“What are you doing here?” she asked, her eyes dancing with starlight.
“I thought I would take advantage of the battle and come tae see ye.” Duncan glanced around and put his hands on his hips. “I cannae say I like what he’s done with the place.”
“Oh Duncan,” she gasped, and flung her arms around his broad shoulders. His hands fell to her waist and he squeezed her gently. The relief that washed over her was powerful. Just being in his arms again and feeling the effects of his presence provided her heart with happiness that couldn’t be bought with gold. She nestled her head against his chest and clung to him, fearing that if she let him go he might vanish and be gone from her life once more.
“How did you even make your way here? It’s so dangerous with all the English around.”
Duncan shrugged. “I know the land better than them. All I had tae dae was wait for them tae rush away tae battle, then I could walk in without any trouble at all.” His tone was light and carefree, but he turned more solemn as he kissed her forehead. “I hae been thinking about ye a lot.”
“I have been thinking about you as well. Oh Duncan, I missed you so much.” She squeezed him more tightly.
“How is ye ma?”
“She’s very well, thank you. It was a great relief to see her again, but I just wish I did not have to be stuck here. Now that I have returned I realize how much of my life I do not like. I wish it was as easy as running away to be with you.”
“It still could be,” Duncan said. Could Ellen dare to dream that this was even possible?
“But the battle, the war, it’s never going to be over.”
“It might be, Ellen. Ye never know. And I would rather fight a war knowing that I had ye tae come back tae than what my life is like now.”
Ellen turned away. Tears were in her eyes and her throat was raw and aching. “They’re coming for you Duncan. I promise that I never gave them any information about where you live, but they’re coming. They’re going to wreak havoc on your village and there’s not anything that you can do about it.”
“I thought they might lass. When they came so close last time I knew that something had tae change. We’ve moved everyone intae an old fortress nearby. Its doors are rotten and the hinges are rusted. It’s dark and damp and cold, and rats hae been living there for a time, but its walls are thick and when the fires are lit it’s nae sae bad. We can defend ourselves, and we’ll make a final stand against the English. I’d love it if ye were there.” He clutched her hands tightly. “I’ve missed ye.”
“I’ve missed you too,” Ellen said. Emotions poured out from her heart. She could barely believe that he was standing before her, and now she couldn’t bear to let him go again. It was hard enough the first time. He had come back to her, putting himself in danger, all for her. She knew Alan would never have done such a thing. Few men would. But as thrilling as it was to see him again she knew he had to move, for he was in danger.
“Stop right there and step away from the lady!” a guard said. Alan had left a few well-drilled men behind to look after his estate. Ellen groaned inwardly. He had his sword drawn. The point gleamed, and there was a rugged, dangerous look on his face. Duncan’s face fell.
“I thought I heard the devilish words of a Highlander. Come on, I’ll take you to the dungeon and you can wait for the master to return. I’m sure he’ll be pleased to have someone to torture.”
Duncan drew his sword and his face took on a grim countenance.
“Duncan you should run. I’ll handle this,” Ellen said.
“If I run they’ll chase me,” Duncan said. He pushed past Ellen and walked up to the guard. A lump appeared in Ellen’s throat. The men circled each other and tested their abilities with a few lazy thrusts towards each other. The guard growled, while Duncan remained calm. His entire body bristled with strength, but still Ellen feared that this could be his last day and that perfect, tough skin would be coated in crimson blood. Steel clashed and it sang with power. The metal gleamed as the swords caught the light, moving so fast they were a blur. The men came together as elegantly as in a dance, although there was a more brutal edge to it. Duncan snarled as he ducked away from one blow, spun around in a low circle, and let fly with his elbow to catch the guard on the head. The guard staggered back, and it was fortunate for him that he did as Duncan’s sword came around in a wide slash, and it narrowly missed the guard’s stomach.
The guard shook the stupor from his mind and charged in, enraged. He rained down heavy blows on Duncan, who bore the brunt of them with his sword and moved back, step by heavy step. Ellen was sure that his sword would break in two, but the steel was as strong as the man and it took every blow without bending. Then, as the guard was fully in the rhythm of striking blows upon Duncan with wild abandon, Duncan shifted his feet and slipped away. The guard struck nothing but empty air and the force of his blow dragged him forward, off balance. Duncan whirled around and slammed his sword into the guard’s side, skewering him right up to the hilt. The guard twitched and jerked, and then slid off the sword, slumping to the ground. Duncan’s blade drowned in crimson. Ellen sighed with relief, but this feeling was only temporary as she heard the clatter of footsteps. The battle had drawn attention and more guards poured forward.
Duncan couldn’t kill them all.
He dropped his sword, knowing that capture was inevitable.
“I’ll find a way to save you,” Ellen promised him. The great warrior, hero to the Highlanders, had been captured all because he had come to find her. Without him their cause was weakened and Alan would surely relish the thought of executing Duncan for crimes against England. Ellen was distraught as Duncan walked away, although by his inscrutable expression one wouldn’t have thought anything was wrong at all.
11
Ellen thought of the dagger against her calf, but knew it was useless. She did not know how to fight and did not know how to kill. There was no possibility of her taking on a group of mean and nasty guards. This was exactly what Ellen had been afraid of. There were things more important than their feelings for each other, and now she had to fix it. She had to get Duncan out of there, but she couldn’t do it alone. There was only one other person she could turn to.
Myra.
She raced to her mother and told her everything. The words poured out of her like a herd of stampeding antelope. She spoke quickly, telling her mother all about how Duncan had rescued her and treated her well, how he had even set her free, before Ellen had returned. She told Myra how she had fallen in love with Duncan and the Highlander’s way of life, and how they weren’t the villains here. They only wanted to live.
She expected to have to spend some time convincing her mother, because Myra’s dislike of the Highlanders ran as deep as any normal Englishman’s, but instead Myra pursed her lips and had a thoughtful expression on her face.
“A Highlander…” she whispered.
“He’s not evil, Mother. He’s honorable, strong, and kind. He’s the best man I have ever met and I know you think all Highlanders are villains, but if you met him you would see. Can you really believe that he is any less honorable than Alan?” she asked. A strange look came over Myra’s face. She walked over to a chair and rested upon it. “I need to help him because he helped me. He came all this way to see me.”
“Do you think he would help you again?”
“What do you mean?” Ellen asked, confused. Myra licked her lips and her brow furrowed as thoughts careened through her mind.
“If we freed him, do you think he would protect you?”
“Without a doubt,” Ellen answered immediately. “But what would he have to protect me from?”
“There’s something I have not told you. Alan has…has lied to us.” Myra’s words were heavy with implication. Ellen’s eyes widened.
“Lied about what?” she asked.
“About this. This place is not his. It was your father’s bounty after the battle, and now it is rightfully yours. Alan came to our estate to
pledge for your hand in marriage so he could have this place for himself. I don’t know why he would lie…but he’s determined to have this place. When you threatened to not marry him he came to me and he…he threatened both of us, saying that if you did not go through with the marriage he would kill us both. He said that we had nobody in the world to protect us or help us, but if this Duncan is as honorable as you say, well, I suppose I would be willing to put my trust in him, and in you.”
Ellen’s mind was a whirl. “Alan did what?” she exclaimed.
“I wanted to tell you, but I was so afraid. He’s not the man we thought. I don’t know why your father was ever friends with him and I can’t imagine that Robin would have promised him your hand.”
“Perhaps Father didn’t know he had turned into this. We must make haste and leave before Alan comes back. I cannot marry him Mother. I know that now more than ever. But what you have told me…we must stay safe until we can declare this estate to be mine, and get rid of Alan. But first we must free Duncan before Alan returns. Alan won’t hesitate to kill him.”
“But how are we going to free him?” Myra asked.
“I have a plan,” Ellen said.
She and Myra marched to the small jail, which was located in the bowels of the courtyard, near where all the waste was thrown out. It smelled of rotten food and the stench made Ellen gag, but she braced herself against the sensation and walked with purpose, holding her head up high. The dungeon was a small pit that had been dug a long time ago. A staircase led down into the darkness, and at the moment the guards who had captured Duncan were standing around the dungeon. They had amused looks on their faces as Myra and Ellen approached.
“I’m sorry m’ladies, but this really isn’t the place for you. I must ask that you turn back and return to the house.”
Ellen glared at him and in her haughtiest tone said, “How dare you demand such things from me! This estate is mine, as it was my father’s before me. You are all here at my convenience and if you get in my way I shall see that you are dismissed. Now, move aside and I will forgive this brazen show of disrespect,” she said. “This Highland brute gave me quite a scare when he appeared and I would like to see him in chains so that I may mock him. Why, the very gall of him to invade my home cannot go unpunished. I assure you the lashing of my tongue will be as sharp as a whip!”
Whether they believed the threat of her words or were just stunned by the authority with which she spoke, Ellen didn’t know, but the result was the same anyway, and they parted for her. Ellen descended down the dark staircase with Myra in tow, carrying a torch to illuminate the darkness.
They descended the stairs and found Duncan in a single narrow cell, sitting slumped against the wall. When they appeared he raised his head and a smile appeared on his face. He came to the bars and wrapped his manacled hands around them. Ellen clasped her fingers around his hands, feeling the sinews of his muscles.
“What are ye daeing here?” Duncan asked.
“We’re here to rescue you,” Ellen said. “I had to see you Duncan. Oh, by the way, this is my mother, Myra.”
“It’s an honor tae meet ye,” Duncan said, nodding his head in respect. Myra smiled.
“I don’t know how we’re going to get him out of here though, not past those guards,” Myra said.
“Ye dinnae hae tae. Ellen, ye need tae gae tae my clan. Tae the fortress,” he said, and then gave her directions. “It’s nae far from the village ye ken? Tell them tae send more men. We’ll end this once and for all and take back this place. We’ll show the English that we aren’t always gaeing tae run!” He hissed these last words, showing his passion for the fight.
“I can’t Duncan…it’s so far…” Ellen said.
“Ye can. Ye came all this way, ye can gae back. I believe in ye Ellen.”
Ellen dipped her head and looked down towards the stony surface. “I’m not sure I can leave my mother,” she said.
Myra stepped forward. “You can Ellen. You must. If you are to save us and save this man then you must do this.”
“But what about you? If Alan comes back and he discovers I’m gone he’s going to be very angry. He might carry out his threat.”
“Ye hae tae dae this Ellen. And take my ring.” He wiggled a finger at her and she took off the metal band that had rested against the middle finger of his right hand. “In case ye need tae convince them. Ye ma and I will work taegether tae get the doors open. When ye come with the men ye’ll be able tae walk right in without any problem at all,” he said.
Nerves fluttered in Ellen’s heart, but he looked at her earnestly and repeated his belief in her. She was the only one who could do this. She slipped the ring off his finger and nodded firmly, trying to force herself to have courage. Without Duncan there she wasn’t sure how the Highlanders would take to her, but she had to try, not just to save him but also to save herself and her mother from Alan.
“Ye must gae, quickly,” Duncan urged.
“Yes, before Alan returns. Don’t worry. I’ll make up a story. I’ll say that you’re ill, or come up with some way so that he won’t suspect anything untoward,” Myra said. The bars were not wide enough for Ellen and Duncan to share a kiss, but oh how she longed to feel his sweet embrace again.
“Very well Duncan. I will do what you ask. I will bring back the Highlanders and we will free you. I won’t let you down,” she said with conviction, although she wished that she felt the same confidence that Duncan had in her. It was difficult to tear herself away from Duncan, but she did so nevertheless and walked away from the guards, turning up her nose at them and pretending that she was still annoyed. She and Myra walked away at a slow pace, so as not to arouse suspicion.
But as soon as they were out of sight Ellen flew into action, saddling a horse and getting ready to ride away as quickly as possible. She exchanged a hurried goodbye with Myra.
“I promise I will return, Mother. I won’t leave you alone to face Alan’s wrath,” Ellen said.
“Just keep safe Ellen, and if anything happens to me know that all I want for you is to be happy. That’s all I and your father ever wanted,” she said, her words laced with sorrow and accompanied by rolling crystal tears.
12
As soon as Ellen was out of view of the estate she galloped away at full speed. Her silver horse whinnied, but it seemed attuned to her mood and did not blanch at being pushed to its limits. The beautiful world went by in a blur as Ellen raced to the Highlands to give the message to Duncan’s people. It was only a matter of time before Alan returned home. Ellen somehow knew that he would be fortunate enough to escape the battle and plague her life a while longer. Sometimes it seemed as though ill fate only ever cursed righteous men, while the villains were able to go on living, spreading their vile nature throughout the world. The more Ellen thought about a life with Alan, the more it twisted inside her like a knife. She tightened her grip on the reins and forced the horse to go even faster.
The wind whipped her hair, but even though she grew tired and hungry she wasn’t going to stop yet, not when Duncan’s life depended on it. Alan wasn’t going to show him any mercy. She could only hope that the Highland force Duncan had sent to meet Alan in battle could hold the Englishman off until Ellen had completed her task. She peered out as she galloped along, waiting to see the sign of the two tall trees that bent together to make an arch, as Duncan had described. All the while her mind whirled with what she had learned from her mother. The more she found out about Alan the more she was convinced that his blood was tainted with an evil nature.
Fury festered inside her as she thought of Alan threatening her mother, trying to hold Ellen prisoner to a promise that had never been given willingly. All for what…an estate? Such a crude ambition from a crude man, and no matter what happened she vowed to herself that she was not going to be his wife. She dreaded having to endure a lifetime of that misery and even subjecting children to such a fate. Even the thought of being touched by him made her shudder. She had the dagger
. If it came to it she would draw it across her own throat and make her life seep out. If Duncan was killed then she would have nothing to live for anyway.
Mist was in the air as light rain fell from wispy clouds. It brushed her face with a light sheen and mixed with the tears that streaked down her face. She hoped it wouldn’t grow any heavier as then she would have to slow her pace and peer through the slashing rain carefully so as not to pass the signpost to the fortress. Thankfully she reached it before the rain was too heavy, although her clothes were clinging to her skin.
She rode through the arch and down a sloping path. The trees were foreboding companions. Their branches stretched across the path and shielded her from the rain, while also shrouding her in darkness. The fortress loomed ahead; it was tall, foreboding, and dark. Light flickered in the windows, just a glimpse of life, and it was a far cry from the small village that Ellen had seen before. The threat of war had driven the Highlanders to this point and forced them to withdraw to this safe place. They hadn’t even been attacked and it had already started to infringe on their freedom. War was a vile thing and the more Ellen saw of it the more she had a strong distaste for it. She thought back to how her father gained glory as a soldier and wondered how many people like these Highlanders he had attacked, or how few causes had been righteous.
Hammering on the door, Ellen waited until she heard footsteps ahead. The door creaked open and Duncan was right about the fortress being in disrepair. The wood was dry and brittle, and it almost fell off its hinges when it was opened.
“What dae ye want?” the man on the other side of the door said.
“It’s Duncan. He’s in trouble. I came here for help,” Ellen replied frantically. The man hung his head and pushed open the door further, allowing her to enter. She followed his hobbled stride and went into the main hall, where the Highlanders were gathered in a group around a fire. Their fearful faces were illuminated by the orange glow. The rain pelted down against the building and the sound echoed around them. In the corner a trickling drip could be heard where the rain seeped through an opening. It was dank and the air was stale. Without the crackling fire it would have been an inhospitable environment indeed.
Highlander’s Twist 0f Fate (Scottish Medieval Historical Romance) Page 9
