Honor Restored

by Fiona MacEwen

  It was then that she was startled by the sound of breaking wood nearby, as though someone had stepped upon a stick. She wheeled round and came face to face with a soldier, emerging suddenly from the trees.

  “Stay back,” she cried, but from left and right there emerged others and a moment later she was surrounded.

  “Another peasant,” a familiar voice said, but as she turned to face him, his face turned to disbelief.

  Una looked defiantly at Feargan McDonald, who shook his head and smiled.

  “Stay back,” she repeated.

  “My dear Una, now, what has brought ye all the way out here? Why, tis’ surely several day’s march from the castle of the McNeil. Have ye escaped from poor wee Callum? The lad will be beside himself,” Feargan said, his voice sounding menacing, as he put his face down close to hers and smiled once more.

  Una made no reply, and he signaled for her hands to be bound, as she struggled against the soldiers who had hold of her.

  “Let me go,” she cried.

  “Let you go? But I was lookin’ forward to a little talk, Una and to findin’ out what brings ye so near to the castle which once ye called home, and now I call my second home,” he said, as the men around him laughed.

  “My business is my own. Ye have nay right to take me like this. Let me go, I say,” she said, but the more she struggled, the tighter the soldier’s grip upon her became.

  “Ye are going naywhere, lass. Nae until ye tell me why ye have come here like this? Was it to stir up trouble? Did ye think ye could take back the castle and see yer pathetic clan regain its glory? Ye are a fool if ye thought that, Una. A fool indeed,” Feargan said, turning to her, as she struggled to get loose.

  “Ye have nay right to dae this, Feargan. When Callum hears of this, he will …” Una began, but Feargan merely laughed once more.

  “Wee Callum, the Laird of the McNeils? The lad is afraid of his own shadow, lass, and I will bet that he did nae let ye go wanderin’ off like this on yer own. Somehow, ye have escaped. Nay doubt because he was too soft upon ye, too kind to ye. Am I right?” Feargan said, and Una made no reply.

  How she wished she had stayed at Gilloch Castle, behind the safety of the walls. Now, she longed for nothing else but to be sat with Callum by the fire in the library or walking in the gardens with him at her side. She had been foolish to escape, foolish to consider him her jailer rather than her friend. He had been nothing but kind and gentle but it had been her own stubborn will and misguided determination which had led her on this foolish quest and now she was once more in the hands of the one man whom she despised above all others.

  “What shall we dae with the lass, Laird?” one of the men said, and Feargan smiled.

  “Have her returned to the McDonald castle. We shall ride home together, but this time throw her into the dungeon rather than givin’ her the hospitality of chambers. She can see what tis’ like to be a prisoner and I have a mind to see her punished in a new way,” Feargan replied, as Una struggled in the hands of the soldiers.

  “Ye have already punished me well enough, Feargan McDonald,” she said, as they led her towards a clearing in which their horses were tethered.

  “And it seems ye have nay learnt, lass. Were ye nae happy with wee Callum McNeil? I have nay doubt that he was kind too ye. Probably too kind. Why did ye run away? Did ye really think ye could retake yer faither’s castle? Rally these peasants to yer cause? What nonsense, and now ye are all alone and at my mercy,” Feargan replied.

  Una scowled at him. He was a cruel and heartless man and she was now even more determined to see herself revenged upon him. The soldiers flung her roughly over a horse and together they rode off through the woods.

  As they emerged onto the moorlands, covered in snow and ice, Una could see her father’s castle in the distance. The sight of it brought fresh tears to her eyes, and she wondered if she might ever see it again. It had been hopeless to come here and now she felt even more alone. Would Callum know what had happened to her? Would he seek to rescue her? She hardly deserved it given the way in which she had treated him. In that moment, all she longed for was him, the man who had been kind to her, the man who had fallen in love with her.

  “Callum,” she whispered mournfully, as the horses charged across the moorlands and Una’s future looked just as bleak.

  Chapter 6

  A Real Captivity

  After a hard day’s ride, the party arrived at the castle of the McDonald’s. Una was unceremoniously flung into the dungeons and given a stale piece of bread to eat and a cup of water to drink. As the door slammed shut behind her, Feargan McDonald peered through the bars and sneered in the semi-darkness of that grim place.

  “Now then lass, ye shall know what tis’ to be a captive and a prisoner. Too good I treated ye before, but nay more, ye hear me? If were nae content with Callum, then I shall see to it that ye are nay content with any other man either. I have a cousin, Mungo Grayling, the man to whom I intend to entrust yer father’s castle to, he is lookin’ for a wife and who better than the daughter of its former occupant,” Feargan said, laughing.

  “Wicked man, hideous man,” Una cried back, but Feargan just laughed once more.

  “I will tell Callum McNeil that once more I have ye in my care. I am sure he will be very interested to hear it and I am sure he will be happy to know that I have punished ye on his behalf,” Feargan continued.

  “Callum is a hundred of ye. He wouldnae see me punished, he … he loves me,” Una cried back.

  “Love? Ye daenae know the meanin’ of the word, lass. There is nay one who loves ye in this world. They perished at my hand and ye will nae find Callum McNeil a friend to ye anymore, nae after what ye have done,” Feargan said, and rattling the bars of the dungeon door, he laughed and went away.

  Una flung herself upon the floor of the dungeon, tears flowing freely down her face. She had been the greatest of fools and she knew it. How she longed for Callum and longed to tell him how sorry she was for what she had done. If only she had stayed at Gilloch Castle then her life could have been happy. But foolish ambition and misguided thought had led here, back to the place in which she had started, though now more hopeless than ever. She was at Feargan’s mercy and the thought of marrying his cousin made her feel sick.

  With a heavy sigh, she wiped her eyes, but fresh tears came and she hunched herself up against the wall, sobbing uncontrollably. What hope did she have now? What would become of her? She was the daughter of Lairds, a strong and noble woman, yet now she knew what loneliness was and in the grim darkness of that foul place she found her hope ebbing away.

  ***

  She must have fallen asleep, for the next thing she knew there was a tapping on the bars of the dungeon door. She sat up, expecting to see the leering face of Feargan McDonald, returned to taunt her afresh. But instead, she was surprised to see the face of Amelia, Feargan’s wife, peering into the dungeon.

  “So, he has brought ye back here, lass,” she said, as Una struggled to her feet.

  “Aye, and treated me worse than before,” Una replied.

  She was wary of Amelia, for she knew that the wife of Feargan McDonald had never liked her. Why had she now come to visit her in this sad place? She was holding up a candle, and it cast a dim light across the dungeon floor, a mouse scuttling across, as Una came forward.

  “I was nae happy when he brought ye here first. Tis’ all very well for men to fight with one another, but we women are nae part of such things. Their quarrels are their own, but I was glad to see the back of ye when Callum McNeil took ye away. I have nay desire to see ye here again, lass. Feargan has sent word to Callum that ye are here, he will enjoy tauntin’ him, but dae ye think there is any chance of his comin’ here to attempt to free ye? He would be a fool to dae so,” Amelia said.

  Una pondered for a moment. Would Callum abandon her? She thought of him receiving word from Feargan and seeking the advice of his mother. Would she urge him to help Una in her hour of need or counsel him
against it?

  “I … I daenae know, perhaps he will or perhaps I daenae deserve such a thing. I was foolish to escape from him. Gilloch Castle was nae a prison, nae compared to this,” Una replied, and Amelia nodded.

  “I have seen my husband’s cruelty in these past months. He has become obsessed with war and conquest. He breathes threats against the other clans and ever since his victory over yer father he seems to have grown crueler and more intent upon causing suffering to spread across the Highlands. I shouldnae even be speakin’ with ye, Una, but I too am as much a prisoner here as ye are. I have nay wish to see ye suffer too. I will try to help ye but there is little I can dae except to tell ye that ye are nae alone,” Amelia said, glancing behind her.

  The noise of soldiers on their patrol could be heard along the dark passageway and Amelia pressed her face up to the bars once more, looking pitiably at Una who gave a weak smile.

  “I am glad to hear that, thank ye,” she whispered, and Amelia nodded to her, before hurrying off down the corridor.

  It was a startling revelation and Una was glad to know that she had an ally, albeit one who had come to be as poorly treated by Feargan as she herself. She sat down again on the cold, hard floor and ate a piece of the stale bread she had been given earlier. It would be foolish for Callum to come here, he was everything that Feargan was not, but Una knew he would be no match for the McDonald Laird in a fight. He was no swordsman, no warrior like her father. He was kind and gentle, with a good manner to him and never one to pick a fight or monger for war. She sighed again, wiping a tear from her eye, as the mouse ran back across the dungeon. It seemed that this was her lot, at least for now. All she could do was wait for whatever fate brought her, and in the darkness of that grim dungeon she wept for Callum, the only man now who could save her. But was he brave enough to do so?

  ***

  Una was in the dungeons of the McDonald castle for three days before anything else happened. Feargan made occasional visits, taunting her through the bars and Amelia too came quietly, bringing with her a little food or an encouraging word. The two women now had a surprising bond, born out of a mutual realization of Feargan’s wickedness. Amelia had confided in Una that she too had thought about escape, planned it even, and that she intended to find the first opportunity to rid herself of Feargan once and for all. How this might be accomplished she did not say, but Una knew her words to be sincere, for they were filled with much hatred and malice towards her husband. The man whom Una too had come to hate and whom she longed to see punished for his crimes.

  Three days after her imprisonment he arrived outside the dungeon early in the morning, rattling the bars so that she awoke with a start. Her whole body ached from lying upon the hard, cold floor and she stretched out, peering through the darkness at Feargan’s leering face.

  “Get up, lass,” he said, rattling the bars once more, “ye have a visitor, come with me now.”

  Una struggled to her feet. She felt weak from lack of sleep and food. Her head was heavy, and she stumbled across the dungeon as the jailer turned the key in the lock.

  “What … where are … where are ye takin’ me?” she asked.

  “Ye shall see, come now,” he said, taking her by the arm and marching her along the passageway.

  The cells of the castle dungeons were filled with all manner of reprobates and they jeered and leered at her as she passed. But Una gave them no satisfaction, and they were soon making their way up a flight of stone steps towards an open door above. They emerged into the courtyard which was busy with soldiers on guard and peasants peddling their wares.

  “What is all this?” Una demanded, as Feargan marched her into the keep and towards the Great Hall.

  The place was grimly familiar, and she pictured the night of the fateful card game, on which her destiny had been decided. Now, the tables were laid out as if for a feast, though it was still early in the morning. On the high table a man she did not recognize was sitting with a group of soldiers and he looked up as they entered, a smile playing across his face.

  “Ah, cousin, so this is Una Gordon? The famous lass of the glens, the feisty creature ye lost in a card game,” the man said, rising from his place.

  He was a short man, thick set and with a ruddy red face. His beard was scraggy, and he had a scar running across his forehead. Una felt repulsed as he advanced towards her, his hand outstretched and his face contorted into what she presumed was meant to be a smile.

  “Aye, cousin. This is Una Gordon. Una, this is my cousin Mungo Grayling. The man that ye shall be marryin’ and I am sure ye shall be very happy with him,” Feargan said, as Una shook her head.

  “If ye think that I am marryin’ a man such as this repulsive creature then ye are sorely mistaken, Feargan McDonald. I would rather die,” she said, turning her face away from Mungo who now stood before her.

  “I am sure ye will soon be persuaded lass, when I tell ye that there are far worse choices than my cousin,” Feargan replied and the others laughed.

  “The Laird has kindly gifted me yer father’s castle, lass. Dae ye nae wish to live there once more?” Mungo asked, catching hold of Una’s hand and pulling her towards him.

  She struggled under his grasp and he pulled her into a sickening embrace, his breath stinking as he brought his face close to hers.

  “Tis’ my father’s castle and rightfully now mine. Ye have nay right to it and ye have nay right to me,” Una said, and struggling free she slapped him hard across the face, sending him sprawling back in pain.

  “Little wench,” he cried, raising his hand to her.

  “Now, now, cousin Mungo. Ye shall have yer way with her, I am sure. She simply needs a little persuasion before that happy day of yer marriage. She will come to see our point of view. She has nay choice,” Feargan said, laughing.

  As he spoke, Amelia entered the room from the stairway at the far end which led to her chambers and she caught Una’s eye, offering her a reassuring nod.

  “What is going on here, Feargan?” she asked, looking from her husband to Mungo and back to Una.

  “Nothin’ that ye need concern yerself with, lass,” Feargan replied, “Una was just meetin’ Mungo, they are betrothed ye know,” and he laughed.

  “Ye would subject the lass to that,” Amelia replied, shaking her head.

  “It seems the women of the castle are all against ye this day, cousin,” Feargan said, turning to Mungo who scowled.

  “It matters nae what women such as this say. Ye have promised the lass to me and I intend to take my prize,” Mungo replied, but at that moment there came a commotion in the corridor outside the Great Hall and shouts and cries could be heard coming from the courtyard.

  “What now?” Mungo asked, as the doors burst open.

  “Laird,” a soldier said, rushing into the Great Hall, “there is a force at the gates. Callum McNeil is here, and he is demandin’ to speak with ye. Ye must come quickly.”

  “Callum McNeil?” Feargan said, turning to the others with a look of disbelief upon his face, “the fool has come,” and he laughed.

  “He is nay fool,” Una replied quietly, “he is a braver man than ye believed.”

  At the mention of Callum’s name, a wave of relief had gone through her. She had begun to give up hope, imagining that he had been so angered by her betrayal that he had washed his hands of her. But now he had come, and she shot a glance at Amelia, who smiled. What were his intentions? Would he demand her return? After all, she belonged to him, won in a card game in this very hall.

  “He is a fool but we shall hear what he has to say,” Feargan replied, his hand on the hilt of his sword, “come now cousin, ye shall see a foolish man at the gates and hear his pleas for this wench.”

  Una followed as Feargan and Mungo led the way out into the courtyard. An icy wind was blowing across the castle, bringing with it wisps of snow, and the sky was dark, despite the morning hour. The courtyard was now empty of peasants and the soldiers had taken their place upon the walls. T
hey climbed up to the battlements and looked out onto the track below. Una was quite taken aback by the sight below.

  There was Callum, but he was not alone. With him were several hundred men on horseback. Far more than she had ever seen at Gilloch Castle. But as she looked at the banners which fluttered in the wind, she realized that it was not only the McNeils who had come to her aid, but men of other clans too. And amidst them were soldiers she knew to be loyal to her father. Gordons who stood proudly alongside Callum, ready to do battle.

  She glanced at Feargan, who had a nervous look upon his face. Though he tried his best to disguise it by turning to her and laughing nervously.

  “Fool, does he think this castle cannae stand his assault?” Feargan said, but Una smiled.

  “Ye were nae expectin’ that, were ye, Feargan? Ye thought he was nay warrior. Well, it seems he has proved us all wrong in our estimations,” Una replied.

  “He is a fool to have come here,” Feargan said, leaning out over the battlements.

  “Feargan McDonald,” Callum called from below, “ye will see I have nae come alone but my friends and I have only one demand and that is that ye release Una Gordon to us and then our quarrel shall be over. I have nay desire to see blood spilled this day but if ye daenae give in to my demands, then I shall have nay choice but to wage war upon ye. Too long have ye subjected the good folks of our lands to yer wicked ways. Well, that shall end today.”

  “And on whose authority dae ye make this pronouncement, Callum McNeil?” Feargan called back, “what right dae ye have to come here and dictate yer terms? It was Una Gordon who fled from ye, why would she wish to return to ye?”

  “Let her speak for herself. Show me her. Show me that she is unharmed,” Callum called back.