Chapter 66: 65. Dispirited

"This isn't so bad actually," Keira commented as she looked at herself in the mirror.

She'd just slipped on her fancy new gown, and of course it looked stunning on her. Needless to say Kelly looked gorgeous in hers too.

They were both emerald green, but Kelly's had dark blue trim and accents while on Keira's gown the accents and trim were in dark purple.

Mine was in the Brádaigh colours of course, light blue with purple trim.

It was Samhain eve and all three of us were getting ready for the dinner. Unfortunately it wasn't going to be a full-on feast, nor would there be much of a festival or celebration. The overall mood of the castle was too low for anyone to get into any serious merriment. With Connor missing and his fate unknown, Maeve was stressed and she set the tone for the whole castle.

Still, it was Samhain and even though her husband was absent the clann leader's daughter was here and that was something. So there would be a big dinner, which was better than nothing.

Kelly and Keira and I had been trying to make the most of our vacation, despite the sombre mood that hung over the castle. We'd put aside thoughts of assassination and intrigue, and instead spent the past three days following our original plans. We took walks around the castle, we relaxed and enjoyed the idle luxury of just being here, and the day before the Samhain feast the three of us went on a little excursion.

Keira and Kelly and I borrowed some horses, the twins borrowed a pair of bows, and we convinced Maeve and Siobhan to let us go for a day-trip without any guards or escorts. We packed some food and rode south to visit the lake.

It was about a ninety minute ride through the southern woods to get there. The lake was beautiful, and it was no mere pond either. I had no idea how big it was in terms of numbers, but it was big enough to support a small fishing community towards the south-west end. Big enough that it would probably take a full day to go all the way around on horseback.

The three of us found a picturesque little meadow overlooking the water and spent a few hours there. We relaxed, had lunch, and just generally had a really nice peaceful day. After the craziness of my last few days on Earth then the bad news when we got here, then Kelly's surprise request a few nights ago, it was really nice to just relax and unwind in a quiet idyllic spot like that. I think all three of us appreciated the peace and quiet, and the view.

We got back to the castle just before dusk, which earned us a bit of a lecture from both Maeve and Siobhan. It was kind of amusing, but they thought it was very serious.

We'd been lazy most of the day of the feast and spent our time lounging around our room, but nightfall was approaching and we needed to be in the dining hall before sunset.

I double-checked my hair in the mirror then did my lipstick. It was a bit of a cheat bringing a few things from Earth, but nobody seemed to have a problem with it. And I knew my mother appreciated me putting the effort in for the special occasion.

When we were ready, the three of us all made our way together down to the dining hall.

As usual for big feasts and grand dinners, all the tables were set up along with chairs and benches, hundreds of place settings were laid out.

The three of us made our way over to the head table and joined Maeve. She was standing in front of the table, there to act as hostess, to greet everyone, smile, that sort of thing. Though it was evident in her expression and the tone of her voice that she was missing her husband tonight. Normally he'd be at her side for this.

As sunset approached we all took our places. Maeve was in the centre of course, and I was to her right. Kelly sat to my right and Keira was on Kelly's right. There was an empty seat at mother's left for Connor, then Siobhan was seated to the left of that spot. The rest of the head table was filled with other high-ranking soldiers or senior servants.

The three long tables were crowded with most of the remaining staff. By now it was all somewhat familiar to me. I watched as a couple dozen more staff emerged from the kitchens and distributed trays of food to all the tables, then they took their seats as well.

Maeve didn't have much of a speech this time. She just welcomed everyone, bid everyone a happy Samhain, and that was it. She sat down and everyone started eating.

There was a quiet murmur of conversation and the sound of a couple hundred people eating, but it was nothing like last year. Last Samhain the hall had been alive with noise and energy. It had been a fun, loud, raucous affair. Compared to last year, this almost felt more like a funeral.

As always the food was wonderful, and of course there was a lot of it. Like other feasts and celebrations it was all serve-yourself, with the food available on the tables in platters, bowls, and baskets. There were pitchers of ale and jugs of wine, and of course some juice was available for me. Kelly managed to talk me into trying a glass of wine, but it was ok but it wasn't really my thing. I liked my drinks a little sweeter. Hence the juice here, or the cola and hard lemonade back on Earth.

Maeve didn't appear to be eating much, and after a few minutes she seemed to stop altogether. For a while she just sat quietly and watched her people enjoying the meal.

Eventually though, she leaned a little closer to speak with me. Not that she thought I'd have trouble hearing her, but she kept her voice low as the topic was apparently for my ears alone.

"That name you learned from the spies, Captain Eamon?" she whispered.

I nodded slightly, and kept my voice down as I replied. "You recognized it. You know who he is?"

Maeve sighed, "If it is indeed the same man, then we are dealing with another traitor. Eamon is captain of one of my strongholds along the southern border."

That caught me by surprise. "Why would one of your own captains be sending spies here?"

"It would not be for his own benefit, Tegan." She sighed slightly, "Captain Eamon's post is castle Griofa. That is the western-most stronghold along my southern border."

"Ah," my eyes widened slightly. "So he has access to county Conchobhair. And people in Conchobhair have access to him. He could be working for Lord Aengus."

She nodded, "If it is the same man, then yes. That is my concern."

I was quiet for a few moments, then asked, "Is your captain Eamon trustworthy? Or treacherous? Ambitious?"

Maeve sighed, "I do not know Tegan. I don't believe I've ever met the man. I receive reports twice a year from him, as I do from all my strongholds along the southern border."

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That kind of shocked me, but also reminded me again of the scale of things. Not only was Maeve a big important rich and powerful woman, but she was in charge of so much, that there were people working for her that she'd never even met. I realized there were probably even people in this castle that she'd never met or even spoken to. The place was huge, with hundreds of staff. And to think she owned or controlled even more castles, with even more staff. Places I'd never heard of, spread across the entire county.

My fae-mom hesitated, then admitted "If Eamon is indeed in the service of Lord Aengus, it would mean I've lost control of part of my county. It would mean my border is breached, to the west or to the south, or possibly both."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that. After a few minutes of silence, I finally leaned closer and asked softly "What will you do? Go and see this guy? Or summon him here?"

She sighed, "I have dispatched riders, to castle Griofa and its two nearest neighbours. I've requested updated reports from the three commanders. I'm hopeful that I will gain some insight by their responses, whether Eamon and the two others in charge in those castles remain loyal and trustworthy."

"Oh," I frowned. It didn't sound like much of a plan to me, but I had to trust her judgement. "When do you expect to hear back?"

Maeve replied, "Within the week. Once I have their responses, I will have to determine how to proceed from there."

"Have you sent word to the king yet?" I asked.

She shook her head, "Not yet. I don't dare tell him I may have lost control of one of my castles, and my border. I need to get my county in order before I do anything else."

With a sigh she added, "If needs be, I will have to attend castle Griofa myself and ensure Eamon is loyal, or see him removed and replaced."

"And while you're focusing on that, the business with the Ceallaighs has to wait." I sighed. "Which means we can't do anything to help Connor until this other matter is addressed."

"Correct," Maeve nodded slightly.

I sighed again, then offered "If there's anything I can do to help mother, just say so. I'm sure Kelly and Keira would agree with me."

"Thank you Tegan," she smiled slightly, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I may well take you up on that.

My fae-mom poured herself some more wine. That seemed to be the end of the conversation for her, for now she just sipped her drink and watched as everyone else continued enjoying the food and drink.

Eventually she quietly excused herself and left early.

I felt bad for her, but there wasn't really anything more I could do. Me and the twins stayed a while longer, we talked with Siobhan and a few other familiar faces, but eventually we all made a quiet exit as well.

When we reached our rooms Keira gave Kelly and me each a quick hug. She mumbled "Happy Samhain. I'll see you two in the morning." Then she disappeared into her room.

"Goodnight Keira," Kelly replied, but her sister had already closed the door behind her.

Kelly sighed, and the two of us went into our room together. As we got undressed she looked at me and asked softly, "Babe? Have you been thinking about...?"

"Yeah Kelly," I nodded. "I was actually planning to talk to Keira about it tomorrow."

Kelly bit her lower lip as she thought for a moment. Then she said, "I appreciate that Tegan. If you're going to talk with her tomorrow though, would it be too much to ask, that you talk with her tonight instead?"

I glanced at the door that connected Keira's room to ours, then looked back at Kelly. "And if that conversation goes well? I don't want to leave you alone on Samhain eve."

She moved to me and kisssed me as she pulled me into a hug. She replied quietly, "I'll survive babe, it's just one night for me. For her, it's been over a year now. And her second Samhain in a row she's alone."

There was some anxiety building deep inside me, but I nodded "Ok Kelly. I'll talk with her, and I guess we'll see what happens."

"Thank you Tegan." She gave me another kiss. "I really appreciate you doing this. For me, and for Keira."

I kissed her back, then finished getting undressed. I slipped on my nightshirt, then moved to the adjoining door and knocked lightly.

After a minute or so the door opened. Keira was there in her pyjamas, and she looked confused as to why I was knocking after she'd already said goodnight. "Hey Tegan, what's up? I was just getting into bed."

"Keira?" I asked, a little nervously. "Can I come in? I'd like to talk with you about something. Just you and me?"

She looked a little more confused, but shrugged, "Yeah, ok."

I slipped in past her, and she quietly closed the door behind me.

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