by Alisa Adams
“How long have ye been following us?” Godet asked in a husky whisper. Tears shone in her eyes and sobs threatened to clog her throat.
“For a while,” Gordon said softly.
“Ye dinnae think we could dae this?” Godet asked quietly as she swallowed hard.
“I knew ye could and ye did. Ye led an army of men to retake yer home. But I couldnae be parted from ye Godet, not for a week, not for a day, not for a moment,” Gordon told her in his deep baritone as his eyes held hers.
Gordon stared up at the amazing woman before him. Her wild black curls were blowing out behind her in the winds off the ocean. Her plaid was billowing out from her shoulder and her skirts buffeted over her stallion’s haunches. Her silver eyes sparkled with tears as she stared back at him. He loved her terribly, so much that it was frightening. She was fierce, amazing, brave, loyal, and protective. Godet was everything he wanted that he didn’t even know he could ever have.
“Come to me, Godet,” he said softly, “dinnae ever leave me again.”
Godet stared at him. Her eyes were still wide, shining with unshed tears. A sob ripped at her throat and she leaned forward into his waiting arms. “If ye hadn’t come... I would be...” she started to say, choking back a sob.
“Let her go, girls,” Gordon said gently to the others, “I have her now.”
Her sisters let go, one by one, and Godet fell into his arms. They clung to one another. She was sobbing and he was taking deep, gulping breaths of relief.
Gordon closed his eyes with relief as he held her tightly. He had seen what was happening and had run through the throng of the battle. He had been knocking aside men and slashing with his sword at those that had charged at him, leaping over fallen men. Then he had been running straight through the tight cluster of men fighting one another to get to her... Those screams, those awful screams of her sisters, shrieking in abject terror, had made his heart stop as his legs continued running. He had heard Godet’s painful screams and cries as Mungan had clung to her, he had watched as Bluebell struck out at Mungan. He had feared that the big horse would go over the edge and take Godet with him, so close to the edge they were. He had run faster than he had ever thought possible with his sword up and ready.
Tristan had pulled Ceena off her horse and was holding her by the shoulders while she glared furiously at him. “Ye silly fool! Why dinnae ye ask us to come with ye to help ye?” he railed at her.
“We had it all under control and we dinnae need ye!” she fumed back at him.
“Och, is that so?” he said with disdain, “and I’m sure that is why the four of ye were all clutching at yer sister so she wouldnae be pulled over a cliff by a murderous lunatic? Because ye had it ‘under control’?” he yelled at her face.
Ceena started to say something then stopped and crossed her arms across her stomach and stared in mutinous silence at him.
“Ye all dropped yer weapons! Niver drop yer weapons!” Tristan railed at her.
“We had to hold onto Godet,” Ceena seethed at him, knowing he was right and hating that fact.
Brigda spoke up, her voice trembling, “Mungan’s dead, so all is well.” She paused. “He is dead, isn’t he?” Brigda looked at the other girls.
Godet stepped out of Gordon’s arms and went to the cliff to look over. As one, her sisters quickly scrambled to the cliff edge and looked over as well. Mungan lay in a tangled heap of arms and legs splayed unnaturally this way and that way. His neck was at an angle that they knew meant the neck was broken. He lay still, unmoving and lifeless with his eyes staring vacantly to the sky.
The girls hurriedly backed away from the cliff edge. The sight of Mungan had been horrible in real life, but the sight of him laying so unnaturally bent and broken was just as frightening to them. They hugged each other in relief, crying once again.
Godet wiped her tears and smiled at her sisters. “Thank ye for holding on to me and not letting go,” she whispered.
The girls all nodded happily and wiped away their own tears. Godet turned back to look at Gordon. Her heart was pounding furiously in her breast. He had followed her, let her lead his men, and in the end, he had saved her. Godet watched silently as Gordon, Loughlin, and Tristan stepped away from the crying women and were moving the big horses away from the edge of the cliff.
“When did they get here, dae ye suppose?” Ceena said thoughtfully beside her as she watched the men as well.
Godet sighed. “Gordon said only ‘for a while’. My guess would be from the very first night. They filed into the back of the line with Liam.” She looked at Ceena and her sister nodded her head in agreement.
“Aye, I noticed them. They were so big I should have known,” Ceena remarked.
“And all the fish that were caught?” Flori spoke up, coming to stand beside her sisters. “The plentiful dried venison and oatcakes? We dinnae bring that much…” she stated.
Godet turned to the men with her hands on her hips. She watched as they took charge of the horses. Gordon had said he knew we could dae this. But did he know something that I didn’t? The MacKenzie? Is he not at Conall ready to attend his daughter’s wedding? Godet mused thoughtfully. Gordon came after me, reached up for me, held me tight, and he had been frightened... for me. Godet stared after Gordon. He was standing next to Bluebell, patting his neck. This wasn’t over. Where is MacKenzie? Mungan said Brigda was to marry him.
While the women were walking back toward Fionnaghall away from the cliff, still crying and hugging and talking quietly amongst themselves, Gordon had his men move the women’s horses away from the cliff, all but Godet’s big stallion. Neither Loughlin or Tristan could get near him. Gordon walked up to the big stallion who snorted suspiciously at him. He held out his hand and let the stallion sniff him. Bluebell made a snuffling noise as he smelled his mistress on this man. He let him take hold of his trailing reins and followed the man away from the cliff. Gordon patted him and praised him for taking such good care of his mistress.
The battle had ended with Mungan’s death. His screams were heard by all and the news of his death had spread throughout his men. One by one, they ceased fighting until all stood still and quiet, unsure what to do without their leader.
There came a stirring in the MacKenzie warriors. They had gathered near the gates of Fionnaghall. A huge man with a full beard that was a mixture of graying orange and red with a head of hair that matched pushed the men aside and walked out of the gates. He looked around and spotted Brigda and Godet and he strode angrily over to them. Without any pause in his steps, he grabbed the two of them by the neck, one in each hand.
Gordon was over near the cliff and hadn’t seen how close Godet or her sisters were to the gates. He looked over in time to see Angus MacKenzie grab Godet and Brigda. Gordon wasted no time. He swung up on Godet’s big stallion and dug his heels into Bluebell’s sides. The giant horse leaped into a gallop toward the MacKenzie laird. He was there within a few strides. Gordon pulled the huge stallion to a stop and stared down at the big, flame-haired laird.
“Let my wife go, MacKenzie,” Gordon boomed, his voice deep and full of warning. “This ends now!”
Godet reached up to claw at the hand squeezing her neck. The man was a bull, his fingers thick and strong. She could see Brigda struggling just as she was. Brigda was slapping at him, jabbing her elbows into his thick chest and stomach.
“Yer wife, is she?” Angus roared. Angus MacKenzie let go of Bridga, shoving her roughly away from him. “Here, take her! But she isnae yer wife yet! Unless ye married her without me knowing it!” Angus boomed at him.
Gordon jumped off the horse and helped Brigda up. Godet watched him slip something into Brigda’s hand. “I dinnae marry yer daughter,” Gordon thundered. “’Tis Godet that will be my wife. Take yer hands off her now or I will kill ye!” Gordon roared at him.
“Father! What are ye doing?” Brigda rasped out, rubbing her throat.
“Answer yer daughter, mon! Why dinnae ye tell her yer plan?” Gordon
demanded again.
Angus backed away from him, dragging Godet with him. “Gordon, wha...?” Godet tried to ask him.
“He changed his mind, figured Fionnaghall was a better alliance,” Gordon said, his voice dropping even lower to a deep baritone with his anger as he followed Angus step-for-step.
Brigda looked at Godet and their eyes met. Then Brigda turned to her father. “Mungan had said ye had promised me to him,” Brigda said accusingly. “But ye had promised me to Laird MacDonell. I thought ye were on yer way to Castle Conall for my wedding to him!”
“Oh, I was my dear, I was,” Angus said. “Things have changed.”
“What changed Father?” Brigda demanded. “And let her go this instant!”
“No. I will not let this little beauty go! She is what has changed. I have decided to marry her,” Angus stated.
“No!” Gordon growled furiously. He took a step toward Godet, but Angus took a step back squeezing her neck tighter. Godet started to struggle in earnest then.
“I found out she was no longer in Conall so I came back. And waited.” Angus’s beefy hand lightened his hold on Godet’s neck and Gordon stilled.
“Mungan was to marry ye, my dear Brigda. I was going to marry this one. She is quite comely. The combination of the Munroe and Ross lands would be immense plus the MacKenzie lands. Shame that ye killed Mungan, Lady Godet.” Angus turned to Gordon. “Ye can have Brigda after all, MacDonell.”
“What of me parents?” Godet rasped out angrily as she clutched at his fingers. “Did ye kill them?” she demanded.
“Faw! That was all that eejit Mungan!” Angus dismissed Godet’s question.
“I will not marry Laird MacDonell, just as I would not have married Mungan Munroe, Father!” Brigda stated bravely, standing up tall and raising her chin.
“Ye will or I will kill ye, daughter!” Angus shouted angrily. “Ye must obey yer father!” he roared at her.
“I love another and I will not have the MacDonell laird or any other ye may find for me,” Brigda said heatedly. Her red hair had come loose from her braids and was flying around her head in the sea breeze. Her dress twirled out behind her in the winds as well. Her hands were at her sides in tight fists.
Godet watched her silently, staying still. She saw her sisters moving slowly around to the side of Angus MacKenzie. She nodded her encouragement ever so slightly to Brigda. She came closer to her father, looking up into his face. “No one, I will have no one but Warwick!” she hissed into his face as she slipped a small dagger into Godet’s hand.
Gordon nodded toward the dagger as he caught Godet’s eyes. She looked back at him. Within a brief moment, she had turned slightly and stabbed the MacKenzie Laird in the hand.
Angus MacKenzie let go with a howl of pain. Gordon snatched Godet into his arms at the same time as he caught his sword in the air that Tristan had tossed to him. Tristan and Loughlin were instantly at his side while Ceena, Flori, Ina, and Brigda had surrounded the MacKenzie Laird.
“Stand back and dae not pick up yer weapons if ye know what is good for ye!” Gordon thundered at the MacKenzie warriors. They backed away instantly and Gordon turned back to Angus.
“This woman is to be me wife. This castle belongs to her family and ye have no right to it. Ye will leave now and with yer men, unharmed. If ye choose a battle ye will lose,” Gordon thundered in his booming voice. He stood there, with the sea winds blowing all around them, his white linen shirt rippling and molding to his powerful arms and shoulders and his chest. Some of his dark hair had escaped from the leather thong that he had tied it back with and was blowing around his face. He looked unwaveringly at Angus, waiting for his agreement. Godet was held tightly in one arm while with the other arm he held his sword, pointed at Angus’s heart.
“Come, daughter. I’ll find ye another husband.” Angus signaled to his men to move out. But Brigda stood still, standing with Ceena, Flori and Ina.
“I will not go with ye, Father,” Brigda said quietly.
“She stays with us,” Godet spoke up. “She is our sister now.” She looked up at Gordon and he nodded down to her, lightly placing a kiss on her lips. In that kiss was the promise of many more.
Brigda smiled at Godet. She missed Angus’ look of pure anger as he stepped toward her and swung his arm to strike her. A warrior suddenly stepped out of the group of MacKenzie warriors and grabbed his arm. Godet and her sisters each let fly their dirks with Godet adding the small dagger that Brigda had passed to her from Gordon.
Angus MacKenzie howled, looking down in shock when he found that his boots, indeed, parts of his feet, were impaled to the ground with small daggers. He looked up from them with a stunned expression at the women that had thrown them. Then he turned and looked behind him at the man who held his arm so tightly.
“Ye!” Angus spat out. “I thought ye dead!”
Brigda looked at the man that held her father. “Warwick?” she whispered.
Angus MacKenzie gave a mighty roar. Yanking one of the daggers that was impaled in his boot, he lunged at Brigda, the dagger in his hand ready to stab into her breast.
Gordon wasted no time. He hurled his claymore straight at Angus and pierced his chest. Angus dropped like a stone. Gordon looked over at his men. His face grim, hard, angry. “Take Laird MacKenzie’s body and escort it back to his lands.”
Loughlin nodded his head and moved forward to signal to the MacKenzie warriors to pick up their laird. Loughlin looked at Flori as he escorted the MacKenzie warriors and their dead Laird away. “I will be back for ye,” he said firmly. “I’m keeping ye, dinnae forget that.”
Flori started to say something, but then closed her mouth and clasped her hands together as she watched him leave, nibbling at her lower lip. Gordon looked down at Godet. He lightly kissed her lips and then brought her hand to his mouth and reverently place a kiss on the tips of her fingers as well.
“Ye must know I love ye Godet. I would never have married Brigda once I met ye,” he whispered huskily. “I died a thousand deaths knowing ye had left Conall to take back Fionnaghall and then again trying to get to ye and thinking ye were going over that cliff,” he said hoarsely. “Say ye will marry me. Say it!” he demanded urgently. “I know ye love me,” he teased.
Godet reached up and held his face. “I love ye, Gordon MacDonell. Always, forever, and with all me heart.” She kissed him and whispered against his lips, “Yes, I will marry ye, a thousand times yes.”
Gordon pulled her tight against him and kissed her with all the pent-up hunger and love he had for this beautiful, fierce woman. He cradled her face in his hands and whispered his love for her over and over as he kissed her eyes, the tip of her nose, her cheeks, and her lips again. He plunged his tongue between them, sweeping up her tongue and teasing it with the velvety softness of his own. The kiss was filled with the promise of so much more. He absorbed her moan of desire with his mouth and growled back into hers.
“I love ye, Godet,” he said as he drew away. “I will be marrying ye as soon as possible,” he added when he leaned his forehead against hers then he pulled away to look into her beloved silver eyes. He smiled. “But first I must retrieve the dagger that Brigda handed ye.”
Godet watched him pick up a dagger from the ground. It had been in Angus’s boot with the others. Gordon knew which one was his. It was the one that Godet had made for him. It had sheaves of barley on it worked into the scrolling on the handle. Within the scrollwork were hearts, hundreds of them and the word mo ghraidh, my love. He smiled at Godet as he cradled the small dagger in his hand. “Ye were telling me ye loved me when ye gave this to me before ye left,” he said softly.
Godet stared up at him. She traced his darkly beautiful brows that fanned over his sparkling eyes then she ran her hand over the side of his hair, giving it a slight tug where it was tied back low on the back of his head. She grinned at him. “I was, ‘tis true,” she said as she stood on her toes and kissed him. She still held the tail of his hair. “I rather like th
is,” she said impishly.
Gordon threw back his head to the sky and laughed. Then he looked down at her and grinned broadly. “Come, my love. Come be my wife,” he said as he reached for Godet’s hand.
Godet smiled up at him and tightly clasped his hand. “I will, mo ghraidh, I will.”
Flori, Ceena, and Ina had happy tears in their eyes as they watched Gordon and Godet walk away. “I knew they loved each other,” Ceena said with a happy grin. “I can tell these things.”
“I hope Loughlin comes back in time for the wedding,” Flori wondered out loud.
“I wonder where Brigda has gone off too?” Ina asked.
Aunt Hextilda came riding up on King Bobby just then and joined her nieces in watching Godet and Gordon. “Dinnae ye worry about Brigda. I have a feeling she will be just fine. She has her own journey now, her own love to chase.” Aunt Hextilda said as she watched Godet with misty eyes. “Aye,” she said with a nod of satisfaction. “’Tis all worked out just as I planned.”
The three sisters sighed as they watched Gordon and Godet stop to embrace each other and share a deep kiss full of the promise of a long and happy future together.
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Afterword
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