“It’s hard to know what to say at a time like this,” Rose said. “I suppose there are no words that I can think of that can properly relay how we’re all feeling…”
Rose looked around at her fellow Scots; each of them looking equal parts relieved, saddened, and tired. But they looked resolved, nonetheless, happy to have finally reached some sort of finish. She was proud to see them standing there, holding their heads high and embracing one another with a fiery spirit that had not diminished despite what they had all been through.
“I am proud of ye all,” Rose said. “I know that…I know that all of us have been through hell and back to be here today. I feel…I feel as if I had failed ye all in the past few days. I questioned myself, my leadership, my resolve. But, here ye all stand, as one, united in the face of adversity. And we are the victors. We have secured ourselves a second chance, the ability to forge a new future. Together.”
Sean smiled, nodding at Rose and winking. She returned the smile, unable to stave off the tears that were welling in her eyes.
“Our comrades have fallen,” Rose continued. “And we will forever mourn their loss. But their sacrifice will forever be held up, it will always be regarded and remembered. Their loss, their ultimate sacrifice has secured our future, and not a day will pass that we will not cherish their memory. We will speak their names in the highest regard. We will speak of the legend of who they were and make sure that it is recalled over and over throughout the next generations. I thank them. I thank ye all. And I am so happy to be standing here before ye today.”
Rose bowed her head, stepping away from the funeral pyre as Brandon took the torch and brought it up to the bodies. He said a prayer under his breath, and then lit the pyre ablaze and stood back.
All those in attendance said nothing as the flames consumed the bodies of the fallen. They watched on as the fire reached high into the heavens, curling and smoking as their spirits rose to the sky and found their way to the proverbial pearly gates.
After the fire was finished, and nothing left but the ashes remained, the Scots all mounted their horses and began their journey toward their final destination. Sean took the lead, Rose riding beside him as they rode in unison.
They rode for two days, the weather pleasant and the winds providing a serene chill that was not too harsh to tolerate. Several times, Rose and Sean held hands, saying not a word to one another as they rode—and they didn’t need to.
Rose knew as she rode alongside Sean that they would remain together, that all that had transpired before no longer mattered. As she looked at Sean during the ride, she could see that he was content, that the afflictions that plagued him before no longer hung on his shoulders. His skin looked clearer, he was smiling more often, and he looked upon her face in a way that showed he was completely elated to be in her presence.
It was a feeling she had never experienced before, even when she had fallen in love with men in the past. She knew, without a shred of a doubt, that Sean loved her, and that he was happy to be with her. It filled her with joy to be able to look at him and know that he would stay by her side, that he would never leave her, and that his love for her would never fade.
They arrived at the base of a trail lined with trees as soon as night fell, the glow of the moon bright overhead as Sean dismounted his horse and jutted his chin.
“There,” he said. “This leads up to a pass. That pass ends in an open terrain—that terrain is our new home.”
“Is there anyone else there?” Rose asked. “Will we run into any resistance?”
Sean shook his head. “No, my dear. We are free of any resistance. It is just us now.”
Rose smiled, pressing her head against Sean and planting a kiss on his lips. “Ye know,” she said, “if Kelly were still around, she would have some sort of quip to make about our displays of affection.”
Sean laughed. “Aye. Indeed she would.”
Rose felt the tug at her heartstrings. “I will miss her so. She was the best friend I ever had.”
“Aye. A strong woman she was. She will surely be missed by us all.”
“Did she…did ye come across her?”
Sean nodded. “I did. She was still clutching onto some shreds of life at the time.”
Rose’s eyes went wide. “Ye spoke to her?”
“I did.”
“What did she say?”
“She said to not give up. That I was a good man.”
“She was right on that account,” Rose said. “Without a shred of a doubt. Did ye…bury her? Did ye give her a proper procession?”
“I did, my love,” Sean replied. “She is with God now. She is at peace.” He nodded over his shoulder. “Come. We are almost to our destination.”
They mounted their saddles and continued up the pathway, riding for two miles before coming to a clearing. The moon loomed close overhead, casting brilliant rays of light onto the open fields that would serve as their new home. As soon as they emerged into the fields, all of the Scots stopped in their tracks as they laid eyes on the terrain, and were nothing shy of amazed as they saw their new home.
It was a wide area, ripe with greenery and trees and open expanses. A waterfall trickled to the east, spilling into a riverbed that shined brightly under the glow of the moon. Rose could not help but stare in amazement at how expansive the area was, at how dreamlike it all felt.
Sean, coming up alongside Rose, said: “What do ye think?”
A single tear slid down her cheek. “I think…it’s incredible,” she said. “I have never seen any place like this before.”
“Only a few know about it. It is a place that is truly lost in time.” He faced her. “And ye deserve to be here. If anyone has a right to these lands, it’s ye.”
Rose hugged Sean tight, the rest of the Scots surveying the area and walking around as they took a gander at all the sights that their new home had to offer. They were elated, clapping their hands and embracing one another as they began to point out areas where they planned on setting up homes, taverns, a blacksmith shop, and other amenities. It was heaven to them. Sheer paradise. A generous reward from God that had been bestowed upon them after all they had been through. It was their due share of peace, a home that they could finally settle in and never have to run from.
Rose, breaking the embracing, held Sean’s face in her hands and said: “Ye will stay with me now? Ye will make a home with me?”
Sean smiled, gently stroking Rose’s face with his fingertips. “Aye,” he said. “I will. I am not going anywhere.”
Rose hung her head. “What of yer love?”
Sean squinted. “What do ye mean?”
“Yer wife. The first woman ye were with. I do not wish to betray her memory.”
Sean shook his head. “No, my dear. Ye are not. And ye never will. I thought that for the longest time, as well. But a man told me, the same men who owned that tavern and granted us safe passage, he told me that the heart as the ability to grow, to accept new love while still having space for loves that have come and gone. I will never forget my wife. I will never forget my child.” He kissed her on the forehead. “But ye are important. Ye are a part of me now, and I will not throw that away as I did before.”
Rose sighed, once more wrapping her arms around Sean. “I am so grateful for ye, Sean. Ye have no idea how much.”
Rose felt a presence coming up behind them, and turned with Sean to find Brandon standing there with his arms crossed as his eyes surveyed the scene.
“Quite a sight this is,” Brandon said. “I am…rather impressed.”
Sean said nothing, merely nodding at Brandon and standing his ground.
“Wanderer,” Brandon said, taking a step forward. “I owe ye an apology. I said many things I should not have said.”
“It was understandable,” Sean said. “Ye all have been through a lot.”
Brandon shook his head. “Still. I think I put ye through more hell than I should have. Ye led us here, to this place. I am still amazed tha
t such a paradise exists.” He extended his hand. “Thank ye, Wanderer. I cannot tell ye how much I appreciate what ye have done for us all.”
Sean took a beat—and then he slapped his palm into Brandon’s hand. “Sean,” he said. “Call me Sean.”
Brandon flashed a smirk. “Well, Sean,” he said. “Perhaps ye and I should go about coordinating what goes where?”
Sean nodded, following after Brandon as they began to set up their initial plans for building. Rose watched as the two men conversed, then looked at each of the Scots as they picked a spot of land to set up in and went about pitching tents and building a fire.
“We are home,” Rose said out loud. “We are finally home.”
It had been three months since the Scots had arrived at their new home, and so much of the land had been renovated and established. There were several cottages that had risen up around the area, a tavern currently under construction, and several more buildings that were still in the midst of being built. It looked like a true home, and Sean stared on in approval with a smile on his face and knew without a doubt that today was the day to do something that he had been pondering on doing for quite some time.
I am scared, he thought. I have done this once before, and now I am about to do it again. Just breathe. Ye know that ye want this. Just muster up the courage and do it!
Sean looked out to the area near the lake, Rose kneeling down and gathering water with several other women in large buckets. Sean smiled as he looked at Rose, Rose nothing short of elated as she set about living a peaceful life that was a stark contrast to the one built on warfare and strife that she had before.
Sean approached her, hands in his pockets as he came up behind her. He waited there for a moment, still gathering the courage to do what he needed to do. “Rose,” he said after a moment.
She turned, facing her love and smiling. “Aye, Sean? Is everything alright?”
He nodded. “Aye. I just…want to speak to ye for a second.”
Rose stood, wiping her hands on her blouse as she came up close to him. “What is it?”
Sean smiled. “I want to ask ye something, though I am sure of what the answer will already be.”
Rose returned the smile, cocking her head to the side curiously. “What do ye mean?”
Sean propped down onto one knee, Rose reaching a hand to her face and trembling with delight.
“Rose MacGillis,” Sean said. “I love ye more than ye could ever know. And I want to spend the rest of my life with ye. I want ye to be my wife. I want ye to join me in—”
“Aye! Aye!” Rose exclaimed, jumping into his arms. “Of course, I will!”
Everyone around them cheered as Rose and Sean embraced and pressed their lips together. All those in attendance were smiling, the sun shining bright overhead with a cheerful and resplendent glow as Sean and Rose held each other tight for a long while. It was a fitting end to their journey, one that everyone relished, and cheers and claps resounded throughout the village as the two lovers agreed to finally become one.
Epilogue
Rose was nervous as she looked at her gown and made sure it was free of wrinkles, two of the women Scots beside her and helping her put the finishing touches on her wedding day dress. The rest of the Scots were gathered in a field just outside the village, the flowers in bright bloom and a sweet scent lingering through the air.
I cannot believe this is happening! Rose’s mind gibbered. I never thought I would ever take another man’s hand in marriage. Oh, Sean. I am so happy we are here. This is such a fitting end to our journey.
“Are ye ready?” one of the women said to Rose.
Rose nodded, smiling from ear-to-ear. “Aye,” she said. “I am ready.”
She walked outside, strolling through the fields as the circle of attendants turned to her and smiled. Standing at the head of the group was Sean, waiting patiently with his hands folded and a proud beam etched into his face. Next to him was Brandon, a withered bible in hand and cracked open to the center.
Rose took her time approaching Sean, relishing the company around her and remembering every moment and logging away the vivid details into her brain. She came up to Sean, Sean reaching out his hand and bringing her close as they stood side-by-side and tilted their chins up as Brandon prepared to go about the procession.
“A glorious day this is,” Brandon said. “These two people found each other in the midst of one of the most tumultuous times in this village’s existence. I am proud to be here, as I know the rest of ye are…and we should not waste anymore time in making this union official.”
Sean smiled. Rose smiled—and then Brandon set about making them man and wife.
“Rose MacGillis,” Brandon said. “Will ye take Sean to be yer husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as ye both shall live?”
She nodded. “Aye. I do.”
“And Sean,” Brandon said as he faced his new friend. “Will ye take Rose to be yer wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as ye both shall live?”
He nodded. “Aye. I do.”
“Then without further hesitation, and under the watchful eye of God…I now pronounce ye man and wife.”
Thunderous clapping erupted around the group as Sean and Rose embraced and kissed, cheers resounding with a vivacious and joyous roar. The ceremony was over just as quickly as it started, and the Scots disbanded from the area where the wedding had taken place and moved quickly to the area where the tavern was being constructed and opened several bottles of whiskey that were immediately passed around.
A fiddler and a string player joined in the group, playing uplifting music on their instruments as everyone dance, and sang, and drank to their hearts content. It was a most joyous affair, not a laughter ceasing or tear not being shed as the celebration stretched into the night as the moon glowed vibrantly overhead.
Rose leaned her head on Sean’s shoulder after they sat down and set about watching the rest of the Scots continue their celebration. It was almost as if their presence no longer mattered, the festivities now being carried out by their friends in a way as if tomorrow was never going to come.
Rose, kissing Sean gingerly on the cheek, said: “Come with me,” and led him by the hand to the cottage they had finished building. She led him to the back bedroom, closing the door softly behind them and making sure the lock was engaged.
They began to kiss, slowly at first but then increasing in intensity. Sean’s hands wandered, pulling off Rose’s dress as she assisted him in taking off his own garb. They came to the bed, Sean laying Rose gently on her back and kissing her from her neck to her navel.
Rose moaned with pleasure, biting her bottom lip as Sean’s fingers began to delicately stroke her flesh. “I do not want to wait any longer,” she said, pulling him up to meet her eyes as her hand wandered below his waste and grabbed him firmly by his manhood. Rose then placed Sean inside of her, the two of them moaning with sheer ecstasy as they shared a euphoric wave of pleasure that coated every inch of their bodies.
The two moved in unison, not one part of their flesh not feeling the absolute excitement of their lovemaking. Sean thrust inside of Rose, slowly at first and then picking up the pace. Rose swiveled her hips along with him, the two of them kissing passionately and clawing at each other’s flesh.
Their bodies began to perspire, both of them moving faster together now. In a swift move, Rose pushed Sean onto his back and mounted him, digging her nails into his chest for balance as she gyrated her hips.
“I’m close,” Sean said. “I’m so close…”
Rose nodded. “Aye,” she said through labored breathing. “I am, too…”
She moved faster, and faster, and faster, both of them feeling the moment of climax upon them. And then, in unison, they finished together, collapsing onto their sides and laughing from the excitement as they held each other close.
Sean, pulling Rose closer to him, said: “I love ye, my wife.”
Rose, kissi
ng Sean on the forehead, replied: “And I love ye, my husband,” before the two of them shut their eyes, rested their heads against the bed, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
But there’s more…
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Afterword
Thank you for reading my novel, Legend of a Highland Lass. I really hope you enjoyed it! If you did, could you please be so kind to write your review HERE?
Legend of a Highland Lass: Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance Page 27
