[Druids Bidding 02.0] RenFaire Druids: Dunskey Castle Prequels

by Jane Stain

  He met her stares face on and didn’t look away, and while a certain understanding was developing between them, it was developing again and not anew, for no hint of memory came into his glance. And in this time period, speaking about it before she was sure of it was terrifying.

  Clap clap clap.

  They turned to see Alasdair standing there in the courtyard, applauding them.

  Dall took Emily’s hand and turned her toward Alasdair, and they both smiled and bowed. Dall hadn’t let her hand go. His hand was telegraphing warmth and security and … affection up through hers, right into her heart. Or was that just her imagination?

  For the next four days, they ran the play four times a day. Dall was there every moment, which made it a little difficult for Emily to concentrate, but it also made her happy. He wanted to spend his time with her. She had less and less to do, because the actors were almost ready to perform without her feeding them their lines.

  Two weeks was the shortest rehearsal period she had ever heard of for any show, but presumably, a traveling acting troupe would already have a show ready. And then, Alasdair had seen the spark between her and Dall and for some reason had wanted to fan it.

  And their spark had been fanned.

  Dall took every opportunity to hold Emily’s hand: helping her up the one step into the dining hall, catching her attention at the table, and swinging her around to bow after each time they demonstrated a fight scene. Emily didn’t think the actors needed the sword-fighting demonstrations anymore, but they sure were … stimulating.

  And here they were, the day before the performance. Emily and Dall and the actors were in the courtyard doing as many dress rehearsals as they could fit into the day. Audience members were arriving from every direction—all of them Campbells or MacGregors. Most of the injured had either died or gone home, but the few who remained had been moved to cots in the kitchen to make rooms available for the multitude of guests.

  Every time someone arrived, Dall’s face got eager and he looked toward the front gate … only to look disappointed and turn back to the actors on the stage.

  Finally, when this happened in the middle of a fight scene and it was obvious that Dall wasn’t even paying attention, Alasdair stepped in.

  “They canna be here, Dall.”

  Dall’s face got angry for a moment as he faced his chief, and then he calmed it. “Why did ye na tell me sooner? Is something amiss?”

  “Nothing is amiss. Some hae tae remain behind tae hold the lands, and someone must lead them. He is the best I hae up there.”

  By now, the two of them were clasping forearms, and Alasdair was looking straight into Dall’s eyes without flinching.

  Dall spoke so softly that Emily knew she wasn’t meant to hear it.

  “Then I wish tae take her tae them.”

  Alasdair nodded once.

  It seemed funny to Emily that everyone watched the dress rehearsals and then stayed for the show right afterward, but it was nice. It gave the play a casual feeling that soothed the actors’ stage fright, as did the absence of a curtain.

  The only real challenges now were the costume changes, especially for Mike. They had streamlined Mike’s costumes. He stayed in the same dress—borrowed from Mairi’s mother—and just moved parts of it around in order to change into each character. For the nurse, he held out the stomach and was corpulent. For Juliet, he held out the bosom and was endowed, and for Juliet’s mother, he held the neckline up to his chin and was proper. Mike was hilarious, and he stole every scene he was in.

  That was OK, because as Romeo, Dog was all about the fight scenes. Emily thought they rocked. She was proud of her pupils.

  It was a good thing she no longer needed to feed the actors their lines, because Dall sat close beside her in the first balcony—and he grabbed her hand and squeezed it every time the actors did a complicated move with their swords clashing, which was often. But that wasn’t the most distracting thing her kilted highlander did. Emily was sure that Dall couldn’t access his memories of them whispering to one another on the dance stage at the renaissance faire, but he did the same thing here anyway.

  Here they were once again on display. Everyone was seated on dining-hall benches that the actors had carried up onto the balconies. All the audience members could see each other’s faces.

  Dall took advantage of the attention everyone was paying to the actors down in the courtyard and whispered in Emily’s ear during all the most exciting parts of the play. What he whispered got better and better.

  “Sae, lass, I dinna suppose ye find my company too disagreeable?”

  “Not too terribly disagreeable, no.” She smiled at his jest, and she shivered at the feeling of his breath in her ear.

  “How dae ye like Scotland?”

  “I love what little I’ve seen of your faire land so far.” She lifted her head to visibly gaze up at the snow-peaked mountains she could see over the castle wall.

  He took a deep breath. “I ken ye hae tae gae back tae England,” he said it that funny way again, letting her know he suspected she was from elsewhere, “but dae ye hae tae stay there? What I mean is, would ye like tae come back here, some time?”

  She looked deep in his eyes, trying to make him understand. “If I could be part of a great clan and be connected to the right people, then yes, I would like to come back here. I would also like for you to journey with me, to England.”

  He let out his breath and seemed to relax a bit, which brought their thighs close together on the bench for the first time since she had pushed the button that brought her here.

  It would be so easy for her to relax just that little bit so that they were touching … but that would send him the wrong message. She wasn’t prepared to stay here this time, and Siobhan’s warning had been crystal clear.

  Dall took another deep breath and said a bunch of words all in a rush, not giving her any chance to answer until he had said them all. “Wull ye come on a journey with me, tae meet my family? It will na be a long journey, ainly four and ten days. I thought they would be here for the play, but they canna be. ’Twould be a great opportunity for ye tae see more o’ the Highlands, which I ken was the reason ye came up here from England.”

  Unwilling to let him suffer one more second of uncertainty, Emily simply said, “Yes.” and waited for Dall to show relief and to smile.

  He still looked uncertain.

  So she went on. “Yes. I will journey with you. I want to meet your family.”

  The sword-fight that had covered their whispered conversation ended, so they had to wait for the next one before they could whisper about the details of their journey: when they would leave and where they would go, what provisions they would take, whether they would walk or ride…

  In the meantime, Dall’s hand found its way into Emily’s, and there it remained throughout the rest of Romeo and Juliet.

  Emily’s joy in his touch was punctuated every now and then by his glance of affection and admiration. She was ecstatic that he wanted her to meet his family. That could only mean he was as serious about her as she was about him, right? But mostly, she just kept thinking that finally she would be alone with the man who meant everything to her.

  4 Highlands

  Dall sat on horseback in front of the castle, extending his hand to her. The horse was laden with odd saddlebags, and Dall’s claymore was sheathed in the horse's odd saddle, which didn't have any stirrups to help her climb up.

  “Come on up, lass.”

  Squinting the rising sun out of her eyes, Emily grabbed his hand and prepared to hoist herself up.

  He pulled her up far enough that she could swing her leg around and climb on.

  This was not easy while wearing a tight bodice, two long full skirts, and a cloak, not to mention the extra shirt she had tied around her waist by the sleeves under the two skirts. She was in Heaven, though.

  When Emily wrapped her arms around Dall and held herself close to his back, the world disappeared for a moment. S
he was only aware of hugging him. His warmth. The way he smelled of the outdoors and campfires and lavender soap. The way his muscles were so firm beneath all the yards of plaid wool. How solid and comforting he felt in front of her.

  Being so close to Dall made her giddy, as if her body was as light as the clouds floating over Kilchurn Castle.

  And then Eamann called out to Emily and ruined the mood, his stern face bright in the direct sunlight. “Remember what I telt ye.” He had tried to prevent her from going on this trip, but Alasdair had overruled him. The castle’s old healer looked fearful now. Emily could see his mind worrying about what she would tell Dall if she was alone with him. If she dared.

  Dall spoke softly over his shoulder while staring at the white-robed druid. “What did the man tell ye, lass?”

  “He claims we must be back by mid-July, or something terrible will happen,” she said, careful to stay as close to the truth as she dared.

  There were many people around who would think she was a witch if they heard talk of time travel, so she couldn’t tell him any more than that—not with all of them so close by all the time.

  Dall patted her knee, sending fresh shivers down her spine.

  Would it really be so terrible, to be stuck here with him?

  Dall was talking. “Dinna fash. I wull hae ye back afore ye must leave on the journey back to England. I ken ye dinna wish tae abide oor Scottish winter.” He laughed, but it was forced.

  Before she considered the possible consequences of making such a declaration before leaving on a long journey alone with him, Emily whispered in Dall’s ear, “Winter couldn’t keep me away from you.”

  From what she had seen so far, she believed that if she made it back to Kilchurn Castle with Dall by July 19, 1540, then the two of them would return to the US in her time the moment they had left it. Vange and Ian would come back to the trailer with their dirty Tupperware from breakfast to find Dall and Emily still there after their ‘private talk’ with Siobhan, and they would all walk to Simon’s boot booth together and enjoy the last weekend of the renaissance faire.

  Dall called out in Gaelic to the small crowd outside the castle. At the same time, he kicked the horse’s sides and it took off running down a pathway to the east, the only direction that wouldn’t take them into the fresh waters of Loch Awe.

  Ahead, all Emily saw was the forest and the rising mid-June sun peeking out between the snow-peaked mountains and the cloudy sky.

  She felt the rhythm of the horse’s hooves pounding the ground and the haphazard sway of the horse as it moved. She felt the cool highland wind whipping at her cloak and skirts and tugging at her muffin cap. She drew the hood of her cloak up over her cap, but she only barely felt those things.

  The vast majority of Emily’s awareness was taken in by the feel of the man in front of her, or more exactly, by the way he made her feel. He felt solid and safe and so, so alive—bursting with life. He made her feel the same, especially when she held him close. Finally doing so again after a month of missing it felt like coming home.

  Dall kept running the horse until they had turned left to cross the sandy shallows of a river, turned left again, and run a ways more. Emily clung to his back, not minding the ride at all. In fact, she loved it.

  Dall urged the horse through the woods along the curve of the mountain on their right. Down at the waters of a smaller river that came out between this mountain and the next one to the north, Dall slowed the horse to a stop.

  The horse drank.

  For the first time ever, after wishing for it for two months, Emily was alone with Dall.

  Once he could be heard over the horse’s breaths, Dall spoke. “Sae we need tae be back tae the castle by the 19th o’ July sae that we can travel tae yer time, eh lass?” He looked over his shoulder at her, and his look was knowing and open … and amused.

  “Dall. Oh Dall, you’re here.” Emily squeezed him as tight as she could. “Why have you pretended all this time not to know me? It’s been so hard. I was so lonely without holding you close like this.”

  He turned at the waist in the odd saddle and put his hand on her shoulder, then gently tapped her there.

  Finally, Emily quit squeezing him and looked up into Dall’s eyes.

  They were sincere. “Lass, I hae ainly pretended na tae ken from whence ye come. If we did ken one anither afore ye came tae Kilchurn, then I hae na memory o’ it, sorry I am tae say.” He put a sympathetic hand back on her shoulder.

  Emily wiped a tear on her sleeve and nodded that she understood him. She couldn’t speak. Her throat was closing, she was so upset. She’d thought she had him back for one brief moment, but she only had him anew.

  Having him anew was wonderful all on its own, her common sense told her.

  For once, she listened to it. She clung to Dall while she breathed deeply and waited for her choked-up throat to quit aching so she could talk to him some more, tell him what she knew. And that reminded her to check and make sure her phone was switched off.

  Seeming to understand Emily’s difficulty, Dall started the horse walking through the woods again, this time to the right, north-east once more along this new smaller river.

  Emily appreciated the one-sided small talk he made as the horse walked.

  “The River Strae wull take us tae my family in the Rannoch. ’Twill take the horse three days, God willing. If the weather does stay dry and we hae na trouble, then we should na hae tae sleep in the heather. The clan has settlements along the way.”

  Gradually, her throat relaxed enough that she could speak again. “Dall, you came with me when I arrived here in your time four weeks ago. You were there in my time for at least six weeks, and very likely two months. You were teaching your accent and your fighting style and your ways to historical re-enactors of my time, at the renaissance faire.”

  Sounding almost like the horse when it puffed, Dall blew air out between his lips while patting her knee sympathetically and keeping his eyes on the terrain ahead.

  “Pfft. Eamann has been preparing me a year now, tae dae just that, sae I dinna doubt ye. If I had the deciding o’ it, I would remember every last second with ye, lass. O’ that, ye can hae certainty.”

  At his sweet declaration, joy swelled in Emily’s heart, bigger joy than the disappointment she’d been crying over just moments before. She hugged him with gladness and affection this time, instead of desperation and despair.

  And then puzzlement wove its way into Emily’s mind, sneaking past the cozy warm fog of just being snuggled up close behind Dall on a horse walking through the highlands.

  “Are you doing this for Eamann? I don’t trust him.” She hadn’t even realized this until she said it.

  “Nay, and neither dae I trust Eamann, but the druids made a pact with one o’ my fore-sires, long ago. Every fourth son must serve them, if he lives tae be five and twenty, and I am my da’s fourth son.”

  Emily couldn’t see his face, but his voice got sad as he said this, like he was sure she would reject him then.

  She rubbed his shoulders, trying to let him know she was not so easily put off from him. But while she was doing that, curiosity made her ask him a bunch of questions all at once.

  “Wow. How long have you known about this, and how did you find out, and what kind of service do you have to do for the druids?”

  Dall laughed, a deep heart-felt laugh from the bottom of his lungs.

  Emily was glad to hear him laugh, guessing it meant he was done being afraid she wouldn’t want to be with him now that she knew he had to serve the druids. They were out of the woods and in a grassy area now, and he urged the horse into a trot. The sun was fully up now but invisible behind thick clouds.

  He answered her questions. “Da telt me o’ the curse just afore Iona and I marrit. Traveling through time tae dae the druids’ bidding is the ainly service asked o’ me thus far.”

  He turned to look at her then. A deep look that searched her soul and yearned for her. If this was his idea o
f happenstance, then she was all for it.

  But he looked serious again. “Aboot why they brought ye here tae my time, lass, the druids. My best guess is it’s in order tae hasten me back tae the castle. Ye can dae that better than anyone, ye ken, hasten me.”

  Emily enjoyed his rapt attention for a moment, and then her curiosity made her keep questioning him.

  “Does everyone here know about time travel, then?”

  “Nay, and we must na tell them. Ainly my two remaining brothers and their wives and my mother ken. My brothers and I will tell oor children just afore they marry, as oor parents and their parents did. Let us bide here awhile.”

  He trotted the horse over to the river, stopped, dismounted, and handed her down. After putting one foot through the reins to secure the horse, he let it go drink and graze.

  Neither of them said anything until he got them back on the horse and moving north-east again, along the River Strae through a meadow.

  She broke the silence. “So you think they sent me here to make sure you got back to my time on schedule, eh?”

  Facing forward to steer the horse, he tapped her knee again. “I canna think o’ any other reason, though I am verra glad they did.”

  He ran the horse awhile then, and Emily was grateful for the excuse to cling to him. The wind whipped their clothes, and the green rocky scenery sped by.

  The sun shone out through the clouds when they stopped at the crest of a hill, and Emily saw a vibrant green valley full of cattle, dotted with stone houses and small vegetable gardens.

  “This is Glen Strae, lass. My homeland.”

  As if on cue, the horse took a dump, and they both laughed.

  As they rode by, ranchers came out to greet them—men in kilts, women in long plaid skirts, and older children dressed much the same as the adults. Dall responded to their greetings. They spoke Gaelic, but from visual cues and the tones of the conversations, Emily imagined she knew what they were saying.