| |
––––––––
MARRYING FINAGAL PRESENTED a few problems a common man did not have, and it was about these Luke spoke to the priest privately. First, he should, but decided not to tell his bride who he really was, for fear she might change her mind. That, he could never allow. Second, he could not give his full name without giving his whereabouts away. Yet he needed assurance the marriage would be valid. The priest agreed to write the real names on the parchment, in English, so no one else could read it. Lastly, he had to convince Finagal to marry him quickly, for he knew not when his father would send for him. The last was the hardest, but he managed, and the very next evening they were married.
No matter what they did, Callum could not be cheered up. He led the way toward home in silence, spoke little when they stopped to rest the horses and it was not until the second night after they finished their evening meal that Graw dared to bring up the subject.
“Are we to say nothing about Kylie ever again?”
“What is there to say?” asked Callum.
Tavan frowned. “We will be forced to say something when we get home. Mother will know something is amiss the moment she sees the look on your face.”
“Is it that apparent?” As soon as Tavan nodded, Callum looked away. “If I knew she was safe, I could manage it better. Never have I felt so alone. It is as though part of me is missing and I cannot find it.”
Graw felt Patrick put his arm around her and was glad to lean against him. She thought long and hard about what she could say to relieve his agony, without breaking her pledge. “Perhaps...perhaps it would help if you knew she did not run from...but to.”
“To another husband?” Tavan guessed.
Graw smacked her brother-in-law’s arm. “You are not helpful.”
“I wondered the same,” said Callum.
“I assure you, Kylie does not have another husband,” Graw said.
Callum took a deep breath. “At least I do not have that worry.”
*
KYLIE FOUND HER SISTER just where she expected, sitting in a field of spring flowers with her hand out feeding grain to a fawn. Grazing not far away, the doe glanced at the fawn and unconcerned, went back to nibbling on the tempting flowers.
Animals were never afraid of the gentle Laura. It was as if they knew something the rest of the world did not know. Once, Laura befriended a gray wolf. Kylie was terrified, but even the wolf sensed there was something special about Laura and did not harm her.
Kylie quietly slid down off her horse, hoping not to frighten the fawn away. Alas, the horse moved, the fawn noticed and both of the deer sprinted out of the meadow.
“Kylie!” Laura shouted, quickly getting to her feet and running to her sister with both arms wide open. Her hair was as dark as Kylie’s, her blue eyes were bright and her smile could not have been bigger.
Laura’s hug was tight and when she did not let go for a long, long time, neither did Kylie. “I have missed you so. Are you well?”
Laura finally took a step back. “Aye.”
“You have grown, look at you.” She held Laura’s hands and looked her up and down. Indeed, her sister was fully developed and it appeared she had come none too soon. “Where is Aunt Moreck?”
Laura abruptly began to pout. “She would not wake up?”
“Do you mean she died?”
“What is died?”
“It is when one does not wake up. How long has it been?”
“One whole day.”
Kylie couldn’t help but smile. For Laura, everything took one whole day. This time she looked her sister over a little more carefully to see how thin she was. There was no way to tell how long it had been since Laura’s last meal, yet she did not look that bad. “You need a bath, but it will have to wait. Is Aunt Moreck yet in the cottage?”
“Nay, the lads took her to heaven.”
Kylie was immediately alarmed. “What lads?”
“The good lads.”
One of the things Kylie worried about most was that some man would come along and take advantage of Laura, yet getting a straight answer out of her sister was not easily done. That too could wait. For now, her main concern was getting them away where their father could not find them. She grabbed the reins to her horse, took Laura’s hand, and walked them up the path to her aunt’s well-hidden cottage in the trees. Then she stopped, tied the horse, and made Laura wait outside.
Concerned the good men had not truly taken her aunt’s body away, she feared what she would find inside and cautiously opened the door. To her relief, no putrid odor greeted her and soon, she stepped inside. The place was a mess and it appeared Laura had been alone for quite some time. She gathered extra clothing and bedding, and then stuffed them in a cloth sack. When she glanced outside, Laura and the horse were getting along famously and it too made her smile. How she had missed having her sister near, if for no other reason than the joy Laura brought.
Next, Kylie found two dirty bowls and spoons, a burned pot that would have to do, and a second sack to put them in. She looked for food, but all that was left was a small bag of grain, the same grain Laura had been feeding the fawn.
Kylie took a moment to breathe. Her timing had been perfect, for in a few days Laura would have been completely without. It occurred to her she had Callum to thank for helping her escape their father, but that too, she could think about later. Once more she looked around, spotted her aunt’s weapons on the wall and took down the sword still in its sheath. Except for her dagger, she had nothing to protect them with and gladly tied the sword around her waist.
Finished, she carried the bags outside, tied them together and hung them over the horse’s back. Then she helped Laura mount, got on behind her, and turned the horse around.
“Where do we go?” Laura asked.
“Home.”
“Where is home?”
“Where Father is not.”
“Good, I do not like Father.”
“Nor do I.”
*
ARM IN ARM AND TAKING their afternoon walk, Luke and Finagal had enjoyed nearly two days of married bliss before the sound of thundering horses, and the frantic whistling began to spread from the lower part of the glen toward the MacGreagor keep. Instantly, Keter and Blair ran to protect Luke, while Sawney shouted orders for all his other men to do the same.
The terrified women grabbed their children and ran for the trees. Just as Finagal turned to go help her mother, forty of the king’s men rode into the glen.
“‘Tis alright, my love.” Luke said. “They are on our side.”
Finagal was shaking, but she trusted him and stayed. However, when the king’s men dismounted, walked forward, and knelt before Luke, her fear quickly turned to bewilderment. Next, Sawney turned to face Luke and also knelt. So did Keter and Blair, and one by one, the MacGreagors began to kneel.
Her greatest shock was yet to come. A servant came forward and handed Luke a crown. It was then Finagal began to back away.
“Rise,” said Luke.
Finagal blankly stared at her husband.
“Love, I tried to tell you, but...”
“You...you...are a prince?” He reached out his hand, but she took another step back. “Then I am...?”
“You are Princess Finagal and one day you shall be my queen.”
The words sounded so foreign, she could not grasp his meaning. At last, she took her eyes off her husband and looked at all the people watching her. The people she loved most in the world were either still in shock or grinning. “Did they all know?” she asked her husband.
“Nay, only three.”
“He says the truth,” Sawney said.
Luke turned to the guard nearest him. “My father?”
“He is well,” the guard answered. “‘Twas Irvine who did the killing. He sought the crown for himself and confessed all of it before he died.”
“Irvine? I never would have thought he was the one.” When he looked, Finagal had gone to talk to her mother and it was probably best to let her have a moment to take it all in.
“My sons?” Sawney could not help but ask.
“They too are well. You’ve quite a surprise coming, but I best let them tell you. My men are tired; may we rest in your glen?”
Sawney smiled. “Of course, we shall have a feast.”
Luke turned to watch his wife wring her hands as she talked with her mother. How heartless it had been not to give her some sort of warning and selfish too, just because he wanted to savor the moments of a normal life in this peaceful world. He could see that now. He wanted to go to her and beg forgiveness, but he was a prince again and a prince could not appear weak, even for the sake of a wife. He turned his attention back to the conversation between Sawney and his guards, and tried to ignore Finagal. She would come around, they were already married and she had no choice.
Once they heard there was to be a feast for the prince and his princess, the clan scattered. The women rushed off to bake more bread, the men gathered tables and chairs to put in the courtyard and the children went back to playing their games, until one or the other was called to help with the work. The king’s men went to brush down, water and feed their horses. Then they piled their sacks of bedding in the middle of the glen, went to meet the people and anticipated filling their empty stomachs.
There would not be a shortage of gossip in the world of the MacGreagors for many weeks to come.
*
IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN and on a quiet afternoon, it was easy to hear the pounding of several horses. Instinctively, the triplets hurried their horses into the trees and surrounded Graw to keep her safe. On the other side of the river, they watched as the king’s men crossed one by one.
“‘Tis my brother Princely,” Graw whispered.
“And Finagal,” Patrick muttered.
“Aye,” said Callum as he led them back out of the trees and onto the path.
At first, the king’s men were alarmed, but Luke soon recognized them. “Stow your weapons, lads.” They did as he commanded while he threaded his way through the warriors to the front. “You are well I see, yet you have snatched my sister, Graw.”
Tavan grinned, “And you have snatched our Finagal.”
“Nay, I have married her.”
“What?” Patrick asked. When he looked, Finagal was beaming with happiness. She looked like a woman in love, just as she should.
Luke got down off his horse, walked to Graw, lifted her down and took her to meet Finagal. “This is as close to a sister as I will ever have. Graw, this is our future Queen.”
When Graw curtsied, it embarrassed Finagal. “Nay, my future queen, you must hold your chin thusly.” Graw stuck her nose in the air and laughed when Finagal tried to mimic her.
“Do not believe a word of it, wife.” Luke took Graw back to her horse, hugged her and lifted her back up. “I shall miss you dreadfully.”
“I shall miss you too. It took some doing, but I have a husband now. Therefore, we both must get on without each other, somehow.”
“You married one of them? Which?”
“Patrick.”
Patrick watched to see how Finagal would react and he was relieved when she smiled and nodded her approval. As soon as the prince got back on his horse, the triplets moved to the side of the path and watched them pass.
Graw watched until they were out of sight and was still watching when Patrick moved his horse up next to hers. “We are nearly home?”
“Truly? I cannot wait to get off this horse. I love to ride, but three days is too much.”
*
THE SIGHT OF THE TRIPLETS coming home brought cheers from the clan. Several people rushed to greet them, all wanting to tell them about the prince and Finagal. Yet it was their parents the triplets most wanted to see. At last in the courtyard, Patrick lifted Graw down and gave Mackinzie her first daughter-in-law. Mackinzie was thrilled but Sawney was a bit more reserved. He was not convinced any of them were ready to marry.
The triplets had returned just in time for the noon meal. As they ate, Sawney told them all about the prince, and how shocked the clan was when they discovered who he really was. Mackinzie made certain Graw sat next to her and smiled often. It was so good to have her sons home again.
Patrick could hardly hold his tongue, but he waited until the meal was finished and his father finally stopped talking. He was eager to have his say before his brothers and quickly said, “The king’s men captured Tavan.”
Tavan glared at his brother, “I will tell him, Patrick.”
Sawney raised an eyebrow. “Captured?”
“Father, I am horrified. I pledge it will never happen again. I did not...I mean, I could not...” Tavan finally hung his head. “I have no excuse.”
Taking pity on her son, Mackinzie quickly changed the subject. “I am so happy to have a daughter-in-law, at last. You must tell me all about the wedding.”
Callum had not said a word. What could he say? Yet the last thing he wanted to hear was his mother fussing over his brother’s wife and not Kylie. He stood up, nodded to his mother and walked out the door.
“What is amiss?” asked Mackinzie. She searched the faces of the other two, but each held their eyes down.
Graw thought she should not, but when did that ever stop her? “Callum married Kylie and she ran off.”
Both Sawney and Mackinzie were immediately upset. “I will go after him,” said Sawney.
“Father, you cannot help Callum,” said Tavan, “We tried all the way home, but he does not listen. He believes he is to blame somehow.”
“Is there nothing we can do? Shall I send men to find her?” Sawney asked.
Patrick shook his head. “Find her where? If we could guess, we would look for her ourselves. Nay, we can do nothing but pray she comes to us.”
“Perhaps I should offer a reward,” said Sawney.
“And force her to come to him?” Tavan asked. “Callum would hate you for it.”
“Does she know how to find us?” ask Mackinzie.
“I pray she does.” Patrick answered. “I try, but I cannot remember if I told her.”
*
CALLUM WAS PLEASANT to the people outside, smiling as they told him how shocked they were to find the prince living among them, but he hardly heard a word. He walked away finally, down the path in the middle of the glen to be alone at last with his worry and his sorrow.
His thoughts had not changed much in the last three days and one thought in particular stuck out above the rest—he should not have left her that first night. Kylie must have thought he cared more about Tavan than he did her. What man abandons a wife on their first night together? Maybe she thought that was the way it would always be. Yet she did not seem upset, even when he returned the next morning, but then, she was well practiced at lying.
She seemed obsessed with what he would say about her past, but he thought he had time to work that out before they returned home. He planned to broach the subject in front of his brothers on the way home, so they could all agree. It would not do for one to say something different than the others.
Perhaps he should not have confessed he saw her lure the men, or he should have tried harder to let her know he had feelings for her. Saying he did not regret marrying her seemed like such a feeble attempt on his part now. Why didn’t he say more? He felt more, a lot more. Kylie was the perfect wife for him and he should have told her so.
He thought about that moment when he told her he did not regret marrying her. He did not take her in his arms, although he had the urge to. Why did he resist such a perfect moment to express his true feelings?
He let himself dream of a life with her. He wanted to watch her brush her hair at night, to hold her in his arms when she cried, and keep her safe and warm. He dreamed of welcoming their first child, of long walks in the glen, and of happy family gatherings with his parents. He let himself dream, now she was gone, and all his dreams were shattered. There was nothing left but a gaping hole in his heart.
*
KYLIE HELD HER STALLION’S reins and walked beside him as he grazed. She looked for berries and mushrooms, but the only berries she found were not yet ripe. Laura seemed content to lie in the grass and watch the fast moving clouds drift by. She was tired of riding, they both were. It was then Kylie decided they would ride in the mornings and rest in the afternoons.
They were away, and safely so where their father could not possibly find them, but now what? Where could they go; they could not wander around forever. Her only hope was to find an abandoned cottage somewhere, and in that part of Scotland, the forests were thick enough to hide several. All she needed to do was find water and then follow it. Yet water also led to villages and that was the last place she could take her sister.
Laura looked so normal, taking her from village to village was not a problem when she was little and they could keep her from talking. As she got older, Laura often got excited and forgot. It was a laird who listened to her chatter, discovered she was feeble minded and put her away.
Most believed people like Laura would beget feeble-minded children and the only way to prevent it was to separate the sexes. It was the law of the land, a very cruel and unfortunate law that all the clans adhered to.
The English did the same, as did the French and the Norsemen, she had heard. Still, the places they were taken to were harsh and not fit for pigs. Kylie should know, she saw for herself when she went to rescue Laura. Never again, she vowed, would anyone put her sister in a place like that. She would kill her precious Laura before she would let her die such a slow, horrible death.
Kylie closed her eyes. Could she really kill Laura, she wondered? On the other hand, if she did not find food and shelter soon, they both might die.
She thought about Callum, the way he walked and the look in his eyes when she let him take her hand. Most often, she thought about the way she wanted to be in his arms when he said he did not regret marrying her. It was not fair to have a glimpse of happiness and then watch it fade away, but who would care for Laura if not her? She missed Callum, but it would pass. Someday, it would pass away into a pleasant, but distant memory.
*
THE FIRST WEEK, CALLUM nearly made himself daft. Each day he rode the path to the river just in case she needed help crossing. Kylie was never there. He looked for signs she had drowned, imagined a million other horrors, and hardly noticed his mother or the needs of his sisters the way he had before. He walked the glen at night and tossed in his bed so often, Sawney gave him a cottage of his own so Tavan could get his rest.
His mother, Callum noticed, hugged him far more often than before, but it didn’t help—nothing did. Sawney finally ordered him to stand guard at night. He might as well, he was up until all hours anyway.
Another week passed, and then two. He found himself sleeping half the day and standing guard at night near the path that led west to the ocean. He would have preferred a post closer to the village where he could watch for Kylie, but Sawney denied him. Eventually, Callum convinced himself it didn’t matter, she was not coming, and he had to live with it somehow.
The third week, he forced himself to become part of the family again. He even laughed occasionally. He took his sisters riding in the afternoons, a sport they thoroughly enjoyed, and swam with them in the loch twice that week. He cleaned his cottage and put Kylie’s brush in a sack. Until then, he held it each night and longed for her, but it was time to put it away. It was time to put his feelings for her away too...if he could.
At the beginning of the fifth week, three of the king’s guards came to assure Finagal’s mother the soothsayer had been wrong. Callum asked, but none of them had seen or heard of a woman named Kylie.
It was done then. Kylie was just a whisper in the night, a shooting star, a morning mist carried away in a gentle breeze. It would be some time before he could marry again, years perhaps after he managed to petition the pope to set her aside. If he were a laird, it would happen far more quickly, but he was not and probably never would be a laird. His brothers were right; he was far too impulsive to be the eldest son of Sawney MacGreagor.
