Highlander’s Winter Rose by Fiona Faris
Chapter Seventeen
Maximus was not sure if he had said it already, but it needed to be said again. Elaise was a brilliant and terrifying woman. Eventually that morning, he had been able to shrug off his arousal and find the time to sleep. He had slept until the afternoon, and when he woke up, he felt just slightly groggy. It was rather strange to sleep and wake during the day. He felt out of balance somewhat. He had shrugged it off quickly, however, as a guard came to call.
“The mistress requests that ye come to the study, Laird Maximus. She has somethin’ that she wishes to discuss,” the guard said.
Maximus was somewhat startled being referred to as a Laird, but he nodded his acknowledgement of the message and got up to begin to dress for the day. He would need to get used to it anyway. He was the rightful Laird to his clan now. Despite being painfully aware of just how much things had changed, it still took him by surprise when he was met with an effect of that change.
Once he was fully dressed, he left his chambers and made his way to the study. He did not bother to knock and simply pushed open the doors. Elaise sat at the desk, her head resting in her hand, as she continued to pore over the book she had stolen. She did not move at all as he entered and shut the door behind him.
“Did ye manage to get any sleep?” he asked as he made his way to sit in front of her, although he already knew that she certainly had not. There was no way she could have, not when her eyes were so heavy, and bags had already begun to form. No, she had stayed up through the morning despite their heist the night before and continued to work.
“Nay,” she said, not bothering to lie, “but then why would I sleep when I had such juicy information in front of me?”
Saying this, she passed him the book she was reading. He took it from her and after a few moments of reading the surprisingly neat writing, his eyes widened. Elaise gave him a smile.
“We have truly hit the jackpot with this,” she said, and Maximus could only agree as he continued to read. What was in the book was Donald Ross’s plans, but not just that. It was the names of all those who had agreed to work with him to overthrow the clans.
Donald Ross was a very ambitious man, it seemed, and he wanted to unify all the clans around his own and rule them as the Laird. It was not just the Mackay clan. Maximus had just been unlucky that his clan had been hit first. There were four other clans that Donald was already infiltrating. He had a list of council members for each clan that he had already bought over. According to the book, the next clan being targeted after Mackay was the MacMillan clan. Half of their council had been bought off already, and now it was only a matter of time. Once Donald was comfortable in his position as the New Laird, he would repeat what he had done with Mackay to MacMillan.
The thought made his blood boil. Just who did he think he was, planning to throw off the balance of the entire Highlands like that? Everyone’s ancestors fought for their own lands and passed it down to them. The duty of the Lairdship was to make sure that those under that Lairdship were taken care of. It was the duty of those who were nobles to take care of and protect all those who were not. There were times when wars broke out over conflicting needs, but that was when each clan wanted something that they could not share with the other.
Sure, it was normal to want success for your clan and your people, but Donald Ross did it not for his people, but for himself. The Ross clan was small, but that was not the reason why its citizens fared so badly. Many clans did not want to do business with them because they could not afford to purchase the things they needed, but they looked so pitiful that one would sell them things regardless of their inability to pay. This of course meant that those in business lost quite a bit of money from handing out alms to the Ross clan. Most clans refused them at the borders, and no business wanted to be involved with them anymore.
Clan Mackay never shut the door and continued to do business with them since Maximus’s father had asked them to. No one in the Mackay clan wanted to do business with the Ross clan because it was mostly alms that they were giving by continuing to work with them, but Maximus’s father had refused to turn them away at the border.
Even now that he had gotten all that gold, Donald Ross was not trying to do better for his people and his clan; instead, his plan was to conquer and rule even more clans. He was an animal, and he needed to be taken down. He put the book down and pressed a hand to his forehead to calm himself. It was bad enough that he was doing this, but what was worse was the tactics he was using. To buy out the people from under a Laird. That was not honest at all.
It was a different kind of pain when you fought outright and lost a war, but to have those closest to you betray you… That feeling did not go away easily. He knew that when he took back the clan, it was going to be a bloodbath. All of them who had been involved in the betrayal would be executed. It was only right as they killed his father and brother.
MacMillan would also need to do some cleansing, as would all the other clans. Anyone who could be swayed to destroy their clan for their own benefit did not deserve to live anyway.
“It seems we need to let Laird MacMillan know that his clan is in danger. All the people on this list need to be purged,” he said.
Elaise nodded in agreement.
“Aye, the scum of the earth that they are, I would say to kill them all. However, it would probably be sufficient to imprison them. Unlike those in yer clan, these people have nae yet taken the actions,” she said.
“They took the money though; that is evidence of their intentions,” he said.
“Which is why they will be imprisoned for the rest of their lives,” Elaise responded.
He saw the sense in what she said, but he still found it very irritating. Perhaps it was because he had already felt the sting of betrayal, and he knew just how bad what they planned to do would be. He really did not think those people deserved to continue living.
Obviously sensing his discomfort, Elaise sighed, “If you are this angry at some nobles and council members, I wonder just how annoyed you will be when you see the case with the Elyjon clan. It is written a few pages down,” Elasie said.
Maximus was confused, but flipped the pages regardless, looking for what she was talking about. When he saw it, he froze. He was not too good with remembering the names of the nobles from other clans, so he hoped that the name he was seeing was wrong; however, the title beside it told him otherwise.
In the Elyjon clan, just like his own clan, the Laird had two sons, and the older one was the heir to the Lairdship while the younger one focused on their military. However, from what he could see now, the Elyjon clan’s second son was working with Donald Ross to destroy his clan.
Anger spouted up within Maximus like a fountain. He visibly turned red, and his head was hot enough to have caught aflame. Did the bastard not realize that Donald was going to kill his father and brother? Did his family mean so little to him?! He looked at the book again to see just what it was that the fool was promised: a wagon of gold and governance of the Elyjon clan in proxy for Donald Ross.
The fool was going to kill his family so that he could rule the clan under Donald Ross’s name. He was going to make his clan a subordinate just so that he could rule.
“Aye… Ye are steamin’. I kent that ye would lose it if ye saw that. Abbadon is quite the fool. He is one who I would agree should be killed,” Elaise said.
Maximus had been so angry that he forgot she was there for a moment.
“How could he dae such a thing?” he spat. “It is the greatest betrayal, even dogs wouldnae go against one of their own blood just for power under another.”
He was angry, and at the same time, he felt as though he could cry. Abbadon’s own brother and father were still alive, and he was planning to kill them; meanwhile, Maximus was willing to lose all of his limbs if it meant his father and brother would return. What was this unpleasant feeling? Ah… It was bitterness, was it not?
“I would send a few messengers to Elyjon later with a letter for the Laird. It is their family, so I reckon we let them handle it on their own,” Elaise said.
Suddenly feeling drained, Maximus could only nod as he pushed the book back to her.
“Never have I thought that such a scourge would come from our Highlands. It seems there are many black hearts,” he muttered. Elaise was watching him with a significant amount of worry, and he glanced over at her.
“Dinnae worry about me. I am fine. Did any news come while I was asleep?” he asked.
“Aye. I received word from the spy that left us yesterday. She was able to meet up with my father’s spies and find the mine. There were Ross soldiers at the mine, but they made quick work of assassinatin’ them. They set the mine on fire and blew up the front. Nay one will be goin’ in there for a while,” she said, sounding pleased.
“This is good. His supply of gold is halted. He willnae be able to hire the mercenaries he was plannin’ to hire,” Maximus mused.
“Indeed. Our next move, for now, is lettin’ the clans he is targeting ken of his plans and the betrayal of their people. We will gain more soldiers this way,” Elaise said.
Maximus got to his feet at that.
“Ye should get some rest. Things will be moving along much quicker now, so we should be able to visit MacMillan tomorrow,” he said, and with those words he left the study.
…
It was dark. Even with the torches that lit up the hallway, she could barely see her feet despite how pale they were and the fact that she was sitting on the ground. It smelled stale as well. Then again, the dungeons were underground for a reason. Her cell was clean, however, which was something that surprised her. A servant had just finished cleaning it when she was brought in. It seemed Boyd was serious about loving her because who cleaned the cell of a prisoner? She was so much more comfortable than she should have been, given her circumstances.
She could hear the guards talking to each other as they switched shifts, but she was not particularly interested in what they were saying. She did not feel any different from when she was in the chambers, so it proved that a prison was still a prison. After their argument, Boyd had been visibly upset, despite quieting down. The soldiers came back in, and they took her with Boyd leading them. The usurper was busy as something big had happened, so he would not be dealing with her immediately.
She was in the cell awaiting her trial in the usurper’s court. She wondered what it was that had happened since there was such an uproar and she was being ignored. Maximus and his forces must have done something against him. The thought made her smile to herself in gratification. She wondered if she should be scared. She was the prisoner of a tyrant after all. For some reason, she was barely bothered.
Maybe it was the faith she had in Maximus, or the fact that she was past the point of caring. Whatever it was, she felt nothing at all. Her defiance was the strongest it had ever been. She would not show fear to that animal. It was the height of their rebellion, and she was not backing down. No matter how bad things got, at least she was not being forced into a wedding right now.
She thought of Maximus in the silence of her cell. A smile crawled across her face, and her cheeks heated up as she did. They were insane, doing such things in the middle of a war. Then again, passion struck at the most unexpected times. He made her feel things she had never felt before. The time when she pleasured herself felt nothing like when he did it. It was so much better when he did it.
It seemed that after catching her trying to please herself, he had decided to show her that he could do much better. She wanted to do it again, as embarrassing as it was… So that was what making love was. She chuckled to herself quietly. After the war was over, she would ask Maximus to do it again.
Her eyes widened as she realized something important. After the war, Maximus would be the Laird. Would she still be able to mess around with him at that point? He said that he felt the same way that she did. They had shared each other’s pain and gotten out of a life-threatening situation together… Their feelings were very strong. Still… living in that little village for her whole life, she had never imagined marrying a Laird.
There would be quite a lot expected of her as the Lady of the clan. She at least knew that much. Her father had not exactly taught her everything, but she knew that the nobles had work on their shoulders as well and did not just laze around enjoying the finer things in life. She did not know if she could handle the responsibility of being the Lady, but she would surely do her best.
Hurried footsteps heading in her direction made her raise her head. Who could be hurrying towards her like that? The footsteps were too light and hurried to be a guard. If they were coming to take her to the usurper, then there would most likely be more than one. She got to her feet just in case.
The cloaked stranger stopped their frantic run in front of her cell, and a pair of pale hands extended outward, fumbling with keys that unlocked her cell. Rosallyn’s brows went so high up that they nearly touched her hairline. Did Maximus send someone to try to get her out of prison? It did not seem so; this person was not a trained individual. Their hands were shaking, and they were more nervous than she who was the prisoner.
The cell finally opened, and the stranger hurried in, taking off the cloak.
“Rosallyn, ye have to hurry. Let us go.” Rosallyn felt her jaw drop.
“Sophia?!” she exclaimed in shock. Her father’s wife stood before her, trembling in obvious fear but still pulling her towards the hallway.
“We need to run. I was able to bribe the guards, but we still dinnae have a lot of time to escape,” the older woman said, her voice shaking.
Rosallyn could only stare at her back incredulously as she was pulled along the hallway.
“Why are ye helpin’ me?” she asked, too surprised to function properly.
Sophia glanced back at her and stopped running.
“I… I ken that I have been horrible to ye since ye were a child… and I am so sorry. I dinnae deserve yer forgiveness, but I want ye to ken that I ken that I was wrong after the last time that we met. I heard what happened and that ye had been thrown in the dungeons. I couldnae stay still and dae nothin’. I kent that I had to save ye. Ye are my husband’s daughter, Rosallyn, I dinnae want ye to die,” Sophia managed to stammer, tears filling her eyes.
Rosallyn felt tears fill her own eyes as well. Sophia had risked it all to try to save her, but she could already hear the heavy footsteps headed for them. Sophia was not good at this sort of thing. Her plan had way too many holes, and they were already sinking. It was doomed to fail from the beginning, and still, Rosallyn was grateful. She had judged her too harshly the last time. She was not completely selfish. Right now, her actions were absolutely selfless.
Not bothering to run anymore, Rosallyn just pulled the older woman into an emotional hug. She felt Sophia stiffen in obvious shock. Their relationship was still rocky, but Rosallyn was moved.
“Thank ye, Sophia,” she said, just as the soldiers rounded the corner and came upon them. She heard Sophia gasp in horror.
“Nay!” Sophia exclaimed, breaking out of Rosallyn’s arms and turning to the soldiers who were gathered in front of them, blocking the hallway.
“Ye promised to give me the keys to bring her out!” she shouted at the man in front. It seemed he was the one that she had bribed. Rosallyn sighed sadly, squeezing Sophia’s hand. She was not surprised, as the guard gave them a wicked smirk.
“What is the problem? I told ye that I would give ye the keys, and I did. I dinnae remember promisin’ anythin’ more than that,” he sneered.
Rosallyn hoped that Sophia had not given him anything too valuable. It was obvious to her once Sophia mentioned bribing the guards that the plan was not going to work. Their Laird had taken over the Mackay clan with bribery. If anything, he could give them much more than Sophia could. Sophia was also nothing but a tiny woman. Nothing was stopping the guard from taking her money and then turning her in.
Rosallyn did not even resist as the soldiers came for her, grabbing her hands and holding them behind her back. Sophia on the other hand was crying as she was grabbed.
“Nay! Nay, please let her go… Please let her go. Dinnae dae this,” she cried.
The guards laughed as they took them back the way they had come, throwing Rosallyn back in her cell.
“Sophia, calm down. I am alright. Dinnae give them the satisfaction of seein’ ye cry,” she called out to her as she was dragged past her cell. It seemed they would be imprisoning her as well.
She felt bad for Sophia, who did not seem like she knew hardship. She would probably hate being imprisoned. The escape attempt was useless, but it was nice to know that Sophia cared enough to want to help her, despite how dangerous it was. At least if nothing else, their relationship could be mended.
Sophia had mentioned not wanting her to die. That part was something of a surprise to Rosallyn. She had not realized that death was in the books for her. Although she still was not particularly worried, it was an interesting realization to note that, despite not being a person of noteworthy status, death was a possible punishment for her. The usurper truly was ruthless. So, this was the kind of man that they had betrayed Maximus’s father for?
