everything, even that, with the
next kiss, delivered to the back of her shoulder blade, she turned her head, so that maybe her lips could receive some of the
honey sweetness that Conor was giving the rest of her body. He cupped his hands around her face, and pulled her slightly
closer. Stroking her blond hair back with his thumbs, he leaned closed, and for a moment just stared at her eyes. Any closer,
she believed, she would go mad. She didn't dare breathe until he moved, kissing her lips softly, ever so carefully, like she would
break. His arms moved slowly down her neck, and to her shoulder blades, sending chills of fire and ice to her spine. Afraid if
she moved, he would stop, she sat there, only turning her eyes. His brown ones looked like they were melting, so deep, little
pools. Not thinking that he would notice, she'd just drown in his eyes for a minute.
    His own eyes didn't stray from her own. Thinking almost along the same line, he focused on her blue-green ones, snapping
himself out of the impulse of thinking that this was not Katherine, but Caitlin. And his daughter, Aerin. They were all so much
alike. They probably were out to get him, to scare him out of his wits. Where ever he looked, there she'd be. Remembering
Aerin, he remembered Caitlin's death. She had just laid there, so helpless, so vulnerable, so completely not herself, and she had
died, just to give him the beautiful daughter he knew as his own. The thought was very uncomfortable, that he just might be
giving way to someone who looked exactly like his daughter, almost, and who looked so similar to Caitlin. Oh, Cat...he had
betrayed her so much in the last thirteen, now fourteen years. Their daughter had not been their daughter until recently. He had
broken down all defenses and slept with another woman, her SISTER, damn it all! Her sister, that was so beautiful, so talented,
so almost the same as Caitlin. He wouldn't break his vows to her any longer. He had promised to her, and to himself that no
matter what, she would be his final, true, and only love. She had told him along the same lines right before she died. And now,
she was gone. She could keep her vows in death, but it was becoming hell to keep the vows in his life.
    He pulled away from her, and looked away. He would not let her see him cry. A woman who saw him cry always had levity
over him. He felt so...vulnerable when he cried. His hand swatted away the tear that dripped down his face. Caitlin. Oh, God,
Caitlin. He found himself praying to this God of Caitlin's again, like it would help. Maybe it would help. But it wouldn't bring her
back, he knew that from the months of weeping, praying, and trying to understand what happens when someone dies that all of
that didn't work. He knew that Caitlin wanted him to be happy. But happy with her sister? Um, that'd be going a little too far.
    "Conor, what's wrong?" she asked, her hand on his shoulder. Her hand was still warm, more like scorching, on his shoulder.
He winced away. "What did I do?" she furrowed her brow in confusion. They had been getting intense. Had she done wrong?
Had she not reacted the way he wanted?
    "It's Caitlin. And you didn't do anything wrong. You did everything right." he chuckled to himself. Like always, it was his
fault. All his fault. Her death had been.. his mistakes were all his fault. Even Katherine falling for him had been his fault. He
stood up, and tossed a tunic over his shoulders, rolling them to get any sore joints loosened. She couldn't help but stare at the
broadness, how they were slightly tanned and looked like they were scratched up, and bruised, but she knew from experience
that they definitely were not. He strode out the door, without a further word.

    Aerin woke up when she heard light footsteps come through the doorway. She decided that she would wait until she knew
who this was before she'd 'wake' up, again. "Is she alright?" the man asked. She recognized him as her father. There was
silence between the first question and the next. She guessed that Molly, who watched over her, had nodded. "Can I wake her?"
he sounded worried.
    Aerin knew Molly well enough to guess that she was frowning. "What is so important that a little one doesn't get the sleep
she needs?"
    "Something." was his reply. He bent down, and shook her ever so lightly. His hands were slightly hot. Wondering why, she
curiously opened her eyes.
    "Da?" she faked waking up. He smiled tenderly.
    "Tis I." he said, his smile turning into a grin. "C'mon, I want to show you something." he looked like he was feeling young
again, for there was that grin of his, again, Molly would know it any where.
    Aerin, still in her night gown, followed him out, her curly hair just as messed up as her Da's. Both were bare foot, and the
pair of them looked quite a sight. When she grinned, had her father's youthful grin that few saw any more. So much like her
father. She was at his shoulder, too, and looked like she could be his little sister, not his daughter. Conor didn't really look old
enough to be a father, on that night.
    Aerin wound up at a mound. At the front was a stone. The carvings on it were worn off with age. "What is this, father?" she
wondered aloud.
    He sat down beside her. "This is your mother's grave." he told her.
    She looked at him carefully, and saw that a tiny tear was welling on his chin bone. Her mother. Filled with awe and wonder,
she asked, "What was my mother like?"
    He grinned again. "She was the most dear thing in the world to me. She could shoot an arrow and hit the center without even
looking at the target. She always knew what to say and when to say it. She was sweet. She always listened to your problems
no matter what. And she was foolish enough to love me." he chose his words carefully, trying to make her exactly the way she
really was. He couldn't say some of the things that he wanted. Like, "She was so special to me, and then you and me, we killed
her." Never could he tell her that when she was born, her mother died.
    "Da, how did she die?" Aerin had to know this, and another important question.
    "Well..." he paused, and looked at her. She would be fourteen the next morning. Also, he remembered Katherine's words:
'Soon, she'll be completely a woman. She'll have to know, then.' Now was as good a time as any. "While she was carrying you,
she got sick. I had gotten sick, then she got it from me, and well, later, when you were born, she was too weak to live." there.
That came out right. It was sounding better, too. He didn't kill her. Being weak did. But, he gave her the disease...oh, its alright,
Conor. She loves you, that's all that matters. He'd repeat that over and over again. She loves you still.
    "Oh. And, Da, why did you have to send me away?" that question had bugged her ever since she knew that her father had
sent her away. Why? Why? What had I done? What had they done?
    "I was afraid. Afraid you'd grow up and the Romans, who are against us, you know, would try to hurt you. That you'd die
before me. Afraid that if you got too much like your mother, it would hurt." he shook his head. "I should've had you there. Will
you ever forgive me for letting you grow up like that?"
    "Aye. All is forgiven. We need to start over." she said. He looked at her. She really meant it. He could tell from her eyes.
Like her mother, she had expressive eyes.
    "I promised Katherine that I would tell you all this." he admitted, and wondered what her reaction would be.
    "Well, at least you told me the truth." she smiled at him. "I love you, Da."

    Aerin yawned, and opened her eyes. Molly was sleeping in the chair beside her. She giggled, the older woman looked like
she was so worried. She nudged her, and Molly woke with a start. "Hmm? Aerin! You're awake! That was some bump on
your head. You should be resting."
    Aerin shook her head. "I'm fine. Besides, I'm four and ten, now!" she grinned. Today was going to be great. Birthday
celebrations were always fun, no matter who's they were. Especially when someone turned four and ten, or five and ten, or six
and ten. Those were when a child turned into a man or woman.
    "Today is Samhain, child. I don't know how you celebrated it or your birthday, but here things are different. Especially with
your father. If I remember anything of the past, I remember that Conor has a lot of dead to remember and respect. There's
Caitlin, and Claire, and his other and father, his brother, his brother's wife, Shannon, and some others. Things aren't really that
happy for him, since your mother died on Samhain. He told you how she died, didn't he?" she nodded, and pulled off her night
shift. She put on a gown, one of the ones she had worn on special occasions in Britannia. It was bright colored, and had
ribbons trimming it. It had cost her foster father much to buy it. Aerin was proud to wear it, now. Molly shook her head.
    "You aren't going to wear that, are you?"
    "I'm respecting my mother. She'd like this dress. Da said that she would want every one to be happy." she explained.
    "Really? Well, its kind of...improper when you wear such festive clothing. Every one wears plain clothes, like all white."
    Aerin sighed. "All right. I do want to fit in." she found a white robe-gown in her things, and puled it over her head. "That
better?" she wanted to sulk like a little girl, but she was older, now. There was no way she could do that. It was undignified to
act beneath your age. She left the little hut, and found her father by the fire. He had a tiny candle in his hands, and was placing it
in a ring of other candles.
    She heard him say, "And for you, my beloved Caitlin. Please do not let Death visit us today. Do not let another one of us
die." he lit the candle, and sat extremely still. The way he heeled his hands made her think that he was praying. She sat down
beside him, and didn't say anything. He looked up at her, after a moment, and then smiled. "You're four and ten years old,
today." he would not cry today. No. It had been fourteen years of crying. That was enough. This day wouldn't mark the year of
more crying. He'd remember Caitlin always, but they both agreed that this was enough crying.
    "Aye, I am. What are these candles for?" she pointed to the ring of candles. Others had candles, some more than others, but
Conor had the most out.
    "Each of these candles is a person that isn't with us any more." he started pointing at candles. "This one is my mother. And
my father. And my brother. And his wife. And Claire. And Shannon. And Glas. And this one is your mother's." he explained it
plainly. "We light candles for the dead. If one blows out, that means that that soul will return to us. Some times it is just a visit.
Other times it is that the soul will be born in another body. Caitlin's candle blew out the day she died, but we all knew it was for
you. We lit it right after she died. But, sometimes, the soul comes down to take another's life. The banshees warn us." he
sighed. "Most think it is just superstition, now. Many of the people in the Sanctuary are Christians, now." his eyes scanned the
people surrounding the fire. "The people here are the only ones that believe any more." he shook his head sadly, "And there
aren't as many people that believe any more. It is horrible. With the Romans came Christianity. Its not that I have anything
against it, Caitlin is a Christian, its just that no one remembers the old ways. If we are to get any where in getting our island
back from the Romans, we will have to unite together again. We can't do that if everyone hates each other."
    There was shocking reality to it. He felt like the Romans would never leave. They'd always be fighting them. Until he died.
Would they fight afterwards? Or would they give up because no one was leading it any more? What ever happened, he hoped
that his people would be better for it.
    Suddenly, the candle he had just lit for Caitlin blew out. Both father and daughter's eyes widened. "Uh oh." Aerin whispered.
"If what you say is true, either Momma will come visiting, or someone will....die." As if to answer her question, an evil keening
could be heard through out the Sanctuary. It was high pitched, and Conor remembered that the same sound was made when he
met Shannon. Death was visiting.
    "Caitlin, no!" he shouted, and they stood up. Conor looked around, afraid to see some one dying in front of him. Molly had a
stricken face, and she became pale. Her fingers which were curled around a mug of ale, tightened. A little moan seeped out of
her mouth, and she closed her eyes. Conor rushed to her side. "What is it, Molly?" he begged, feeling her heart beat. It was
slow, and every beat seemed to get weaker and weaker. He took the mug from her. "This is that stuff that that messenger
brought us when Aerin came, isn't it?" he brought it up to his nose, and smelled it. "Ugh!" he coughed. "It like someone put
poison in it!" he shook his head. No. That couldn't have happened. No! "It can't be. Molly, you aren't going to die. You won't.
This isn't happening." he ordered. But, she didn't seem to listen. Finally, the heart ceased to beat. Her arm was limp under his
hand, and her chest didn't heave to get air. He stood up. "I'm willing to bet who sent us this poison." no one needed to ask who
he meant. The Romans were the only ones who were their present enemies.

    Aerin wiped tears away from her cheeks, twisting her ring around on her finger. For her birthday, Molly died. She hadn't
wanted some one else to die Death was such a forbidding word. Once dead, you couldn't live again. That didn't sound fun to
Aerin.
   "Da, who killed her? Please tell me!" she begged.
    Conor shook his head. "I don't want you getting in to this. This is for me to settle. I really don't want my little girl getting in to
this. You could get hurt."
    Angry, she stamped a foot. "I'm not a little girl."
    He sighed. "I think that the Romans did this." that was all she needed to hear. She started walking in the direction she knew
to be the Roman fort. "Where are you going?" he demanded.
    "I'm just going to visit Momma's grave, and beg her to take down the people who killed Molly." she told him. It was the first
time she had ever lied to any one. It didn't feel very nice, either. She couldn't see how her father did so much of it.
    She walked aimlessly for a while, following horse tracks. She saw a fort looming in the distance, and grinned. Her destiny
lied there. She twisted the ring around again, remembering where she had gotten it. She had received it for her thirteenth
birthday at a fort similar looking to this one. She walked to the gates, and commanded to the guards, in the Latin that she had
been schooled so carefully on, "Open the gates for me."
    Since this lass knew Latin, they decided she could be no threat, and opened the gates. None of the people of Eire had
proved smart enough to know Latin.
    She wandered around the inside of the fort until a mean looking woman came up to her. She had long black hair, and she
looked evil. She wore the trendy clothing that her mother always wore. She was up to date with fashions even though she was
in Eire. "And who are you?" she asked, catching Aerin's shoulder.
    "I'm King Conor's daughter." she announced, holding her chin up proudly.
    "Ah, Conor's royal brat. Caitlin's child, I suppose?" she asked, and Aerin stared at her.
    "And how did you know?" she demanded.
    "Child, I know more than you could imagine. I make it my business to know who shares the bed with your father, and who
gives him a child. I know your nurse maid recently gave in to the blond prince's, or rather, he's a king, now, charms."
    "If you know so much about me, then how did my mother die?" she glared at the woman who had spies so close to her
home.
    "Girl, that is old news. She died giving birth to you. And if my guess is right, you are four and ten years old today, Aerin." she
shrugged, dismissing this as common knowledge. Aerin couldn't believe this woman knew more about her than she did herself.
This wasn't right.
    "And did you poison Molly?" she had to know.
    "Molly? Oh yes, the Druid bitch." she smiled. "I poisoned her, yes. That was my pleasure. You see it helped, for I know how
she looks on your father."
    That was enough. Aerin threw herself at the woman, and started kicking her. "You killed her! You horrible woman!" Diana
pulled her back.
    She sighed. "I guess we are going to have to send you off to the prisons where your father should be living." she saw the ring
on Aerin's finger. "What's this? Hm, this is interesting."
    "Where did you get this ring?" she demanded, looking at the own on her finger.
    "None of your business." Aerin tried not to cry. The woman's grip on her arm hurt.
    "Then I'll make it my business." she pulled on Aerin's hair, and pulled on the girl's hair. "Tell me!"
    "All right!" Aerin shouted, and Diana loosened her grip. "From a Roman trade ship."
    "You stole it, you brat!" Diana accused.
    "No, I didn't! My foster father gave it to me!" she cursed under her breath in the other language.
    "Interesting. What is your foster father's name, girl?" she raised a perfect eyebrow, and tossed her hair.
    "Patricus. He's more powerful than you are." she announced proudly.
    "Hah!" the Roman Queen was amused. "Sure. I would like to see this man."
    "Don't hurt him!" she gasped, and Diana laughed.
    "Child, I wouldn't hurt someone who could help me." she shook her head, and called to a guard, "Guard! Take this girl to
one of our rooms. Don't hurt her, but do what you will."

    Aerin blinked her eyes, and stared up at the figure looming above her. She winced when she saw the figure was male. "No!"
she cried out. She expected a blow to her bruised and bloody face, but it was her father. "Da!" she nearly shouted. He put a
hand to his lips.
    "Diana is agreeing to a truce so that I can get you back home. Why she's helping me, I don't think I'll ever know. What
happened, lass?" he was concerned.
    She threw her arms around him, and sobbed. "Just take me home, Da." she begged. He nodded, and bore her away. At
home, where the healer bandaged her lips and cheeks, repairing the cuts, he asked the question again.
    This time, she answered. "Da, they used me." she whispered, and only then did Conor see the rips in her gown at her waist.
    He clenched his jaw. "First they defile my country. Then they abuse my wife. But to do this to my little daughter?" his eyes
gleamed. "They're dead where they stand."

    Katherine smiled to herself, holding in a secret. She hummed a lullaby under her breath, folding Conor's clothes to put into
the chest. She pressed down the lid and slid her hands to her belly. They rested there, and she grinned to herself. Giddy almost,
she went to find Conor. There was good news to tell him. It would be good, and bad.
    He was sitting by the fire. "Do you know what they did to Aerin?" he asked, his fiery eyes focusing on her. She winced away
from his glare, as if he had hit her.
    "What did they do?" she asked him, afraid some what of the answer.
    "They raped her." he spat out the words.
    "Goodness." she turned away. "I guess now isn't the best time in the world to tell you this."
    He shook his head, and softened the glare. "What is it?"
    "Well, I have to tell you that..." she paused, and took his hand. "I'm carrying your baby."
    That hit him like an arrow. Whoa! "Really?"
    "Truly."
    He took her into his arms for a hug. "Then I have to care for you. Will you marry me, so that it will be born in wedlock, if not
conceived?"
    She sighed. "As much as I would like to, Conor, the people care not about wedlock. I wouldn't marry you because you
were guilty for something that wine played a judgment in."
     "I wasn't drunk, that night."
    "We still shouldn't."
    He looked towards Aerin's hut. "How are we going to tell her?" he asked Katherine. She shrugged. "I'm sure we'll think of
something."

    Aerin took one look at the ring on her finger and threw it in to the fire. "You damn thing!" she raged. It was the first time she
had used a curse word. It ate on her tongue and made her feel retched. It was a pretty bad feeling, for she still felt dirty after
what the Roman soldiers had done. A boy came in with the healer, to check on her. He was a tall lad, who looked about her
age. His hair was darker than she had seen before, almost, and his eyes were a stunning blue. How odd!
    "What's your name?" she asked him.
    The healer smiled. "So, you're up! This lad is Bryan." she introduced him. They had a lively conversation, until her Da and
Katherine came in, looking serious and silly at the same time.
    The healer and Bryan went out, and Conor sat on the edge of the bed. "Aerin, you know we love you, right?" he asked. She
nodded. They were acting stupid. What was wrong? "Well, Katherine is going to have a baby."
    Aerin hadn't expected this.
    This was going too far. Since that one day back in Britannia, she had found out that she didn't belong to her supposed father,
and that her real father was in Eire, being the King. Also, she had learned that her mother died bearing her. She learned that her
father had a romantic interest in her nanny. She had caught them together. One of her respected elders had died. But now this?
    "Why did you do this to me?" she demanded. She wanted to get up and run, but the wound to her head was preventing it.
    Katherine and Conor exchanged looks. "It just happened." Katherine offered. "I love your father, and we're getting married."
this shocked Conor, who widened his eyes.
    "I thought you..." he mouthed, and she smiled up at him.
    Now, if them carrying a child had been an arrow, she'd now be hit by some atmos. Married?! Conor took Katherine's hand,
and Aerin turned away. "How could you?" Aerin's lip quivered. She wouldn't cry...the strong don't cry...what's that tear doing
there?
    "I have to support your half brother or sister." he told her, and Aerin gulped back a sob.
    "It's also my cousin." she pointed out. Katherine sat down beside her. She took her hands, and turned Aerin's tear streaked
face to her.
    "You're almost a woman. You can deal with this. I'm going to need your help with this baby. You're going to have to be
strong."
    Aerin sighed, and laid back on the pillow. "Tell me when it's over. I'm going to stay here till then. Tell me when the baby's
grown up. Then, I'll crawl out of bed."
    Conor shook his head. "Do you know how old you're acting? You're acting like a little girl. A wee lass."
    This got her to sit up again. She put on a dress over her undershift, and laced up her boots. "I'm not a little girl. I can handle
this." Conor grinned.
    "That's my girl."

    Diana let out a sigh, staring at herself in the water. She had long since finished the bath, and it was cold, but she wanted to
remain a while. "Why did I let her go?" she asked no one in general, and as usual, the slaves that she had helping her bathe
ignored her.
    Longinus answered her. "Because you have a purpose for her." he answered. She was getting annoyed at this. He would
come in and answer the questions that she didn't want answered. Turning around, she looked up at him. The woman combing
her hair pulled the comb sharply out, and scurried away. She knew that when her mistress was conversing with Longinus, there
would be no need for her to have her hair done. She would be too busy.
    "Why do you keep all these people to do things for you? It makes you look helpless. The Queens here attend themselves.
Occasionally, though, their Kings help them bathe, which normally results in another member of the royal family." he
commented coolly, glancing at all the slaves gathered there.
    "I can do it myself, but what other things are these slaves good for? I have to do something with the people of Eire that
stumble into my hands."
    One of the slaves glanced up at Diana coldly, then scurried off with the rest of the ladies.
    "Oh?" he chuckled. "I know many things you could do with them."
    She shrugged. "Name one."
    "You don't know, yourself? You are not very bright for a Queen." when she didn't dignify that with any response, he
continued. "You could turn them loose."
    She laughed. "And have an army of former slaves forming? You know how that other one, what was her name....Cat
something, Caitlin, reacted."
    "And now she's dead. In childbirth. How did that hurt you?"
    "Her daughter."
    Longinus shook his head. The woman was getting tiring. "Why do we have the same arguments over and over again, all the
time?"
    She shrugged.

    A month later, Aerin woke up and left her hut, to join the rest of the Sanctuary at the fire. Katherine was weeping. Aerin sat
beside her, and took her hand.
    "What's wrong?" she asked.
    Katherine sighed, and looked up at Aerin. "I lost the baby." she hated to say it, but Aerin needed to know. Soon, the whole
Sanctuary would know. It was better that Aerin learned it from her.
    "Does Da know?" she hoped that he did, for this wasn't a happy day. Aerin had just recently gotten used to the thought of a
brother or sister. Katherine nodded. "He does."
    Bryan was sitting by them at the fireside. He overheard the conversation, and saw how Aerin was beginning to get upset, so
he decided to try to help out and cheer her up. He came up, and asked a question, "Aerin, I was just wondering if you
would...uh...go riding with me?" it came out fine, but he wanted to kick himself. It sounded bad to him.
    Aerin stared up at him, and nodded. "I would love to, but you're going to have to teach me how."
    Bryan couldn't believe his luck. He could teach her! That meant that he could spend a lot more time with her. "I could. But
how about if I just take you on my horse, for starters?" he asked. Sweet Brigit, please let her say yes!
    "Aye, I will ride with you." she responded. She ran off with him, but Katherine stood up, and yelled after, "Make sure you
come back before dark!" they seemed to want to ignore her.

    After a long, hard ride, they stopped by the river to rest and talk. He helped her down, and waited for her to sit down before
he started talking. "Your Da, he's a really nice guy."
    She nodded. "I'm sure your Da was, too."
    Bryan stared at the river, and answered softly. "He's dead. I never knew him."
    "Oh." she answered. "I'm sorry."
    "It's all right. You didn't know." he told her, and patted her hand. "My mother is dead, too. She died shortly after I was born.
The Romans killed my Da, and my Ma died cause of me."
    Aerin looked up at him. "So did Momma." she offered.
    "Then we have something in common. I'm older, though. Just a little less than a year." he looked at her for a moment, then
continued. "They said that I was born the very same day that the Druid King died."
    Aerin smiled. "That means that you might be the Druid King. You could, you know." she was bewildered. Why did every
one who became of any relation have to become distant? If Bryan left to be Druid King, he would have to leave. She had just
met him!
    He shrugged. Then, he wondered aloud, "What was it like in Britannia?"
    She, in turn, shrugged. "It was different. I was with the Romans. I learned Latin, and I grew up thinking that I was Roman.
That's all."
    There was a rustling in the bushes, and...

    Conor rubbed just a little harder with the cloth, cleaning the blade of his sword. This was his father's sword. He needed to
keep it in good shape. Staring into the tiny fire kindled in the corner of the hut, he wondered about the recent events. So much
had happened. So very much. His daughter had stumbled upon something that he didn't want her to see *oh man, how she
shouldn't've seen that, probably scarred her for life* she had run away, he found her, but she was hurt and he took her back.
After a brush with death, she wanted to tempt fate a little more, and after she found out that it was the Romans that killed
Molly, she went to the Roman fort to seek her own revenge. There, Diana herself had taken her captive. She had turned his
daughter over to the guards, who had raped her. He had returned her back, only to tell her that she was going to have a little
brother or sister. And recently, Katherine had gotten a miscarriage, ending the life of his future son or daughter. And ending
what would have been a rocky marriage without love. It would be a support blanket for their child. That would be all.
    He was so confused, lately. Utterly and totally confused. It was not only young men that could get confused. He had been
confused when he was young, and it was carrying over to his later years. Why had everything gone like this? Why, in the whole
entire world full of people did all of this have to happen to him? All he had wanted was to sail away with Claire and live a
simple, easy life full of love and peace. But no. He wasn't ever given the luxury of a love that stayed. Ironically, all of the women
he had loved, though it had only been few, had died about a year after returning the love. And it left him empty. There wasn't
any thing to fill the void that Caitlin had left behind. Not even Katherine and Aerin and the whole Confederation could fill it.
    Yet life still demanded him that he go on. It wasn't his time. Not at all. There had been bad times and good times alike, but it
wasn't over. No matter how hard he wished, it wasn't. The Romans would fall before I die, he vowed it. That day would come
soon, he hoped. And it would, sooner than any one would've expected.
    He stood up, and strode out. He saw that Katherine's normal spot by the fire was vacant, so he guessed that she was else
where. Conor yawned, and headed for the waterfall. He wanted a bath. Baths always seemed to comfort him. There, he
slipped out of his clothes, and swam vigorously in the water. He went under, and swam until he thought his lungs would burst.
He surfaced, and shook the water from his hair, droplets of water streaming down his face. The water was cold, but it was
indeed comforting. It woke him up, preparing him for more shock. The day would probably bring more of it. The last few
months had brought plenty of it.
    After swimming a few laps and ducking under again, he got out. The only thing that he figured he needed now was some hot
food. After pulling his pants back on, he walked back in the direction of the fire. He laced the tunic up as he walked. When he
came to the fire, Katherine was there, feeding fire with the baby clothes that she had started to make. He stopped her, just as
she was tossing the second piece of clothing into the fire. "Someone else could use them." he told her. She looked up at him,
tears gleaming in her eyes.
    She stroked the hair out of his face, fingering a curl. "You're all wet. And it's freezing out here. You'll get sick."
    He shook his head, resulting in getting a little water on her, too. "No I won't. Where's Aerin?"
    She shrugged. "Somewhere off with that lad Bryan."
    He grinned. "Found her a lad, huh? Well, Bryan is a good choice, I guess. He's showing to be a good warrior. And I have to
admit that his face isn't that bad, either."
    Katherine giggled. "I guess Bryan should take that as a compliment." she sighed. "We're getting old. Aerin, who's your little
baby, is all ready old enough to be married."
    He took her hand, and sighed. "Aye, aren't we. About fifteen or sixteen years of Romans. You'd think they would've left by
now."
    Katherine shrugged. "I'm no priestess or novice, but I think it won't be that long before the Romans leave. Why else would
Diana give you Aerin back like that? She may have done damage, but she's getting old, too. I hear that Longinus pays her no
attention, any more. And there's been word that there's trouble in Rome."
    Conor sighed. "I sure hope that they do leave, soon. Many of our people are becoming half Roman. I sure hope that my little
girl doesn't have to go through that, and I'm ever so thankful that Caitlin didn't have to do that, either."
    Aerin jerked her head to the direction of the sound. The bushes were moving! She gasped, and Bryan's hand at once flew to
his sword. He stood up, moving in front of Aerin. His first thought in his mind was to protect this princess that he was becoming
so fond of. Bryan was expecting a Roman centurion to come out of the bushes, or a bear, or something else challenging. And
he hoped that he was good enough and strong enough to beat it, if it challenged him. Much to his surprise, it was not. Three
men and a woman, all dressed in white robes, stepped out of the underbrush and low hanging tree branches.
    The man at their head raised his arms at Bryan. "Lower your sword, son. We are not looking for a fight, nor will we hurt
you." he told him calmly. They all looked so serene and peaceful. There was a relaxing air about them, too, and soon Bryan
found himself lowering his sword arm. He was about to ask a question when the man at the head motioned to his followers.
"Bow down, for we are in the presence of the Blessed, our King." Bryan stared at them in amazement as they all knelt in front
of him. Aerin turned to him, and mouthed, "Who are they?"
    Bryan could only shrug.

  Conor looked up as a few men came into the Sanctuary. They were all dressed in the same white robes that he knew that
Druids wore. He could still remember the Druids that he had met while accompanying Glas back. He stood, and the leader of
them clasped his hands in greeting at Conor. "Hello, King." he said.
  Conor nodded, and answered back, "Hello. Why are you here?"
  The leader smiled, and told him. "Are the parents of a lad named Bryan here?"
  Conor frowned. "Bryan? He was orphaned years ago. Why do you ask for him?"
    "Because after a long time of searching, and thinking, we have finally found whom we believe is the Druid King." the man told
the King, who was bewildered.
    "You mean Bryan? You think he's the Druid King?"
    He nodded.
    The leader of the curious people stood up again, and stared up at Bryan. "You are what we have been looking for. Exactly,
to the very color of your eyes, even the scar on your chin." Bryan brought his hand to his chin, and felt the scar there. He had
forgotten that it was there. It had been there since he was little, from his first attempt at hunting. With Conor, in fact.
    The woman in the white robe came up to him, and put her hands on his head. He stared at her, and wondered what in the
world she was doing to him. She nodded to the leader. She then moved her hands to the sides of his head, at his temples, and
breathed in between his eyes. His eyes closed, and he saw something.
     At first he couldn't distinguish what it was that he was seeing, then he saw a little boy. The little boy was grinning at him like
he knew something that Bryan didn't. He probably did, for Bryan had no idea what was going on. He opened his eyes again,
and the leader asked him, "What did you see?"
    Bryan answered him, his brows furrowed, "A boy. Who are you people?"
    The leader smiled. "Let me apologize for not introducing myself. I am Bram, this woman here is Sheila. The two other men
with me are Arthur and Bret. We Druids, except for Sheila. She is the High Priestess."
    Bryan was getting truly confused. "But why are you coming for me?"
    Bram smiled again, thinking of how slow this boy was catching on. His job training him to be their king would be a tough
one! "You are our king, lad."
    Bryan stared at the woman again, and noticed that her eyes were closed, and had been the whole time he had seen her. Yet
she had been walking around... "Why are her eyes closed?" he asked, very curious to figure out why. These Druids were full of
mystery.
    Again, the Druid smiled. Why did he smile so much? Bryan was getting annoyed with it. "She's blind, lad." Bryan didn't know
which was more confusing- being the Druid King, or that the woman was blind. "She's blind? How does she see me?" he felt
dumb, perhaps the woman didn't see him at all, but then, how did she know where he was?
    The answer awed him. "She has the Sight, as do you."

    Katherine smiled when she heard the news. "I always knew there was something special about Bryan. But Aerin will be so
upset. I think that she was actually beginning to like him."
    One of the Druids nodded, and told Katherine something that greatly disturbed her. "And Aerin has a little of the Priestess
blood in her, from Conor's side. We want to take her with us, too."
    Katherine widened her eyes. "But Aerin's Christian!"
    The Druid shrugged. "The gods have chosen."

    Bryan's mouth hung open. "The Sight?" he practically stuttered.
    Aerin, however, was confused. "What's the Sight?" she wondered aloud.
    Sheila smiled. "The Sight, little daughter, is like a magic. It's like your mind can read other people's minds, or maybe you
have a greater sensitivity to the land, or perhaps you could see the future. There are many other things that the Sight can do. I
can "see" the way because of it, and I know where to go, since I am blind. Everyone has a little tiny bit of it, which people can
call instinct. Every good warrior has it, you just need to be trained to use it. You have a little more than others, yourself." she
told Aerin, who tried to compute everything the woman had said.
    "You mean I...?" she trailed off, wondering what she had to do with any thing.
    Sheila nodded. "You are needed, too. Any one can be a novice, but to be a Priestess requires higher skills. You must be
strong, and passionate. You are all that. That you have a little of the blood in you is but a bonus. I would appreciate it if you
came back with us as well."
    Aerin frowned. "But I'm Christian. I don't believe in the gods that you do."
    Sheila leaned close, and whispered, "You'll understand some day, when you learn the mysteries, but in truth, all gods are one
god, and all goddesses are one. That is why they can be worshipped under many different names. You just call God by a
different name and follow a different interpretation of your gospel. Besides, where we will go is a place of more than just
worship. You could learn there. And if the gods call you, you may want to convert. We will not force you."
    Aerin glanced up at Bryan, who was smiling at something that Bram had told him. She would have to remember to ask him
about what he said later. Bryan nodded, and leaned close as well. "I wish you would go with me to this place. You might fit in
there. And like it."
    Aerin looked at the ground, and then at the river they had stopped by. Of all the many things that she had done in her life,
learning had been her favorite to do. And she liked Bryan very much, and wanted to do things with him. Maybe this was the
right thing to do. She looked back up at Sheila, and smiled. "I think that I would like to try, and go with you."

    It was a difficult decision, but Aerin was going to stick to it. With her past out of the way, she was ready to learn more about
the ways of her people. And perhaps she would even convert. Only time would tell.
    Bryan, as well, was amazed at the turn of events. He was the Druid King. But, that meant that he wouldn't get to pursue
Aerin, if his feelings proved strong enough. Or would it? Again, only time would tell.
 

    Meanwhile, Diana, learning of the new Druid King, was getting a little nervous. Rome was loosing power, here. And there
was another Druid King? It had taken them about fifteen years to do it, but they were finally getting under her skin. Perhaps it
was time to start being nicer to them, and sucking up a little. She decided that she might be just a little softer. Maybe start
bribing tribes. Rome must not be overpowered!

    Conor, saddened, watched as his daughter left him, again. He knew that she was that much closer to being a woman, now.
She had made her own decision about what she wanted to do as a woman. And he respected that decision. "You'll come back
to visit, right?" he had asked her. On her honor, she had said, she would definitely come back and visit. And, Conor decided
that he was going to marry Katherine, because it was better to have her as his wife, for she was a wonderful friend, and she
helped him in many decisions. It wouldn't be a marriage full of love, but it would still have respect, and admiration. Conor felt it
would work out fine.

    And it would. Everything would work itself out.

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