Highlander’s Winter Rose by Fiona Faris
Chapter Nine
Rosallyn woke up that morning much earlier than usual. She blinked, glancing around the room, noting that it was still rather dark. The candle she had lit the night before was only just then dying. It was at least an hour before her usual wake up time, so she could not help but wonder what had made her internal alarm clock go off early.
She stretched to loosen her joints which were somewhat stiff from sleep before sitting up. Maximus was still asleep above her on the bed snoring softly. She smiled a little at the sight. After her sexual awakening the day before, she had washed the stained clothes quickly and gone back to help Maximus out of the bath.
They had avoided each other’s eyes, and she was somewhat surprised. She understood herself; there was no way she could look at him after what she had just done in private. However, she did not understand him. Why was he acting shy? She had been sure that he would not let her off the hook so easily and that he would continue teasing her. Instead, he had been quiet as she helped him out of the water and left him to get dressed.
She had taken a bath after him, washing herself thoroughly, embarrassed by what she had done. She had acted like an animal, driven by her pervasion. Her body was lighter for it though. She felt very relaxed, such that even the awkwardness between her and Maximus melted away by the time they had lunch. He was able to come out and sit at the table now, so they did not eat in the room.
It was easier to shake off the awkwardness when they sat at the table since he was in better spirits. They ate lunch late, and so both ended up falling asleep that evening. It was the best sleep that she had ever had, so it somewhat made sense that she woke up so early. She knew that if she went back to bed, it would only lead to her waking up late, so she got up, deciding to get ahead of the day by doing her chores before breakfast.
Quiet so that she would not wake Maximus up as well, she rolled up her blanket and left the room. The house was still dark and shadowy, but she knew where everything was from memory. She made it to the windows and opened them. It was gray outside with every shape nothing but a shadow. It had been a while since she had been awake during such early hours, so she leaned out of the window a bit.
It was this decision that made her hear it. From the village came sounds of screaming as well as the unmistakable metal of soldiers in armor. In the quiet of the early morning, these sounds made it to her ears, echoing up the hill. Her eyes had been closed as she breathed in the morning air, but they shot open the next instant when she picked up a shriek and the rattle of chainmail mingled with neighs as soldiers on horseback ran through the village.
She leaned farther out of the window until she could see down the hill, shadowy figures on horses banging on the doors of the villagers. Even worse, there were soldiers coming up the hill towards her house.
She could see them, their shadowy forms in the mist at the bottom of the hill and their pointy spears telling her that there were four of them. A chill ran down her spine that had absolutely nothing to do with the cold morning air. She was not ready, not at all.
It was not like she did not expect that they would come; she did. It was not like she did not know that Maximus would soon have to leave; she did. So, what was it that made her so unprepared? Shutting the window, she dashed back to the room, shaking Maximus by the shoulders.
He woke up with a start, his eyes darting about before focusing on her panicked expression. His eyes widened as he saw the raw fear in hers.
"They're here! The soldiers are in the village!" she whisper-yelled. He held on to her own shoulders to move her away as he shot up to a sitting position, and swung his legs off the bed.
"We need to go then," he began, but she cut him off.
"Nay! It is too late to dae anythin' but hide. They were right at the bottom of the hill and are probably halfway here already if some are nae already here. Right now, what ye need to dae is hide."
Her heart was pounding so hard it felt as though it had replaced her brain in the center of her head. Her fingers were cold and stiff from her terror, and her hands were shaking. It was so sudden. They had just been flirting the day before, and Maximus was excited to have his agency back. There was no time to settle or prepare for the journey. No time to have heartfelt goodbyes or sort out the feelings that had begun to grow between them.
"Can ye stand?" she asked, hurriedly bringing the cane she had left by the door to him. He took it and got to his feet.
"Thank ye, even if I cannae, we have run out of time," he said. She hurried him out through the back door, grabbing everything that made it obvious that he had been around, like the medicine and ice bucket, and led him to the barn where she sat him in the hay and heaped it over him with reckless abandon so that he was completely hidden.
"Rosallyn, please be careful," he said, his voice muffled from beneath the hay as she moved the last of the hay to cover him. She put on a brave face, even though her throat was dry from terror.
“Of course. I am always careful,” she assured him.
Running back into the house and putting the medicine in her grandmother's cabinet and the bucket under the bed, she hurried to the mirror, making sure that there was no hay in her hair. She had fallen asleep with her hair in a braid, so the straws had not managed to get in, only sticking to the front of her dress instead. She dusted herself off and took deep breaths, to keep herself from panicking in front of them.
A calm mind is a sharper weapon than any sword
Her father’s wisdom came back to her, filling her with resolve. She was doing this for him as well. She could not fight like Maximus could, but this was her own fight. She would hide him, protect him, and help him escape, so that he could take their justice. When the banging came on her door, she was prepared. She opened the door, feigning sleepy eyes.
“Soldiers?!” she exclaimed, pretending to be surprised as she saw them. “What is goin’ on? Why are ye here?” Her heart was pounding, but she kept her mask on. Their faces were cruel, and they looked at her with empty eyes. They did not look like they were Mackay soldiers. The indifference in their eyes was clear as the biggest one of them grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the doorway.
“Search every inch. Drag out any men ye see. They might be one of the escapees.” The biggest one who held her ordered as he seemed to be the one in charge. The rest marched into her house, tearing the place apart in their search.
“Men? What men? I live here with me grandmother, and my father is still in the castle town. There are nay men here,” she said, struggling against the strong grip the soldier in charge had on her arm. He was certainly bruising her; it felt as though he was clamping down on the bones in her arm. She was completely ignored as the man did not even give her the courtesy of looking down at her.
“Search the sheds and stables as well. They might be hidin’ there,” the man said. She had known that they would most likely search there as well, but her heart still sped up.
Please dae nae let them find him… Please, just dae nae let them find him…
She prayed in her mind as they rushed past her to the stables. She tried to keep her face straight as they searched. One by one they returned to stand in front of them, and she heaved a relieved breath when the last one returned empty handed as well.
“There is no one else in the whole house, but she does have a horse in the stables.” One of them reported.
It was only then that the soldier holding her paid her any attention, looking down at her and gripping her arm even tighter so that she feared he might break it.
“Who are ye, lass? How dae ye have such a big house in such a small village, eh? Ye even have a horse?” he asked suspiciously. She leaned away from him, his breath suffocating her.
“Me father built it,” she managed to say, wincing as he crushed her arm in his grip. “I am the illegitimate child of a noble.”
“Hmm? So ye are a noble’s mistake hidden away in the mountains. That sure is interestin’, ye poor pretty thing, left out here to rot,” he murmured, looking her over with a leering expression. “I thought ye said ye lived with yer grandmother. Me soldiers say ye are here alone.”
“My grandmother is in the monastery. She helps with the injured who pass through the village,” she said, saying the words she knew would catch his attention. He narrowed his eyes at that.
“Injured at the monastery, huh…?” he mused. The words sparking his interest, he flung her away from him, not caring when she skidded to the ground.
“Come on men, we are goin’ to check the monastery,” he ordered, glancing back at her with a devilish grin as they began to walk away and adding, “Thank ye for yer co-operation, noble bastard.”
She winced as she struggled to get back up. Her arm was aching, and as she glanced at it, she noticed the dark marks that had formed on her skin where he had held her. That would certainly bruise. Her eyes stung with tears that threatened to fall, but she held them back, refusing to cry over those bastards.
Her palms were cut open from her fall, and she wiped them on her dress, taking a difficult breath as the pain made her hands shake. She shivered in the cold as she pushed herself to her feet. The soldiers were heading back down the hill quickly, obviously wanting to be the first to reach the monastery.
She staggered back to the barn where Maximus was, going to the pile of hay where she had hidden him.
“Maximus… It is me,” she said first so that he would not panic as she dug him out. At the sound of her voice, he reacted immediately, shaking the hay off and grabbing her into a desperate hug.
“Rosallyn! I am so relieved. I was so worried. Are ye alright? Did they hurt ye?” Rosallyn was grateful for the darkness that did not allow him to see the pain on her face as he held her by the arms, his hand directly on her injury.
“I am fine,” she lied. “I managed to distract them and sent them on a wild goose chase to the monastery. We need to hurry to the farmer now. Please get on the cart.”
Her voice sounded dull, but she could not help it. The pain and the fear had her struggling to speak at all. She got to her feet quickly, not wanting to give him any time to notice that she was not okay.
“Rosallyn,” he called, stopping her by grabbing onto her hand. She turned back to him questioningly, and her eyes widened as his lips descended on hers. She gasped at the sudden contact, and he took the chance to slip his tongue past her lips and deepen the kiss. She gripped the front of his shirt with her bloodied hands, the tears she had been holding back spilling out of the corners of her closed eyes as she kissed him back.
Their kiss was bittersweet, full of the things they both meant to say but did not, fueled by their fear that they might not get another chance to express the feelings they had been hiding. It was confusion yet certainty, worry and also hope. He finally broke the kiss and wiped her eyes. She leaned into his palm; her eyes closed as she savored the last moments in his arms.
“I will come back for ye,” he promised.
She opened her eyes at that. There was conviction in his voice that said that he meant every word. She nodded, not wanting to say that she would be content if only she could be successful in carrying him out of the clan safely.
“We need to go now,” she said. He hesitated as though he meant to say something, but then he let it go, allowing her to lead him to the cart where she piled hay on top of him before attaching the cart to Barny and beginning the short journey to the farmer’s house.
…
The farmer’s cart was much bigger than Maximus had expected, and it was a welcome blessing as he lay curled up in the hay. He was a soldier, and he knew to never relax in times of war and to always expect the unexpected, yet he was still taken off guard when the enemies showed up. The days he had spent with Rosallyn had been bliss in the midst of his hell. A peaceful dream to take him away from his awful reality, and he had been rudely awakened.
The farmer lived a bit away from the village, so the soldiers had not reached his place yet, and he knew nothing of the attack on the clan. He had a direct path from his house to the border as well, so he would not even need to pass through the village. All he would be faced with were the soldiers at the border. He truly was the ideal person for the escape plan.
The day before, the biggest problem Maximus had was how to sate his desire for Rosallyn. Today it was how to escape the clan before his head was put on a pike. He had kissed her in the darkness of the barn because he knew that if he did not act in that moment, he would not get another chance to do so again. It was a desperate kiss, one mingled with her tears, as they both expressed the things they wished to say but had no time to.
He had not expected that he would find love when he made his escape from the attack. He had been hopeless and in despair, having lost everything he cared about, and betrayed by all those who were left. He had not thought that he could ever be happy again. Rosallyn had healed his wounds; those on his body as well as those on his heart. He had found a reason to smile again, a reason to live, to fight and win.
“Sir, would ye like to take the horse?” Rosallyn’s voice was saying. He could hear her conversation with the farmer from his hiding place. Did she want to give the farmer Barny? This way, he would be able to take Barny with him after all. He was worried, however. Barny was not any regular horse. He was a very good horse. It might raise suspicion that a simple farmer had a nobleman’s horse with him.
He could not voice his concerns to her at this point, however; all he could do was hope that everything worked out in his favor.
“Eh?! Are ye sure miss? This is a very well-bred horse. I can nae afford to buy it from ye,” the farmer was saying.
“Nay, I dae nae mean that ye should buy it. I am givin’ it to ye. I have nae use for it, to be honest. Perhaps ye may use him to draw yer cart. He is stronger than yer own horses, so he would surely be of help,” she said.
The farmer took the horse with many thanks, and he heard him walk away with Barny. He wondered if Rosallyn had left as well until he heard her voice.
“Good luck, Maximus. I will be waitin’ for ye,” she said quietly, and without waiting for his response, he heard her footsteps as she walked away. The cart began to move after that, and he took a breath to calm himself. It was finally happening, and he still had not fully woken up yet.
He would not get to have breakfast with her for the first time in days, and he found himself missing it. He had grown so attached in such a short period. He was filled with gratitude for how much she had done for him, how well she had taken care of him, nursing him back to health and even helping him to escape. He would certainly go back for her and avenge all that they had both lost.
The cart rolled to a stop, halting his thoughts as he realized that they had reached the border. He could hear muffled voices, but he could not pick out what those who were speaking said. He strained to hear what was being said.
"A farmer, eh, and what is a farmer doin' with such a fine horse?" His eyes widened as he realized that what was happening was exactly what he had worried about.
"It was a gift…" the farmer was saying, even as another voice spoke
"Leave the old man alone. He always crosses this border every day with nothin' but his hay. I have been here longer than ye, so I ken that he is nae anybody suspicious. There is nay need to waste any time on him," a second voice said.
It seemed that the original Mackay guard who had always been stationed at the border was a turncoat as well and was now working alongside a new guard who was a Ross soldier.
It was easy to tell the difference, Ross soldiers would have no respect or mercy for the Mackay citizens, but the traitors would be nicer to the citizens since they were still their people.
Maximus gave a prayer of thanks that it was not two Ross soldiers instead.
"Oi, what makes ye think that ye can tell me who is suspicious or nae?" the first guard spat, and Maximus heard a scuffle. His brow raised at that, were they fighting?
"Ye are nothin' but a coward who betrayed yer clan, yet ye talk to me as though we are equals. I have been placed here to supervise ye. Dae ye understand? Ye are nae trusted, so dae nae make me begin to question yer loyalty," the Ross soldier was saying.
"Please, dae nae fight. I am nae doin' anythin' wrong. The horse was truly a gift," the old man stammered, obviously scared. The soldiers were ignoring him completely it seemed.
"Dae ye understand?" came the Ross soldier's voice again.
"Aye, I understand," the Mackay traitor responded in defeat.
Maximus pressed his lips together. This was to be expected. In situations like these, traitors were never fully trusted. They were despised by both sides as turncoats and would never be comfortable again. For every position of power a traitor was put in, the usurper would have one of his own nearby, watching them for the slightest mistake, so that they could be disposed of.
Maximus almost felt sorry for the Mackay traitor. He sounded miserable. He wondered what he had been offered to make him betray his clan. Gold? No, it did not seem like it. If it were, then he would not still be working as a border soldier and sounding so miserable. His life, maybe? That was more plausible. If he was threatened with death if he did not submit, it made sense the state that he was in.
"Good. Now if ye understand, go check the cart for anything suspicious in the hay." The malicious words the Ross soldier spat drew Maximus out of his thoughts and back to the present trouble.
Check the hay? It was obvious that the Ross guard was just doing it to be spiteful and did not truly believe that anyone was hiding in the hay, but Maximus felt his heart begin to race. If the hay was checked, he would be discovered. That would spell trouble and not just for him, but the innocent old farmer as well.
Please dae nae let them find me.
He held his breath as the Mackay traitor began check the hay. There was a lot of hay piled both on top and around him, so Maximus knew he should not be so worried while the soldier searched, but he was still worrying, trying to work out a different plan on how he would escape if he was discovered.
He was lucky, however. The soldier did not do a thorough job at all, barely tapping the hay before responding that there was nothing there. He let out a relieved breath once the cart began to move again. He had narrowly made it through, with his horse and his life intact. He was now truly beginning the journey to get help and return to save his people and his clan, and it was all thanks to Rosallyn.
