Killarney, Ireland, 1847
The potatoes were nothing but black mush. He\u2019d spent hours tilling the ground, removing the rocks, tending the soil, planting the seeds, and now, all he had to show for it was a handful of black death. While he\u2019d had the forethought to plant a few other crops as well, the potatoes were the only way they had to make any money, and with the little home the villagers had helped them build at the end of last year when he and Aislyn had tied the knot, needing a bit of repair already, he could have used the money. Now, it would be nearly impossible to even buy seed for next year\u2019s planting.
\u201cWhat you got, lad?\u201d Kian called, stepping through his acreage to Aaron\u2019s. \u201cAll rot?\u2019
\u201cYes,\u201d Aaron assured him. \u201cNothing but stink and filth. You?\u201d
\u201cThe same,\u201d Kian nodded, his hands resting on his hips. \u201cShannon will have a conniption when she hears.\u201d
\u201cShannon will understand,\u201d Aaron assured his friend, though he wasn\u2019t quite sure if that was the case. It seemed Kian\u2019s wife should\u2019ve been the one with the fiery red hair to match her temperament now that they were married.
Kian only shook his head and ran a hand through his blond hair. \u201cTomorrow, we should walk into town, see what the word is. Maybe someone has a solution.\u201d
\u201cWhile I find that highly unlikely, I will accompany you on your journey. I need to check on my mother and granddad anyway. Besides, it beats digging up dead potatoes.\u201d
\u201cAll right,\u201d Kian nodded. \u201cI\u2019m off to tell the wife. Wish me luck.\u201d
\u201cIt\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Aaron assured him, but he wasn\u2019t certain he spoke the truth. Shannon could be quite harsh when she wanted to be.
Pressing those thoughts aside, he brushed the dirt off of his hands on his trousers and made his way back across the five acres he worked towards his own home, hoping to find Aislyn inside. She would know how to calm his nerves and remind him everything would be all right.
A few hours later, they lie twisted in the bed sheets, her head resting on his chest. He could tell by her breathing that she was still awake, but holding her was one of the small things in life he still found pleasure in, and he stayed quiet, lovingly stroking the red curls that cascaded down her back and across the sheets, the contrast between the white linen and her scarlet locks only momentarily reminding him of the carnage the village had been dealing with lately as the attacks increased.
\u201cWhat are you thinking?\u201d Aislyn asked, propping her head up on one hand as she glanced down at him.
\u201cI was thinking about how beautiful you are,\u201d he replied, with a smile, \u201cand how lucky I am to be your husband. How you are all I\u2019ve ever wanted.\u201d
She smiled at him and ran her hand down his chest. \u201cYou are too complimentary, my love.\u201d Aislyn bent to place a soft kiss on his lips. \u201cWhile I feel very fortunate to be your wife, I\u2019m afraid we can\u2019t eat or sell love. What are we to do?\u201d
He hadn\u2019t even told her about the potatoes yet. Clearly, she\u2019d known from the way he\u2019d acted when he came back in the middle of the day to find her. Aaron shook his head and ran his hand down her spine. Even though they\u2019d been married for several months, he was always entranced by the creaminess of her skin. \u201cKian and I are going to walk into town tomorrow to see if we can find any answers.\u201d
\u201cNo,\u201d she said abruptly. \u201cIt\u2019s too dangerous.\u201d
Holding back a smile, he said, \u201cAislyn, you needn\u2019t worry about me. I\u2019ll be just fine. It\u2019s the only way to discover if there\u2019s a solution to this blight.\u201d
\u201cYou know there isn\u2019t,\u201d she insisted. \u201cThe famine has been affecting Ireland for nearly two years now. Just because it has now reached us in Killarney does not mean things will be any different. If the other counties have been unable to find a solution, what makes you think we will do better?\u201d
\u201cWe always do better in Killarney,\u201d he offered, though he knew his own words were not true. If they were, the potatoes would be their first concern, not the Dark Ones.
\u201cThere have been so many attacks\u2014in broad daylight\u2014on members of the Order,\u201d she reminded him, her green eyes quite serious. \u201cYou cannot travel now, my love. If something should happen to you, I don\u2019t know what I would do with myself.\u201d
\u201cNothing will happen to me, Aislyn, I promise,\u201d he replied, tipping her head down to kiss her. \u201cI will be safe, and so shall you. I won\u2019t ever let anything happen to you.\u201d
\u201cI know you mean that,\u201d Aislyn said, leaning down so that her face was hovering above his, as she softly stroked his cheek, \u201cbut there are some things in this world that are beyond our control, my love. If the Dark Ones wish to make a claim upon one of us, what can we do? We are only human after all.\u201d
Rather than attempt to persuade her that he would fight off even Satan himself to keep her safe, Aaron pulled her down and kissed her. Gently flipping her over onto her back, he slipped on top of her. Gazing into those green eyes, he swore to himself he would never let the Dark Ones claim her, no matter what the price.
The next morning, he arose early before Aislyn was even stirring to slip out and meet Kian near the road that led into town. He was already there waiting, and the bags beneath his eyes showed that he had not had a restful night\u2019s sleep. \u201cShannon didn\u2019t take it well, then?\u201d Aaron called as he approached.
\u201cI do not wish to speak of it,\u201d Kian said, attempting to place his disheveled hair back where it belonged, though his efforts served futile. \u201cHow is Aislyn?\u201d
\u201cWonderful,\u201d Aaron beamed. He didn\u2019t like to go on about how incredible his wife was to his best friend whose marriage was not all that he had hoped, but in times like this, with her scent still lingering, he could not control his smile.
\u201cI\u2019m very happy for you,\u201d Kian muttered, and Aaron assumed he truly meant it, even if he was annoyed.
\u201cYou will work things out,\u201d Aaron assured him, but Kian did not answer, and so they started out in silence, only the sounds of the calling crows and other winged creatures disturbing the morning silence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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