Pledged to a Highlander

by Donna Fletcher

  Chapter 20

  The troop stopped not far from Royden, the horses pounding the ground as if annoyed they’d been brought to a halt. Had the animals fought that many battles that they assumed every village was to be pillaged?

  Royden kept his eyes on the man, seeing that he could easily intimidate with his imposing posture alone. His striking features also caught the eye. One would think him born of royal blood the way he held himself and he dismounted and walked toward Royden, his commanding stride adding to the notion. His plaid was more a dark cloth with threads of a ruby color running through it, and leather straps crisscrossed his chest and circled his waist with two sheaths at each hip, and sizeable knives tucked in each.

  Royden spoke before the man could. “You ride on my village as if ready to attack it.”

  The man stopped a few feet from Royden. “My apologies for the fright, but I was eager to meet my new neighbor. I am Trevor, the new chieftain of the Clan MacGlennen.”

  Oria caught her gasp before it could escape and her heart grew heavy with sadness. With this man’s arrival the clan her da had led was now lost to her. It was as though in that instant her past had vanished, gone along with her da.

  “How do you lay claim to the Clan MacGlennen?” Royden asked.

  “That’s a story better saved for when we have time to share a hardy drink or two,” Trevor said. “My visit is a short one meant to make you aware of my arrival. And to let you know that I bring a sizeable group with me to the Clan MacGlennen, warriors, craftsmen, and families. If I can be of any help to you in any way, please reach out to me. I hear you have an exceptional healer among you. Our healer fell ill and died on the journey here. I have sent for another but it will take time for her to reach us. I would be in your debt if your healer could help us if needed. My wife, Demelza, carries our first child, due in a month or more, and while she does well, I would rest easier knowing a healer is available to her if necessary.”

  “I’m only too pleased to help in any way I can,” Wren said, coming up behind Parlan and slipping her hand in his.

  “I am grateful for your generosity,” Trevor said.

  “I will give you a few days to settle in, then pay a visit to your wife and see to anyone else in need of tending while I’m there, with my chieftain’s permission, of course,” Wren said with a nod to Royden.

  Royden was pleased that Wren acknowledged it was his decision whether she would go or not, though he didn’t show it.

  “We’ll see you in a few days, Trevor,” Royden said, not only letting him know Wren wouldn’t be coming alone, but also dismissing him.

  Trevor turned a decent smile on him, but it was the flare of anger in the man’s dark eyes that alerted Royden to the truth behind the smile.

  “A braw day to you,” Trevor said.

  Royden couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. He wanted answers to the endless questions that haunted him. The words rushed in a demand from his lips as Trevor turned to leave. “When do I get to meet the man who leads you and the mercenaries, the man who attacked my clan and surrounding clans, and claimed land he had no right to, and who took so many men captive? I believe he’s called… the Beast.”

  Trevor turned around slowly and Royden saw the fierce warrior in him then. The look in his dark eyes brought back memories of how men looked when going into battle, ruthless and determined.

  “You’ll meet him—when he’s ready to meet you,” Trevor said. “And be warned, my friend, the name suits him well.”

  Royden watched him ride off and a dread fell over him, and his da said what he thought.

  “This isn’t finished yet, son.”

  “Aye, Da, I agree,” Royden said and hearing the soft whispers rush around him, others agreed as well.

  “It a good time to rest and have a spot of ale,” Oria suggested. “Take yourselves off to the table under the tree and I’ll see a jug brought there.” She gave her husband a quick kiss and hurried off.

  “Oria has changed, but she is a good wife to you,” Parlan said.

  Royden laughed. “That she is, but don’t think that she sends us to sit at the table and drink out of wifely duties. She intends to join us and discuss our meeting with Trevor.”

  “I never thought Oria to be strong-willed—kind and gentle—but never strong-willed,” Parlan said.

  “Then you never truly knew her, Parlan,” Wren said. “Oria hasn’t changed, she has simply found herself.”

  A young lad approached them slowly, looking to Royden, though his eyes kept drifting to Wren.

  “What is it, Tad?” Royden asked, knowing the lad, though not recognizing him when he had first returned home. Tad had been around three years when he had left. Now at eight years he was far from the little lad he’d remembered. “Are you in need of the healer?”

  Tad stepped closer to Royden, dropping his head back to look up at him, his brown hair falling back off his face as he did. “Is she a witch?”

  Royden dropped down on his haunches to speak with the lad. “No, Tad. I can assure you she’s not a witch. She heals people. Do you need her help?”

  Tad nodded, his hair falling in his face again and held up his hand. His one finger was red and swollen.

  “We need to take care of that right away,” Wren said with a gentle smile, though didn’t make a move toward the lad.

  Tad moved closer to Royden and whispered, “You sure I can trust her?”

  “My word on it,” Royden said as seriously as the lad.

  “Follow me to the keep,” Wren said, “And when we’re done I’ll see if Bethany has a sweet cake for you.”

  Tad’s smile covered his whole face. “Let’s go.” He took off ahead of her and she hurried along after him.

  “She’ll win over the whole clan eventually,” Parlan said with a prideful smile.

  Royden grinned. “How long did it take for her to win you over? Or was it you who needed to win her?”

  His da’s smile softened and a sudden sadness filled his eyes. “I was racked with fever and in so much pain when I was brought to Wren that I thought she was your mum come to take me with her. I was so happy to see her. I remember telling her how glad I was she came for me and how I’d missed her more each day since she’d died and how I never stopped loving her. Every time Wren touched me, I thought it was your mum and I welcomed her touch.” He sniffled back tears. “I was so devastated when the fever broke and saw it wasn’t your mum. Wren told me later that it was thinking your mum was there with me that saved my life. That I responded and listened to all she said and did whatever she asked of me. It also made me see that some of the qualities Wren possesses are the same qualities I loved about your mum.”

  Royden felt his da’s sorrow and hated that he suffered so much without his family there to help and comfort him. He was, however, grateful that Wren had been there for him.

  They just sat down at the table outside when Oria and Bethany arrived with a jug of ale, tankards enough for four, and a serving board with some meat on it that Royden and his da didn’t waste any time enjoying.

  Royden’s arm went around his wife’s waist after she sat down beside him. “This is your clan now and always.”

  Oria kissed his cheek, appreciating that he understood how the news of her family clan having a new chieftain had upset her. “I thought I was prepared for it. I knew it was coming, but it still hurt some.”

  “We’re going to gather all the pieces and put this puzzle together and when we find out who was the cause of all the pain and suffering so many of us have shared, we’re going to make him pay,” Royden said.

  “It’s not a puzzle,” his da said and took a swig of ale.

  “What do you mean, Da?” Royden asked.

  “I’ve realized this is a game to someone,” his da explained. “He set up his pieces with precision, moved them wisely, and plays the game with exceptional skill. This is a man who calculates his every move and only makes the next move when he knows he can win.”

 
Oria shivered and leaned against her husband, his arm at her waist hugging her close.

  “Perhaps Wren can tell us something,” Oria suggested. “She had seen what was coming before, perhaps she can see what comes again.”

  “I learned that Wren doesn’t see everything and the visions are sometimes foggy when they come to her. Then there are times a vision is as clear as day like the one about the attack and its eventual outcome.”

  “Has she seen anything about Raven?” Royden asked.

  “My first question to her when all was finally clear to me was about Raven, you, and Arran. She told me all of us would be reunited. You’re home and from what you’ve told me Arran will be home soon—it is Raven I worry about. Wren can tell me nothing about what happened to her. And I can’t help but worry how she survived all these years.”

  “That is all I know as well, and I didn’t inquire about her from anyone in fear that in searching for her, I could bring her more harm,” Oria said.

  “Burnell said nothing about her to you?” Parlan asked.

  “He told me the search continued for her a few times, but that stopped about two years before he died. I sometimes wondered if he was warning me in case I did find out anything, but I couldn’t be sure. And I would never put Raven’s life in jeopardy.”

  “If this is a game, then the man called the Beast would have collected all the pieces and set them up to fall as he planned and if one didn’t fall as planned,” —Royden shook his head— “How does he win the game?”

  “Or two pieces, since Purity hasn’t been found as well,” Oria said.

  “The thing is,” his da said, refilling his tankard. “This scale of a game can’t be played alone and while we’ve seen his many pieces, I wonder about the pieces we haven’t seen.”

  “You’re suggesting he had help from someone within one of the clans.” Royden turned to his wife. “It’s something Oria has given thought to herself.”

  “Burnell and Thurbane were the only ones who didn’t attend our wedding that day,” Oria reminded. “Though I’ve wondered if the warriors who arrived on Burnell’s land had prevented him from attending. He had no strength to fight or the will. Age and illness had weakened him.”

  “I do recall him sending his regrets that he wouldn’t be able to attend,” Royden said.

  “This had to have taken much planning and as I said, all the pieces moved into precise place, so that everything lined up perfectly,” Parlan said.

  “And how could the pieces be moved if someone wasn’t inside helping maneuver them?” Royden asked.

  The thought did not sit well with Oria that someone they all possibly trusted had joined forces with the enemy. “Who would be selfish enough to betray us all?”

  Parlan raised his tankard. “A question when answered that could change the outcome of the game.”

  Oria rolled from her back to her side and into her husband’s arms once he joined her in bed later that night. She rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled close to him.

  “I didn’t think I would ever say this, but I’m too tired to make love tonight,” she said with a heavy sigh.

  Her warm breath sent an enticing whisper along his neck, but he had known before he’d gotten into bed how tired she was. He had never seen her climb the stairs to their bedchamber as sluggishly as she had or seen her remove her garments with such painstaking slowness. She had worked hard finishing planting the seedlings for Wren, since she’d been called away to help several people. Tad had been singing her praises throughout the village, letting everyone know what a great healer Wren was. It had been enough for a few skeptics to let go of their doubt and seek her help.

  After Oria had finished with that she had helped Wren clean the inside of the cottage. He’d been surprised to see her freshly washed when she sat for supper in the Great Hall and had learned she had helped the servants carry water to the tub she had them set up in Raven’s old room to bathe.

  Halfway through supper her eyes were closing on her, so by the time supper was finished it was obvious she was far too exhausted to make love.

  “We’re both tired,” he said, not wanting her to feel guilty. He felt her body rumble against him with laughter.

  “You say one thing but your stirring shaft says another.”

  “Ignore him,” Royden ordered.

  She yawned, her eyes beginning to close. “I fear I have no choice but to do just that.”

  Royden watched her slip into a peaceful slumber and feeling sleep creeping up on himself as well, fell asleep thinking how he’d stroke his wife gently and intimately awake in the morning.

  Oria’s eyes sprang open, her naked body still snuggled tight against her husband’s. She didn’t know what woke her or how long she had been asleep. She peeked over his broad chest at the hearth and seeing that the fire burned boldly assumed it hadn’t been long. How was it then that she felt so awake?

  She closed her eyes intending to return to sleep and after a while realized that sleep wasn’t forthcoming. With sleep eluding her, she laid there awake and her mind soon spun with endless thoughts and worries.

  If Trevor served this man called the Beast, what did that portend? Did the Beast intend to make his home here in the Highlands as well? Could he be searching for Purity to wed her and take ownership of the Clan Macara?

  Restless, Oria eased herself away from her husband and out of bed. A chill greeted her when she slipped out from under the blanket and she hurried her husband’s shirt over her head, it falling well past her knees. It warmed her and his scent, heavy upon it, made it feel like she was wrapped in his embrace. She went to the hearth and stood in front of it, so the heat would continue to keep her warm.

  Her thoughts returned to what the future could hold for all of them if the Beast should make his way here and claim—what land? Would he search until he found Purity? Or was he the one who would lay claim to her deceased husband’s title and lands? But if he was a distant relative of Burnell’s, why would he have attacked this area? He would already have a title and land. And how would they protect themselves against him when they had failed to do so the last time?

  Was this truly a game to play or a puzzle to solve? Perhaps a puzzle needed to be solved in order to play the game. She wished Raven was here. She was good at games and puzzles, always figuring things out before most others. But that was probably because she asked endless questions and didn’t stop until she had the answers.

  Her head drooped, far too heavy with endless thoughts of things that would not be solved tonight or worries that would not help solve the problem. She should sleep. Her mind would be clearer in the morning and she could tackle her heavy thoughts then.

  Oria turned and saw that her husband was awake and looking at her. He threw the blanket off him and walked over to her. He didn’t say a word. He slipped his shirt off her, scooped her up, and carried her back to bed.

  “When I get done making love to you, I promise you’ll sleep soundly,” he said and buried his face in the crook of her neck to tease her sensitive skin with endless nibbles.

  She ran her fingers through his hair, taking hold of the sides of his head and tugged it away from her neck so she could look into his eyes. “Promise me that we’ll always love like this.”

  “That’s an easy promise to keep, my love,” he said and his mouth came down on hers in a kiss filled with a passion that wouldn’t be sated swiftly.

  Much later, their unrestrained passion leaving them spent and a light sweat covering their bodies, they fell into a sound slumber just as Royden had promised.

  Chapter 21

  “It’s as though I’m seeing spring burst in full bloom for the first time in years,” Oria said, riding her horse at an easy pace beside her husband. “The hills are greener, the trees fuller, the flowers more vibrant. You brought the beauty of the Highlands back to me.” A smile caught at her lips as she pointed. “Look, the white wind-flowers and the blue fairy flowers are in abundance.”

  Roy
den looked where his wife pointed and took note of the dense green grass that sprouted around the flowers, then looked around at the towering trees, thick with leaves, and how the sun shined brightly touching everything with its warmth.

  “Life blossoms everywhere,” Oria said with glee, her hand going to rest at her stomach.

  Royden’s eye widened. “Are you—”

  “It’s too soon to tell anything.” She laughed. “Though I’d say there’s a good chance with as much as we couple.”

  “We’ll keep at it to make sure,” Royden said with a playful smile, though meant every word.

  “That we will, husband,” Oria agreed.

  “Are you all right with returning home?” he asked worried that seeing her clan with a new chieftain and mistress might upset her.

  “It troubles me that my clan and land rightfully belongs to you, once we wed. I also feel for my clan since they were so pleased that one day you would lead them. I feel helpless that somehow I failed them.”

  Royden regretted asking her, the joy that only moments ago shined across her face now gone. “You didn’t fail them. None of what happened is your fault. And I shall discuss with Trevor the release of at least some of your clan members who do not wish to stay with him.”

  “While I appreciate that, do you think it wise to ask such a thing?” she asked.

  “Strangers have confiscated our lands and made demands of us. It is time we begin to make demands on them and defend our people.”

  “What if Trevor won’t release them?” Oria asked worry for all concerned churning her stomach.

  “Then the people will know his true nature and loyalty will not come easy for him.”

  “You are a wise leader,” Oria said, her smile returning and her stomach settling.

  “I know you will help Wren tend those in need of her skills, but you will give me your word that if you feel threatened at all, or the least bit uncomfortable, you will come to me right away,” Royden said with a stern eye on his wife.