Magnus and a Love Beyond Words
Diana Knightley
For all my babies — Och, twas such a joyful noise. I thank ye for it.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3 - Magnus
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
22. Chapter 22 - Magnus
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
29. Chapter 29 - Magnus
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
45. Chapter 45 - Magnus
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
49. Chapter 49 - Magnus
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
57. Chapter 57 - Magnus
58. Chapter 58 - Magnus
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
62. Chapter 62 - Magnus
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
66. Chapter 66 - Magnus
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Thank You
Series Order
Also by Diana Knightley
Some thoughts and research…
Acknowledgments
About me, Diana Knightley
Also by H. D. Knightley (My YA pen name)
Chapter 1
Magnus jostled my shoulder. “Kaitlyn? Wake up, we needs...”
I pried my eyes open and looked around the Great Hall, it was dark. Cold. The fire barely warmed the room. There was stirring as huddled people around us awoke, a noise at the end, loud voices from outside the door.
“What?” I rubbed my bleary eyes as Magnus pushed me off and lurched to his feet from his spot as my comfy warm bed.
His face was worried glancing up and down the hall. “Stay here, right here, daena move.” He jogged down the room to the doors at the end. Other men were headed there too and slipping out of the room. Magnus slipped out of the room too.
I looked around, there were only a few women left together, hugging their tartans around their shoulders. There were whispered words I didn’t understand. I hugged around my linen-skirt-covered knees, listened to my breathing, and watched the door.
A long few moments later Magnus slammed through the door and rushed down the hall toward me. I stood to meet him on my feet. He grabbed my arm, picked up my backpack, and hustled me to the closest exit. He was quiet and earnest so I didn't ask any questions, I just let him lead me down a dark room and through a hallway and out a door. The chill pre-dawn air hit me like a slap across the face. Cold. August. What the fuck?
We kept close to an outer wall racing along the side, then pulled short beside a bush. Magnus situated me between the cold stone wall and the branches. He wordlessly pressed me to the wall and put his finger to his lips.
I gulped in air and searched his face. How scared are we?
His eyes said, We are afraid, my love.
He nodded his head and rushed away. So apparently this was what I was to do, stand behind this bush.
It was dark and shadowed. Cold and damp. I leaned against the stone, pulled my tartan tight around my shoulders, stared into nothingness, and hoped Magnus would hurry.
Chapter 2
A while later stealthily quiet Magnus returned leading two horses outfitted with packs on their sides. Wordlessly he moved me toward the horses and hoisted me up. Then he climbed on behind me and with a quiet syllable set our horse into motion. Leading the other horse we followed a path that ran along the wall for a while, then turned away. He picked a trail down a grassy slope into some woods and then wove our way through brush and bushes and around trees until the river was ahead of us. Magnus turned our horses and kept the river on our left, choosing a path through the trees.
After about thirty minutes of quiet travel, the woods opened and our path climbed. Magnus shifted to look behind us and watched for a moment: the path we had left, the woods, the river, and farther along, presumably, Balloch.
I glanced over my shoulder but saw nothing.
Magnus said, “I need ye tae get on the other horse so we can cover more ground.” He led the horses behind a small outcropping of rock for our dismount.
I dropped into his arms and he hoisted me to the hard leather saddle of the smaller horse. Then he showed me with a gesture where and how to hold on and wrapped the leather reins around his right hand. He mounted his horse again and led mine as we picked our way up a wide treeless hill. We rode along rocky crags, clifflike edges and aWait high ridge.
I could see the river far below, but I didn’t want to look down too much. I focused instead on the wide strong back of my husband before me, as he led us to safety.
Finally, after such a long time, he said, “Thank ye, mo reul-iuil.”
“You’re welcome.” Then I teased. “For what?”
“For listenin’ without needin’ me tae speak on it.”
“Of course. What was it — what was happening?”
“Twas men approachin’ the castle.” He shook his head. “My cousins have been causin’ trouble with the Donalds. They were of a mind that the Donalds were returnin’ tae skirmish at our walls, but I daena...” He shifted in his seat. “Why would they want tae fight on Lughnasadh? Tis the harvest festival. I daena believe any Scot would choose tae fight on this day.”
“So you think it’s...”
“I think ye have been followed. Twas safest tae leave.”
“Where will we go, should we jump?”
“We canna. They would see the storm. We’re goin’ west tae Castle Kilchurn. After we will decide where tae go next.”
“How long, an hour or so?”
He grinned. “Tomorrow.”
I laughed. “Fun!” And adjusted my ass on the saddle. It was already sore.
Chapter 3 - Magnus
I dinna think we had been followed, so I was able tae relax. This route, across rocky highlands, was a favorite of mine, had been since I was verra wee, and the weather was perfect for a ride. I was verra glad tae be takin’ Kaitlyn tae my childhood home.
We had been ridin’ in silence for a while. I checked behind me tae see her deep in thought. I loved that about her. She could be so animated, but also quiet when she needed tae be. I had missed her so much while I hadna had her and here she was, suddenly, when I hadna expected her again.
She sensed I was looking on her and her face lit in a smile. A smile I hadna seen in many long years.
She asked, “What are you thinking about?”
&
nbsp; “You. How I missed ye. How ye have come upon me so suddenly and now tis as if ye were never gone.”
Her smile went wide.
A wisp of her hair floated on the breeze beside her face.
I steered m’horse around a grouping of boulders and we fell back intae companionable silence.
My thoughts turned tae Archie, now four years auld. He was always wantin’ tae follow me tae the stables tae see the horses, especially this one, black in color, strong and graceful. I carried this stallion with me now whenever I traveled tae the past.
A hawk circled above us, then silently dove toward the horizon. Archie would love a ride like this, a high ridge, an open path, a wide sky, and would wish tae ride on his own, but he was still a wee bairn. I would have him on my horse and teach him how tae hold the reins in front of me.
Twas hard tae reconcile that young boy with the man I kent, Tyler.
I was still havin’ trouble understandin’ the truth of it. There had been so many years thinkin’ Tyler was one kind of a man. Tae ken now he was a different man, my son, was tae make me regret much of the time I spent with him. I needed Kaitlyn tae tell me once more.
“It all happened because ye died?”
“Yes.”
I faced front hidin’ m’face from Kaitlyn so she couldna ken what I was thinkin’. I was so full of shame I hadna protected her. “Did he tell ye what happened?”
“He said I died on the dock.”
“How? What did I do?”
“Tyler said they ran me through with a sword and then you tried to loop around twice to save my life. He said each time I died. He said it kept getting more brutal.”
I shifted sideways in m’seat and watched her face as she spoke these words.
“I tried three times?”
“Yes, that’s what he said.”
“Och,” I said. The shame settled on m’shoulders and was a heavy load tae carry. I shifted around tae face forward again. “Och, nae.”
I couldna continue without stopping, without holdin’ her, without tellin’ her I was sorry tae have let it happen. I slowed m’horse with a word and dismounted to the ground. Kaitlyn’s horse stamped impatiently because it was nose to nose with mine.
I stepped between the horses and held my arms for her.
She swung her leg around and slid down.
I held her. I pulled her tae m’chest and said intae her hair, “Och nae, mo reul-iuil.”
We embraced for a verra long time. Finally, I said, “I am sorry, Kaitlyn. I should have kept tryin’ I dinna—”
She steadied my face and looked up into m’eyes. “You did exactly what you were meant to do, Magnus. I don’t know the whole story, but I can imagine how it went — you tried to save my life three times and that was all you could do without breaking our hearts. You would never quit unless you had to quit.”
I shook my head. It couldna be true.
She said, “And Archie said you were heartbroken. Twenty-some years later, still heartbroken. He said even though you had the power to go back and see me, you knew you couldn’t use that power and it was tormenting you. You had to quit, you couldn’t keep trying.”
“What if I had gone back further?”
“Every time you loop back you take a chance of erasing some of our lives together. When I was coming to find you yesterday I was so worried — what if somehow I found you before you met me? What if I erased all of our memories?”
She reached intae the handbag secured at her waist and pulled out a wee photo. “I brought this to show you in case you didn’t remember who I was.”
The photo was of us with a horse in the snow in Scotland. Twas the year 1702. We were both smiling.
“Why did ye pick this one?”
“Because I was worried you might not even remember Florida or me or our marriage or...”
I brushed some wayward hair from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. “I canna imagine nae recognizin’ ye. You are a part of me. When you appeared in the Great Hall, I felt ye before I saw ye. I said tae m’self, ‘Kaitlyn is...’ and afore I finished with ‘here’, there ye were.”
“Can you imagine how awful it would be if we erased part of that? If you had gone to the past? What if we had lost our wedding night? Or when you were holding me in my hospital bed after we lost the baby?”
“Och, ye want tae keep that one?”
“Yes. I want that memory so much. You held me through our hearts’ breaking. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s the saddest moment of our lives and we love each other more because of it.” She straightened the shirt across my shoulders while she spoke. “I wouldn’t trade it.” There was a considerable deal of sadness in her eyes, but twas in her voice I kent she meant it.
I took the photo from her. “Can I keep it?”
“Of course.”
I unbuckled my sporran and placed the photo inside. “So ye think I tried hard enough?”
“Yes. You did everything possible to save me but you couldn’t. But you didn’t loop back and destroy all of our memories, instead you lived your whole life heartbroken over me. I hate the idea of you living on in a super-sad state, but also, dear Magnus, this is a win for me. I get you in a second lifetime, knowing there was a first lifetime where you loved me that much.”
“I love ye even more.”
A smile spread across her face, a mischievous glint in her eye. “I can’t imagine that could possibly be true.”
“Tis added tae everyday, with every movement.”
She arched her brow. “Really? That’s a lot of ‘adding to’.”
“See, just then, the little tilt tae yer head, the jest, the smile? It has doubled my love.”
“Good lord, so easy? What happens to your love when I climb on your lap and—”
“Och,” I tapped a heartbeat against my chest, and with m’hands I shewed her m’heart burstin’. “So much.”
She smiled and twas all I ever wanted tae see. I tilted her chin, kissed her, and lifted her tae her horse. I mounted m’own again and we continued tae walk.
* * *
“What is your kingdom like?” She asked later, “I mean, the day to day, now you’re the king, because the only thing I know so far seems completely barbaric.”
“Och aye, it has been verra barbaric. Donnan was a brutal king. When I came tae power, I was told I couldna change his rules. I was told that challengin’ the crown was how the king kept his power and it had always been that way. Did ye ken, Kaitlyn, the future kingdom was created by men from the past? I daena remember if I ever told ye that before.”
“I think you did.”
“Twas, my great-great-great-great-grandfather traveled tae the future tae gather weapons and an army then picked a year and invaded it. He overpowered them with weapons they had never seen. There was a terrible loss of life, over many lands. Tis why there are parts of the kingdom that are verra advanced and parts that seem verra auld. The kings ruled over machines and weapons they couldna understand and tis as if history stopped. For centuries there were nae new inventions, only theft from the past and the future and tryin’ tae survive.”
“So they didn’t come up with anything new because they could just go steal it?”
“Aye.” I steered my horse around a boulder and hers followed dutifully. “Lady Mairead winna go tae the future from my kingdom anymore. She said they have killed most of the world, stripped it of everythin’, and now tis a brutal wasteland.”
“God, that sucks.”
“Aye, I have secured most of the vessels but I haena been able tae find them all and there are still sons of Donnan who want tae challenge me.”
“You haven’t been able to change that law?”
I shook m’head but tried tae smile because I dinna want tae scare her. “I have changed the law but they still insist on challengin’ me. Tis hard tae ken how tae answer a challenge from a usurper. If I ignore him I look weak. If I kill him unfairly, I look barbaric. An arena battle is many times m’on
ly resort. It tells the kingdom I will kill my challengers and the kingdom loves tae watch me do it.” I drew a deep breath. “All I want is tae make the kingdom less brutal for Archie. I daena want him tae have tae fight.”
“It sounds like you’ve had to deal with a lot.”
I urged our horses forward and joked, “That bein’ said, the kingdom has excellent ice cream, ye will like it verra much.”
Chapter 4
A while later, we followed a gradual descent from the mountains through a pine forest and lower into a woods with many ash trees. Here it was a wet kind of cool compared to the dry breezy cold of the higher land.
My horse was walking behind his. “I did kind of screw up something.”
“What?”
“Tyler, I mean Archie, wrote out a list for me: everything you knew after fighting the guy you’re... What was his name?”
Magnus shifted in his saddle to look back at me, his brow drew together. “General Reyes.”
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