Once Lachlann was here to stay, I would give him everything he had ever wanted. I anticipated him resisting my gifts and so planned to find tasks for him to do. I would create a new position for him to fill, so that he would feel like he earned the coin I would shower him with.
The style here in Norbroch, with its thick knits and furs, would suit him well. He would look, to an outsider, like a king.
I was sure that Aelwen had already bought Lachlann gifts, to welcome him to the family and the kingdom. She had asked far too many questions about his likes and dislikes to merely be curious.
“Are you ready for today?”
“As ready as I will ever be,” he answered with a smile, his nerves obvious.
“Everything will go to plan,” I promised, wanting him to share my excitement. “Before you know it you will be back in these halls, completely free of the King.”
Lachlann nodded, pulling me back into his arms and placing a kiss on my forehead.
“I can’t help but be nervous. The King won’t hesitate to kill me, should he think I am deserting him.”
“He will not notice. The royals always travel at the front and there will be hundreds of servants and guards in front of you and Alasdair. He may be a fairy, but his vision is not good enough to watch hundreds of humans at once,” I said confidently.
I knew in my heart that the Others would not let us fail, that they would protect true love.
“You are right, Euna,” Lachlann agreed with a sigh.
“My guards and I will reach you fast, you won’t need to hide for long,” Tormod reminded him.
The plan was for Lachlann to leave the group travelling south at one of the locations we had chosen. Each location had a place where he could quickly move off the road and hide before being spotted; be that a forest, under a bridge, behind hills or in a trusted farm.
Tormod, and a small group of guards, would be following behind slowly and would find Lachlann wherever he had stopped to hide. He would be given armour, furs and a horse so that, if they were spotted, he would simply look like another guard.
We had numerous plans so that, even if he could only manage his escape at night, Tormod would be ready for it.
I was glad that Tormod and Lachlann had become somewhat friendly towards each other as Tormod was the only fairy I trusted to bring my love back to me safely.
We embraced for a while longer before our opportunity passed and Lachlann had to join Alasdair to get ready to depart. They were unimportant servants and so would be on foot for the journey.
I could not imagine having to walk such a distance, but it made our plan simpler. A horse without a rider would surely be noticed.
Lachlann leaned in to kiss me one final goodbye, before hesitating to glare at Tormod who laughed and exited the room to give us privacy.
We were both nervous about the next few days and so took our time to enjoy each other, one last time.
“I will see you in a few days,” I whispered, my hands gripping his shirt, unwilling to let him go.
“You will,” he agreed, his arms tight around my waist, equally as unwilling for us to part. “I love you so much.”
“And I love you.”
Far too soon for my liking, we broke apart with one final kiss. I watched him hurry down the hall and out of sight, before heading out to find Aelwen. My throat felt tight and I found myself unable to speak for fear that I would cry.
Aelwen and I lit a small bonfire behind the castle to attract the attention of the Others and hopefully protect Lachlann and Tormod during their journey.
Before last night, we had only ever lit bonfires and given offerings during festivals or births. Never having felt strongly enough about anything to need extra help and reassurance from them.
Today though, I needed help from the highest power.
“It has been an interesting visit,” the King said, inclining his head to Aelwen and I.
A fairy with more respect would have bowed down to the hosts who had graciously housed him for weeks, but he had no respect for anything.
I refused to allow him to anger me as my whole body was already alight with nerves. Aelwen placed her hand on my arm to calm me and replied.
“We have all enjoyed your visit, our agreements are sure to strengthen both of our kingdoms,” she said with a pleasant smile.
“Yes, I am sure they will,” the King said and made to turn and mount his horse before stopping, as if suddenly remembering something.
He gestured to one of his guards, who stepped amidst the column of guards and servants to retrieve something.
I wondered if he had decided to give us a gift in thanks for our hospitality, but my curiosity turned to dread the moment the guard returned.
I watched, horrified, as two guards dragged Lachlann to where the King stood before Aelwen and I, his arms bound tight behind him.
His beautiful face was bruised, so badly that one of his eyes would barely open, and those lips I had kissed not long before were now split and bloody.
He offered me a weak smile as he was forced to his knees before us. Aelwen and Tormod stiffened on either side of me but I was too distressed by the sight of his injured face to move.
“It has come to my attention that this human has been unfaithful to me, his King and so I must deal with his punishment before leaving,” the King said casually, as if talking about merely wanting to buy a loaf of bread, not injure the battered human at his feet.
“I am quite sure there is no need for that,” Aelwen said when it became clear that I could not find words.
“Ah, you two rule so gently. It’s a wonder anyone obeys you. Humans need fear. Fear and pain are the only things that keep them in line,” he said with a malevolent grin.
I found myself staring into Lachlann’s eyes and could almost hear his thoughts in my mind. He looked apologetic, as if this was somehow his fault, and sorry that now it would be more difficult for him to escape.
I hoped the King’s punishment did not injure him too gravely, but I trusted that Tormod could still rescue him during the night.
I tried to convey my love for him through my eyes and hoped that he could be brave and suffer through this pain. I would give him the world once he was safe in my arms, he would never feel pain again.
Aelwen’s gasp shocked me out of my thoughts, just in time to see what the King had planned.
It was as if time slowed down as we watched the King thrust his drawn sword through Lachlann’s defenceless human back and out through his chest.
Lachlann’s eyes went wide with pain and shock, and I felt the world crumble around me.
As quickly as it happened, the King’s sword was back in its sheath and he was mounting his horse, leaving Lachlann swaying on his knees before us.
I ran forward, falling to my knees and pulling him to my chest. I uselessly pressed my hand against his wound, sickened by the feeling of his warm blood, spilling over my fingers and trickling slowly down my arms.
“I am sorry,” I whispered frantically as I pushed on his chest, cursing the Others for not giving me the ability to heal.
I heard the King laughing from upon his horse.
“So, it is true. You fell in love with a human. I wasn’t sure if I should believe what my guards told me, I expected more from you.”
“You will never return to this kingdom,” I heard Aelwen shout from beside me, shocked by the anger in her voice. “Norbroch will never deal with Culhuinn again!”
The King simply laughed, “I am sure you’ll soon regret that when Norbroch needs aid from Culhuinn, but it’s no skin off my back.”
Lachlann coughed painfully in my arms and I watched as blood began to trickle from between his lips as he tried to speak.
“I love you.” he whispered in between hacking coughs and with that, my ability to hold back my sobs vanished.
“No...” I wept, wishing I could somehow stop this. “Please... no. I love you.”
“Get a healer now!”
/> I heard Aelwen shouting to the guards behind them and Tormod calling for supplies to be brought, but I knew it was too late.
The love of my life was bleeding to death at the entrance to my castle and there was not a single thing I could do about it.
Aelwen’s shaking hands joined my futile attempt at stemming the blood flow. I could feel blood, damp and warm, on my skirts and arms. By now the flow was slowing and knew our time was running out.
I placed desperate kisses on his still warm lips not caring about the taste of blood.
“I love you,” I repeated over and over not breaking eye contact with him for a second. “I am sorry. I love you.”
He made one final sound, which I assumed was meant to be my name, before letting out one long pained breath. Then, he moved no more.
The cry I let out hurt my throat and ears but I could not stop it.
Lachlann was dead.
He was dead and he was never coming back to me.
I could hear Aelwen sobbing beside me, apologising for not saving him and for helping us plan this, but I did not care.
How could I ever care about anything again?
The one I loved more than life itself was gone. Journeying to the Otherworld leaving me here alone, shattered without him.
PRESENT DAY
I stood, sweeping my arms across the table, sending the cutlery and glasses smashing to the floor. There were tiny cuts and scratches along my arms, where the glass had cut through my sleeves, but the pain did not bother me. If anything, it helped me feel less numb.
Tormod followed behind me as I rushed out of the room, silently judging me and remembering everything so that he could report back to Aelwen when she returned from her travels.
Not that it mattered.
I ignored everyone we passed, though no one made a move to speak to us. Probably due to my dishevelled appearance and the blood on my hands and arms.
The thought of blood made me shudder and I made a point of not looking. Reliving his death once was bad enough, I did not want to go back to that day again so soon.
I stopped at the room I had been looking for and took a moment to gather my nerves before pushing open the door.
“Stay there,” I murmured to Tormod, closing the door behind me and shutting him out in the hall.
The room was one of the finest in the healer’s wing of the castle. When a member of the royal family became sick, this used to be one of the rooms they stayed in until they were healed. Not anymore.
Now I forbade anyone from entering this room. Aelwen had had trouble stopping me from banishing the last person who entered.
Inside the room there was a bed, where generations of our family’s sick had rested. The room had huge windows, which overlooked the grass outside the back of the castle, and the view of the mountains was spectacular.
This was the room where I had lain with Lachlann in my arms, shortly after his death. I had refused to let him go when Tormod and the healers tried to take him from me.
I screamed at them for being too late and cursed them, as if it was somehow their fault. Aelwen had eventually managed to calm me and persuaded me to carry him inside. Though she did not want us walking through the whole castle.
She knew that, if I had been allowed, I would have wrapped Lachlann up, all warm and cosy in my bed, and never let him go. Instead we went to the healer’s rooms and there I lay my poor beautiful human.
Ten years later I could still remember that he looked oddly peaceful in death. I had never laid eyes on a dead human before, but it was unnervingly easy to pretend that he was simply sleeping.
I had sent everyone from the room, then got to work.
I cleaned the blood from his cooling skin with warm cloths and wrapped his wound as if that would somehow heal it.
Washing the blood away, it dawned on me that never again would it fill those cheeks and show his embarrassment, or anger.
Never again could I lay my head against his chest and hear his heart beating rhythmically. My favourite song.
Tormod brought the new clothes I had bought him and I dressed Lachlann up, as if he had returned to me like we planned and was now my king.
Once I had finished gently brushing his curls from his face I wrapped us both in blankets, foolishly wanting to keep my poor fragile human warm.
I wrapped myself up in those blankets again now, wishing desperately that they still smelled like him and not like ten years of dust.
It made my head pound just thinking about that day and the all-encompassing grief which left me a shell of my former self, unable to cope with life alone.
As time passed the grief became easier to deal with. Although there were still days like this, where I wished hopelessly that I could join him in the Otherworld and leave this lonely kingdom behind.
I ground my teeth together and pushed my face into the pillow, refusing to let my tears fall.
Once the fog of grief began to clear, I had wanted to start a war with Culhuinn. Aelwen had refused. She felt guilty for encouraging me to get so close to Lachlann without either of us thinking about the consequences, but she could not risk the lives of our people on a needless war. At that time, I had despised her for it.
I could not think of a better reason for the people of Norbroch to give their lives
Instead of waging a war I stayed here, locked up in the castle by my own choice and did nothing. I ruled, made decisions like a mindless shell and that was it.
Festivals held no joy for me. I no longer bothered pretending to speak to, or care about, eligible males in our court.
I simply wandered around the halls, revisiting my past, thinking back to the last time I was truly happy.
Remembering our love.
“M orven, I’m fine.” Glen complained as I fussed and forced him to sip some more water.
“You don’t look fine,” I argued and I was right.
The deep purple bruises, which had quickly blossomed in the shape of fingers around Glen’s neck, were concerning. I had no idea what sort of damage Swift might have done but for the moment, Glen seemed to be breathing steadily.
We had stopped just inside a small forest after spending much of the night heading north. The days were longer now that it was nearing summer.
I was hopeful that Swift would not be able to find us, especially not on foot and with a head wound. I didn’t know how badly I had injured him, only that the rock in my hand had been alarmingly bloody after I’d struck him.
Shaken from his near-death experience, Glen had been no help in the moments after I knocked Swift unconscious. As quickly as possible I’d gathered our supplies, helped Glen onto his horse and then we set off, taking Swift’s horse with us.
I felt a twinge of guilt for abandoning him on his own without supplies, but he was a seasoned explorer. Surely, he would be able to survive on his own.
If not, he shouldn’t have tried to strangle my best friend.
I spent the night worrying about Glen, who remained silent, and struggling to remain calm despite the inescapable fear that I would turn and see Swift chasing after us.
It was only once we had stopped that I had the chance to panic about other things. Firstly, I panicked that we had left a trail behind us. Having never been hunted by anyone, I wasn’t even sure what kind of trail we could have left behind us.
Secondly, I worried that Swift would recover and return home. That once he got there he would turn the King against us. Would our journey home now be halted by our arrest and possible execution? I had no idea.
There was nothing to be done about either of those things. All I could do was ensure that Glen and the horses were fed and watered, before settling down to sleep. It was warmer in the forest than it had been out in the hills. It was as if the forest was so full of life that it kept everything warm. Still, I’d wrapped us up in every blanket we had, cradling Glen’s head to my chest.
I hoped that the Others would be on our side, let Glen survive the night and keep us h
idden from anything that might harm us whilst we slept.
The Others seemed to hear me and I was glad when we both woke a few hours later, the horses nearby and no sign of Swift anywhere.
Glen and I ate some of the food we were given and I forced him to drink more water before we checked the map. It was hard to tell how far away the castle in Norbroch was, but we were hopeful that we could reach it before nightfall.
Before we continued heading north, I forced Glen to sit down on a fallen tree trunk so that I could have another look at his neck. I poked and prodded at his bruises making him wince. The bruises were now so dark you could make out two full handprints around his neck.
His breathing still seemed to be normal, so I hoped that meant he was okay. Ma wasn’t a healer, though she could fix most ailments, so she had never passed on any advice about what to do should someone try to strangle you. I felt helpless.
“Leave it alone,” Glen eventually shouted, losing his patience with my fussing and startling me out of my thoughts.
There was silence for a moment, as if the forest was observing, waiting for me to react. Well react I did. I pushed myself up off the ground and stormed away, bursting into tears as I went.
I heard Glen swear behind me and moments later he pulled me into a hug.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, swaying us from side to side while I cried.
“You almost died,” I accused, saying it out loud made me realise just how close I had been to losing my best friend.
“I wouldn’t let someone with a name as stupid as Swift kill me.”
“He almost did,” I pointed out in between sobs.
The thought of being left alone up here in the fairy kingdoms with nothing but Glen’s dead body and a couple of horses just made me cry harder.
“I promise I won’t die Morven.” Glen said taking my face in his hands.
“I promise too.” I hiccupped, letting him brush the tears from my face with his thumbs.
“It’s almost over, in a few days we will be heading back down to the village with the answers to all your questions. We’ll be back home in the village before you know it.”
The Changeling's Journey Page 20