by Pandora Pine
“I had my first horseback riding lesson yesterday. I was not riding Donnall.” Although it had been a near thing.
“You are a woman, why do you need to ride?” Mallory sneered.
If she weren’t a lady, she’d punch Mallory in her smug face. “The English Army is coming to kill us and take over Moone. We all have to be ready to fight.”
“What good can a bunch of kitchen girls do against an army of well-trained soldiers?” Aggie asked.
“Who butchers the meat for dinner every day, Aggie?” Cadence was smiling ear to ear.
“Me and the girls.” Aggie wore a confused look.
“How much harder would it be to use those skills against someone trying to kill you?”
“I am not sure I could harm someone else.” Aggie shook her head.
“Could you do it to save Jilly?”
“I would do anything to save that little lass.”
“You have lost what little is left of your mind, Aggie.” Mallory said sourly.
Cadence sighed, trying to hold on to what little of her patience she had left. “There are seventy-two men against three hundred English. If we add the women of Moone into the mix we’d have one hundred and fifty able bodies to join the fight.”
“I’m shorter than even you. How do you possibly think I can help Moone?” Mallory scoffed, folding her arms across her ample bosom.
“From all the time you’ve spent kneading and rolling dough I bet you have a lot of upper body strength.”
“So?” Mallory snorted. “How is that going to help against a man who is a foot taller and one hundred pounds heavier?”
“You’d make an excellent archer.”
Mallory’s look of petulant disbelief cracked a bit.
“You’d stand high on the castle wall and loose your arrows at them from afar. Your height and strength wouldn’t be a factor.”
“Are you rabble-rousing, little mouse?” Donnall asked with a grin as he sailed into the kitchens.
“If the women took up arms it would help level the odds.”
“I suppose you will want to be the one leading the charge?” Donnall winked at her.
“I’d do anything to protect my friends and family.”
“Retract your claws, my beauty. So would I.” Donnall set the dagger in its sheath and the bow and arrows on the counter in front of her.
“These are my surprises?” She was impressed with Donnall’s thoughtfulness. She picked up the dagger and tested its weight in her hands. “Aggie, hold this.”
The older woman took the lethal blade from Cadence. “Och lass, the meat cleaver is heavier than this.”
While the other women tried their hand with the dagger, Cadence noticed Donnall pull aside Mallory. She tried to keep her eyes off the private discussion which, judging by the look on Mallory’s face, was not going well.
“Let us go, Cadence. You have much to learn this day.”
Cadence picked up the weapons and followed Donnall out of the kitchens. She couldn’t help noticing the angry look on Mallory’s face.
“What was that all about?” Cadence asked when they got outside the castle and into the watery November sunshine.
“What?” Donnall knew exactly what Cadence was talking about.
“Your chat with Mallory.”
“I promised Fionn I’d stop deflowering maidens.” There was of course one last maiden he wanted to deflower, but there was no need to tell Cadence that, yet.
“Does it count if the maids have already lost their bloom?” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
“I am no longer interested in spending time in Mallory’s company, bloom or no bloom.” Donnall hoped that would put an end to the discussion without Cadence asking about his feelings.
“Which weapon are we going to work with first? The bow or the dagger?”
“I thought we would try the bow first. Have you ever used one before?”
“No, but I’ve seen enough Robin Hood movies to understand the general idea of how to shoot.”
“Sometimes you use the strangest words. I have no idea what you are talking about.”
Cadence laughed. “A movie is a way of telling a story with pictures that move and talk. Robin Hood was an English nobleman who lived in the forest with his band of merry men and stole from the rich in order to give to the poor.”
“I don’t know how to respond to that.” Donnall laughed. “Leave it to the English…” He was leading them toward the training fields Fionn used for sword practice in the afternoons. He’d set up bales of hay for practice with the arrows.
“I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I think speaking to Mallory like that was kind of you.”
“What do you mean?” Cadence was right. He didn’t want to talk about his former lover. He was embarrassed for her to know he’d lain with the other woman.
“You didn’t have to say anything and you did. At least now she knows where you stand with each other.”
“I would rather stand with you, my beauty.”
Cadence laughed. “Is that my target?” She pointed ahead to the stacked bales of hay.
“Yes. We will also use the hay for you to practice with the dagger. That way you’re not tempted to try it out on me.”
“Don’t think I won’t if you get out of line.” Cadence winked.
“You may certainly try, little mouse.”
“What is step one?”
“Step one is to learn how to stand properly.” Donnall moved up behind Cadence, itching to touch her. It had been a long, lonely night in his room with only his hand for company and memories of the way Cadence had come apart in his arms yesterday.
“And you need to stand up close and position me?” Cadence asked in a low voice.
“That is it precisely. It is important to start with good form. Stand with your feet shoulder distance apart. Balance your weight equally.”
Cadence moved into position with a sigh.
“What is wrong? Do you need me to move your legs into the right position?” What he would give to bend down and rub his hands over her bare calves before moving her feet.
“Hardly. This stupid dress won’t let me move my legs far enough apart. Maybe I should hike it up past my knees?”
“No!” The last thing he needed was to spend the rest of the morning staring at Cadence’s bare legs.
Cadence frowned. “Maybe that wouldn’t be proper, but you can bet on the day of the battle I’m wearing pants.”
Donnall spun her around. Her mossy green eyes were filled with surprise. “Why don’t you take the kids and the women and use the Gealach to go home…” His voice held a note of desperation. He wouldn’t be able to take it if anything happened to Cadence, not that he’d have a lot of time left to mourn what with the tale that the English killed all of Moone’s warriors.
“This is my home and I’m going to fight for it with my last breath if it comes to that. Now show me again how to stand.” She spun around to face the target, a look of steely determination in her eyes.
Donnall stepped up behind Cadence. He could smell a hint of her rosemary soap and something else unique to Cadence. Wanting nothing more than to bury his face in her silky hair, he shook his head and turned his mind back to teaching the alluring woman how to fire an arrow. “Your feet need to be a bit more apart.”
“That’s not possible without wearing pants.”
It was going to be a long morning if Cadence kept challenging him at every turn. “Take the bow in your left hand and hold your arm out straight. You will use your left arm to aim and your right hand to pull back the bowstring.”
Cadence pulled back the bow string and let it snap back into place. “It’s easy enough to draw back.”
“Now for the arrows. The quiver will rest against your right shoulder blade. The harness will securely hold it in place with these buckles.” He fingered the hardware to demonstrate. “Do you want to try buckling it or would you like me to do it for you?”
Cade
nce held out the bow to Donnall. “I’ll try it.” She slipped the harness up her right arm to rest on her shoulder. The quiver sat against her back. There were two straps, one that would sit on her shoulder and the other which would go around her middle. Both leather straps buckled below her left breast. She slipped the leather into the buckles. “There! How’s that?”
“So you’ve worn a quiver before?” Donnall was trying not to sound impressed, but he was. Cadence never ceased to amaze him.
“Not at all. I’m just used to wearing accessories.
Donnall raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. Cadence knew more than was proper about things men dealt with. “Reach back with your right hand and grab one of the arrows.”
Cadence fumbled a bit but finally managed to grab one.
“In battle, you will need to do it quickly. There will be no time to waste for your fingers to search for an arrow.”
“What happens when I run out of arrows?”
“One of the men will walk along the castle wall replenishing arrows.”
“That would be a good task for one of the younger girls.”
Donnall frowned. Women had no place on the wall facing enemy arrows. They needed to trust the men of Moone to protect them and Cadence, with her attitude, was making the women question the abilities of the warriors.
“You are going to lay the bow horizontal while you put the nock of the arrow on the string and then bring it back to vertical.”
It took a couple of tries, but Cadence finally managed to get it right.
“When you pull the bowstring, use the muscles of your back, not your arm. Lastly when you release the arrow, maintain the stance you are in now. Are you ready to give it a try?”
“Yes.” Donnall could hear the determination in her voice. Cadence drew the bowstring back and loosed her arrow. “Ouch, damn it.”
“Are you alright?”
“The bow string snapped against my breast.”
“Would you like me to check your injury?” His cock stirred as he stepped closer to her body.
“No, thanks. I’ll just have to adjust my stance and maybe bind myself the day of the battle. Can I try it again?”
“Very well.”
An hour into practice, Cadence’s arm and back were on fire from pulling back the bowstring.
“Your shoulder is dipping. That will affect the flight of your arrow.”
“Let’s take a break. My arm is going to fall off if we keep this up much longer.”
Donnall frowned. “We do not have a lot of time left to practice. Fionn’s men will be here to work on battle drills after the noon meal.”
“Why don’t we work with the dagger instead?” Cadence raised her arms to stretch her tired and sore muscles.
The hard look in Donnall’s eyes relented. “All right. Show me how you would hold the weapon if someone was coming at you.”
Cadence stepped back and took the blade from its small sheath. She tried to remember every Chuck Norris movie Carter had made her sit through. Holding the blade at her side, she raised it quickly, looking like Norman Bates during the shower scene in Psycho.
“What are you doing?” Donnall bit his lower lip.
“I’m getting ready to attack you.”
“And when I do this?” Donnall came at her, knocking her arm down and sending the dagger into the grass.
“I’d do this.” She raised her knee stopping just short of Donnall’s family jewels.
“That is a smart move, but let me show you how to make sure your weapon stays in your hand. Your position leaves you vulnerable to attack if you do not knee your enemy with enough force to disable him.” He demonstrated the proper way to hold the dagger and Cadence quickly mastered it.
“I heard what you were saying to the women in the kitchen about being able to defend Moone.” He’d been mulling over the best way to bring this up and he couldn’t hold his tongue any longer.
“The women seemed excited about it.”
“Fionn agreed to let you help because you are Carter’s sister.”
Cadence turned, her green eyes blazing. “No, Fionn agreed to let me help because he thinks I can make a difference.”
Donnall shook his head. “’Tis true you are a good student. You picked up the bow quite easily and your shots have been accurate here on the practice field, but you have no chance of hitting the mark in battle, I fear.”
“Oh really?” A small muscle ticked in her cheek.
“Your emotions will take over and you will crumble under the pressure. There is no room on the castle wall for a crying lass.”
“I respectfully disagree.” Cadence’s smile was icy. “If I were incapable of keeping my emotions under control, my dagger would be sticking out of your chest.”
Donnall took half a step toward her. He would never tell her, but she was near irresistible all riled up like this with her emerald eyes glittering dangerously and red hair whipping around in the wind. “I need to get back to the real work of getting Moone’s warriors ready for the attack. I did enjoy spending my morning with you, little mouse.”
He waved and started back toward the keep. It hadn’t been his intention to upset Cadence, but the quicker she realized she wasn’t a warrior of Moone and stopped urging the women to fight, the better off they would all be.
Hearing a feral roar from behind him, he turned to see Cadence aiming her bow at him. Frozen in place, he watched her arrow sail toward him, thumped into the ground only an inch or so from his boots. Donnall grinned up at her. “Nice shot, but we both know you cannot do it twice.”
Cadence notched an arrow and sent it flying toward Donnall. It landed an inch in front of her first arrow.
The satisfied smile on her face was gorgeous. She stomped toward him. “Not only will I fight for Moone, so will the rest of the women.” Ripping her arrows out of the ground she hurried past him without a backward glance.
“I want you to call a meeting,” Cadence demanded when she saw Fionn and Carter sitting together at the head table in the great hall. Fionn was rocking Cardinn while Jilly sat in Carter’s lap, the remains of her lunch in front of them.
“Auntie Cadence!” Jilly flew off her father’s lap and ran to Cadence who bent down to greet the little girl.
“Hello, honey.” Cadence peppered her face with kisses.
“You got a dagger! Can I hold it?” Jilly jumped up and down excitedly.
“Girls cannot hold weapons,” Fionn said quietly.
“Oh really?” Cadence turned from Jilly and stood to face him.
“You’re fucked now, Fionn.” Carter started to laugh.
“How is that possible? We are both dressed.” Fionn’s handsome face was scrunched in confusion.
Carter sighed. “It’s a way of saying you’re in for a fight. You just told my armed sister that girls can’t touch weapons. Would you like a moment to rephrase that?”
Cadence raised an eyebrow and turned back to Jilly who was looking at her like she hung the moon. “You can’t hold my dagger because it’s very sharp, not because you’re a girl. Girls can do anything.”
“Tell me what this is about, Cadence,” Fionn urged gently.
“I spent the last three hours with Donnall. He showed me how to shoot arrows and how to use my shiny new dagger.”
“Isn’t there some kind of custom where the first time a blade tastes blood is celebrated?” Carter chuckled.
“The party nearly came at my expense,” Donnall said, striding into the room.
“My blade would have enjoyed kissing your skin,” Cadence practically growled.
“Easy, little mouse.” Donnall winked at her.
“Stop calling me your little mouse. I’m more like a lioness and I will fight for Moone.”
“Big cat with large teeth and a loud roar,” Carter added.
“The loud roar is certainly true.” Fionn smiled.
Cadence slammed her palms down on the table “I’m glad you think this is a joke. Three hundred heavi
ly armed English soldiers are coming here to kill us all. Your infant son included.”
Fionn snapped his eyes down to his peacefully sleeping son and wrapped his arms more protectively around the baby before looking back up at Cadence.
“I see I have your attention now, my lord. Moone has seventy-two able-bodied men according to you. If we add the able-bodied women, that brings our numbers up to one hundred and fifty. In the original timeline, you sent those men into battle and they all died. Yourself and Donnall included. We need to do things differently this time around otherwise we’re all going to die.”
“Cadence is right, Fionn. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. Everyone dies and Moone falls with only the men protecting her.”
“It is a wise sentiment,” Fionn grudgingly agreed.
Carter snorted and locked eyes with his sister whose lips quirked up at him.
“In only a few hours, I was able to learn how to shoot arrows and how to handle a blade.”
“I have no doubt, Donnall is an excellent teacher.”
Cadence snorted. “For a barbarian who claims he has better things to do than prepare the women to fight.”
“The English will hardly fear an army of women,” Donnall deadpanned.
“Arm us and leave history to tell the tale,” Fianna said coming to stand at Cadence’s side. Islynn was a step behind her.
“I daresay he’d be quite afraid of the three of us.” Islynn smirked at the outraged look on Donnall’s face.
“Oh please! I’d have you all flat on your backs in no time.” Donnall crossed his arms over his chest.
“Sorry, you’re not my type,” Islynn took a menacing step toward Donnall.
“Nor mine,” Fianna added.
“You’re welcome to try,” Cadence teased.
“I didn’t mean on your backs like that. Oh hell!” Donnall turned to Fionn and Carter for help.
“What are you suggesting, Cadence?” Fionn asked.
“Arm the women with bows and daggers. Let us train to fight and when the time comes, put us up on the wall to defend our home.”
Donnall snorted. “And what happens when the crying and wailing for your mothers starts?”