Branded by a Warrior

by Andrea Thorne

  The handle turned on the door as Elisabeth tried shaking the cobwebs from her head, looking over she saw Old Rhona waddling in with a welcoming smile.

  “Morning lass, glad to see you awake, we was beginning to worry about ye!”

  “Morning?” Elisabeth asked groggily as she yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

  Chuckling, Rhona shuffled across the room and tended to the fire as she continued, “When Isobel came to get you for dinner last night, ye was hard asleep my dear, Kendrix and I eventually moved you to the bed so you would be more comfortable.”

  Rubbing her face Elisabeth sighed, she did feel better; maybe all she needed was sleep after all. Swinging down off the bed, she noticed her hounds were gone, “Where are Conn and Isla?”

  “I sent them off with Isobel to run, are you hungry my dear?” Rhona asked as she turned around and walked over to Elisabeth’s wardrobe, pulling out a fresh gown.

  With her stomach growling, she walked over to Rhona and let out a large yawn, “I am starving Rhona, I feel like I haven’t ate in days.”

  “Lass, you didn’t eat at all yesterday, ye gunna waste away to bones if ye dinnae eat. Can’t have our Laird upset with us for letting you waste away. Let’s get ye changed and go fill that empty stomach up, eh?”

  “Aye, yesterday was so draining, I lost my appetite. I feel much better after sleeping so long, maybe t’was what I needed after all.” Shucking off her gown, she let Rhona help her into a fresh gown of beautiful ivory, a color Rhona always liked seeing her in. While Rhona laced up the back, Elisabeth slipped on her leather bracers and laced them tight. Picking up her leather belt, she fastened it to her slim waist and secured her weapons in their rightful place upon her left side as she did every morning.

  “Sit down lass, I’ll fix your hair right quick.” Rhona sweetly ordered, pointing back to the leather chair.

  Elisabeth had grown so used to having Rhona fuss over her; she was like a grandmother to her now. Sighing with pleasure, she sat up straight and let the old woman fuss over her. Plus, she always loved her hair being played with; it reminded her of her own mother. Some of her earliest memories of her mother were sitting at her feet getting her hair plaited or put up into a crown.

  The memory of her mother brought along with it the bitter agony of losing her mother so horrifically. Soon enough her mood shifted as she thought about Kincaid and his merciless massacre of her family and people. The horrific visions flooded her mind. Kincaid’s taunting letters and sadistic ramblings ran through her mind as she closed her eyes and let her vow reverberate through her once more. I will kill that bastard with my own hands.

  Seeing Siobhan leave so easily yesterday morning told her a great deal. The young widow was not afraid to leave in the midst of a brutal winter, for a reason. Elisabeth had a long-standing suspicion that Siobhan was the connection with Kincaid. Elisabeth presumed that after she had married Broderick, Siobhan’s failed attempt at killing her prompted her into consorting with the enemy. One thing that was evident in Kincaid’s letters, he was given the information quickly. For a messenger to deliver a missive to his castle, it would take ten days to reach his outer most lands. Which meant, Kincaid was close. She knew he was not on MacMillan lands, they were patrolled daily. So, where was the soulless bastard?

  “Elisabeth dear?”

  Shaking her head she felt Rhona’s hands resting upon her shoulders, turning to look at the white haired elder, “I’m sorry Rhona, I was woolgathering.”

  “Ye were grinding yer teeth lass, some woolgathering ye must have been doing.”

  Sighing, Elisabeth stood up and left her black sable fur upon the chair, the castle felt warm, turning to Rhona, “Aye. Do ye have any of your special turnovers this fine morning Rhona? My belly could use a dozen of them,” smiling brightly at the woman who had taken such great care of her these past weeks, “and some of your lovely tea too.”

  “Come lass, let us go feed that hungry belly of yours. I have some tarts cooling in the kitchens for you as we speak. I’m sure your hounds and Isobel will find you soon enough.”

  Chapter 16

  Elisabeth left the castle with Isobel in tow; they had broken their fast together in the warm cozy kitchen with Rhona this chilly morning. Elisabeth’s stomach felt much better after having a pot of Rhona’s special tea. Cramming as many sweet cakes as she could into her mouth, she was soon full and content. Rhona’s bakery items always left her feeling warm and happy. After missing yesterday’s drills she promised herself she would push through, drilling with the warriors was essential to staying her best.

  Walking hand in hand with Isobel the cool fresh air felt wonderful in her lungs, the breeze felt like it washed away her sickness and drowsiness. Smiling down at the little blonde girl skipping beside her, she saw the men gathering in the bailey as they did every morning.

  “Go take yer place Isobel by the stables, after I’m done we shall sneak off to train together,” pointing over to where Isobel had always stood while watching the army.

  “Yes Aunt Elisabeth.”

  Making sure she Isobel didn’t trip any of the gathering warriors on her way, Elisabeth watched the young lass skip across the bailey and stand in her position, far out of the way with her wooden sword.

  Focusing her attention, she rolled her neck and prepared for the long day ahead of her. Pushing away her yawns and upset stomach, she spent the next several hours working side by side with the MacMillan warriors under Kendrix’s direction. She had never felt more confident in herself as a warrior, yes, her brother had taught her very well, but she had learned so much from the MacMillan clan. She had utilized the new techniques Broderick had shown her before his departure, with the combination of Duncan and Broderick’s lessons, she felt invincible. She had fully regained her strength she had lost after her brutal attack; her injury was healed and pained her very little anymore.

  Making the most of the afternoon she breezed through private lessons with her adorable niece, sneaking off to the kitchens to fill their bellies before returning to the bailey for her group lesson with the rambunctious children.

  Walking out the front castle door, Elisabeth noticed a small group of MacMillan mothers standing next to their wee ones in the training area. From the armory Kendrix appeared with a smile upon his face and hailed to her as she met the group in the bailey, his arms full of bows and quivers.

  “Ah, Elisabeth, we have new students today! Our lovely ladies here would like to be taught by The Warrior Queen of Scotland as well, what say you?” He smiled, knowing full well she would happily teach them.

  Smiling at the eleven women who stood in front of her, “I’d be honored, welcome ladies! I am happy to see you here.” A woman Elisabeth recognized as the wife of one of the warriors, and a mother of one of her students stepped forward, “Good afternoon My Lady, I hope you dinnae mind teaching us. Like our husbands and children, we too would like to learn to defend ourselves and learn from you.”

  Elisabeth felt a wave of pure pride wash over her, before here was women her own age, mothers, wives, and they wanted her to teach them the bow. She knew they had been watching while they attended to their chores during the past weeks. She hadn’t even thought to ask the women of the clan if they’d like to join. In her heart, she felt that every woman should posses the basic skills in the event of an attack. No one should ever feel unprotected.

  “Please, ladies, call me Elisabeth. Of course I’ll teach you, I’m sorry I dinnae think to ask you weeks ago,” turning to acknowledge Kendrix who was standing beside her now, “Take a bow from Kendrix and we shall get started!”

  Elisabeth sweet talked Kendrix into taking over the children’s lesson today so she could personally work with the ladies, thankfully, he was more than happy to do so. A few of the fathers came out to help Kendrix corral all the wee ones while Elisabeth worked with the wives. It appeared their husbands were more than happy to see their wives taught by her, she was proud the men didn’t dissuade their spouses fro
m learning how to defend themselves.

  The afternoon flew by, and soon lessons for the children and the newly added ladies were complete. Elisabeth had gotten to know the ladies well in the time they spent together. She finally felt like she was able to make friends with these women, she laughed and enjoyed her time with them immensely today. Her time had been so demanding, she had very little time to mingle with the women of the clan during the day, making it hard to make friends. Laughing with the ladies this afternoon put a smile on her face; she forgot how nice it was to be around women of her own age. The women all promised to return tomorrow for their next lesson, Elisabeth allowed them all to take home their bows and quivers. She had never been more proud to share her knowledge as she was today. God had blessed her with a skill she could share to any who sought to learn.

  Helping Kendrix put away the children’s bows in the armory she was humming a tune to herself when she heard him clear his throat, which meant he had something serious to talk about. She had known him long enough to know his mannerisms.

  “We need to finalize our final plans today Elisabeth, the thaw draws near, as does Broderick’s return, we need to be ready to ride. He’ll expect our plans to be flawless; do you have time now to go over them before dinner?”

  Feeling her stomach roll, she was used to Kendrix being lighthearted, but his tone told her all too well that within days they would be riding south to deliver sweet justice to that bastard Kincaid and his clan of perverse warriors.

  Nodding, “Aye, we can go to Broderick’s study now if you’d like. I want everything to be ready for Broderick’s return. I miss that man far too much; I want him to be proud of our plans.” Turning to face Broderick’s brother, she bit the inside of her lip so she wouldn’t cry when she said Broderick’s name. Damn her emotions were getting hard to control. She attempted to smile, even though she felt like crying.

  Kendrix crossed his arms and sighed, “Elisabeth, I would imagine Broderick will always be proud of you, who wouldn’t? Come on Sister; let us finalize our plans for good, and maybe I’ll challenge you to a sword match upstairs if we have time before dinner. Today might be my lucky day, maybe I’ll win this time.”

  He wasn’t blind; he could see the way her eyes welled up with tears at the very mention of Broderick’s name. He was sworn to protect his brother’s wife, over the past weeks he had seen immense changes in her that others might not notice. He had seen her battle with the absence of her husband, she missed Broderick terribly. Over the past weeks, he had observed changes in her, changes he was positive could only mean one thing, and he was sure she still didn’t know.

  Yes, he needed to finalize the battle plans, but he had an ulterior motive for asking her up to Broderick’s private study.

  “Brother, I know you take it easy on me when we duel, you cannot call it a challenge unless you stop holding back.” Elisabeth rolled her eyes as she exaggerated her words in jest.

  “Come on Elisabeth, I’ll promise this time, I’ll give you everything I’ve got.”

  The two walked silently up to the north tower, leaving the gate unlocked as normal while they occupied the space should the guards or Rhona need them. They had turned it into their command post for their battle plans. Maps and diagrams were on every table and space available, they had worked tirelessly on these detailed plans.

  With nightfall and dinner hours away, the two sat down at the large table and hashed out the final details quickly, Kendrix and Elisbeth both were positive that their plans were indeed flawless. Everything was set; they only needed Broderick to return.

  Kendrix pushed back from his chair and raised his brows at the redheaded woman across from him, “Well dear Sister, shall we see to your challenge?”

  Looking up from the maps, she smiled, “Aye, but don’t cry when I win Brother, I dinnae like to lose.”

  “Neither do I, neither do I.” He smirked as they walked to the center of the vast study and drew their swords; he knew he had to ease into the conversation with his brother’s wife.

  The two took their positions and Kendrix lunged forward and slashed a mighty blow that Elisabeth blocked with considerable effort, he saw her grin and counter his blow with a flurry of menacing blows.

  Circling each other, he knew the only way to get her to realize her condition was to ask a series of questions and make her figure it out herself. He noticed similar changes in Elisabeth that he had seen in his wife when she became with child, he was positive that Elisabeth was indeed carrying Broderick’s child, and she just hadn’t realized it yet. He was concerned with her drilling with his men every morning; he did not want her to lose the babe. Their drills were brutal and physically demanding, a woman carrying a child could easily be harmed with such vigorous activity.

  While countering and lunging, Kendrix led into his questioning, “I’ve noticed a change in our style these past weeks Elisabeth, much different than when you first started, have you been feeling okay?”

  “I haven’t been sleeping well with Broderick gone, these days of training and sleepless nights are taxing me considerably, I’ve told you this countless times.” She answered, still focused on him.

  Circling together, they each held their weapons out waiting for the other to advance, “Nay lass, I mentioned your style has changed, not your energy level.”

  “Explain.” She asked quietly, followed by a barrage of blade swings.

  Easily defending himself against Elisabeth, he chuckled, “Jesu Elisabeth, you sounded just like Broderick,” countering her attack he knew there he couldn’t skirt the issue forever, “ye tear up at the slightest mention of my brother, ye have lost weight, and haven’t had an appetite in weeks, ye are sick worse in the mornings and are tired all day. Think about it lass, just think.”

  Rolling her eyes, she lunged toward Kendrix again, “I miss him Kendrix!”

  “Aye ye do, I dinnae doubt that for one moment Sister, however, I think there is something else at the root of your change.”

  He could tell she was growing upset with the conversation; her blows were growing stronger as he matched each one.

  “What, oh wise Kendrix do you think ye could possibly know that I dinnae?”

  “I think you my dear Sister are carrying my brother’s heir.” Countering her attack he swung his blade down hard just as she froze with his last word, unable to stop his sword he landed a blow across her right arm.

  Her scream pierced the air; the sound of her blade clattering on the stone floor as it fell to the ground resonated in the large room. Kendrix’s eyes grew wide as blood began to soak Elisabeth’s gown. Dropping his blade the moment he saw the damage he reaped upon her sword arm. In two steps he was beside her, he gripped her wounded arm and squeezed to stop the blood flow, “I am so sorry Elisabeth, I am so sorry.” He looked down into her eyes, still wide with shock she had not moved, had not spoke one word, she just stood in place, “Elisabeth, say something please?”

  “How did I not know?” her voice but a whisper, tears began to run down her ivory face as she closed her eyes and placed her left hand over her womb, “How had I not put the signs together? Jesu it all makes sense now. How did I not suspect?”

  “Elisabeth, I promise we can talk about this later, but right now, I need to close your wound.” Gripping her arm, warm blood continued to flow between his fingers splattering upon the floor, “Sit down in the chair, I’ll grab supplies.” He ordered, walking her slowly over to the fireplace chair. She sat down slowly in the chair before the hearth, pale white and silent.

  Grabbing water and cloth, along with a needle and thread he ran back over to Elisabeth, who had ripped the sleeve of her gown off to reveal a nasty gash that ran down her bicep of her sword arm.

  “Jesus Elisabeth, Broderick will kill me when he sees what I did to you.” Kneeling before her he took a long thin cloth and tied it above the wound to slow the bleeding while he worked. Next he dunked a fresh cloth in the water and rang it out and slowly cleaned her arm, the smell of blo
od was pungent.

  Elisabeth sat in the chair, a million things raced through her head as she stared into the crackling fire. Her head was reeling; she wasn’t sure how much she could take. She needed Broderick home, she wanted his comfort, and she wanted his arms and his voice to be the one that soothed her. Oh, she had no ill will towards Kendrix, he had been a godsend these past weeks, but damn she wanted her husband home. Beside her Kendrix kept apologizing for the cut upon her arm. She turned her head and waited until he looked at her. “It was my mistake Kendrix, not yours, ye know that.” She countered in honesty, she had lost her focus and forgot to block Kendrix’s blow. He had no idea his question would cause her to freeze in the midst of an attack.

  Before her, she saw Kendrix shake his head as he finished cleaning her arm of blood; the smell was making her stomach roll. Yet another sign of the life growing within her, blood had never bothered her before.

  “I should have never been questioning you while we were practicing, that is my error Elisabeth.” Kendrix sighed deeply, tossing the red cloth into the water, leaning to pick up the needle and thread.

  Watching Kendrix, she cocked her eye as she sat back in the chair and prepared to have her wound closed, “How did you know Kendrix?” She saw him look up as he finished threading the needle, “Sew as you talk Brother.”

  Sighing, he stood up and positioned himself beside her so he could work, getting to it, he started to close the wound he caused, “I had a wife, I had seen the signs before when Gwyneth carried Isobel. Broderick charged me with your safety Elisabeth, I’ve kept close eye on you. I know you very well, I certainly know how you preform during drills, and I noticed subtle changes at first as you drilled with the warriors. Then, began looking for the other signs I suspected would follow. Ye are still svelte, so ye cannae be too far along, the sickness in the morning was a dead giveaway.”