Highland Trails of Love

by Barbara Bard

  “Come on,” he whispered, and led Rebecca into the camp.

  They kept their footsteps light and quick, for they needed to get to Lord Flynn before they were discovered. If anyone else saw them, the alarm would be raised, and they wouldn't stand a chance of getting out of there alive.

  They tiptoed past tents, hearing soft snores coming from the narrow gaps. Alastar didn't want to risk whispering anything, so he hoped that Rebecca was keeping calm. Fires crackled all around the field, each of them of a different strength than the last. The place smelled of mead and cooked meat, and when Alastar looked into the fires he saw the charred bones of what they had eaten.

  Alastar was heading to the middle of the camp, which was where Lord Flynn would be. He would think it the safest place in case of a raid, protected on all sides, but he would never think that Alastar would come to him alone, in the middle of an entire army. In many ways it was an insane plan, but in all the important ways it was a genius one.

  Alastar was keeping his eyes on the path ahead when suddenly he felt some resistance meeting his boot. He looked down with horror to see that a leg stuck out of the tent he walked past. Evidently the man inside was too long for the tent. Alastar froze, afraid that this moment of carelessness would cost them their lives. The man moved around in the tent. His leg bent and then stretched out again. Alastar was sure that the impact was enough to wake the soldier up, but after a few moments had passed, the sound of blessed snoring greeted his ears.

  Alastar breathed a huge sigh of relief, but inwardly he was cursing himself. He had to remain focused. There was no sense getting ahead of himself yet. There was still much treacherous terrain to traverse.

  However, after that one mistake his attention was focused once again, and he was able to move through the field without causing any more disturbances. Everything was quiet and serene, and everyone was asleep. Nobody knew they were there.

  The camp was large though, and it took them some time to get to the middle. It was difficult to keep his bearings in the darkness, but he had tried to study the camp as best he could from his vantage point in the forest and used the stars to align his path so that he did not waver.

  Soon enough, the middle of the camp presented itself. A wide tent that was unmistakably meant for a man with the ego the size of Lord Flynn's stood erect, dwarfing the small tents and wagons that were scattered all around it. There were lights flickering inside from candles, indicating that perhaps Lord Flynn was still awake. That made his job better, for Alastar did not want to kill a man in his sleep.

  The steps he took towards that tent were heavy with tension. This was the moment he had been waiting for ever since that horrible day that was etched into his soul, the day that his father had been taken from him. All through his imprisonment that day had haunted him, and he had thought of this moment endlessly, of finally confronting Lord Flynn.

  The first battle they had had in his chambers didn't count as far as Alastar was concerned, and it had ended far too swiftly, interrupted by Elayne. There would be no interruptions this time. The two of them would see this until the bitter end, and only one of them would remain standing.

  He put more focus on making sure he was breathing steadily, and his hand came to his sword, ready for action. He led Rebecca around to the entrance of the tent, unsure of what he would find inside. He hoped that Lord Flynn was alone and not holding a meeting with any of his general. Alastar was confident of his skills, but he only wanted to test them against Lord Flynn this night.

  He carefully held the flap of the tent open and crept in. They heard a low giggle and looked up to see Lord Flynn sitting at a table, bathed in candlelight. Elayne was at his knees, kissing his hand, looking up at him admiringly. Lord Flynn barely paid any attention to her, and the sight of it disgusted Alastar. No woman should debase herself by submitting to Lord Flynn.

  He was looking at maps and seemed to be working hard. As yet he hadn't noticed Alastar's entrance, but then Elayne glanced towards them and her eyes widened in fear. Her hand came to her mouth and she went to scream, but before she could Rebecca had pulled out her knife and warned Elayne not to make a sound.

  Alastar smiled with pride.

  Elayne pushed herself against the table, stricken with fear. Lord Flynn looked up from his desk wearily, and was the picture of calm, almost as though he had expected this.

  He arched an eyebrow as Alastar shrugged off his cloak and drew his sword.

  “I had a feeling I would meet you again,” Lord Flynn said, rising from his chair. He began to get dressed. Alastar let him. “I suppose you would do me the courtesy of fighting me in proper dress,” he continued, then seemed to look at Alastar more closely. “Those clothes are familiar...it seems you have mended the holes I made.” He bared his teeth in a wolfish grin.

  “I hae come tae collect the debt ye owe me,” Alastar said, pointing his sword directly at Lord Flynn. Rebecca was moving closer to Elayne, but she wasn't moving too far from Alastar.

  “You speak of debts? I am here to collect the biggest debt of all. You cannot claim that you are here for a righteous purpose. I killed your father, but he was just one soldier. I was taken from my wife hunting your father, and I missed her death. I never had a chance to say the final goodbye. My son's life was taken, and now my daughter has been abducted as well. The Highlanders have waged war on my family, and now I am going to see an end to it.”

  “Nae before I see an end tae ye,” Alastar said grimly.

  Elayne was buoyed by Lord Flynn's calmness, so she pushed herself to her feet and stayed behind the English Lord, rushing to the desk to pick up a knife.

  “You are a brave man, I'll give you that, but like so many other brave men you are a fool as well. Did you really think you could come in here and make these demands of me? You have just surrendered yourself. All I have to do is call out to my guards and have you strung up, although I do have to thank you for returning my servant to me. How are you my dear?” he asked, looking over Alastar's shoulder towards Rebecca.

  Alastar bristled at the comment, and he suddenly felt a little unsure of his belief that Lord Flynn could be tempted into single combat. But he wasn't going to show it. He stepped forward.

  “I know ye are nae gonnae dae that. What will ye army think of ye if ye dinnae meet me in a duel? Ye will be branded a coward,” Alastar spat. Lord Flynn's cheeks flushed red.

  “I shall not!”

  “Will ye take that chance?” Alastar challenged.

  Lord Flynn seemed to consider him for a moment as he picked up his sword from the desk and slung the belt around his waist. He was still in very good shape for a man his age, and Alastar knew that the outcome was not a foregone conclusion by any means.

  “I probably can't, and I do have to teach you a lesson for last time. You Highlanders may think you are strong and fierce, but the English way is far superior. If you would just submit to our rule you would be much happier, and until you do, I will have to go on teaching you these lessons. I beat your father, and now I shall defeat you as well.”

  “Ye murdered my father, ye dinnae beat him,” Alastar said.

  Lord Flynn shrugged. “Either way, he is dead, and I am alive. I believe by every measure that counts I defeated him. You can have your single combat. It will not matter in the slightest, either way it will end with your death. And even if you kill me there is nothing that can stop what I have set in motion. These men are loyal to me, and they will continue the fight until every last one of you is dead.”

  There was a malicious intent in his eyes, and Alastar was surer than ever that he had to die today, before he could do any more harm to the world.

  “Ye overestimate the loyalty of yer men. They are fearful of ye. Once ye are dead they will flee back tae England. None of them want tae die,” Alastar said.

  “Then let us begin, and we shall see who the best man is,” Lord Flynn said, drawing his sword, beckoning Alastar to come forward.

  Chapter 34

  Re
becca had remained silent while Alastar and Lord Flynn spoke, although when Lord Flynn spoke to her, she felt her skin crawl. She kept her eyes on Elayne, who shot daggers at Rebecca. As soon as Alastar made his way to do battle with Lord Flynn, Rebecca moved forward as well, knowing that she had to keep Elayne preoccupied so that she could not raise the alarm.

  “You shouldn't be here,” Elayne said. The clash of steel echoed around the tent as Alastar and Lord Flynn did battle. Rebecca avoided the temptation to glance over. She knew that Alastar could handle himself, and right now she needed to focus on the girl standing before her. The knife Elayne held gleamed into the soft glow of the candles, and Rebecca knew that even the slightest misjudgment on her part could prove to be her downfall.

  “I'm here all the same. Did you really think you could come here without any consequence? Why did you betray me Elayne?”

  “My betrayal? You were the one who betrayed me!”

  Rebecca stared at her in disbelief, wondering how Elayne could have ever come to that conclusion. “What did I betray?” she asked.

  “You betrayed me. All the time we were friends you knew of my past, of what I was trying to accomplish. You could have arranged with Lord Flynn for me to meet him so that I could restore my family name, but you were selfish and greedy. You wanted him all to yourself.”

  “I never wanted him,” Rebecca said, staring at Elayne as if she were mad.

  “Oh, but he wants you. You’re all he can talk about. Even after you left, your presence haunts me. What more can I do? The only way I can rid myself of you is to kill you. I will have him as my own, and I will make you nothing but a distant memory. You are nothing more than a common girl.”

  “And you may be of noble blood, but you do not have a noble soul,” Rebecca said, brandishing her dagger.

  “Then let us see what has greater strength,” Elayne said, and charged at Rebecca. She moved with such force that she took Rebecca by surprise, and Rebecca had to twist her body to hold off Elayne's strike. The point of the knife was close to Rebecca's skin, her eyes were transfixed on it, knowing that all it would take is one slip and her life could end.

  Sweat beaded on her temples with the effort she was exerting. Her jaws were clenched with such effort that she could not even call out to Alastar for help. In fact, she could not even twist her head to see how his duel was going. She certainly hoped he was faring better than herself. She heard the clash of steel behind her, but that was all.

  Elayne summoned a surprising amount of strength for a girl with such a slender body, and for a few moments Rebecca was sure that she was not going to be able to resist. However, she had not spent her life scrubbing floors and serving nobles for nothing. The core of her body was strong, her muscles had been used every day for hard labor, and they did not fail her when she called upon them.

  She pushed hard against the force that Elayne was exerting and managed to free herself of Elayne's grip. Elayne's eyes went wide, for she could not believe that one such as Rebecca could resist her so.

  “No,” she gasped, and then scowled, redoubling her efforts to subdue Rebecca. Elayne was flung back and Rebecca went on the offensive, but she was not skilled with a dagger, and slashed wildly through the air. Elayne dodged them with ease, always being pushed back. Rebecca was filled with anguish, and because she was not as used to this combat as Alastar was she was haphazard in her thrusts.

  Elayne seized advantage, sizing up the momentum of Rebecca's blows and timing her motion so that she would avoid the slash and come into Rebecca's body, wrapping her arm around Rebecca's neck. Elayne's knife was inches away from Rebecca's throat.

  “You will never be as good as a noble,” Elayne whispered in Rebecca's ear. Rebecca struggled, but to no avail, and she truly thought her life was ending.

  Chapter 35

  Alastar had been locked in combat from the first moment Lord Flynn had drawn his sword. Lord Flynn was proving himself to be a stronger opponent than when they had last dueled. Alastar had to summon all his skills to meet Lord Flynn. He tried to look over at Rebecca, but Lord Flynn's thrusts were so swift that Alastar couldn't afford to take his eyes off his enemy for fear that one of the deadly strikes would find a weakness in his body and he would meet his doom.

  “This is the sword that killed your father. It will soon have your blood on it, too,” Lord Flynn said. This only served to anger Alastar, but he was not a brute. His father had taught him long ago how to use his anger, how it was a powerful force that he could channel to aid him in battle.

  Alastar's arms reverberated as steel struck steel. Sparks flew as the blades met each other, and so far, they were proving themselves to be each other's equal. Lord Flynn seemed to be enjoying the battle at first, but when Alastar didn't go down as easily as he had assumed he started to show signs of exertion and realized that he would actually have to put in effort to defeat this man.

  Alastar was slicing through the air, trying to overwhelm the English Lord with his blurring blade, but so far Lord Flynn had been able to defend himself. The two men came together, sliding their blades down each other, meeting face to face, so close that Alastar could taste the other man's stale breath.

  “I will nae die like my father,” Alastar growled.

  “No, you shall die like a dog,” Lord Flynn said, and pushed Alastar away, following it up with a flurry of blows that sent Alastar on the defensive. The fight ebbed and flowed like this, with neither man gaining the advantage. Alastar was sure that eventually his youth and vigor would win the day, but Lord Flynn was a tenacious opponent and was not going to relinquish his grip on life easily.

  Alastar tried to maneuver into a position where he could see Rebecca, for he hadn't heard much from her quarter. Lord Flynn made it difficult though, but eventually Alastar managed to twist his head around for a moment and saw Rebecca, and his face went as white as a spirit. He saw Rebecca in the arms of Elayne, who held a dagger to Rebecca's throat, and wore a murderous look in her eyes.

  Alastar, gripped by panic, slammed his sword towards Lord Flynn and battered him back, using his might to push him away. Alastar gave up the chance to kill Lord Flynn then and there though, choosing instead to run to Rebecca and give her aid. He brought the flat of his sword down on Elayne's arm, making it sting, and the pain was so intense that Elayne cried out in anguish. Her hands dropped, and the dagger fell to the floor.

  “You just made your biggest mistake, Blue Thistle,” Lord Flynn said derisively, “you shouldn't let sentiment get in the way of victory. It's surprising that a brute like you should let a tender heart interfere with your battle,” Lord Flynn said, brandishing his sword like an expert, beckoning Alastar to fight him once again.

  As he spoke, Lord Flynn moved onto the table, where he had the high ground. Alastar cursed inwardly. It gave the man a strong advantage but did not make his victory inevitable.

  Alastar nodded towards Rebecca, then turned his attention back to Lord Flynn. He inhaled deeply and loosened his body, ready for the next phase of the battle.

  “Ye hae always seen yerself as above us,” Alastar said, “but ye are the lowest creature in the land. Ye want naething but tae destroy. Ye hae never understood us, and ye never will.”

  He moved forward and started to attack Lord Flynn, even though the Englishman had the higher ground. It proved to make the fight more arduous for Alastar. He had to lean back and wave his sword above his head, meaning that his blows did not have the usual force, while Lord Flynn could simply bat them away. Athelred laughed and seemed to see this as child's play.

  “You speak strong words, Highlander, but look at me. You can't hope to defeat me. I am merely toying with you,” then his face turned into a cruel sneer, “but I have toyed with you long enough.”

  He raised his arms ready to strike down at Alastar, using all his force to end the threat of the Highlanders. Alastar looked up at him, wondering if his father experienced the same emotions all those years ago. As much as Alastar hated to admit it, he couldn'
t get up to Lord Flynn without opening himself up to being slain. Unless Lord Flynn made a mistake, all Alastar could do was defend himself, and he could not do that endlessly.

  But he was not going to give up either. He raised his sword, ready to defend himself to his last breath. Lord Flynn was arrogant. It was possible that he was going to make a mistake, and if he did Alastar was going to be ready to capitalize upon it.

  Flynn brought his sword crashing down, and Alastar only just managed to keep his footing. The impact made his teeth rattle and his bones shake. He ground his heels down and took the blows that rained down upon him. Lord Flynn was thrashing down with glee, beating Alastar like a drum. Alastar's sword was equal to the task, but it could not hold up together, and Alastar felt the strength in his wrists waning. He looked to either side of him, trying to see if there was anything he could use to even the odds. He tried to slash at Lord Flynn's feet, but Flynn deflected the blows easily.