Highland Trails of Love

by Barbara Bard

  Sarah could hear the honesty in his voice. All her life, she has been told that the Highlanders are savages and mindless brutes. Only capable of killing and destroying everything in their path. But here was this stranger baring his soul out to her, showing emotions.

  “I am sorry about you and your brother. That is something I would never know, the balance of hate and love between siblings. I have always wondered what it was like to have a sibling. I was just a little girl when my parents were slayed before my very eyes. They left me with no siblings. I have always dreamt of having a baby sister. Dress her up in her nice cloth, plait her hair and all the other things elder sisters do for their baby sisters.” Sarah could feel the tears rising in her throat. She fought hard to hold it back. “I wish I had a sibling to argue and fight with. The only thing I have close to a sister is the daughter of the man that raised me.” Sarah let the tears flow freely.

  He saw her tears flow and that pierced his heart.

  “I am sorry that my people took your parents from you when you were just a little bairn. I don’t ken which clan is responsible for the killing, but I apologize on their behalf,” Drew said with a soft voice.

  “Thank yae also for saving my life, it is more than I deserve, after everything my people took from ye. I could hae died in this woods, if ye hae not found me. Ye have shown me kindness. When this battle is over, let me take ye to my country and repay the kindness you have shown me,” he added.

  Chapter 13

  Sarah awoke to his arms wrapped around her and his breath against her bare neck. She remembered last night, they had spoken about their childhood and their past.

  Sarah told him things she had only told Rosemary. She felt something for this Highlander, but she did not know what it was. It made her sad that she had to leave him.

  She turned carefully so as not to wake him and took a look at him one last time. He slept peacefully like there was not a war raging on just nearby. He should be able to move around well now; his wound has healed nicely and he would be able to return to the battlefield to kill more English soldiers.

  Sarah felt guilty again for leaving him. She silently scolded herself for feeling this way. If the tables were turned, he would not have done the same for her. He would have left her in the woods to die. Who is to say that when his wound was healed, he wouldn’t hold her prisoner of war.

  She quietly rose from beside him, picked up the water skin and other items she had with her when she ran away. She started to walk away from their camp slowly. She tiptoed carefully, until she was far away from the camp, where he could not hear her. Her heart was beating rapidly and her breath uneven.

  When she had kept enough distance between herself and the camp, she sat on a rock and burst out in tears. She sobbed uncontrollably for some few minutes. She had just spent a few days with this man and she knew she was going to miss him.

  ***

  Drew could hear the birds chirping, it was like they were singing him a song. He was having a good dream and he didn’t want to wake up.

  He dreamt of a world without war and battle cries. He dreamt of Sarah, her beautiful hair, her blue eyes, her shy smile. In the dream, she had her back against him in the dream and she was about to turn to him when he abruptly woke up.

  He took him a while to take his environment in and when he finally did, he discovered that Sarah was missing. Drew’s chest tightened and then he remembered she could have gone to the stream to get them water. They drank all the water they had in the water skin last night. She also might have wanted to take a bath before he woke up.

  “Sarah!!! Sarah!!! Sarah!!!”, Drew called out her name severally but no response

  He decided to tease her a little.

  “Are ye hiding from me? Ye want me tae come and find ye lass? This is nae the time tae play game lass, there is a war going on out there. Come out now before I find ye,” He said teasingly.

  Still there was no response from her.

  He decided to go to the stream to look for her. He pushed himself up on his feet. It wasn’t a struggle like yesterday. His wound was healing nicely. He should be able to walk without any pain in a matter of days. He would return to battle soon, to fight beside his brother. He thought about who could be winning the war. He said a prayer for his countrymen under his breath and decided to go to the stream to look for her.

  Drew slowly found his way to the stream but did not find her there. He walked back to their camp to check if there was anything unusual. On getting there, he realized that her things were missing. The water skin was missing also.

  It didn’t look like anyone attacked them at night. Everything was just as they had left it the previous night. The only strange thing here were her things that were missing. He could not have slept that deep that he would not have heard if they were attacked at night.

  It took him a while to understand what was happening, then it hit him. They were not attacked, she left him. She had been planning this all along. This was why she was crying last night when he was thanking her for her kindness.

  Drew felt his chest tighten. His heart broke into so many pieces. He had not known her for long, but she had such a powerful effect on him. He was sad that she was gone and he won’t be able to see her beautiful face again.

  In a split moment, the sadness changed to anger.

  How could she leave without telling him? What did she think was going to happen? That he was going to hold her hostage? That he was going to make her his prisoner? What did she think of him? That he was just another mindless brute. A savage. A Highlander. Drew felt the anger rise within him. His hands began to tremble.

  She had been kind to him. She saved his life and cared for his wound. He would have let her go if she had told him she wanted to leave. It would have been his own way of repaying her kindness.

  How could she think he would have held her prisoner? The English, always thinking every Highlander was the same. Just savages that cannot think.

  He hoped his countrymen were crushing them on the battlefield. As soon as he was well enough to join the battle, he would kill every English warrior he set his eyes on. His blade would taste as many of their blood as he could lay his hands on, he swore on his dead father.

  He was going to rest here for today and return to the battlefield at first light tomorrow.

  Chapter 14

  Sarah was far from where she and the Highlander had set up their camp had been. She had been walking all morning with barely nothing to eat. She had only eaten the berries and grapes she took with her from the previous night and water. Her strength was failing her. Her legs were tired and her head was aching. She thought about finding a place to rest, before continuing her journey.

  Sarah thought about Drew. The Highlander that made her beat rapidly. By now he would have noticed that she was gone. She hoped he would understand why she had to leave like without telling him.

  She had left him some grapes and berries and the remaining meat from last night. That should get him through the morning. Although, he should be strong enough to hunt for his meal by now.

  She was leaving all what she knew behind to go and start a new life in a place where nobody knew her. She would miss her friends, especially Rosemary. Maybe this was all for the best.

  She would look for a job working in a tavern or something else girls her age did. Find herself a man that she loved, have his children and live happily ever after. That was more than she could ask for, given the circumstance.

  Her legs were aching, she was tired. Sarah decided to look for a place she could make camp, eat and rest before continuing her journey again. Sarah looked at her cloth and realized that it had become a rag on her.

  What was supposed to be her wedding dress was now torn in so many places. She had cut pieces out of it to dress the wound of the Highlander. Other part of it were torn by the thorns in the forest. She definitely knew the first thing she would buy when she had found her new home.

  She walked a little further, till s
he came upon a safe place where she could rest before she continued her journey. Sarah thought about her parents briefly. She wondered how her life would have turned out if they were still alive. She definitely wouldn’t be running from a man who thought she was his bride. She missed them every day and would give everything she has to get them back. She cursed the Highlanders under her breath and started setting up camp.

  When everything was ready, she went in search of what she would eat. Sarah prayed she found enough food that she could eat now and also take with her. She didn’t know when next she was going to stop. The sooner she finds a place to settle, the safer she was from Lord Flynn.

  Not long into her search for food, she stumbled upon some grapes and berries. Sarah thought about her luck with the rabbit last night and smiled. It was befitting for a last dinner. She knew she probably wouldn’t have such luck again, so she decided to look for a stream where she could wash herself and fill her water skin.

  She walked further and further, but still no sign of a stream. After what seemed like a long time, Sarah decided to turn back and return to where she had made camp. The water in her water skin was not enough to last her through her journey and she hoped she came across a stream along the way.

  When she got to her camp, she ate some grapes and berries, drank her remaining water. It wasn’t the best of meal, but it was more than she could ask for.

  Tiredness overwhelmed her, and she decided to sleep a little before setting out again she found a rock where she could rest her head. Before long, sleep overcame her.

  Sarah awoken to voices over her head. She was having a bad dream. In the dream, Lord Flynn had discovered she was not Rosemary, and ordered the guard to throw her into prison.

  She thought the voices were part of the dream, as she slowly came out of her unconscious state. Everything was blurry as she tried to open her eyes. When she finally woke up, she saw that it was already evening.

  Then she heard the voices again. Two men, arguing about something. She could not really hear what it was, but it sounded serious.

  Sarah stood up and picked up her things hurriedly. She started to tiptoe carefully as her heart was beating rapidly. She had almost gotten away, when she mistakenly stepped on a twig and it snapped.

  The voices stopped immediately.

  “Who is there? Show your face?” one of them asked in a loud voice

  Her chest tightened, there was no way she could outrun them. She didn’t even know if they were Highlanders or English soldiers. Whichever one, her odds were not good. One would kill her, while one would take her to Lord Flynn as his prisoner.

  “Who are you? “The other one asked, louder this time.

  They were English men. By now, everyone would have known she fled. Lord Flynn has probably sent a search team. Every English soldier would be looking for her.

  Her heart started to beat fast, she broke into a sweat. If they captured her, they would take her back to Lord Flynn and this time, she wouldn’t be a bride. She would be a prisoner.

  Sarah stood still like she was paralyzed by their voices. Then they lighted their torches and started to walk towards her.

  Her body began to tremble.

  “I …I am going to my village; it is not far away from here. I just needed a place to rest, because I was weary from all the travelling and walking. I did not know that it has grown so dark. The sleep got the better of me. I would be on my way now. Do not let me be of any trouble to you sirs. I am no stranger to these paths,” Sarah answered all the while backing the men.

  “What is the name of your village?” lass, the other one asked with suspicion.

  “It is just a small village. You might not know it. Very few people live there.”

  “That is a really fancy dress to travel in in. why is it is torn and shredded at the edges? Show us your face now.”

  Sarah turned around, hoping the men would not know who she was.

  It didn’t take long for one of them to recognize her.

  One of them turned to the other, with a look of joy on his face

  “I told you that we should take this path. You don’t ever listen to me, now see who we found. Lord Flynn’s runaway bride. Who would have ever thought we would find her in these woods. Now all we have to do is take her back to lord Flynn, collect the bounty on her head and buy my wife those pretty dresses she has been asking for.”

  The other man broke into a smile and immediately glanced at his partner with a look of irritation on his face. “Are you going to stand there and talk all day, or you are going to help me tie her up?”

  Sarah just stood there, quiet, with tears running down her face as these men talked back at each other.

  “No need to cry now love, we are simply returning you to your husband. Just pray to your God that he touches his heart and Lord Flynn kills you immediately. There are other fates worse than death and you don’t want to know love.” He flashed her a crooked smile, as he tied up her hand.

  “You talk too much,” the quiet man said, still with that look of irritation on his face.

  “We are going to be camping here for tonight. Darkness is upon us and it will be difficult to see our way even with this torches. We move at the break of dawn.”

  He came closer to check if the knots were tied properly. He looked at her with the tears running down at her face, then almost immediately shifted his gaze to her bag. He glanced at a bag.

  “What do you have there?” he asked, looking back at her.

  “Just some grapes and berries”. Sarah said as she sobbed.

  “We would have that for dinner.” He took the bag and brought out its contents. “You should get some rest; we travel at dawn.”

  Chapter 15

  Night was upon Drew once again. However, he hadn’t intended to sleep that long. He had been so angry at the English lass this morning for running away, he didn’t know when sleep took control of him.

  He needed all the sleep he could get now, to recover his strength and go back to battle. Drew slowly brought himself up from where he had laid. He should be able to walk well tomorrow and return to the battlefield to fight alongside his brother.

  Drew looked to the sky, it was dark and the moon was the only light he had. Going to hunt for food now would prove futile. His stomach rumbled, he needed to eat for his journey tomorrow. He suddenly remembered that there was still leftover meat from the previous night.

  Drew wondered where she would be by now. Maybe she had gotten to the village she always talked about. He made a fire to heat the meat.

  He was supposed to be angry at her, but somehow his anger had dissolved. He took the meat from fire and started to eat it. His stomach continued to rumble, as if telling him he didn’t want stale rabbit meat. He had not had a decent meal since the war began but he didn’t have the time to think about that now. He would get all the meat and wine he wanted when the war was over.

  His mind went back to what his mother told him about his father. He understood why he didn’t want children till after the war. War was a nasty business. Thousands of men would die and leave their families behind. The wives would be left to mourn their husbands alone while the children would grow up without a father.

  He wished that this all was avoided, but the English brought the war to them and his country people did not turn down a fight.

  He was definitely sure Blair was holding his ground on the battlefield. It would take more than English soldiers to kill him. Asides that, his mother could not take another loss, after the death of her husband. She could barely cope with the loss of her husband, the death of any of her sons would crush her. For her, they had to win this war, if not she would become a prisoner of war and that would be more than she could bear.

  ***

  The night had been long and restless for Sarah. Twisting and turning all night, she had been unable to sleep properly, even though the night was quiet and still. Her dreams and thoughts had been plagued with horrible visions of her future. The pain, the shame a
nd eventual death that awaited her in the hands of Lord Flynn.

  By now Lord Brambly would be on the camp grounds. He would recognize her and tell Lord Flynn that she wasn’t Rosemary. That she was just a handmaid, a mere servant. Everyone would know she was an imposter.

  She knew Lord Flynn would look for new ways to show his cruelty and horrid nature, so she could suffer as much as possible.

  It was only a matter of time before she was found out. Perhaps it would had been better if she had simply announced the truth herself. If she had come clean of her own accord Lord Flynn may have shown her mercy and not toss her in a dungeon and leave her for dead.