Chapter Text
Raindrops poured from the sky, collecting into coppery brown mud on the earth below. No travelers dared to venture the treacherous roads between the lowlands and Redcliffe in such weather – not when their lives hung in the probabilities of mother nature. Would or would not the mountain break into a cascade of red water, swooping away any innocent travelers over the rocky cliffs?
Mother Nature was, if nothing else, an unpredictable lady. A torrential storm caught a poor family on the road, halfway between the safety of the lowlands and the safety of Redcliffe with no other option than to press forward. The wheels of their carriage caught the edge on a rock, and slid across the slick muddy road, coming far too close to the edge of a cliff for the riders' comfort.
“Dear Maker! How much farther until Redcliffe Castle?”
The young girl in the carriage climbed into her mother's lap, knowing she would be safe there. A sharp knock came from the small window separating the cabin from the carriage driver. Bryce Cousland pulled back the curtains at the carriage door, revealing the lights of a town not far below.
“See, Eleanor? We're almost there.”
When the carriage finally stopped at the castle front gates, the Teyrna's survival and maternal instincts momentarily overcame decorum as she practically burst out of the carriage. The gatekeepers and Arl Eamon ran to greet them, and shuffled the four Couslands into the warmth.
“Your Graces,” said the Arl with a low bow, which the Couslands returned. “I apologize for the peril of our roads. Previous rains have washed away the cliff barriers. We installed new ones at the beginning of the season only to have them washed away last week. My men are researching a safer and more permanent solution.”
“It is not your fault, Eamon,” said the Teyrn as his fatigued daughter begged to be held. “You had no way of controlling the suddenness of the storm. If there was any indication of danger, I would have held off the climb.”
“That suddenness is what saved our lives, I think,” said the Teyrna, taking her daughter into her arms. “Too gradual of a rain gives the ground more time to loosen.”
“Correct you are, your Grace. Winona, take some warm milk and hot towels up to the guest quarters. Your Graces, is there anything you need tonight?”
“I think the rain drenched through our bags so if you could hang them to dry. Besides that – warm beds and nightclothes are all that is necessary now, Eamon,” said Eleanor. “My arms are not as strong as they once were and my daughter is not as young as she once was.”
“Yes, and sleep does not come to us as easily either,” said the Arl, noticing that the girl had already fallen asleep.
Fortunately for all the Couslands, sleep found them easily that night while warmth of sunshine greeted them the next day.