by Paula Mabbel
“It’s okay, Sophia, you will get through this,” her father said as he stroked her long hair slowly and softly.
“I’ve put our clan in danger,” Sophia said desperately, as she realized what Jamie’s betrayal really meant.
“Our clan has always been and will always be in danger, Sophia, you must not blame yourself.” Her father spoke sternly with a shake of his head and firm, supportive eyes.
*******
Jamie could smell the thick plumes of smoke in the air, as he scanned the faces of the men in front of him. Sophia’s clan had been expecting the attack, and that had been a great deal of relief to Jamie, who had been worried about them being attacked unexpectedly with no chances of success. He’d managed to break free from the leader of his clan a short while before, when he had entered into a fight with a broad-shouldered man, who Jamie knew as the cook.
Jamie was looking for Sophia, but he couldn’t find her. He wondered for a moment whether her father had sent her away from the battle, but for some reason he couldn’t believe that Sophia would agree to that. He scanned the wall of tents that lined the back of the settlement and then noticed how Sophia’s seemed to flicker with internal movement.
He made his way over to her tent quickly and walked inside before anybody else could see. “Sophia?” he asked into the darkness.
“How could you?” a timid voice asked from the shadows.
“Sophia, I didn’t do this. You have to believe me,” Jamie said quickly.
“I don’t have to believe anything you ever say to me again,” Sophia said sternly. “How could you lead your clan here? How could you risk our lives when we did nothing but help you?” she asked him with a desperate voice. She couldn’t help her tone; she was desperate to understand how Jamie could be so cold hearted.
“My clan heard about our meeting at the clan gathering. They told me that I had to learn the secrets of your clan, otherwise they would have killed you the day you had come to meet me,” Jamie tried to explain. “They beat me so that you would believe they had turned their backs on me and then I was supposed to go back when I had learned enough to secure their victory.”
“And that’s just what you did, huh?” Sophia spat at him. “You ran back to them like a good little boy and told them everything. Did you tell them about us? Did you laugh about the fact that I loved you? Did you laugh about the fact that I was too stupid to see through your lies?” she demanded to know.
“I never lied to you about how I felt, Sophia,” Jamie said tenderly. “The night that we shared together was too much for my conscience to take. I had to go back and try to bargain for your clan. I tried to stop my clan from attacking. I tried to do the right thing,” he pleaded with Sophia.
“How do you expect me to believe you after this?” Sophia asked him in a broken voice that matched the shattered feeling in her heart.
“You just have to,” Jamie said, because he didn’t know what else to say. He stopped and listened as footsteps started to approach the tent. His eyes darted over to Sophia, who was watching the entrance to the tent with her full attention. The cloth moved and a hand appeared, followed by a body.
“Jamie, you found her,” the clan leader said with a mocking sneer. “Good job.”
“You need to stop this,” Jamie said with a level voice as he turned to look at his leader.
“Oh, but don’t you understand? I can’t stop this. Only you can.” The leader spoke through an evil grin that made all of Jamie’s blood run cold in his veins.
Jamie reached out and took the sword out of his leader’s hands. It felt heavy and weighted, as he pulled it over to his body.
“You need to do what is best for your clan now,” the leader said, as his eyes shot over to Sophia.
Jamie took a deep breath and turned to look at Sophia. Her eyes were wide with fright and it broke Jamie’s heart to see her look at him like that. He couldn’t understand how she could ever think that he would harm her, but then again, his leader had just given him a sword, so clearly his plan had been well hidden by his stony face.
He turned quickly back to his clan leader. “You’re right. I need to do what is best for my clan.” With a nod, he thrust the sword forward and pushed it through the leader’s stomach.
The leader fell to his knees as his eyes gazed down to the sword. “You’re a traitor,” he spat, as blood started to trickle out of the corner of his mouth.
“Only to you,” Jamie said firmly, as he pulled the sword back into his hands and then turned to look at Sophia. “We need to end this battle now,” he said quickly, and then he turned and walked straight back out of the tent and into the fight, which was happening all around him.
*******
Sophia smiled as she looked over at Jamie. He had been sitting with her father for the last hour, as they discussed wedding plans. The wedding had been delayed, of course, when Sophia had found out that she was carrying a child. She’d always had her heart set on wearing her mother’s gown and she couldn’t stand the idea of not fitting into it.
Many months had passed since the battle at the settlement. When Jamie had killed his old leader, that had lifted him into the position of power and he had called back his clan straight away. There was by some miracle only one life lost that day, and it had been the that of the man who had insisted on going to war.
Since the battle, the two clans had united under their new leadership. Jamie had stood to the side and allowed Sophia’s father to take the reins, but only under the condition that her father would teach Jamie everything there was to know about being a good leader, so that one day he might step up and take his place.
It seemed that at last there was peace between the warring clans and somehow Sophia had managed to bring them together with nothing more than her beautiful heart.
*****
THE END
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Warrior Of The Highland
Abi walked out into the small settlement that her clan had built up the night before. The fire was already being fed by two of the younger soldiers, but it was still bitterly cold. She shivered and felt strands of her auburn hair fall out of the clips she had placed them in. She walked out into further into the camp with her arms tightly crossed against her chest.
People were already starting to rise. The sound of swords clashing in the distance told her that there were already people out practicing. That was a good thing; her clan needed more people like them. They all had a heavy battle ahead of them and if they weren’t prepared, many would die. She tried to push that thought out of her head, as she made her way over to her father’s tent.
She could hear his deep voice booming from beyond the walls, so she didn’t bother to call out before entering. She walked in and stopped, as she took in two other people other than her dad. She examined their faces to find familiarity, but there were none. They were strangers and it was a dangerous time to be a stranger.
“Father, who are these men?” Abi asked without greeting him.
“Oh, Abi, I see you’re awake.” Her father said brightly as he stood up and walked over to her. “I would like to introduce you both to my daughter.” He said as he rested his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in.
“Should you not introduce them to me?” Abi said growing ever more agitated at being left out of the loop.
“Of course, this is Douglas and Alistair.” Her father said, as he pointed first to the dark haired man who looked like a brute and then to his smaller sidekick whose hair glowed fire red.
“Might I have a moment alone with my father?” Abi asked both the men without looking at either one of them. She waited for them to leave, but they didn’t move. She looked ov
er and scowled at them. “Have you manners? I said leave.” Abi said, and she held the eyes of the brutish looking one, so that he knew she meant it.
He nodded and then walked out of the tent with the red haired man following him. Abi waited for a moment after they had left, so that she could be sure that she wouldn’t be overheard. “What business do you have bringing strangers into our camp?” Abi said sternly. “We are going to war father, we cannot simply trust whoever walks past.” She cried out in frustration.
“Abi, restrain yourself.” Her father said sternly. “I am the leader of this clan and I know what’s best for it. These men aren’t strangers, I’ve known them for some time and one of them is to be your husband.” He finished.
Abi shook her head. “I think you’re mistaken father.” She said quickly.
“Abi, our clan has no hope of victory without others on our side. A marriage is the fastest way to unite two clans, and you are of an age now where it can be arranged.” He explained.
“And what about what I have to say? What about what I want?” Abi said, because she couldn’t believe that her father would really do this to her.
“This is for the good of the clan Abi; I cannot put your individual needs above the greater good.” He said and he shook his head sadly.
“You think that a forced marriage is for the greater good of the clan?” Abi asked him with shock.
“What else is there to do child?” Her father said. “I cannot ask my men to walk into the battle if I know for sure that they will never walk out again. I have to protect them. I have to make sure that I bring them home and back to their families.”
“You can do that without forcing me to wed someone I don’t love.” Abi said desperately.
“I’m afraid, daughter that this is the only option left.” Her father said. “I’m not giving you any choice in the matter anyway. I am your father and the leader of this clan and you will do as I say.” He said.
“You can’t do this.” Abi said, shaking her head.
“It has already been agreed.” Her father replied quickly. “You are to marry Alistair at dusk tomorrow evening and our clans will fight side by side in the war.” He explained.
“You can’t force me to do this.” Abi said quickly. She was angry. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest and her tongue waiting, poised to snap back to whatever her father had to say.
“Abi, I’m not asking you to do this for me. I’m asking you to do this for the men outside of this tent, who have come here to fight for their freedom. I need you to do this for them. I need you to make a sacrifice, so that their sacrifice isn’t their lives. Can’t you do that?” He asked her with pleading eyes.
Abi didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. She had been ready to argue back to nearly anything that he had to say, but she couldn’t argue back to that. The clan would one day be her responsibility and if she was ever going to lead them, then she had to put their happiness before her own.
“Aye, I can do that.” Abi said, as the defeat flooded to her eyes and she dropped them to the floor.
“You have a good heart, Abi.” Her father said warmly.
“Well, then it’s a deep shame that it will never feel love.” Abi said bitterly and then she turned to leave the tent before her father could say anything else to her. She could feel the eyes of the two strangers on her, as she made her way across the camp and back to her tent, but refused to look at them. She was too angry. She was too sad.
*******
Abi spent the rest of the day in her tent and refused to come out, until the roar of conversation had died down and she was sure that most of the clan had retired to their tents. She pulled open the door in her tent and looked out into the darkening scene. The fire was almost at the point of being purely embers, but they were burning brightly enough to see that she would be totally alone if she went out.
She had been wrestling her with her thoughts and emotions all day. She knew what had to be done was for the best of her clan. She knew that as their future leader, she couldn’t be selfish in her choices, but that didn’t stop the numbing feeling that was spreading through her. She’d always had this dream about falling in love and marrying because of that. She had always figured that she would meet someone one day and she would just know, but obviously she had been wrong.
She sighed with frustration and sat down on one of the stones that had been brought over for use as a stool. She had no choice, she had to do it. It didn’t matter how sad it made her. It didn’t matter how unappealing the red haired man had been to her, she had to do what was best for the many.
“You look upset Abi.” A woman’s voice called out from behind her.
Abi jumped. She had thought that she had been all alone and she hadn’t heard anybody approach. “Hello?” She called out into the darkness as she tried to find the person who had just spoken.
“What’s on your mind?” The voice said again and this time it was right next to her.
Abi’s head spun round and she found herself staring at an elderly woman whom she had never seen before. She looked like a gypsy with tattered clothes and a wild look in her eyes. “Can I help you?” Abi asked her, as she tried to gauge whether she was a threat.
“I doubt it.” The woman laughed madly. “But I think I can help you.”
“Is that so?” Abi asked the clearly deranged woman.
“I would think so.” The woman said.
“And how do you propose on helping me?” Abi asked her curiously.
“I think I can save you from marrying the wrong man.” The old woman cooed.
“What do you know of my marriage?” Abi asked her suspiciously. The news of her quickly impending marriage hadn’t been announced yet, so there was no reason for the woman to know about it.
“I know about a lot of things.” The woman said mysteriously. “For instance I know you’re only getting married to protect your clan.” She said as an example.
“So, you were listening to my conversation earlier?” Abi said as her temper flared.
“Not at all. Like I said, I know things.” The woman said with a small smile.
Abi frowned at her, but she didn’t walk away. There was something about the woman that was intriguing to her and she wanted to know what that was. “What advice do you have then?” She asked her a little impatiently.
“I have no advice girl.” The woman said quickly. “I only have a story to tell you.” She said with a smile and then she sat down on the stone beside Abi and looked into the fire. “There is a legend around here of a great warrior who had led his clan to many victories without ever losing a man to death’s icy grip. He was feared in many lands and because of this, his clan rested in safety for many years before finally someone decided to upset the balance.
His clan went to war, but this time it was different. The night before the war, the warrior found out that his wife had been leading a secret life. She had been feeding information to those that wanted to invade their clan, so that her life would be spared when they did. The warrior was heartbroken by her betrayal. He went into the war the next day, but he had been defeated before his foot touched the soil of the battle ground. He watched all his men die and when finally someone swung a sword at him, he did nothing to stop it.” The woman took a breath.
“So, he died?” Abi asked her with surprise because that wasn’t where she thought the story was going.
“Not exactly.” The woman said with a twinkle in her eyes. “It was said that when the sword struck him, he turned into stone. That’s because his heart had been so broken he was no longer a man and therefore impossible to kill.” She said with a warm smile.
“And how does that help me?” Abi asked her with a small frown because she couldn’t understand what the woman was trying to tell her.
“Well, they say that if a woman goes to his statue and is true with her intentions to protect, then he will wake up from his long stone sleep.” The woman said.
“So, I’m meant to a
ssume this legend is real and that some great warrior is waiting to be awoken somewhere out there in the highlands?” Abi asked with a look of disbelief across her face.
“Well, what other choice do you have lassie?” The old woman asked her. “You can either believe or you can marry a man you do not love. What will it be?”
“And how do you suppose I’d even find the statue?” Abi asked humoring her.
“I think that if you go out looking, then it will find you.” The woman said croakily.
Abi watched as the woman slowly stood up and then started to walk away. “Is that it?” Abi called out into the darkness after her.
“I’m sure it is.” The woman called back, but she didn’t stop walking.
******
Abi walked back to her tent in silence. She could still hear the woman’s voice, though, playing through her thoughts as she pulled back the door and walked into her space. Could she have been telling the truth? Could such a warrior exist and was there any way of finding him, before it was too late and she had to marry the man who was nothing more than a stranger to her?
She looked around the tent, as she tried to formulate an idea. The woman had said that the statue would find her, but that she still had to go out and look. Where should she look? How long should she spend looking, before she could admit to herself that it had been a fool’s errand and nothing more? Could she even take the risk and leave her clan in peril, just so that she might save her heart from a life without love?
She found herself on her feet and pacing. The marriage was only hours away. If she was to leave on her quest then she needed to do it at that moment, otherwise it would be too late. She thought about going and speaking with her father. She thought about trying to explain the legend to him and gaining his support, but she knew that the dream was far flung and that he would only stop her from leaving if he knew about her plans.