“I couldn’t have just left ye on the battlefield, Andrew, I had tae do something, though it was a foolish act and I was scared during the battle.”
Placing his arm around her, Andrew pulled her close to him as they turned and walked away. The battlefield was strewn with bodies, but together the Cameron’s and the Mackintosh’s began to gather them up, honoring their fallen comrades. This had been a battle, not between people but between men, the rightful heir of the Cameron’s facing the pretender who had so long claimed his lands and title.
“Hail Andrew Cameron, Laird of the glen and master of this castle,” Stewart cried, as hand in hand Andrew and Nairne walked together through the gathered clansmen.
“Hail Andrew, Laird,” came the cry, and turning to Nairne Andrew kissed her, taking her in his arms and holding her close.
“I will never leave ye again, Nairne,” he whispered.
“And I will never leave ye,” she replied.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
‘Through the Gates’
Una had been waiting anxiously in the castle. She had discovered her daughter was missing when one of the guards had come to check upon them. He could find no sign of Nairne in her chambers, nor was she in the gardens. A thorough search had been made, and Una was at her wit’s end, wondering where her daughter had gone.
Reports from the battle were not good, and Una was sure that Murdoch and his men would be defeated. She had no care either way. Her life had been so damned by him that and cared not if he died, and if he lived her life would be just the same as it ever had been. But she had no wish to see her daughter grow up subject to the same wickedness which she had been subject to and for that reason she longed to see Murdoch killed and the Cameron’s restored to the castle.
Nairne’s disappearance was not unusual of course, but Una worried that some cruel trick had been played. Perhaps she had been captured by the Cameron’s or perhaps her father had spirited her away into the forest when defeat seemed inevitable. Una lived only for her daughter, and she could not bear to think of her gone.
Frantically she searched as from the battlements a cry came up that the Cameron’s were approaching. The guards above could not see clearly enough to the battlefield to know that Murdoch was dead, but they saw the banner of the Cameron Clan as together with the Mackintosh’s they marched towards the castle.
“We cannae hope tae prevent them from entering,” one of the guards said to Una, as she and several others rushed to the battlements above the gatehouse.
“Shall we fire upon them, mistress?” one of the archers called out.
“No, hold yer fire, they are not shooting at us, are they? Surely my husband has been defeated, look, there are some of his men in amongst the crowd,” Una looked down in puzzlement as the Cameron’s came towards the gates.
There was Andrew, flanked by his men and next to him a shorter man, looking almost childlike next to the warriors, an oversized helmet perched upon his head.
“Good lady,” Andrew cried up, “if it be yer pleasure, please open the gates, there is tae be no more bloodshed this day, the Cameron’s have defeated the Mackintosh’s and that yer husband lies dead upon the battlefield. Let it be known that it was by his own doing that he fell and that we Cameron’s were prepared tae show him mercy, a mercy he would not accept.”
Una was about to reply when the short soldier t pulled off his helmet and, to her great horror, revealed his true identity.
“Mother, I am sorry, I dinnae mean tae deceive ye, but I had tae go tae Andrew,” Nairne looked up as her horrified mother looked down from above.
“Nairne, we have looked everywhere for ye, ye could so easily have been killed, whatever possessed ye tae go out there, and dress in such a way? Ye could have been taken for a soldier and killed.”
“Aye, but instead we are released from our shackles, mother. Now, open the gates, it is time we brought peace tae this glen and tae these people.”
With the Cameron’s and Mackintosh’s massed together below Una had no choice but to open the gates and as the troops surged into the castle, a great cheer went up from the men who had been left behind, their liberation was also now at hand.
Una rushed down from the gatehouse battlements to greet her daughter and Andrew as they stood with Stewart and Duncan in the courtyard.
“Oh, Nairne, how worried I have been,” Una embraced her daughter and held her tightly.
“I was perfectly safe, mother, though I admit tae being a little scared at times.”
“She was a fine warrior, and make no mistake,” Andrew smiled as he stepped forward to greet Una for the first time.
“And ye are Andrew Cameron, a laddie I have heard much about and seen much heartache expended over?” Andrew blushed and held out his hand.
“Forgive me for anything I have done to cause ye difficulties, but I …” he began, his words faltering a little.
“Aye?” she looked at him with a knowing expression.
“I am in love with yer daughter, and I wish only tae marry her.” At this, Nairne took hold of his hand, and the couple stood smiling together before Una, who laughed.
“And how could any mother remain cross when faced with such bonnie folk as ye two. There is one thing that I am certain of, Andrew Cameron, and that is that ye and Nairne are in love. Who am I tae stand in the way of such a thing, Nairne may marry whomsoever she chooses, and I think it is clear that he has chosen ye.”
“Thank ye, thank ye, a hundred times, thank ye,” but as Andrew turned, he came face to face with his stepfather, a stern expression upon his face.
“Marrying a Mackintosh? Ye have deceived us once again, laddie. After all yer talk of not seeing her, now we find ye have gone behind our backs and that of yer mother.”
“Aye,” Duncan added, stepping forward next to Stewart, “ye cannae marry her, we shall find ye a worthy lassie, one not associated with such treachery.”
Andrew’s face fell, and Nairne was about to cry out in protest when both men started to laugh heartily, broad smiles creasing their faces.
“We had ye there, dinnae we, the look on yer face laddie, it was priceless,” Stewart reached out his hand and slapped Andrew on the shoulder.
“How could we object tae ye marrying such a brave lassie, and one whom ye so obviously love,” Duncan smiled at the two.
“Ye need no-one's permission now ye have this fair lassie’s mother’s permission.” Stewart turned to Nairne and smiled. “It is a pleasure tae meet my niece after all this time, and I suppose my sister in law, though such unhappy fate has been yers, good woman,” and turning to Una, she sighed and looked away.
“That wickedness is gone now, ye have no more tae fear from him,” Duncan looked around the courtyard, “little has changed here though, except for the years.”
“We will make it the place it once was,” Stewart added, “but first we must send a message tae the crofters and tell them that the Cameron castle is ours once again. See to it that the banner is raised, and we shall celebrate a glorious victory tonight.”
The Cameron’s now occupied the castle, though it was less an occupation and more a liberation. They faced no resistance from the Mackintosh’s, who were weary of Murdoch’s ways and of the harsh regime they had endured. Not a single one of the guardsmen refused to join the Cameron cause, and by nightfall, the castle and village had been made secure.
It was strange for Andrew to once again be in the castle which last time had held so much fear and was now his own domain. Nairne showed him all over the place, and he marveled at the thought that once his own father had been master of this place, so cruelly taken from him by Murdoch Mackintosh.
“We will have tae be married soon, Andrew,” Nairne showed him her chambers.
“And why is that?” Andrew took her in his arms and kissed her.
“Because my mother shall not allow us tae share a chamber if we are not unless ye still wish tae go sneaking off intae the forest at times,” and with her arms ar
ound his waist he kissed her again.
“Oh, I should like tae do both, I think, and I must say that ye looked ever so attractive in the uniform of a soldier,” and at that, they fell about laughing, and kissed one another again.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
‘A Wedding is Announced’
There was much to celebrate that evening, and Una ordered that a great banquet to be prepared so that the Great Hall could ring out with the joy and laughter of the old days and the memory of Murdoch be vanquished.
No one shed a tear for the dead Laird, not even his wife who, above all people, felt the freedom which Andrew’s defeat had brought. She felt herself renewed, unburdened from the past and made anew.
That evening, as she sat between Andrew and Nairne, Una turned to her daughter and embraced her, telling her that she was glad that Nairne had finally found happiness.
“I would not have done, had it not been for ye, mother.”
“All I have done these years past is try tae protect ye, Nairne,” and they watched the Great Hall filling up with Cameron’s and Mackintosh’s, all eager to make peace after the long years of separation.
As the pipers played, Andrew stood and called for silence. The Great Hall of the castle was filled with people, jostling for places, as food and drink from Murdoch’s cellars was laid out in abundance.
“My dear friends, this morning each of us set out on a journey,” Andrew began, as Nairne looked proudly up at him, “some from the crofts high above, and some from here below. We shared a common purpose, and that was tae fight an enemy, an enemy we considered tae be one another. Yet now, in the evening we come together as friends. It is quite a miracle indeed, and one which I doubt any of us believed would happen. We come together in this way because we were not enemies, not in the true sense, there was only one enemy, and I shall not mention his name in this castle again. He was an enemy to us all, and for years, we have all lived under his shadow. That shadow is gone.”
And with these words, a great cry went up around the hall, as Cameron and Mackintosh cheered their Laird and Andrew raised his hands for silence once more.
“Ever since I was a boy, I have been told that this castle, its lands, its peoples, they belong to me and that this is my true home. Yet, I feel a stranger here. I am just a simple farmer, a laddie from the mountainside, more at home amongst the trees of the forest and the heathers of the crags than in this worthy setting. Forgive me then, if, in the days and weeks tae come I should make mistakes, as my uncle and stepfather so often remind me, I am only a laddie,” he continued, laughter coming from the end of the table, where Stewart and Duncan raised their glasses to him in a toast.
“If this castle is tae be my home then there are others with whom I shall share it. It has been home tae many who have felt the hand of Murdoch Mackintosh these years past, good people who share no blame in his wicked crimes.” Nairne and Una nodded in agreement to him.
“I should like tae tell ye all a story, it is the story of a laddie who was naïve and foolish, a laddie who loved tae go wandering intae the forest to shirk his duties upon the croft. One day, that laddie came across a beautiful sight, a fair maiden swimming in a forest pool, amidst the glades, where a waterfall gushed and sparkled intae the water, and all seemed at peace with the world. The laddie watched the maiden, but foolish as he was, he stepped forward and startled her, causing her tae run. It made the laddie sad, and he went, again and again, tae the pool hoping tae see her once more. Well, the good fortune he did.”
Andrew paused and took a drink, glancing down at Nairne, who smiled.
“And what became of him, Laird?” one of the men shouted from the tables below.
“Well let me tell ye, the lassie was plucky and she returned tae the forest tae swim in the pool. There, the laddie saw her, and this time she was not startled by his presence, but instead invited him tae talk, they talked and shared much, but each was keeping a secret from the other, for theirs was a forbidden love. The laddie was of one clan and the lassie of another and not just that, but they were the son and daughter of the leaders of those clans, and if that love were discovered then they would be punished, their love forbidden. And so they met in secret, and their love stronger so that in the end they could hide it no longer and it burst forth.”
Andrew took Nairne’s hand, and she stood, taking his arm in hers and leaning her head upon his shoulder. At this the whole room cheered, rising to its feet and Andrew turned to Nairne and kissed her, the two embracing before the gathered clansmen, the cheers reverberating around the castle walls. Andrew once again called for quiet and Nairne, seated herself next to him.
“A foolish laddie tae begin with but now nobody’s fool, and thus I announce tae ye this evening that Nairne Mackintosh and I are tae be wedded. I have sought the permission of her dear mother, and I have asked for her hand, which she has so willingly given me. She has made me the happiest laddie in the glen and in front of ye all I pledge tae honor her and care for her all the days of my life tae come.”
He raised his glass, and the whole clan rose as one, united now, not only in peace but also by the marriage of their son and their daughter. The Laird of the Cameron’s and the daughter of the Mackintosh’s. Together they would rule over the glen, and a new era of peace and prosperity would be ushered in. Andrew called for a toast to the lassie, and this was repeated by his Uncle and Stepfather, who both stood to toast Andrew and congratulate him again.
As the feast wore on long into the night, both Andrew and Nairne could not imagine feeling happier. Their sorrows turned to joy and their hearts filled with hope for the future. It was as though the memory of Murdoch Mackintosh was already exorcised from what had, for so long, been a grim and dark place.
“I shall bid ye a good night now, Andrew,” Nairne spoke, as the fire in the hearth burned low, and the last of the toasts were given.
“It has been quite a day, has it not?”
“Aye, this morning ye were but a crofter, and now ye are Laird of all ye survey,” and she kissed him on the cheek.
“I would not wish it if ye were not at my side,” and taking hold of her hand, he kissed it gently.
She smiled, and their eyes met as he leant forward and kissed her once more.
“These two love birds will need tae be married soon,” Stewart laughed, “else they shall be escaping intae the forest like Rhona and me all those years ago.”
Andrew had not thought of his mother that evening, and he turned to Stewart with a worried look upon his face.
“Will mother be sent for? I dinnae think tae do so, is she …” he began.
“Aye, laddie, dinnae worry, she followed behind us on the path, she is with Cairstine, and I sent a runner tae the cottage tae tell them of our victory. She, yer Godmother and yer Godfather will be here tomorrow, and ye may share yer happy news with them tae,” and Andrew relaxed back into his chair.
“I shall be meeting yer mother for the first time,” Nairne said, laughing, as she bid Andrew goodnight.
“And I have met yer mother for the first time today tae, unless ye count being held captive in her dungeons as our first encounter. Goodnight dearest Nairne, let it be the first of our lives, and let us never be parted from one another again.”
Chapter Forty
‘The First Day’
Andrew forgot where he was for a moment, as he opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. He was lying in Murdoch’s chambers, and his whole body ached, the efforts of the battle catching up with him. He rolled over and sat up awkwardly, looking around, as the events of the previous came flooding back.
How strange it was to think that he was now Laird of the castle he had so long heard tell of. It was here that his father and mother had lived and here that she had escaped from. He had been born, perhaps in this very room and as he got up, the light from the window poured in, as the sun broke across the mountain tops.
Down below, in the courtyard, men were milling around, as though still unsure of wha
t was expected of them. He dressed hurriedly, knowing that it was now his duty to lead them and to ensure that they were provided for. Downstairs his uncle and stepfather were already at work, seeing to it that provisions were distributed and supplies sent for.
“And how is our young Laird this morning?” Duncan smiled as Andrew took a bowl of steaming porridge from a large pot over the fire.
“I am … I am still quite shocked by it all, yesterday seems like a dream. This castle, the men, the ease with which we defeated Murdoch,” Andrew began, but Stewart cut him short.
“Murdoch Mackintosh had already defeated himself over many years. Ye dinnae hold on tae power by being a tyrant, and while it may look as though ye have authority and control, it requires respect and the assurance of loyalty tae truly wield it. Murdoch lost that long ago, and it was only fear of him that kept others in line. The man was a tyrant, and it took ye tae stand up tae him, Andrew,” Stewart smiled as Andrew looked in puzzlement at his stepfather.
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