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. T
hankfully 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.
“Ellen, what are ye daeing back here?” Millie asked. She was one of the women Ellen had formed a friendship with.
“Says that Duncan hae been captured,” the hobbling old man said. Gasps filled the room.
“It’s true,” Ellen said. “He used the distraction of the battle to come and find me, but he was captured. He killed one of the guards, but then three of them came around him and now he’s in the dungeon. He sent me here to rally a few men to return and rescue him.”
“We dinnae hae many men left. Most of them are fighting,” Millie said, her face etched with worry.
“Wait a minute,” Connor said, rising up. He was a big man, more like a giant than a man if Ellen was truthful. He had thick brown locks that curled down to his shoulder and shoulders as wide as a bear’s. He also only had one arm; the other had been lost in a battle with the English. His voice was as low and rumbling as thunder. “How dae we know this is nae a trap tae get the rest of us captured?”
Ellen was shocked. “I would never do anything to hurt you, any of you! You know me. I lived among you. I would have stayed if I hadn’t had to return for my mother. You can trust me.”
“I can never trust the English,” Connor growled sternly.
“I have this...” Ellen rummaged about in her pocket and fished out the ring, holding it above her head. Connor reared back.
“Ye see that Connor? That was his da’s ring. He would sooner hae died than be parted from it!” Millie said.
“Aye, and maybe that’s just what happened,” Connor said, still unconvinced. Ellen bit her lip in frustration.
“He’s not dead. I would die before I let that happen. Believe me, I know this is not what any of you wanted and there is much enmity between the Highlanders and the English, but I don’t care about any of that. The only thing I care about is saving Duncan. He sent me here to gather as many of you as I could to return to England and take back the estate that was wrongfully taken from you, to strike back at the English and prove to them that you’re not going to run all the way back to the mountains.”
“We’re nae good,” Connor said. “The only ones left here are cripples like me, old men, and women. All the rest went tae fight.”
“I can fight,” a boy said. He wasn’t yet old enough to have hair on his chin, but his spirit was that of a warrior. His declaration was followed by a number of other people who each rose and pledged themselves to the cause despite them having obvious physical disadvantages. Connor was disgruntled, but it was clear he was fighting a losing battle. Ellen just had to make the final push to turn the tide firmly in her favor.
“When we spent time together, Duncan spoke so fondly of you. He was proud to be a part of this community, to be your hero, your protector. Now he is the one who needs heroes to come to his aid. He has fought for you, and now you must fight for him. He has inspired you for this very moment, to strike back against injustice. I know this because he inspired me too. I have ridden across a strange land battling with the elements, armed with a dagger that I’m not even sure how to use, all because he inspired something within my heart. He’s a special man and I am not going to rest until I have done everything I can to save him. If we work together and summon the spirit of the Highlands we can fight back against the English and give them a bloody nose!”
Her impassioned speech was met with a number of emphatic nods and cheers. She imagined that the prospect of actually doing something was going to be better than sitting here waiting in the dark for word of either triumphant victory or a crushing defeat.
Connor sighed. “I suppose I can still swing an ax with the best of them, and Duncan hae put himself in harm’s way for us more than once. I’ll come with ye then lass, but I’m nae gaeing tae leave this place undefended.” The giant looked through the men who had volunteered for the mission and ordered a few of them to stay behind. They looked disappointed, but none of them were going to argue with Connor. Ellen roused them, declaring that time was of the essence and the longer they waited the more chance there was of Duncan being punished.
They mounted their horses and rode away. The rain drizzled down as they rode in a long line, the galloping hooves thundering as powerfully as a maelstrom. The ground quaked under the impact of these makeshift warriors, riding to save their leader. Ellen shouted the plan to them as they rode back to England. She tried her best to keep the nerves out of her voice, but it was difficult to convince herself that this would work. They were unproven, untested, some had never fought in battle before while others had been scarred and wounded so badly that the trauma of war had rendered them vulnerable. But these were the only ones available to help Duncan out of his plight.
13
Ellen’s nerves were frayed as she led the Highlanders back to the fortress. All she’d wanted in life was to have an adventure, but now that it was happening to her she thought she should be careful for what she wished for in the future! Her mind burned with a need to save Duncan and her mother. This plan had to work because she wouldn’t know what to do with herself otherwise. But alas, when the English estate came into view Ellen’s heart sank and her face paled.
“By the gods…” Connor gasped.
The party slowed and fear lined their faces as they saw a procession of soldiers returning into the estate. An entire garrison of troops was bolstering the defenses and if the odds hadn’t been against Ellen before, they certainly were now.
“Looks like we’ve got even more of a fight on our hands,” Connor added grimly. Troop after troop marched into the estate and Ellen’s stomach twisted in a knot. Her plan was in tatters and she was entirely crestfallen. Her makeshift band of warriors would never have been able to fight a whole army. The battle with the Highlanders had evidently finished sooner than they had anticipated. Duncan’s plan for a distraction hadn’t worked.
“No,” Ellen said in a small but determined voice.
“Ye brought us all the way down here,” Connor said.
“I know, but I’m not going to lead you to your deaths. We don’t stand a chance against that many soldiers. We have to leave,” she said with a heavy heart. Without waiting for the others to agree, she turned her soldiers and morosely trundled back the way she came. Her head hung and her heart sank, for she sa
w no way to save Duncan and her mother. They were counting on her for rescue, and she had failed them. She could not understand what had happened..
There was nowhere for her to go but back to the Highlander camp, and hope that some other plan presented itself. It was a grim twist of fate that she and Duncan had swapped places; still unable to share their lives even though the strings of their hearts had been tied together.
Even though Duncan was in a dark, dank cell, his heart had been lifted by the visit of Ellen and his mother. Coming here had been a risk, but seeing her had all been worth it. Ever since she had left his side he hadn’t been the same. His mind had constantly been occupied with thoughts of her and his stomach had been churning. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before and he knew that she was special. He couldn’t stand by and let her live a life she didn’t want, for she was plunging them both into misery. Now he was confident that she would be able to rescue him. Ellen was stronger and more capable than she might have otherwise thought. But the waiting…by the gods, the waiting was interminable!
Soon enough he heard movement and saw Myra scuttling down the stairs.
“I managed to steal a key. There’s quite a commotion upstairs. I don’t know what’s happening, but the guards have all moved away,” Myra said. Duncan didn’t like the sound of this.
“We hae better move quickly. Perhaps Ellen hae returned already,” Duncan said. Myra’s small hands trembled as she put the key in the lock and opened the door, and then got to work on Duncan’s manacles. Duncan looked at her and could see that Ellen had inherited Myra’s beauty.
“I hope so. I hate to think of her out there alone.”
“She is a strong lass,” Duncan said. “I dinnae believe there is anything she cannae dae.”
Duty And Passion In The Highlands: A Scottish Medieval Historical Highlander Collection Page 34
