Stargate Atlantis: Emerald Isle

Chapter 16 - Breesha

Breesha and Vorra were spending a pleasant morning in Aylish's family hut, comfortably ensconced on soft piles of furs, sipping a delicious ale flavoured with fruit that Breesha was hoping Aylish would give her the recipe for.

They were choosing fabric for Vorra's wedding clothes and had selected a lovely deep-dyed almost orangey yellow for her dress. Now they were looking at a scarlet fabric to drape round as a long stole. Vorra would need matching flowers for her hair, of course. There were various varieties of yellow marsh flower that could be gathered and would stay fresh in a garland. Red was more problematic, but Breesha was inventive and thought some of the red fabric might be twisted and arranged into flower shapes and woven in amongst the rest. She was about to share her thoughts with her daughter and friend when she became aware that the noise-level from the men's daily practice was rising; had risen, in fact, to a general roar, punctuated by gasps and cheers.

Breesha pondered this development briefly and immediately leapt to the correct conclusion. What was different about today's practice? Whose presence might have altered the dynamic? The two strangers, of course, John and Rodney. And of the two, she knew which was by far the more likely to have stirred things up and got himself into some kind of trouble.

Breesha stood and said calmly and with authority: "Ladies, I believe the menfolk are in need of our guidance!" She strode with stately dignity from the hut, Aylish successfully copying her comportment and Vorra, trying, but slightly too eager to see her mother reducing the men of the Island to shame-faced children.

The practice area was totally silent when the women arrived; the crowd parted before them to reveal John, holding one of Orrin's most formidable warriors in a dangerous neck hold. He released the warrior and stood up unsteadily, glaring round the ring of faces as if to say, "Is that what you wanted to see?"

Breesha also looked around the ring, seeing the shock and surprise. Fools, she thought. What manner of man did they think this was? She had seen the scars on his body, she had heard the anger and fear in his fever-ridden dreams; she knew he had been treated harshly and had treated others harshly in return. His mischievous grin and boyishness notwithstanding, this was a man who killed, and when he had to he killed silently and swiftly in the dark.

Vorra had run to Kerran and was exclaiming over his injuries and inclined to look at John with unfriendly eyes. But when he weaved unsteadily over to Rodney and sank to his knees, holding his reopened wound, she began instead berating her betrothed.

Breesha moved to John's side and knelt down. He raised his head and looked at her, apologetically as if knowing he had incurred her wrath. Breesha however, just looked at him with sympathy and understanding. She had known something like this would happen; had known that Orrin and her misguided husband too, would need some proof of John's warrior status, other than his clever toys.

Breesha stood, and turned towards her husband and Orrin. She drew herself up and lifted her chin, every inch the Chieftain's consort; Vorra turned from her disgraced groom and watched, knowing that one day she would fulfill the same role.

"You are pleased with this morning's work, chieftains?" she said, in a carrying voice dripping with sarcasm. "You are pleased to have made our ally prove himself in order to win your trust? He and his friend have given their trust freely, have offered what help they can. Do you think it an honourable thing that this man is injured again for your amusement?" Her voice changed and she spoke in a low tone, throbbing with intensity: "Do you fool yourselves that these men come from some distant isle? That they were shipwrecked on our shores?" She paused, knowing what she was about to say would shock. "They came through the Great Ring!" An uneasy ripple went through the crowd. "You know it to be true! The Great Ring, through which in ancient times came delight and horror in equal measure such that the land itself is split asunder in that place." The crowd were transfixed by her words. "These men are not of this world and one day they will return from whence they came! Will they return thinking the people of the Hill and the Island are honourable and true? Or will they leave with images of a people who glorify the hurt they can do to others?"