Highlander Oath Of The Beast

by Donna Fletcher

  Her last words were carried on the thunder as it rumbled away along with her life. “The heavens accept the curse and will see it done.”

  Chapter 30

  About twenty years later

  Bliss kept her arms around her two sisters as the two men entered the village. There’d been talk for weeks of these men and what their arrival meant. They were there to find a wife for the cursed lord. News had spread rapidly through the clan, alerting all to Lord MacClaren’s intentions. With no noble lord allowing his daughter anywhere near the cursed lord, MacClaren had resorted to looking among the peasants. He had but one son left, his other two sons having met early deaths; one in battle and the other to an illness.

  There was a good reason that no noble or sane woman wanted to wed Rannick MacClaren. His family had been cursed and he had been touched by it, losing three wives in the last six years. One had died in childbirth along with the bairn, one had perished in an accident, and one had collapsed in his arms and died as if the curse had simply struck her down.

  Desperate for his son to wed, Lochlann MacClaren had sent two warriors to scour the land and find his son a wife.

  “They won’t choose us, will they, Bliss?” Elysia asked, her voice as gentle as her soft nature.

  “I’ll not let them take you, Elysia,” Annis said, her hand on the hilt of her knife tucked in the sheath on her belt at her waist and a glint in her eyes that would warn away any sensible person. “And I’ll see them gutted before I let them take me.” She turned brilliant blue eyes on Bliss. “It’s a good thing you’re two ten and two years, well past marriage age and you don’t possess round, child-bearing hips, being so rail thin.”

  “Annis, you’re being cruel,” Elysia scolded.

  “Annis is only speaking the truth,” Bliss said, worried over Annis, not only that she failed to measure her words, but also because she was the most beautiful lass in the village. Her long, flaming red hair highlighted her pale complexion and danced in ringlets around her lovely face. Her blue eyes were as bold in color as her tongue was with her words. And her shapely body caught the eye of every man in the village, wed or not. Fortunately, her sharp tongue kept them at bay. She wasn’t one for womanly chores, but would rather be engaged with the planting of the fields or the building of the shelters or sheds.

  “You think me cruel and I think us lucky, for I don’t want to lose Bliss,” Annis said and quickly turned her head away.

  As strong and determined as Annis was, she had a generous and loving heart and tears often were her enemy, sneaking up on her unexpectedly, and no matter how hard she tried to fight them, they would often fall, annoying her.

  “You’re right.” Elysia sighed and looked to Bliss. “I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

  “And you don’t have to,” Bliss assured her. “Annis is right. No one will look my way so there is no worry for me.”

  She wasn’t sure if she needed to worry about Elysia. She wasn’t as beautiful as Annis, but she was pretty with soft green eyes and thick, long, light brown hair that fell to the middle of her back. She often wore it piled on the top of her head with two combs that couldn’t contain it all, leaving several strands to fall around her face and down her neck. Her narrow hips and small breasts would be a worrisome sign to some wise women who deliver bairns, thinking her woman passageway far too narrow for the bairn to slip through and her breasts too small to provide sufficient milk. But she never found that a problem with all the bairns she’d delivered. She, however, didn’t want to think about how uncomfortable it might be for Elysia when it came to coupling if she should meet a large man. Elysia also preferred the quiet. She avoided loud, boisterous people and large congregations. She enjoyed stitching and could get lost in it for hours. Many came to her with garments they thought beyond repair and when she got done, no one could tell it had been repaired.

  She couldn’t rule out that the two men might take interest in Elysia, but she was more worried about Annis. She had no worries for herself since Annis had been right. No one would look her way, her features nothing to speak of, and she didn’t want them to. She probably would never wed and have bairns of her own, though she would love to, sometimes the thought upset her since she enjoyed raising Annis and Elysia after their mum had died ten years ago. She had barely turned twelve, but she was all her sisters had, their da dying a year before their mum. Elysia had been seven years and Annis eight years. She had quickly taken on the role of their mum and raised them with love and care just as their mum would have done.

  One day they would wed good men, she would see to it, and she would help them raise their bairns.

  “Don’t look at the men,” Bliss warned.

  Elysia already had her eyes cast down, but Annis stuck her chin up defiantly and glared at the two men. It worried Bliss when the gray-haired man held her gaze far too long.

  When the men rode past, Bliss turned to Annis. “And what if your defiance gets you a marriage to the cursed lord?”

  “I won’t marry him,” Annis declared with confidence.

  “And how will you stop it?” Bliss asked, putting nothing past Annis.

  “I’ll marry someone else first.”

  Bliss shook her head. “And who would that be?”

  “I don’t know, but I better start looking just in case,” Annis said and set off determined.

  That gave Bliss thought. Perhaps it would be wise to find her two sisters husbands, men that would keep them safe, and men from the clan so that her sisters wouldn’t be taken away from her.

  “It was a wasted effort,” Annis complained, sopping up the last of the delicious fish stew with a chunk of bread Bliss had prepared for supper. “This was really tasty, Bliss. I’m glad Chieftain Emory doesn’t know how well you cook or he’d steal you away to work endless hours in the keep’s kitchen.”

  “So your hunt proved fruitless, Annis?” Elysia asked, nibbling on the last of her bread.

  “Dismal,” Annis admitted. “There’s not a man among the clan who would make a good husband.”

  “You mean a husband who will follow your dictate.” Elysia chuckled.

  “What’s wrong with that?” Annis snapped. “I’m more intelligent than most men, so why shouldn’t I command instead?”

  Elysia sighed. “It’s not the way of things.”

  Annis went to argue and Bliss stopped her. “Elysia speaks the truth as you did today about me. You can’t get angry at the truth whether you agree with it or not. It seems to be a woman’s lot in life to obey her husband unless you can find a man who thinks otherwise, and that, I’m afraid, is unlikely.”

  “Then I won’t wed,” Annis said.

  Bliss gripped her hands gently and rested them on the table in front of her. “I have been giving thought to marriage.”

  “You’ve been giving thought to marriage?” Annis looked aghast and shook her head. “You can’t wed. What will happen to Elysia and me?”

  Bliss hurried to assure them, seeing that Elysia had paled considerably. “Not me marrying, you two finding husbands.” Her hand shot up when they both looked to protest. “Let me finish before you argue with me. And let me say that you both know I would never force you into any marriage.”

  Both women nodded, worry draining from their faces.

  “Everyone worries that a woman will be chosen from the clan to wed Rannick MacClaren and I certainly don’t want it to be either of you. One way to ensure that and to make certain you find husbands that will suit you is to search for a husband for yourselves.” Bliss stopped Annis from speaking once again. “I know you looked today, but a couple of hours today will not find you a husband. Besides, it’s important to know what you each want and don’t want in a husband before you even look.”

  “Like Annis not wanting a husband who will dictate to her,” Elysia said.

  “Or a husband that is loud and boisterous for Elysia,” Annis countered.

  “So true,” Elysia agreed.

  “And you were r
ight for me as well,” Annis said.

  “I’m sure you both also thought of having bairns of your own.” Bliss laughed. “That’s not possible without a husband.”

  Annis wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know if I’d like what needs doing for a man’s seed to grow inside me, but I have thought about bairns of my own. I’d love to teach my daughter things that most wouldn’t think to teach a lass. And I’d raise my son not to dictate to his wife.”

  “I’d love to have bairns of my own, but I fear having them. I know what the women say about me. I’m too petite to accept a man between my legs.” Elysia blushed. “And perhaps they’re right, but I worry more when I hear them say I would not survive childbirth.”

  “You’ve helped Bliss deliver plenty of bairns,” Annis said with a look to Bliss to ease Elysia’s worry.

  If there was one thing Bliss never did, it was lie to her sisters. They had the right to the truth and she spoke It now. “I’ve never found small women having any more of a problem with their deliveries than larger ones. Small or large, one never knows what to expect when a bairn is ready to be born. And I’ll be there to make sure you do well.”

  “So will I,” Annis said.

  Elysia chuckled. “You fainted the one and only time you insisted on helping Bliss deliver a bairn.”

  “I did,” Annis said as if only remembering. “I won’t with you. I won’t let myself faint. I’ll stay with you all the way through the delivery.”

  “That’s so thoughtful, Annis, but what about when you deliver a bairn of your own?” Elysia asked.

  “That’s different. I don’t have to see what’s happening down in the nether region. I only have to deal with the pain and that I’ll conquer,” Annis said confidently.

  Bliss couldn’t help but smile. Annis believed she could conquer anything if she put her mind to it and Bliss wondered if one day she might discover something that was unconquerable.

  “Now that we have that settled, what do you think about finding husbands for yourselves?” Bliss asked.

  “I think it a wise idea,” Elysia said, a slight frown replacing her smile. “The clan women have warned me that I don’t grow any younger and I should wed soon and that younger women than me are already wed and have bairns.”

  “Who? Who said that? I’ll go tell them to—”

  Elysia quickly interrupted, “I thanked them for their advice.”

  “You’re far too sweet,” Annis warned, shaking her head. She stopped suddenly and her eyes popped wide. “What did they say about me since I’m almost two years older than you.”

  Elysia remained silent, her lips tightly locked.

  “You better tell me,” Annis threatened.

  Elysia easily surrendered knowing her sister was owed the truth. “They say you will never wed, that no man wants you.”

  Elysia drew back in her chair, thinking fire might spew from Annis’ eyes at any moment.

  “I’ll show those gossiping hags. I’ll find a husband, and a good one at that,” Annis said with a firm nod as if it confirmed it.

  “I’m glad you both agree. I want to see you both happy,” Bliss said.

  “But what of you, Bliss?” Elysia asked. “Don’t you wish to wed and have bairns of your own?”

  “Let’s not discuss that now. It’s important you two wed and start your lives with your own families. As long as you stay close by where we can still be family, then nothing else matters.”

  Annis pounded her fist on the table. “That’s at the top of my list for a husband. He must be part of this clan so that we three stay together.”

  Elysia hurried and agreed.

  “Good,” Bliss said relieved, fearful of losing her sisters. “Now is there any man in the clan that either of you might favor?”

  “What if the two men who arrived today chose one of us before we can find a husband?” Elysia asked.

  “We have time,” Bliss assured her. “You both know, Lendra, a servant in the keep. She made sure to spread the word of what she heard. They are here to see if anyone might suit their need and to report back to Lord MacClaren. The two are going to some other clans as well, so there is time for us to see this done.”

  “I heard tell that two other clans were also affected by this curse that has cost the lives of two of Lord MacClaren’s three sons,” Annis said.

  “What is this curse that has brought such heartache to the Clan MacClaren?” Elysia asked.

  Annis shook her head. “I don’t know, and if anyone does know they won’t dare speak of it for fear it will somehow touch them.”

  “And it is better we don’t speak of it so it doesn’t touch us,” Bliss warned.

  Annis and Elysia nodded.

  “Instead of telling me if there is anyone you favor in the clan, tell me what you each want in a husband,” Bliss said.

  Elysia and Annis talked over one another with their list until Bliss halted them both with a loud “STOP!”

  The two sisters laughed.

  “You go first, Annis,” Elysia offered and Annis was only too happy to oblige.

  “I want a strong man but not a stubborn one. He also has to be clean. I can’t abide the stink of some of the men in the clan.”

  “I agree wholeheartedly,” Elysia said.

  “I thought you were mean when you made me wash more than the other children, but I’m so grateful you did,” Annis said, then laughed. “We’re so clean that it makes even a slight stink unbearable. So definitely no stinky husband. I also don’t want a man who expects me to obey his every word or submit to his every whim.” She lowered her voice as if afraid someone might hear her. “I heard some women talk about how demanding their husbands are in bed.” She scrunched her nose. “I couldn’t put up with that.”

  Bliss lifted her hand and pointed to each finger as she listed what Annis wanted in a husband. “Strong husband. Not stubborn. Not stinky. Not one who expects you to obey his every word or whim. And not one who demands when it comes to coupling. Is that all?”

  “No drinking himself senseless.”

  “Aye, definitely not that,” Elysia agreed.

  “And at least some intelligence,” Annis added. “I’d like to have decent talks with him.”

  Bliss nodded. “No heavy drinker and some intelligence. Now you must keep all those things in mind when you look for a husband and I will do the same as I search for one that might suit you.” She turned to Elysia. “Your turn.”

  “I don’t want a man so large that he looks as if he’ll consume me,” she said with a shiver. “I prefer him to be slim and not too tall since I’m short. He doesn’t need to talk much, since I prefer things quiet. I’d like him to be thoughtful and gentle.” She shook her head. “No warrior. No man so skillful with a sword he’s feared.” She shivered again. “I wouldn’t mind if he worked one of the crofts, where it would be quiet, though it would have to be a short distance from the village.” She smiled at Bliss. “So I could come and spend time with you every day.”

  Bliss returned the smile and held up her hand to once again point at her fingers as she listed what type of husband Elysia wanted. “No large man. Slim and not too tall. Doesn’t talk much. Likes the quiet. Thoughtful and gentle. Definitely no warrior. Not overly skillful with a sword. Can live in one of the crofts but a short walk to the keep.”

  “How about that man who moved into one of the crofts about a month ago? He stays to himself and doesn’t say much when he comes to market day,” Annis said. “I think someone mentioned he was a friend of Chieftain Emory.” Annis’s eyes went wide. “Saber. I heard someone say his name is Saber.”

  Elysia shook her head. “I saw him briefly. He’s far too large and too thick with muscles. He’d easily squash me with one hug.”

  “Maybe he’s thoughtful and gentle,” Annis said with a teasing smile.

  Elysia didn’t find her sister amusing, shaking her head as she cast her eyes down at the table top. “How can a man that large be gentle? No, I have no interest in him.�
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  “How about Moray?” Bliss suggested, seeing how upset the thought of the large man affected her sister and sent Annis a scolding look.

  Annis at least looked contrite and attempted to help ease her sister’s upset. “Moray might not be bad for you, Elysia. He’s not too tall and he’s thin and he speaks softly. He doesn’t have bad features, though his nose is a bit crooked from Clyde punching him that one time. And he has little skill with a sword preferring bow and arrow and he should since it’s his craft.”

  “I suppose he does have possibilities,” Elysia agreed.

  “But you hesitate,” Bliss said. “Why?”

  “I don’t know.” Elysia shrugged. “He seems nice when he speaks with me.”

  “Why don’t you make an effort to speak with him and see what you think,” Bliss suggested. “In the meantime, we’ll think of others that might suit you, and as for you, Annis.”

  Annis yawned loudly. “I can wait until tomorrow. I’m up with first light. Duff is actually taking some of my suggestions when it comes to the new shed and he wants me there when they start building it tomorrow. Now if only he wasn’t so old. I’d marry him in a minute. He’s a fine looking man and enjoys talking about how buildings go together, and he’s doesn’t stink.”

  “That’s because his wife takes good care of him and he’s good to her,” Bliss said.

  “One thing wouldn’t have worked between you two,” Elysia said with a twinkle in her eyes.

  Curiosity had Annis asking, “What’s that?”

  “He and his wife have six children, which means he likes to couple.” Elysia chuckled.

  Annis wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “Now I’m going to have a difficult time looking at him tomorrow. I’m off to bed and hopeful to forget that you said that.”

  Bliss went to bed after her sisters, a habit of hers, always making sure they were tucked in safely. She laid awake unable to sleep, her mind churning. It might not be too difficult to find a husband for Elysia, but she feared it might be impossible to find a husband for Annis. She had a lot of work to do to see them both safely wed to good men. She fell asleep with prayers on her lips that she would be able to do so.