Highlander’s Winter Rose by Fiona Faris
Chapter Eighteen
Maximus had taken the time when Elaise was asleep to train. He had not trained in a long time since he had been too injured. Now he was healed, and he had a fire lit inside of him, so with nothing else to do, he decided to train. With each swing of his sword, he imagined that he was in a fierce battle with Donald Ross. He could not falter, and he could not lose, so he put more effort into each strike.
He moved as swiftly as he could, hating the slight heaviness in his body that he felt from his time bedridden. Indeed, a warrior should train every day. He was surprised how much of a difference there was already after being inactive for just a while. He pushed himself hard regardless, shrugging off the lethargy in his frustration. The soldiers who passed by stared at him with open interest, and before long, he had gathered quite the crowd.
“Ye are a strong man,” he heard behind him and turned to find a large man approaching from the crowd. Maximus could vaguely recognize him as one of the Kellgan clan commanders, although he seemed to be only a few years older than him. He was bigger, and more mature, and Maximus wondered if he would be like that when he got to his thirties as well.
“Thank ye,” he said with a humble bow. He did not know the man’s name, and it was slightly awkward for him since he did not know how to address him. The man removed his shirt and took a sword from one of the other soldiers.
“My name is Lucas,” he said, taking away the first of Maximus’s problems. “Ye seem like ye have a lot to get out of ye and that trainin’ is nae enough. Will ye spar with me?”
Maximus felt his eyes widen at the offer. It was true that simply swinging his sword at the air was not enough for him, he needed the resistance of another sword pushing back against his own and another mind working to outwit his moves. For this commander to tell all that just from looking at him… How strong was he? He looked at the man again, this time with a warrior’s eyes, assessing him and checking his strength. For one who had complimented him, Lucas was plenty strong himself, as expected of a man Elaise would allow to become a commander in her clan, strong enough that Maximus could feel his inner warrior leaping at the chance to cross blades. A grin spread across Maximus’s face as he readied himself.
“Ye are strong…” he said back, and Lucas smiled at him, settling into his fighting stance as well.
“Aye, thank ye.” With those words, both men leapt towards each other, clashing their swords in quick succession, even before their feet touched the ground again. Maximus could feel the strain clearly now as he was forced to move into a tuck and roll on the ground before getting to his feet again, meanwhile Lucas simply leapt back. His eyes glinted with the fire of competition. Yes, this was it. This man could help him whip his body back into shape as well as allow him to beat out his frustrations at Donald Ross.
With a grin that bordered on feral, he shot back into the attack, and Lucas matched him. They exchanged blows and parries until the crowd of soldiers around them began to cheer in excitement. It seemed that Lucas was enjoying himself as well as he was smiling, and his eyes lit up with excitement.
“Aye, this is it. Loosen up yer limbs and give it yer all!” Lucas was saying as he threw a heavy blow that had Maximus skidding backwards as he blocked it. Lucas was a very large man, and the power behind his strikes showed that his size was not just for show. Maximus was already breathing heavily. For someone so large, Lucas moved with the agility of a mountain goat.
Their fight only got more and more heated as the gathered soldiers cheered them on, and they flew at each other in a flurry of complicated moves. Maximus was trying to use his smaller frame and speed, but Lucas was just fast enough with his size that he made it difficult for Maximus to capitalize. It also did not help that Lucas was attacking with such vicious strikes that Maximus was constantly on edge with his defense. In this way, they both came to a stalemate.
It had gotten to the point where Maximus could see that if he wanted to win against Lucas, he would have to go for the kill. His respect grew tremendously at that. Perhaps if he was in his best state, as he was before the accident, he might have been able to make Lucas surrender. However, at the point where he was, that was impossible. Both men had already noted that they could not beat the other, still they did not stop.
Maximus had a lot of energy to burn, and he had to use his muscles that he had abandoned during his recovery. He hoped that he was not troubling Lucas. Although it was Lucas who had offered to spar, it did not change the fact that he probably had things to do as the commander.
As they continued to fight, Maximus felt better and better, his body loosening up and falling into the routine he had drilled into it. He was hyper aware of the state of his body then. The skin on his healed injuries like his arm and back were rather taut, and excessive movements like these were pulling them. He wondered if Rosallyn would approve of putting in this much effort when it was not yet time to fight. He needed it, however; doing this would get him in shape.
“I was wonderin’ what all the commotion was about,” Elaise’s voice came. Both Maximus and Lucas jumped away from each other at the same time, turning to find Elaise coming towards them from a path created by the watching soldiers who had divided once she appeared. Maximus exchanged a sidelong glance with Lucas. He definitely did not want to cross swords with Elaise, and it looked like Lucas felt the same way.
“It was nice sparrin’ with ye. I should get back to my duties now,” Lucas said with a bow. Maximus felt his eyes widen as he stared at the commander.
Ye traitor! Ye run and leave me alone at the first sign of danger!
Lucas shot him an apologetic look but continued to walk away, bowing to Elaise as he passed her and immediately speeding up once he was behind her as though worried that she would change her mind and ask him to return. Maximus almost laughed at the sight. It was good to see that he was not the only one who wanted nothing to do with Elaise, as all the other soldiers trickled away quickly, moving in small groups of twos and threes as though escaping from a wild animal.
“Did ye sleep well?” Maximus asked, changing the subject and thinking about how he could dispose of his sword before she got any ideas.
“Aye, I was, until I heard all the cheers out here and decided to come down to see what was goin’ on,” she said. Maximus chuckled nervously.
“Ah, I am sorry for wakin’ ye,” he said. She only smiled slightly.
‘I see ye have become acquainted with Lucas. What dae ye think of him?” she asked. Maximus cocked his head to the side in consideration.
“I think that he is a fine man. After crossin’ swords with him, I think that he is trustworthy, like a rock. He is strong, reliable, and also kind. He came to offer to spar, and I needed that as I havenae trained in a while, and my body was stiff. We will be goin’ into battle soon. I dinnae want to be unprepared. He was a huge help, as though he kent what I needed,” he said.
Elaise nodded in understanding, stepping forward and taking the sword in his hand from him. She noticed the horror on his face and chuckled.
“Dinnae worry. I am nae goin’ to fight ye,” she said, sliding into her warrior’s stance and swinging the sword against invisible enemies.
“I ken that everyone ran away because they worry that I might want to spar. It has always been like that. The only man who didnae shy away from a spar with me was yer brother, and it was funny since Alexander was more a strategist than a warrior. He could hold his own, but I still won each time. Yet he never refused when I asked and even instigated the spars sometimes. He is the only man I have sparred with one-on-one in a long time. I always have them come in numbers when they spar with me, yet they try to avoid it,” she said.
Maximus chuckled sadly, remembering once again how he used to tease his brother for not being able to best Elaise with a sword. It was all playful banter of course since Elaise was a beast of war once she got her hands on a weapon. The fact that Alexander used to attempt fighting her was amazingly brave.
“Well, nae every man is brave enough to have his ego squashed, being defeated so viciously by a woman,” he said. Elaise glanced over at him and let out a derisive snort.
“Ego indeed, what useless ego. If I were a man, would it be any less embarassin’ to be defeated by me?” she asked.
Maximus looked from the sword in her hand to her. He surely hoped that she was not getting the wrong idea.
“Ye ken that it is nae that we disrespect ye, it is just that we are ashamed… Nay one likes to lose, and it would be the same if ye were a man… But I dae confess that it is worse since ye are a woman. It is more frightenin’ somehow.”
“And that is why Alexander was the only man for me,” she murmured. Maximus pressed his lips together as the mood changed, she was sad. He realized that he should have been more sensitive. Watching him spar probably reminded her of his brother.
“I am sorry,” he said, and she froze as though realizing that she was allowing herself to wallow in her sadness. She turned the sword so that the hilt was to him and returned it.
“Nay, I got caught up in my thoughts. It is my fault,” she said, then turned swiftly. “Ye should take a bath and come to the study. I am makin’ plans with father for the trip to Macmillan. It would be better if we take the battle to meet Ross there, instead of waitin’ for him to get past them and face us on our lands.”
He nodded quietly and watched her retreating back. Even carrying the weight of her sadness, her silhouette was still one of the most powerful he knew. He wondered if he should tell her that he was proud to have a woman like her as his sister. She knew that already, right?
…
At some point the previous night, Rosallyn had fallen asleep, despite being in the dungeons. She had gone to sleep in a squatting position with her back leaning against the wall and her head resting on her knees. It was from this position that the soldiers who came to take her to court grabbed her. Startled as they suddenly grabbed her by each arm, she jumped slightly, looking this way and that to get her bearings. There were four soldiers in total, although only two held her. The other two simply escorted them, with one in front and another behind. They were probably only taking precaution in case she tried anything funny after they had dealt with her getting violent once.
She said nothing as they pulled her along, only flinching away from the sunlight when they came out of the dungeon. Being underground for just a day had made her eyes sensitive to the light. They did not care. Even as she winced, they continued to drag her along.
“Dinnae be so rough. She is nae resistin’,” she heard and turned her head to find Boyd standing to the side in the hallway. He joined their procession as they passed, and the soldiers loosened their grips on her arms slightly, no longer as violent as they had been. She was the one who was arrested, but he had bags under his eyes and looked extremely troubled.
“Ye really are quite the troublemaker. I tried to have yer cell cleaned so that ye would be slightly more comfortable while I worked on how to get ye out of this mess, but an escape attempt?! I couldnae even ask the Laird to lower yer prison sentence once news of that came,” he said, his voice a fierce whisper.
She chuckled lightly at that, glancing over to meet his annoyed blue eyes as they walked.
“Instead of wastin’ yer efforts on me, why nae help Sophia instead? She is a prisoner now too. There is nay need to try to butter me up, I already ken that yer master plans to execute me,” she said.
Boyd frowned at her words. “Sophia...? Why would she…?” He began but then shook his head. “Nay, it doesnae matter. Where did ye get the idea that ye would be executed? The Laird will dae nae such thing.”
Rosallyn laughed dryly. “What is it that makes ye so sure? I dinnae understand. Is it that ye dinnae understand how ruthless the man ye are workin’ for is?” she demanded.
Boyd gritted his teeth, glancing at the soldiers who were around them. The guards had their faces like flint, expressionless, as though they were nothing more than puppets.
“It is because that is the agreement I made with him,” Boyd confessed. Rosallyn blinked in confusion at that.
“What are ye talkin’ about?” she asked.
“It is what we agreed on when he bought me over. Gold enough that I wouldnae lack, a position of commander in the army, and… ye. The right to marry ye. This means that whatever ye dae, ye are part of my consolation prize,” he said.
Rosallyn felt her jaw drop. If it were not for the soldiers who had her by both arms, she would have slapped him hard enough to rid his mouth of a good number of teeth. Did he just call her a prize? When did she get a say in that arrangement? She was furious. Boyd at least had the grace to look sheepish.
“As annoyed as ye might be, that is the way that it is. It is also because of this that I ken for sure that ye willnae be killed,” he said, and Rosallyn glared at him.
“Ye dobber. How could someone who trained under my father be so stupid? He promised ye all of this to get ye to join him. He has already fulfilled two of those things, now what makes ye think that he would uphold this one? He gave ye the first two because ye were still useful to him. Now, ye have subjugated the villages, have ye nae? Ye have helped him solidify his position. Tell me, what is it that binds him to dae as ye ask now?” she asked.
Boyd froze, his eyes wide in shock and panic as he realized the sense in what she was saying. They had reached the doors to the court, and the soldiers passed Boyd who was frozen still.
“Ye really are a fool,” Rosallyn said as they entered the courtroom, leaving Boyd behind and choosing to put him out of her mind, Rosallyn let her expression go slack, and her face became a neutral slate. She glanced around the room. It was spacious and painted all white, but it felt like a den of lions. There were councilmen sitting in high seats to watch the judgement, and from how many there were, Rosallyn guessed that the traitor councilmen of the clan had joined the Ross clan council members.
It was a sea of eyes inspecting her as though she were a fish at the market. She ignored their stares the best that she could, keeping her face expressionless and not letting them see her thoughts. She found them all insignificant anyway, her eyes immediately seeking out the antagonist, Donald Ross. Rosallyn was not sure what exactly it was that she had been expecting, but she was still surprised to see Donald Ross in person.
He was younger than she had imagined, for some reason, looking to be about thirty summers old. He had long, shiny black hair, which he allowed to fall back without being tamed. Despite this, his hair looked unbelievably silky, in a way that made her curls wither in shame. His hair was notable, but his most notable feature was his arresting grey eyes which were rife with malice.
Despite herself, Rosallyn felt a shudder run down her spine as she looked at him. He was a terrifying man, and everything about him radiated evil. His clear grey eyes held no welcome and, instead, were frigid, like ice. There was no doubt that he was a cold-blooded murderer. His seat was high up above everyone else’s, allowing him to look down at her as though she were an insect he could very well just squash.
She knew that the design of the court was built to make the Laird seem more intimidating to the accused, but having him sit up there and look down at her made her want to throw a knife at him. The vile bastard, just who did he think he was to sit in the Laird’s seat like that? He looked every bit the tyrant and nothing like the leader a Laird should be.
“And here we have the accused,” he said as she was led to the stand in front of all the council members. Her skin was prickling from their stares. Donald Ross looked at her with fury sparking in his gray eyes like lightning. He was really angry. What was it that Maximus had taken from him? She was curious. She was still thinking this when she caught sight of someone she hoped she would never have to see again. It was the bastard of a soldier who had punched her in the gut.
He made his way towards her in a leisurely stroll, smiling in a way that said he was up to no good whatsoever. His huge frame replaced one of the soldiers behind her, and she could hear his ugly snicker, the sound making her skin crawl as though a thousand spiders had been dumped on her.
“State yer name, criminal,” the huge bastard said.
Rosallyn glanced back at him from the corner of her eye as she loudly declared, “Rosallyn Grant.”
At the sound of the name Grant, she saw a few of the council members squirm in their seats. She shot them dirty glares, letting them know that it was indeed that same Grant they were thinking of that she meant. Some had the grace to look away, but most of them looked furious at her for glaring at them.
“That little…” she heard one of them say. Uninterested in them, she turned back to Donald Ross. Seeing the fire in her eyes, a scowl settled on his face, and he stood up, coming down the stairs from his high seat and walking towards her.
“Today we have before us a lass of the highest ingratitude with many crimes upon her shoulders,” he said as he paced the floor in front of her.
“It is common knowledge in this court that Commander Tod had recently asked for the hand of a maiden with a… peculiar circumstance,” he said, turning to the council members as he spoke, as though narrating a story to them.
“Ye see, Commander Tod had come to me before to tell me of this lass he was infatuated with and wished to marry. I had, of course, promised to help him in his endeavors to settle down and become a family man. However, it was a surprise to me, and nay doubt him as well, when she committed her first crime against the clan. My noble soldiers, led by the very man who wished to marry her, had gone to… spread the news of my noble leadership to her village, as well as look for any of the dangerous traitors who would threaten our clan.”
Rosallyn felt as though her brows would vanish into her scalp with how surprised she was. She was amazed at how good he was at spewing rubbish with utmost confidence. What was he even saying? She felt as though she were listening to a shady merchant trying to convince a crowd that his wares came from the King’s palace. Was this really the man ruling the clan now?
“It was while they were doin’ this righteous job that she struck. My soldiers said that she rushed in like a wild boar and, taking advantage of a soldier who had his back to her, pushed him in the most dishonorable manner so that he tripped and fell back, unfortunately cracking his head against a wall,” he said with a face that feigned horror. The Ross council men followed up his act with incredible gasps of their own.
“Impossible!”
“What lass would act like that?”
“How distasteful!”
They all murmured to each other. Rosallyn’s jaw might as well have been on the floor at that point.
There is nay way that they are seriously takin’ a trial as this sham of a play. Right?
As much as she thought it, the evidence still clearly showed that they were doing exactly that. He was toying with her, Donald Ross.
“After doing that, it was still nae enough for her. Two soldiers went to retrain her, worryin’ for her health as a woman, ye ken, and she struggled against them, even breaking the nose of another concerned soldier with a kick. Only the strongest of our soldiers was finally able to calm her down. Of course, after hurtin’ two noble soldiers in such a manner, she should have been arrested and imprisoned. However, it was then that our esteemed Commander Tod noticed that the woman who had been actin’ like an animal was in fact the very lass who he meant to marry.”
Rosallyn was so surprised that she herself listened to his story with utmost interest, fascinated with the way he was expertly spinning the story in whatever way suited him and leaving out the otherwise very important parts. Then again, before this crowd of animals, it was not as though she expected a fair trial.
“He graciously brought her to my castle where he stays and made sure that she was comfortable. He brought the matter to me then. The woman he wanted to marry had become a criminal. However, his love was strong, and he didnae abandon her. Even after her disgraceful actions, he still asked me to allow him to wed her, saying that he would take responsibility for her. As the gracious Laird that I am, I allowed him this request, even though I felt that it was an unreasonable request. One cannae always tame the heart, and so although she was a criminal, I decided to give her a second chance, out of respect for our honorable commander,” Donald Ross said.
Rosallyn dropped her head at that, a short, bitter laugh escaping her lips. He was praising Boyd every time he mentioned him. It was clear that he was going to decide that she should be killed and act apologetic towards Boyd. If he acted up even after that, Donald would have him imprisoned or quietly killed off. He had sold himself to the devil, and he did not even realize it. She shook her head.
“It seemed that our Commander was convinced that he had his woman under control as he proudly announced to the council and the clan that he was going to be wed. He hurried off to carry out his duties to the other villages, which had not been reached yet. If all had gone well, then today we would have been celebratin’ a weddin’. Instead, while Commander Tod was away, this lass, in the greatest show of ingratitude, decided to make a cuckold of him!” he declared.
The Ross council members went into an uproar at this. At least the Mackay councilmen had the grace to look confused. They were looking around with lost expressions, as though they did not get the memo on how to react. Rosallyn was curious how the Ross clan council members had learned to be so in sync and dramatic. It felt as though they were sharing an inside joke, and everyone else was left out. Donald made a show of calming them.
“I ken that this is shocking, but it is nae even the worst yet. The man who she was caught with was none other than the rebel, Maximus Mackay, who dares to threaten my noble rule.” This time some of the gasps were real. From what she could see, it seemed that a lot of the Mackay council members who had betrayed the clan did not know that Maximus was still alive. They looked terrified and their fear made her smile.
That is right, quake in yer ghillies. Maximus is alive, and he will take back the Lairdship, then all ye who betrayed the clan will die for yer sins
“The criminal and his associates on the same night when she let him into her bed, stole some very important documents from me, as well as set the stables on fire, causin’ us to lose so many valuable horses. Even worse, I got news from the men tasked with bringing us our gold. The rebels also destroyed our source. This woman had been arrested, and even that was nae enough to stop her from being troublesome as she still attempted to break out of prison.” When he said these words, for the first time throughout his whole speech, his voice held true emotion; rage.
This time the Mackay traitors were the ones who reacted the most, some even getting to their feet in their worry.
“First Maximus is alive and now there is nae more gold?” she could hear them complaining.
“This is truly a troublesome situation.”
It was all Rosallyn could do to keep from bursting into a mean-spirited fit of laughter. Their discomfort pleased her.
“Ye seem to be enjoyin’ yerself,” Donald said, startling her as he was speaking to her directly for the first time. She flinched involuntarily as she saw his eyes up close. She had not been aware that a person’s eyes could be that arresting. They looked as though they could turn her to stone if she stared too long. She did not want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he made her feel uncomfortable, but it was hard to keep a straight face when he was looking at her so closely. She glared at him instead, wanting him out of her face.
“Those eyes… so much stubbornness for such a tiny bug… Despite yer irrelevance, ye believe ye get to look at me that way and nae have yer eyes scooped from yer head,” he said, stepping even closer to her.
“I am nae irrelevant,” she muttered, and he raised his brows.
“Oh? Ye can talk back? What makes ye feel that ye are nae? Hmm, Boyd had mentioned something, what was it… Ah! Ye are the illegitimate daughter of that General Grant,” he said.
At the mention of her father’s name, Rosallyn snapped internally, and all her unbridled hate came to the front as she glared at him. He had no right to say that name, not when he was the murderer who caused her father’s death and killed Maximus’s family. He noticed the switch in her mood, and a wicked smile came over his face at the fact that he finally got a reaction out of her.
“Ha, so that is yer weak spot. Is that why ye are angry?” He chuckled. “I kent yer father ye ken… Everyone in all the neighborin’ clans kent General Grant… Mackay let him roam as though rubbin’ him in our faces that we would never find anyone as good as him. I admit that he was kent for his prowess in everythin’, and I would have loved to have him on my team. Perhaps if he were here, ye wouldnae be resistin’ and would have been happy here.”
Rosallyn snorted at his words. There was no way her father would have joined a horrible man like him. A man who led soldiers who did such distasteful things could never have anything to do with her father.
“Aye, ye are right, I ken that ye are probably thinkin’ that yer father would never have joined me. I ken that too. He was too stupid, ye see, so blindly loyal to Mackay, just like a dog. That was why he had to die,” he said. “I imagine he preferred to die than work for me anyway. I heard that he was swarmed while tryin’ to protect Maximus. He was probably chopped to pieces. What a good little dog, waggin’ its tail even as it dies for its master. Ye are obviously nay different as ye open yer legs for that bastard to use ye as he sees fit.”
What little self-control she had was gone in a flash as Rosallyn spat on his face angrily. It was not what he had said about her; no, she did not care about that. It was the times when he insulted her father. She was going to murder him. She really was. She did not get to do anything more than spitting, however, as the soldiers behind her who had been stationed there, as though waiting for this moment when she snapped, grabbed her and forced her to her knees.
She did not resist, knowing that the giant behind her would gladly punch her again. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Boyd step forward, his worry clear on his face. Donald stayed quiet, simply taking out a handkerchief and wiping his face with it to remove the saliva that had fallen right between his eyes.
“The impudence…” he said, walking back to his seat. “Ye have seen her horrid sins and the fact that she is absolutely unrepentant.”
At his declaration, the councilmen in unison cursed at her.
“Unforgivable…”
“The audacity she has…”
“What did ye expect when she so brazenly let a man into her bed while betrothed to another.”
Their words were harsh, but she was unbothered. Nothing they could say could affect her when they were the worst scum of the earth.
“What dae we dae with rebels and criminals here?” Donald asked, looking down at her again, the finality of her sentence in his eyes.
“Execute her!” they called in unison. At this Boyd called out in objection.
“Nay, my Laird! Please… Is there nay way that this could be avoided?” he asked desperately. His voice was shaking as he spoke. “Please, I would dae anythin’. I would give anythin’ ye ask. Please, just consider me.”
He was on his knees, groveling in a way that made Rosallyn embarrassed for him.
“I am sorry, Commander Tod, but as ye can see, the decision is unanimous. I have already done enough for ye the first time. This time she has gone past the limits of what I can tolerate,” Donald said, his voice conveying the fact that further complaint would not end well for Boyd either.
Rosallyn almost felt sorry for him as he knelt there, tears of realization streaming down his face. She was right in what she had told him, of course she was, but it seemed that he had been hoping she would be wrong. How foolish.
She was pulled to her feet roughly, even though she did not resist. The giant soldier was being rougher than was necessary, but she remained emotionless, like a doll. He was the type to get more excited as one gave him the reactions he was looking for, she had realized. He would lose interest in her if she did not give him anything to see.
“Send out a message to all in the castle town. I want this to be a public execution so that they can all see what happens to those who defy me,” Donald was saying. “Tomorrow when the sun is at its highest, she will be hung for all to see.”
