Chapter 16

It was morning, and Bran was bleary-eyed and exhausted. He had spent most of his night thinking of Idalia and the suggestion Dunn had made about her getting married to stop August Raymond from going after her. He had imagined what their life would be like together and it had been amazing, everything he had ever wanted. And when he had finally gone to sleep, he had dreamed of her. He had seen them as a family, with his daughter safe with him, and a son from Idalia.

He dreamed of August Raymond finally getting what he deserved and being completely out of their lives. It had been quite a wonderful dream and yet, when Bran had woken up before the sun came up, he was not as happy as he had been just moments before.

No matter how much he wished it things were different, Bran did not believe he was the right fit for her. She was wonderful and beautiful, and she would make a great wife for any man, but he did not think he was that man. Of course, Dunn's suggestion made a lot of sense. If she was married, she would be in no danger of August trying to force her into marriage.

It pained Bran to imagine her being wed to someone else. Try as he might to convince himself otherwise, he knew he felt something for her. It might not be love, but he felt different when he thought of her. She made him feel things he had never felt and, even more so, she made him wish he had been a better man.

Bran knew that wishing alone would not make any difference. It would not change all of his offences. It would not redeem him.

Bran sighed and got out of bed. He went outside and looked up at the dark sky. Dawn would soon come and with it, the sun. He knew he should be asleep right then and allow his body to recuperate after all he had put it through. But lying back down would only bring back thoughts of Idalia and their impossible future.

He walked around the castle, pausing to take in all the new additions that had been made. Then, he went to the edge of the forest located just behind the big keep, took up a woodsman's ax, and began to chop at a tree. As he swung at the tree, his shoulders ached from his wounds and the repetitive, jolting heaviness of the blows, but Bran was not deterred.

He swung the ax one last time and welcomed the sweet pain that overtook him as the tree suddenly fell with a crash. Puffing and cleaning the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, he set off again, hacking off the branches, splitting the trunk, and chopping it in into firewood. He became so absorbed in his task, that the next thing he knew, he was looking around at all the wood he had chopped, surprised at the amount. Bran did not know how long he had been standing there until he saw how bright it suddenly was. He squinted when he looked up and the sun shone brightly into his eyes.

Bran shrugged and picked up the ax once again, groaning from the effort and the pain that shot through his wounded shoulder. It had never healed after the first few times it had been injured. It restricted his movement, yet Bran always tried to put as much pressure on it as possible so it did not stay that way.

He gathered up the logs and placed them in a wooden cart he found leaning against a tree at the entrance to the forest.

As Bran approached the castle, he saw many of the servants milling around and going about their daily activities. So far, he had succeeded in not thinking about Idalia, but he knew he would soon have no choice. It was only a matter of time before his brother and the others approached him about the issue of her marriage. They had told him they would discuss it soon, and if he knew anything about the men, it was that they never put off anything that was important until later.

He knew they wanted him to marry her, but, unfortunately, there would be no other choice than to give her to someone else, yet the thought of it was not something that Bran was willing to stomach. Jealousy filled him at the idea of seeing her with another man and knowing he had been responsible for it. The thought of smiling while she was saying her vow made him scoff.

There was another aspect Bran was struggling with—the type of man she would marry. They would not propose just any man to her for her to escape the reach of August Raymond.

He groaned. Bran was annoyed at how selfish he was being. This was about Idalia's safety and not his feelings, and yet he had managed to make it all about himself. When the time came for the men to talk about finding her a husband, Bran would relay his opinion on the matter to them and he would give them his blessing to find her a respectable match. No matter how he felt about it, he would keep his opinion to himself and let her have the happiness she deserved.

He knew that Dunn and Tor would see to it, after all, she was as important to them as she was to him, and they would do anything to see to her happy. It also helped that they knew more about the men around them than he did at that point.

Bran prepared himself for the disagreements he would have to listen to on the matter. He knew everyone believed he loved her and that they would be better off married to each other, but if indeed he really loved her, he would do the right thing and allow her to be wed to a man who was better for her, a man who was as good as she was.

Maybe he really did love her. He knew his heart filled with light and hope whenever he saw her. He knew he was happy to know she was happy and wanted nothing but the best for her. Even more so, he knew there was not much he would not do for her, if there was anything at all. Is that not what love is really about?

Maybe he did love her. Surely, the others must have seen something to make them so certain that he did. If he had any sort of goodness in him as a man, then he should have enough goodness in him not to marry her.

As he walked away, he saw the servants looking at him as if in surprise, and Bran wondered what the reason could be.

"They are just surprised with the amount of wood ye have brought back with ye. It's enough tae keep the fires burning for a long time," an old man Bran did not recognize told him.

"Ach, I was only trying tae help out. It did help me clear my head, so I suppose it was as beneficial to me as much as it was for the household," he replied causing the old man to chuckle as he looked at the wood that the servants had begun to sort into piles.

"Must have been a lot on yer mind if ye were able to bring in so much wood," he said, still laughing heartily.

Bran shook his head and let out a low chuckle before walking away. If only the man had known how right he was. Maybe he would have sympathized with Bran for all of the thoughts that were going through his head. Or maybe he would have told him how much of a fool he was for letting go of a woman who brought him so much joy.

Bran tried to busy himself inside, refusing to allow himself any more time to think about her. He felt he would go insane if he allowed it.

As the day drew to an end and the sun began to recede in the sky, Bran went along with his brother, Andrew, to the council meeting to discuss how best to protect Idalia. He sat beside his brother, taking note of everything that was being said at the meeting.

"The reason we have gathered here today is tae discuss the safety of one of our own, Idalia. She is nae safe and has nae been for a very long time now. It is our job as her family tae make sure she is very well protected," Dunn began. "August Raymond has been a constant danger. We need tae find a way tae neutralize him once and for all, but before that, we need tae make sure Idalia is well protected."

"Yes, 'tis nae enough for us tae sit and plan. The man seeks te take her and marry her against her will and he will continue tae do so for as long as she remains available. What we need tae do is find her a husband. Idalia may nae agree immediately but surely, having a husband of her choice is a better fate than being abducted and forcefully married tae August Raymond," Tor said.

As they talked about marrying her off for her safety, Bran could feel the eyes of everyone around turning to look at him. He looked to see them staring, some even smiling at him, and he felt himself dreading what he was about to do. He heaved a heavy sigh, knowing the commotion he was soon to cause, and then he spoke up.

"I ken that ye all think that I should be the one tae marry Idalia, but I have thought about this all day, and I believe the best person tae marry her would be my brother, Andrew," Bran said.

He looked at his brother as he spoke and saw his eyes widen in shock, just as he heard the collective gasps and murmurs around him at the suggestion. Dunn raised his hands to silence the murmurs, but Bran focused only on his brother. He waited until Andrew met his eyes, the shock still evident in them, and then he nodded to show that he meant what he said. Andrew would indeed be perfect for her. He would treat her with love and respect, and Bran would not have to worry about her being taken care of because his brother would see to it.

"Andrew?" Tor called out, trying to get his friend's attention. Andrew blinked, appearing to have been lost in thought. Tor looked at Bran one last time, as if to make sure he knew what he was doing. Just like he had with his brother, Bran nodded his head in reply to the silent question.

"Andrew?" Tor called out once again, sighing heavily, as though Bran's words had taken all of the energy out of him.

"Och!" Andrew looked around the room, unable to utter a word. "Uhm…"

"Andrew, I can assure ye that marrying Idalia would be the best decision. I ken that ye were nae prepared for this, but Idalia is a beautiful woman and beyond her beauty, she is a wonderful girl. Her heart is pure, and she cares for everyone whose path she crosses. She is strong-willed but that is only because she knows what she wants, and she always strives for it. Ye are my brother and I love ye. I want yer happiness and I ken that Idalia will make ye happy and fill yer home with joy. Ye will have nae reason tae regret choosing tae make her yer wife."

Bran looked around as he spoke and once again noticed the looks of those around him as they exchanged glances. He peered down at the ground and closed his eyes, realizing once again that he had said too much; his words not helping to convince them that he did not love Idalia or want to be with her.

"Bran, I need tae ken. If ye think she is so great, then why are ye nae marrying her?" his brother asked him, looking at him with a confused expression.

"She deserves better than what she will get being married tae me." This time, although he could feel the gazes of the people, he did not look at them. He looked only at his brother. "But I promise ye that ye shall nae be missing anything. I ken this is an arranged marriage and ye dinnae have feeling for each other, but I ken that ye would come tae love each other."

Andrew nodded and released a sigh. "All right. If ye are sure 'tis what ye want, then I will be glad to help out and marry her if there is nae other option."

"Great!" Dunn clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "It is good that we have this sorted out now. Andrew shall be married tae Idalia."

He looked at Bran one more time. He was trying to keep up a smile, even though he felt anything but happy. He was only content that Idalia would end up with a loving husband.

"Are ye sure 'tis what ye want?" he asked him and nodded when Bran replied positively.

"All right, then. We will, of course, ask Idalia if this is an arrangement she is happy with before we proceed, for we will nae be better than the man she is currently hiding from if we force our decision upon her. If Idalia says aye, then the decision is taken. Is that really what ye want, Bran?"

"Aye, I am certain of it," Bran said, wishing they would proceed with the arrangement without asking him anymore if he was certain of his decision. Of course, he was not, but was there really anything he could do and still respect himself? No. His heart began beating terribly fast at the realization. Everything in him willed him to stand up and say he had changed his mind, that he would be glad to marry her and had never wanted anything more than he wanted her and his daughter to be a family. But Bran remained seated.

"Then it is settled. After Idalia has agreed and the wedding has been celebrated, we will go to take Mahala back," Dunn said.

At the mention of his daughter, Bran forced himself to listen as they talked about the plan to save her from August Raymond. He might not be able to spend time with Idalia himself, but the thought of Idalia being with his daughter and knowing August was no longer a threat filled him with happiness. His Mahala would soon be with him, and they would both be happy together.

While Idalia was married to his brother.