Highlander’s Winter Rose by Fiona Faris
Chapter Eleven
Maximus had begun to cramp pretty badly by the time the cart stopped moving. The farmer jumped back in terror when he suddenly broke out of the hay. The man stared at him with wide eyes, turning to look forward and then back in utter confusion.
“Ye… Were ye… How did ye get in there? Who are ye?!” he stuttered, his finger shaking as he pointed at Maximus. “Ye were in the cart all along?! Which means that I was carryin’ someone suspicious after all!”
The old man was indignant, and Maximus wished that he had the time to explain things to him properly, but he did not. He hurried off the cart and grabbed the old man’s hand in his own.
“I am very sorry, but this was the only way that we kent to get me out of the clan. Ye have just helped the Mackay clan today, and I assure ye that I willnae forget yer service. I will be takin’ me horse now,” he said hurriedly. He hobbled over to the front of the cart with the old man standing and staring after him as though he were a whirlwind going through a farm.
Barny neighed when he saw him, and he rubbed his horse’s neck lovingly as he unhooked it from the cart.
“Ye have done so well, buddy; I trust ye to take me to the castle as well,” he said, and Barny neighed again. He mounted the horse with some difficulty as he was not properly balanced, and he did not have a saddle or stirrups. He was no stranger to riding bareback, but he knew that it would cost him since he was going to be riding for a few hours.
The old man could only stare at him in shock as he kicked Barny to move and they galloped off, leaving him confused in the dust. Even though he should have been thinking about the clan, Maximus could not stop thinking about Rosallyn. What was she doing? Was she alright? Had the soldiers left her village yet?
He had many questions and no way to answer them. He replayed their last moments again and again, dissatisfied with how things had ended. It had been so rushed. So much had happened already, and the sun had only just risen in the sky. Usually by that time they would be having breakfast.
This time, they would have eaten at the dining table since he could move about by himself now. Maybe he would have gotten out of bed earlier to help her prepare the meal, or even just set the table. They would have talked and laughed and gotten to know even more about each other. Perhaps he would have kissed her. A better kiss, not the desperate lip lock he had pulled her into.
She had been so brave, hiding him and going back into the house to face the soldiers. He should have been protecting her against those animals, but instead, she was the one who protected him. She showed no fear, leading him to the farmer’s house even though there were soldiers in the village who could have spotted her and stopped her. Unlike everyone else in the village, she knew exactly what was happening.
She knew that those soldiers were ruthless and that they were under an even more ruthless Laird. She knew that if she was caught helping him, her neck would be on the line. Yet she did not falter when they came and faced them head on. She did as she had said to him after he told her what had happened to her father.
“I pledge to ye this moment, as the daughter of General Robert Grant, that I will nurse ye back to health and help ye in every way I possibly can to make it to the Kellgan clan.”
He had been impressed with her when she said those words, but he had not thought that she would fulfill them so flawlessly. She had done her part, helping him when he could not help himself, and that was why he could not fail now. If he had not been injured and made it to Kellgan on his own that night, he was not sure he would have been able to get past his grief and think.
If he had not met her, he would surely still suffer nightmares each night, haunted by the day of the attack. If nothing else, being with her had helped him to get over the trauma he had experienced. Now every time he went to bed, he thought of her and his dreams were filled with pleasure instead of horror. He could not wait to see her again.
Thinking about her, he did not notice the hours passing and his thighs getting more and more tired until he reached the castle town of the Kellgan clan. He could feel eyes on him as people turned when he rode by. He probably looked disheveled since he had rushed out of bed and gotten on the run. He probably had straw on him, and his hair was probably messy. Besides, he was riding a horse into town bareback.
It was high noon, and the sun was at its highest point in the sky when he reached the gates. He was tired and thirsty, and hungry. The guard who approached him at the gate looked him over with narrowed eyes as he panted atop his horse, trying to catch his breath.
“This is the castle of Laird Rudolph Kellgan of the Kellgan clan. Who are ye and what are ye here for?” the guard asked.
“Please… Please tell the Laird and the Lady Elaise that Maximus Mackay is at the gates. I am the second son of Joseph Mackay and the brother of the young Lady’s deceased betrothed, Alexander Mackay,” he said. The guard’s eyes widened, and it was clear that even he had heard of what happened in the Mackay clan.
The guard bowed to him and hurried off into the castle. Maximus struggled to keep himself upright. He had gone from hiding in a cart to riding bareback for hours, with an empty stomach. The last meal he had eaten was the late lunch he had with Rosallyn the day before. He was tired.
Commotion at the castle front made him lift his head, and he saw Elaise approaching, followed by her father and several guards. She was squinting at him, obviously trying to make sure that it was really him, so he raised his head properly so that she could see his face.
“Open the gates!” she ordered, every bit as commanding as he remembered. The sight of her blonde hair braided in a single large plait from the front of her head and falling down the back, made him remember his brother. As the gates opened, and he urged Barny forward into the castle grounds a small, sad smile settled on his face.
Elaise and her father watched him as he let himself down from his horse, hopping on his good foot. Both their gazes immediately went to his bandaged ankle as he limped forward, leaning on Barny’s neck for support.
“It is good to see ye, Laird Rudolph, Elaise,” he greeted. As though she had just been waiting for him to break the silence, Elaise shot forward, grabbing him into a tight hug, her whole frame shaking in his arms.
“Ye dobber,” she whispered, her throat thick with tears. “I thought ye were dead. They said ye all were dead. There was nothin’ we could dae but just sit here and watch that bastard take control of yer clan.”
He hugged her back, his own emotions rising. He had grown up seeing Elaise often. She played with him and his brother whenever her father came visiting their clan, or whenever his family visited the Kellgan clan. However, they had never been close enough to hug each other. They were on good terms, had fun when they spent time together, and they considered each other family friends, but he had never hugged her before. She was not the type to give out hugs in the first place. The fact that she had thrown herself into his arms spoke volumes on how emotional she was to see him alive.
He felt an extra pair of arms go around them both and glanced up to find that her father had joined their hug.
“It is good to see ye too, Maximus,” his father’s friend said.
As he stood there enveloped in two hugs and trying to keep himself from crying, Maximus was reminded why the Kellgan clan was his father’s first choice for Alexander’s marriage and why the General had told him to run to them.
He had never thought about it enough to appreciate it before, but now it was clear… They were true friends.
…
Rosallyn woke up in a strange bed. She knew even before she opened her eyes that she was in an unfamiliar place because she had never lain in the bed she was in before. It was in the scent and the feel of the sheets. She was not surprised when she opened her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. The sun was streaming in though a balcony to the side, and the room was at least twice the size of hers.
The next thing she noticed was how much pain she was in. Her jaw ached, and so did both of her arms, but the most pain she felt was in her belly. She sucked in a breath as all the pain hit her at once, forcing her to growl. She remembered then everything that had caused her pain: the evil soldier that grabbed her with the intent to break her arm, punched her in the shoulder, and grabbed her jaw so violently.
The memory of his face made her sick to her stomach, and she gagged, her stomach hurting as the action stretched her bruise.
“Ye are finally awake… Thank goodness,” a voice said, startling her. She had not sensed a second presence in the room when she woke up, so she had thought she was alone. Her eyes darted around until she found him, standing as quietly as a ghost in the corner. She vaguely remembered him as the enemy General, and her eyes narrowed in distrust as he leaned away from the wall and began to approach.
“I was beginnin’ to worry when ye fainted and did nae wake for the past few hours. Are ye in a lot of pain?” he said in that annoying voice again, sounding worried for her and talking as though he had always known her. She glared at him, wishing that she had the strength to kick him in the face like she had done the other soldier.
“Here ye go again, talkin’ as though ye ken me. What is it to ye if I am in pain? Who are ye?” she asked, her voice coming out raspier than she had intended.
Unbothered by her hostility, he picked up the jar on the bedside table and poured her some water in a cup.
“Dinnae be like that, Rosallyn. Of course I care if ye are in pain,” he said as he offered her the cup. Her eyes widened when he said her name, and she looked up at him in surprise. He was smiling kindly.
“Look at me properly. Dae ye truly nae remember me?” he asked. She felt her eyes widen as she paid attention to his face for the first time since she had met him. His face was chiseled, but his blue eyes helped him keep a soft appearance. His blond hair was longer than she remembered it, combed back away from his face. It was not just his hair that had grown… He was much bigger than she remembered, his frame easily rivaling that of Maximus with his broad shoulders and evidently muscular body.
His skin was much paler, however, and somehow, that softened his ruggedness… He looked like a gentle bear, yet her brows furrowed together in even deeper betrayal and horror.
“Boyd?!” she exclaimed, hoping that she would be wrong, but already knowing that she was right. His eyes lit up as she said his name. He was happy, obviously not caring about her tone, or the fact that she was clearly upset with him.
“Ah… ye remember me. I was worried that you might have forgotten, especially since I never forgot ye. Not for one day,” he said with a soft smile, his eyes emanating so much warmth, she cringed away as he reached for her, so horrified that she felt dizzy. He cocked his head to the side at her reaction.
“I am nae tryin’ to hurt ye. Dinnae ye ken? I am only trying to help ye with yer wounds,” he said, leaning forward again and lightly tapping her jaw, causing her to wince. He frowned at that.
“Hmm… that bastard. He bruised yer face. It is worse than I thought. It is already turning purple,” he mused to himself as he leaned away to get ice to help her jaw.
“Ye should drink the water. Ye are thirstier than ye realize. Ye dae nae want to make yer condition worse,” he said.
She frowned, glancing down at the cup in her hands with her brows furrowed. He was right. Her vision was swimming in and out of focus. She could barely think properly, especially not in the situation she was in, with Boyd acting as though he were her friend when he was obviously a traitor. She downed the cup in one go, causing him to glance at her from where he stood mixing medicine for her. He raised a brow with a somewhat amused expression but said nothing.
“Why did ye bring me here?” she demanded. He raised a brow again in response, not looking at her as he continued to work.
“I saved ye,” he said simply. To that she snorted.
“Right, where were ye when they attacked the village? When they were hurtin’ the people? What about when they hurt me grandmother? And me!” she ground out. He paused at that, shutting his eyes in defeat. “Aye, that is what I thought. Ye were right there. I heard ye. Ye said ye would only watch and nae get involved. Ye really saved me, such a hero,” she spat sarcastically. He opened his eyes again at her words and glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes.
“Ye are meaner than I remember,” he mused, before beginning to mix the medicine again.
“Tch! Stop talkin’ like ye ken me!” she thundered. He ignored her completely as he finished his mixture and came to sit beside her on the bed.
“I did save ye, believe it or nae. I dae apologize that I did nae manage to avoid getting’ ye hurt. I apologize for yer grandmother as well,” he said, sticking a finger in the mixture he made and then rubbing it against her bruised jaw. She flinched at how cold the mixture was but then stayed put, allowing him to apply the medicine as he spoke. He was apologizing. What did that mean? Was she misunderstanding him? Maybe he was only pretending to be on the side of the enemy. He was raised by her father after all.
“I didnae ken that it was ye at first. I was nae expectin’ that ye and yer grandmother would be down in the village. I was goin’ to go up to the house on a different day when all of the commotion had died down and the new Laird was comfortable in his position. It would have taken a while, but at least we would have met under more pleasant circumstances,” he said.
She blinked after he spoke, processing his words, even as he gently covered the whole bruise on her jaw with medicine.
“Ye… Ye are nae here tryin’ to help overthrow the usurper?” she asked in a small voice. His eyes widened, and he hurriedly glanced back at the door as though making sure that no one was there.
“I strongly suggest that ye watch what ye say. There is nay usurper here, only the new Laird, Donald Ross, who won the Lairdship and this clan by his own strength and wit. Dinnae be mistaken. I am very much on the side of the Laird. I led a platoon against the enemy meself. How dae ye think I became a commander?” he hissed.
She could only stare at him in surprise as he corrected her, and then before she could control it, she had lifted her hand and slapped him hard across the face. His eyes were wide with shock, but she was too pained to be surprised by her actions.
“How dare ye say such words to me face? Ye who my father took under his wing and trained. Ye dare to turn yer sword against the clan? Against me faither?! Ye say so proudly that ye led a platoon… so ye were there. Ye were there when my father was killed, were ye nae?” she fumed quietly.
He turned his face back to her as the tears welled up in her eyes and began to drop. Blood appeared at the corner of his lip, and he flicked out his tongue to lick it away, further wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“I did nae imagine it. Ye are certainly more violent now,” he muttered. When she only continued to glare at him, he sighed.
“Aye, I was there. I did nae raise me sword to him, but I ken that he had to die. There was nay way he would have joined us, so that meant that he was an enemy. One of the things he taught me was that war was nay time to stay yer hand. How was I to go against his teachin’s?” he purred, leaning closer to her and tucking her hair behind her ear.
Fury lit up in her eyes like a flame.
“Aye, he taught me that too,” she spat and raised her hand to slap him a second time. He caught her with ease this time, firmly enough to stop her and keep her in place, yet gently enough to not hurt her. She struggled against his grip, but he only looked at her fondly.
“Temper, temper. If ye listened to yer faithers teachin’s, ye would ken that ye should nae try to strike those stronger than ye with yer strength alone,” he said. The way that he continued to quote her father irked her to no end.
“Ye bastard,” she said, cursing him as she continued to try to wiggle out of his grip. He was completely unbothered by her strength, which was feeble to him, and instead seemed to be in thought.
“Hmm… How is it that ye ken yer father has fallen? Ye could have assumed that he was held prisoner… In fact, it should have been one of the first things ye asked me… yet ye seem to ken for sure that he is dead. How dae ye ken this? Was there someone who brought news from the castle town?” he questioned before answering himself. “Nay… everyone in town was surprised to see the soldiers, so news had nae reached the village. So how did ye ken? Ye met a runaway, did ye nae?”
He leaned even closer, directly into her face, such that he could search her eyes for even the slightest change in emotion. He was so suspicious, so intelligent. She stilled herself so that she would not react in any way.
Evade! Evade! When caught in a position where the enemy will find the truth if ye lie, evade!
Her father’s teachings rang in her head like a bell as she was faced with his intelligent, searching eyes. She looked into his eyes bitterly.
“To think that ye who were so close that my father brought ye to see me… Ye would turn against him and still have the nerve to face me like this after all that he did for ye… Were those moments with us nothin’ to ye?” she asked, allowing her true emotions on the subject to come forward and cloud the truth that he would have found in her eyes. Tears dripped down her cheeks, and with a pained expression, he let her go, pacing.
“Ye speak so much of how close I was to yer father when ye ken nothin’. Ye think I was close to him? He only brought me because his true favorites would nae follow him to meet ye. It was the former Laird’s sons, that is who he was close to, nae me. He spent all of his time with them, as though they did nae have a father already, only giving me crumbs of his attention,” he began, clearly upset by her words.
“Everythin’ he taught me, he taught them double, and once me trainin’ period was over, he let me go as though I were every other soldier. I was moved beneath a commander, and that was where our relations ended. He did nae reach out to me to spend winter with him anymore. He did nae write me letters. Nothin’! But he spent every day with those two. I ken that I wouldnae become anybody if I didnae dae somethin’. I ken that I couldnae ever prove meself to him under that regime, nae when those two were there.” He continued to speak, and she got even more disgusted by him, learning of the things he thought.
“The Younger was going to be Laird, what could be greater than that? And the Laird’s second son… It did not take him long to become a commander, somethin’ that I am only just now achievin’. I ken that I would always be nothin’ but a shadow in his mind as long as those two were there. Now, I am more than a shadow!” he ranted. She followed him with her eyes as he went around the room talking spiritedly, and she could only shake her head.
So, this was what he had been thinking all this while? For the longest time he was the only man she knew apart from her father. Even in the moments before she met Maximus, she had been thinking of him, and now she was ashamed. He was a disgrace of a man who, instead of taking her father’s teachings and allowing them to make him great, allowed himself to be filled with jealously and stunted himself by feeling he could never be as great as Maximus and his brother. It was his foolishness that led him astray, and because her father had not been near him anymore, he could not notice the rottenness in his heart and warn him before it led him astray.
If he was thinking, he would know that her father had not abandoned him but had simply left him to spread his wings. If he had gone to her father when he began to feel abandoned, then her father surely would have set his heart at peace. As he did not try to reach out to them again, of course her father thought that he was busy getting his life together and did not have time for them quite yet. It was what her father told her all those years ago when she asked. He told her that Boyd was working hard to make them proud, and that he would return after he did so.
“Ye believe that he forgot ye, dae ye nae? It is clear that ye didnae ken,” she said. At her words he stopped pacing and turned to her in question.
“Ken what?” he asked.
“Ye didnae ken that my father was goin’ to bring ye with him to the house this winter if there was nae war. He was goin’ to bring ye because I am of age now, and he wanted to see if there would be somethin’ between us. My father trusted ye enough… that he thought that ye were worth me hand,” she said, watching as his face paled considerably. She glared at him.
“I am glad, however, that ye showed yer true colors… because I would rather die than marry a man like ye,” she finished her words harshly, but she meant every word.
It was strange how fate worked. If there was no war, her father would have come with Boyd. Right at that moment, she would have been spending time with him, not even knowing that Maximus existed. She would have been giving in to her infatuation and would probably have married him. If she had met him first, she would have never known true love like she felt for Maximus. Boyd continued to open and close his mouth like a fish, obviously in shock.
“I… I… Impossible. That is simply nae possible… There is nay way…” he stammered, shaking his head. Although he could clearly tell that she was not lying, it seemed to be even more fuel for his denial. He knew that she was telling the truth, but with his guilt, he desperately wanted it to be a lie.
“There is nay way… He would have tried to match ye up to one of the Laird’s sons… I always thought that… It was because I thought so, that was why I did nae bother to try reachin’ ye after he abandoned me… I was goin’ to prove me worth first, and then come for ye… I decided to marry ye now because I thought that I was finally worthy, but he had already considered me worthy?” he was saying, although at this point it was more to himself than to her. He was muttering with a lost expression on his face.
He was obviously thrown by her revelation. She had successfully turned the conversation away from danger, but something else had caught her attention as he spoke.
“What dae ye mean that ye were goin’ to come for me, and marry me now that ye were worthy? What are ye talkin’ about?” she asked tentatively, hoping that she had misunderstood. He looked up at her with sorrow in his eyes.
“I am goin’ to marry ye. Ye have done too much against the new Laird, as of right now, ye are under arrest. I decided to arrest ye meself since I planned to marry ye anyway. So ye are me prisoner, and me betrothed,” he said, causing her eyes to widen in horror.
“What? What nonsense are ye spewin’?” It was her turn to stammer as she gave him a horrified look. He stepped towards her, and she flinched back. He knelt by the bed instead and looked up at her imploringly.
“I am sorry. I didnae ken. I made a mistake, and I have cost ye so much. If only I had waited for yer faither, then perhaps right now we would have been doin’ this the more pleasant way, with yer faithers permission and nay pain in yer heart. However, there is nothin’ we can dae now. Me resolve is even stronger now. I will marry ye and fulfill his last expectations of me, despite failing at the others,” he said with conviction.
Rosallyn had never been more scared. Surely, he was mad… His eyes held so much sincerity; she was sure that he was mad. She had fallen into the hands of a mad man. He was still on his knees, staring at her earnestly when the door opened and a soldier stepped in.
“Commander, the Laird wishes to speak with ye,” the soldier said, standing at attention and keeping his gaze from them.
Boyd slowly got to his feet, his expression returning to the way it had been when she first woke up. He gave her a deep bow.
“Excuse me, I have duties to attend to… I am sorry that I could nae finish treatin’ ye. I will take care of all of yer injuries when I return,” he said politely, his voice gentle as though he were speaking to a loved one. She shuddered in response, and he only smiled, before turning and leaving the room with the soldier.
Rosallyn sat there for several minutes staring after him. She had thought that she was in pain when she woke up, but now she could not feel any pain as fear permeated every inch of her being, paralyzing her and rendering her numb.
God help me, I have fallen into the hands of a mad man.
