Highlander’s Winter Rose by Fiona Faris

Chapter Twenty-Two

Maximus could feel his heart racing, and he cursed internally. He had been with a woman several times, but nothing could even remotely compare to what he had just experienced. It was as though he had been made to be inside of her. His body had been drained of everything he had. He had just laid his head on her soft breast when the irritating sound of knocks bothered him.

The urgent knocks on the door did not stop, so Maximus got to his feet and went to answer it, albeit grudgingly. He opened the door to find a panicked guard standing there.

“Laird Maximus, I am sorry to disturb ye, but me Laird asked that I fetch ye. We received news from the border that Ross is marching on us right now,” the guard said.

Maximus took a few seconds to fully understand the words that had been said to him. He blinked at the guard in confusion.

“What dae ye mean by that? Right now? Ye mean tonight? How is that possible?” he asked, becoming panicked as well as he turned around, looking for his shirt. The events of pleasure from just a few moments ago were quick to leave his mind as his danger detectors were ringing in his head nonstop.

“We dinnae ken but they have passed the border and are approachin’ the castle with what seems like the full force of their army,” the soldier said.

Maximus finally found his shirt and noticed Rosallyn behind him putting on her dress. They both hurried out of the room with the guard behind them. When they got to the drawing room, Kurt, Elaise and Damien were already there. Elaise was struggling to put on her chainmail armor, and Kurt and Damien were fully dressed for war.

“What is goin’ on?!” Maximus asked Damien, who had his arms on his hips and seemed upset.

“It seems what ye two did really riled Ross up. He is on his way here with an army. They decimated the guards at the border. Luckily, one got to escape; otherwise, we would have been taken completely by surprise. He’s quite the nutjob. He probably organized all of this the moment ye two left,” Damien said.

“We are severely under prepared right now, but we will need to fight as it is. I have already called all the soldiers we can mobilize right now. There is nae even time to call another clan to help us. This is so sudden,” Kurt said. “However, a lot of us here are strong. We will dae the best we can against the enemy.”

Maximus turned to Rosallyn, cradling her face in his hand. “Rosallyn, me love, I need ye to stay here,” he said.

“But I want to help…” Rosallyn complained.

He had seen that coming already. Kurt had been listening to them, however, and spoke up then, saving him from the frustration of not knowing what to do.

“She can help us take care of the women and children who have been evacuated from the town. We will need all the help we can get,” Kurt said.

Maximus shot him a grateful look and leaned down to kiss Rosallyn before running off to join the soldiers and find some armor that would fit him. Even as he dressed quickly and hopped on a horse, he still could not believe that it was actually happening. This was the fight that he had been looking forward to since after Rosallyn saved him. How did Ross always manage to catch him by surprise. Even Damien and Kurt, who had seemed untouchable and completely in control, were thrown for a loop. His unpredictability was the greatest weapon Donald Ross had.

The plan had been to gather the Kellgan troops along with the Macmillan troops and face Ross. Now Ross had taken the huge risk of coming at them with only half-a-day’s preparation. However, it was this crazy move that had left them in the disorganized state that they were in now. They were even less prepared than he was.

Finally ready, Maximus climbed on his assigned horse and went to stand in front of the line of soldiers where Elaise, Damien and Kurt were. Behind them, the men hurried into their lines as they mobilized, shouting orders and information to each other. Elaise was doing something strange, he noticed. She had taken a spear, but it was a strange one. Both sides were sharpened. He looked at her with a worried expression when she forced the center into her horse’s muzzle, thus arming the horse.

“What is that…? Anything which crosses either side of yer horse will surely get sliced. Are ye nae worried about hurtin’ yer comrades?” he asked. She glanced at him with a raised brow.

“Well, ye are correct that anythin’ which passes the sides of me horse will be sliced, and that is why I am going straight into the enemy lines the moment I spot them,” she said. At her words, Damien and Kurt who had been discussing the safety of the villages in the path of the rampaging Ross army, turned to look at her, stopping their conversation.

“On yer own? Elaise… that is…”

Suicide. He wanted to say the words that they were all thinking, but he could not bring himself to do so. Elaise gave him a soft smile.

“I ken what ye are thinkin’,” she said. “Nay, ye dinnae have to worry. I am nae tryin’ to go and meet Alexander just yet. Nay… I am doing this to satiate me hunger for their deaths. The little bit that I got earlier wasnae enough for me. Tonight, I am going to bathe meself in the blood of me enemies. I will get me revenge.”

The air got a lot heavier as she spoke, her blood lust permeating the area. She had meant every word. Damien laughed heartily at this, and even Kurt cracked a smile.

“Ah, now that is the spirit! I dinnae ken what we were worried for. We all have to make those bastards pay for thinkin’ they could mess with us. Dinnae be offended if I dinnae allow ye to take all the glory on this battlefield, Miss Kellgan. If ye are goin’ all out, then I just might as well dae the same,” Damien said energetically, the air around him changing as he got in the mood to kill.

“Aye… It has been a while since I put notable strain on these old muscles of mine. I might as well make sure that I havenae indeed lost me touch,” Kurt agreed as well. That sliver of cold danger that Maximus had felt for the brief moment he had shown his true colors the day before, now returned with a vengeance, filling the air with danger that felt like electricity. Maximus chuckled to himself. It might be a dire situation, but he had very strong allies. They were all fired up. Well then, it was time that he got fired up too. He let go, unleashing the beast that was his anger and pain for his family and riding it. He was going to tear them to shreds.

“Are ye all ready?” he heard Damien yell to the soldiers behind them. The last of the army, which was just arriving scrambled into the line as they all shouted at once.

“Aye sir!” they chorused.

“And the women and children? Have they all been found spaces within the castle and away from the cold?” he asked again. Maximus glanced back just in time to see Rosallyn help an old lady into the castle.

“Aye sir, the last of them have just gone in,” the response came.

“Alright then men, let us charge into battle and show those bastards that those who come to Macmillan seekin’ our blood, will get nothin’ but their own blood to drink until they can drink nay more!” Damien shouted. His words were immediately followed by the passionate battle cry of the soldiers, and they charged forwards, going to meet Donald Ross and his soldiers head on.

By the time they were close enough to see each other properly, Maximus noted that Donald was not on the front lines. A quick perusal of the situation led him to find Donald riding in the back of his army. Such a cowardly bastard! He was thinking this when Elaise kicked her horse, pulling ahead of them all and rushing into the enemy lines just as she had said she would.

“Arrows ahead! Shields up!” Damien yelled, and Maximus moved reflexively. After years of marching under the command of General Grant, he knew that once the Commander issued an order one must not look to see the danger first but respond by performing the defensive measure. He raised his shield just in time, and three arrows found purchase in his shield. A small smile settled on his features. If he had made the rookie mistake of looking up to find the arrows, they would have been in his body instead. This was the battlefield, and it was good to know that he had not lost his touch.

“Archers, returnin’ fire!” Damien yelled again, and in perfect synchrony, several arrows went up, heading into the enemy’s numbers and finding purchase. Elaise had reached their lines and immediate bloodshed followed in her wake. As she rode by, men dropped like flies as the spear she had armed her horse with tore through them. With both her swords out, she finished them off, cutting off their heads as she went.

It did not take long for the enemies to begin to shrink away from her warily, her actions having dealt a huge blow on their morale. She did not give them any leeway, however, as she chased them down like a wolf going after a rabbit. She was ruthless, and the sight was a great boost to the morale of the soldiers on their side.

“Show those bastards who is boss!!” Damien yelled, as their lines finally reached the enemies. Kurt swung his arms, and an array of small blades flew into the enemy lines, killing ten at once. With this done, he grabbed his two short swords and hopped off his horse, blending into the mess of bodies and cutting his enemies up with frightening precision as he slinked between them like a cat.

Damien on the other hand was more straight forward with his fight. Maximus realized that he had a club instead of a sword, which was more deadly in his hands, as Maximus saw him smash it into a soldier who immediately folded in half, backwards. Just how strong was that man?! He did not have the time to watch his allies, however. He had his own enemies to face. He swung his sword as he rode past, cutting down the enemies he passed and avoiding all their attacks.

As with every battle that involved horses, it was not long until they who were on mounts had to dismount as their horses were attacked. They continued the fight on the ground, the rusty smell of blood permeating the air. They fought and fought, but they were still human, and they were beginning to get tired. The soldiers on the enemy’s side were too much. Despite killing so many, they still had numbers on their side. There smaller group, on the other hand, were suffering significant loss as their soldiers were falling to injury or death.

Maximus was getting worried when a sudden commotion started from the east of the battlefield. It was a completely different army. From their colors, it was the Elyjon clan. However, that was not what left Maximus shocked. Among the Elyjon soldiers, he could see Mackay colors, and leading them at the forefront was General Grant?! Maximus knew that he was on the battlefield, but he certainly did not remember that in the moment. His body was reacting solely on instinct to dodge the danger that came too close, as tears began dripping down his face.

It was the General alright. He was missing an arm and had a scar over his right eye, but he was certainly the man who had trained him from childhood. At the same time, one of the enemy platoons suddenly turned on their own army. At this point Maximus could only stare in utter confusion and shock. What was going on here? It looked like some of the Mackay traitors on the battlefield had switched sides and were fighting for them again. He caught sight of Elaise drenched in blood, staring in confusion with her dripping swords lowered.

“For Mackay!” General Grant shouted, and Maximus yelled in response, going at the enemies with more fire than before. With the added forces of the Elyjon clan and the traitors who switched sides, the enemy, who had been thrown into confusion, could do nothing but fall to their blades. Things were beginning to look dire, and Maximus was lucky to catch a glimpse of Donald Ross. Like the coward he was, he was trying to escape under the cover of the battle. So that was why he had hidden at the back. He did not even call for his men to retreat or surrender. He was just going to run, using them as a meat shield for his own escape.

Infuriated, Maximus chased him, running towards him at the fastest speed his body could muster. He grabbed an enemy horse, yanking the man off his mount by his foot and flinging him into the battle. He climbed onto the horse and hurried after Donald. Seeming to notice that he was being hounded, Donald glanced back. His eyes widened as he caught sight of Maximus chasing him, and he urged his horse further.

Maximus did not relent, his fury driving him. Once he was close enough, he moved, getting to his feet unsteadily and crouching on the horse. Donald turned to look at him again, and he took the chance, leaping off his horse and grabbing Donald, sending them both down to the grass. They rolled several feet before coming to a stop, their horses continuing without them.

They were several yards away from the battlefield at this point, and Maximus knew there would be no back-up. He needed to finish this fight himself. He got to his feet first while Donald was still struggling.

“Ye bastard!” he drawled out, staggering towards him. He buried his foot in his kidney for good measure, and Donald wheezed like a tired donkey.

“Dae ye ken how annoyed I am to find that ye… who would kill me family… are as pathetic as this?!” he said, kicking him again, in the jaw this time, hearing the satisfying crunch that followed. Donald was moaning in pain now, a completely ridiculous sound. Maximus could not believe it. He was disappointed and even more angry. How could someone so evil be so weak? For someone so nihilistic, he was nothing more than a coward.

How could someone so pathetic be the mastermind behind the unrest that had affected so many clans? All he did was hide behind his men and think up disgusting plans? He dodged a weak slash from Donald’s sword and kicked his wrist hard enough to snap it. Donald yelled in pain.

“Ye dinnae even deserve to die by me sword,” Maximus said, straddling him and beginning to punch him. Each punch was filled with the different emotions that were destroying him inside: rage, regret, pain, sorrow. He yelled as he punched Donald into the ground. How could someone so pathetic wreak so much havoc?! How could someone so pathetic take over his clan? Be responsible for the death of his father and brother?

He was so lost in his roaring emotions that when a hand touched his shoulder, he jumped, spinning immediately and raising his bloodied fists in defense. He froze, however, when he saw who it was that had touched him.

General Grant stood behind him, a sad look on his face.

“Stop, Maximus… There is nothing left of him,” the General said, his voice sorrowful. Maximus glanced down at the body he had been punching and found that it was indeed battered beyond recognition. Donald Ross was certainly dead.

‘I… I dinnae ken what to dae with all these emotions… He was… He was nae enough…” Maximus said, breaking down completely into a fit of sobs. The General knelt beside him then and pulled him into his arms, comforting him and soothing the darkness that had filled his soul.