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“That I needed to stop apologizing for my faither’s mistakes, and that he wasnae angry, anyway.”
“He is right, Astrid,” Keira said. “Ye have always done that.”
“Done what?” Astrid asked, unable to understand what her sister was pointing out.
“Ye have always taken up responsibility for anythin’ that went wrong around ye pertaining to our family, and ye have always stepped ahead to mend things. If I did somethin’ wrong, ye would be the one apologizing on me behalf. Whenever Faither did something wrong or unbecoming, just as he did yesterday, ye swooped in and took matters into yer own hands to soothe both parties. This is just what ye do.”
Astrid realized that Keira was indeed right about it all. She could remember assuming the role of the mediator or problem solver since she had been a very little girl. Her role had only gotten bigger after her brother’s disappearance, since that led to their father being completely out of control and making some of the most irrational decisions of his life. Astrid had always been there to clean up his messes, which was what she had done last night with Flynn as well.
“Yer right,” she finally agreed with Keira. “But it is something I cannae stop now. I am just used to it.”
“I ken, Sister.” Keira smiled, taking Astrid’s hands in hers. “Although, I am glad that Flynn was smart enough to recognize it and even stop ye from doing it any further. I simply hope ye listened to him and didnae do it any further.”
“I think that would have been pointless, since I had already apologized and explained to him the reasons behind Faither acting the way he did.”
“Of course!” Keira rolled her eyes. “The reasons must have been that he is grieving the loss of his only son and is supposed to be bitter in life, especially to the people who are the alleged kidnappers.”
“Exactly what I said.” Astrid laughed at Keira’s sarcastic tone. She had always thought that her sister supported their father in their collective hatred towards the MacKie clan, but Keira’s comments regarding the matter made her think otherwise.
“Are ye favoring Flynn here?” Astrid asked, confusedly looking at Keira.
“I am nae favoring Flynn. I am only stating the truth. What happened with Aiden was a decade ago, and the wars between the two clans have already destroyed half of us. I cannae sit silently for the next ten years and watch them all kill one another again. Flynn is the reason we have peace today, and I do respect him for that.”
Astrid nodded, knowing her sister was right. “If it weren’t for Flynn and his will to ensure a ceasefire, we truly would be still fighting today. Faither never wanted to stop.”
“Precisely. Besides that, have ye seen him? The man is as handsome as yer bonnie, and if one sits down to stare at him, they wouldnae want to stop.”
Astrid began to laugh at Keira’s comment, but she was used to hearing such statements from her sister. Keira was wild in the most absurd sense of the word and never backed away from saying anything and everything that came to her mind. Astrid loved this trait about her sister, since it was the direct reflection of her pure soul.
“I have seen him, aye,” Astrid finally replied, “and he is quite handsome.”
“I dinnae blame ye for kissing him that night at the ceilidh a year ago. I would have done the same if I were in yer place and a man like him was staring at me—”
“Can ye be any louder?!” Astrid whispered furiously, turning to look left and right and wondering if anyone could have heard Keira’s comment.
“Calm down, Sister. Nay one is listening to our conversation.”
“Ye dinnae ken that. Anyone could be listening for all we ken, and I dinnae think it is wise for anyone to find out about the kiss Flynn and I shared that night,” Astrid whispered again, and Keira nodded, finally succumbing to the panic in her sister’s voice.
“I will be quiet,” Keira agreed. “But tell me more. What did Flynn say when ye apologized to him on Faither’s behalf.”
“The conversation went in a slightly different direction, I am afraid,” Astrid replied thoughtfully, wondering if it was wise to tell Keira about her views on the kidnapping of their brother.
“What direction?” Keira probed.
“Flynn said our faither was both mistaken and blind to believe that the MacKie clan would ever gain anythin’ by kidnapping Aiden, and if we discussed the logical reasoning of the events, the MacKies are clearly innocent and were framed.”
“Do ye believe in that?” Keira asked, once again forcing Astrid to think if she should discuss her feelings with her sister openly.
Astrid did not know how Keira would react, but she had no desire to lie.
“A part of me does, aye.”
“Really? Ye do think that the MacKies couldnae have done it? Is it because yer beginning to have feelings for Flynn or due to the fact that ye have come to ken these people personally?”
Astrid sighed deeply at Keira’s question, knowing it was pointless to deny the allegation of having feelings for Flynn. She was no longer denying it herself and was certain that everyone in the castle could see them except for Flynn himself. Or perhaps he was just kind enough to not blatantly point it out and embarrass her.
“Since when do ye think I have feelings for Flynn?”
