He had been slashed with a sword to his stomach. They accidently stumbled onto another clan’s territory, and negotiation was not an option. She could see the steady flow of blood pouring out of the cut and the panic that set into her body, as she realized that the injury was too great for any hopes of a recovery. She followed the men who were carrying him into his tent and then she knelt by his bed.
“Henry.” She said softly as tears streamed down her face in silent sorrow.
“It’s going to be alright.” Henry said, but his voice already sounded faint.
“I can’t do this without you, Henry.” Martha said and she shook her head. “Don’t you dare leave me now. I’ve been waiting for you my whole life.” She begged him, but his eyes were already starting to dim.
“Finding you was the perfect ending.” Henry choked out, as he reached out and held her hand as tightly as he could. “You can’t let this stop your happiness. I’ve seen what happiness does to your eyes and it isn’t fair to expect the world to continue without it.” He said and then he started to cough. “Don’t you worry about me; I’ll always be by your side.” He said and then his grip dropped from her hand and she realized that his chest had stopped moving.
Martha threw her arms around his still body and tried to take in its last offering of heat. She could still smell his rugged scent over the coppery smell of blood and she tried to commit it to memory. She could feel an aching in her heart start to intensify, as her tears fell quickly and her body shook with silent sobs. She was ready to leave now. She didn’t want to spend another day away from her home. She wanted to go back and find that Ross was waiting for her. She wanted to open her eyes and find that everything had just been a bad dream. She closed her eyes tightly and started to beg the fates to allow her to go back, because without Henry there was nothing that was worth staying for.
*******
Martha opened her eyes slowly and noticed the dry air that seemed to be surrounding her. She looked around the room and found that the tent walls she had grown used to seeing had been replaced by bricks and mortar. She sighed with relief, as she realized that she had managed to find a way home again.
A noise to the sound of her made her jump and she turned her head quickly. She waited for a moment, as her balance came back and her vision stopped being blurry for her fast movement. It was Ross, lying next to her. He was asleep and his gentle snores were filling the space around them with soothing noise.
“Hey.” Martha said as she gently shook his shoulder.
Ross opened one his eyes and smiled. “Hey gorgeous.” He said and then pulled her closer to him.
“When did you get home?” She asked with a confused face.
“I got in last night. We had to cut the excursion short due to the storm coming. I stumbled in last night, and you were passed out on the kitchen table.” Ross said sleepily, as he opened up his other eye and started to sit up.
“I’ve missed you.” Martha said with a grin as she snuggled her body into his for a moment.
“I’ve missed you too.” Ross said gently as he kissed the top of her head. “You must have been wearing yourself out, for you to fall asleep at the table?” He asked with curious eyes.
“I guess.” Martha said with a small shrug. “I mean I went out for a little bit yesterday.” She said because she wasn’t sure just how much she should tell him about what had happened. It wasn’t that she wanted to keep secrets from him. It was just that she was sure he would think that she had gone crazy since he had been gone.
“Well, you were sleeping like a baby, when I came in.” Ross said.
“I guess I needed some sleep.” Martha said vaguely.
“Have you been up to much since I went?” Ross asked as he stretched out his arms and then slipped out of the covers.
“No, not really.” Martha said with a shake of her head. She turned her eyes to look at Ross and found them glued to his stomach. She could feel her heart starting to race, as she took in the long, thin mark across his stomach that was in exactly the same place as Henry’s cut had been. “How did you get that?” She asked him, as she moved quickly over to his side of the bed and ran her finger down his stomach.
He looked down in confusion for a moment. “It’s just an old birthmark.” He said with a shrug. “Are you telling me that you’ve never seen it before?” He asked with surprised eyes.
“Of course I’ve seen it before.” Martha frowned playfully at him. “I guess I’ve just never gotten around to asking you were you got it from.” She said with a casual shrug.
“Well, now you know.” Ross said smiling. “Do you want a coffee?” He asked when he walked over to the bedroom door.
“A coffee sounds great.” Martha said with a smile.
She watched as Ross walked out of the room and then closed the door behind him. She could already feel a thousand questions prodding at her curiosity as she tried to work out, how he could have ended up with a mark in the same place as Henry’s.
She thought back the last moment she had shared with Henry. She thought about his last words before his hand had fallen limp and his eyes dark with emptiness. He had promised to always be by her side. Had this been what he had meant? Had he really meant it to such a degree that they were still finding each other many years after their first meeting?
Martha let herself think about the way he had made her feel. He had made her feel exactly the same as Ross did. He had managed to lift the same smiles from her tired heart. He had made her heart race a way that only Ross had ever been able to do. She closed her eyes and thought about Henry and the way he had looked deeply into her eyes. He had made her feel so sure that they were meant to be together and now, how could she ever argue with that?
She got out of bed herself and put on her dressing gown. The house was a lot warmer than the tent, but that didn’t mean that it still wasn’t a bit chilly on her legs. She padded softly downstairs and into the kitchen. She smiled, as Ross turned around and let his eyes examine her.
She loved the feeling of his eyes on her body. She loved the way that he ate her up with every look. She loved the fact that even after knowing each other for so many years, he still made her feel as though she was this best present he could have ever have been given.
“You know.” She said, as she walked into the room and sat down at the table. “I thought that this was going to be awful. I mean it has been really awful. I feel like my heart is being taken away from me every time you leave, but it’s a good thing.” Martha said thoughtfully.
“How do you work out that it’s a good thing?” Ross asked with a small frown.
“Because whenever you’re away it reminds me of just how much I love you and whenever we are together, I’m reminded of just how right this is. We wouldn’t have that if we were in each other’s lives every day. We wouldn’t have that chance to miss each other.” She explained.
“I see.” Ross said thoughtfully. “I like it.” He said with an approving nod.
“I’m glad that you do.” Martha laughed at him.
“Of course, I do.” He said with another nod. “But, you should know that I’m always by your side, even if I can’t be with you in person.” He said and Martha felt chills running down her spine.
“And that.” She said as she stood up and walked over to him. “Is why I love you.” She finished as she pushed herself up onto her tip toes so that she could kiss his cheek gently.
*****
THE END
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Warrior Of The Highland
Abi walked out into the small settlement that her clan had built up the nig
ht before. The fire was already being fed by two of the younger soldiers, but it was still bitterly cold. She shivered and felt strands of her auburn hair fall out of the clips she had placed them in. She walked out into further into the camp with her arms tightly crossed against her chest.
People were already starting to rise. The sound of swords clashing in the distance told her that there were already people out practicing. That was a good thing; her clan needed more people like them. They all had a heavy battle ahead of them and if they weren’t prepared, many would die. She tried to push that thought out of her head, as she made her way over to her father’s tent.
She could hear his deep voice booming from beyond the walls, so she didn’t bother to call out before entering. She walked in and stopped, as she took in two other people other than her dad. She examined their faces to find familiarity, but there were none. They were strangers and it was a dangerous time to be a stranger.
“Father, who are these men?” Abi asked without greeting him.
“Oh, Abi, I see you’re awake.” Her father said brightly as he stood up and walked over to her. “I would like to introduce you both to my daughter.” He said as he rested his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in.
“Should you not introduce them to me?” Abi said growing ever more agitated at being left out of the loop.
“Of course, this is Douglas and Alistair.” Her father said, as he pointed first to the dark haired man who looked like a brute and then to his smaller sidekick whose hair glowed fire red.
“Might I have a moment alone with my father?” Abi asked both the men without looking at either one of them. She waited for them to leave, but they didn’t move. She looked over and scowled at them. “Have you manners? I said leave.” Abi said, and she held the eyes of the brutish looking one, so that he knew she meant it.
He nodded and then walked out of the tent with the red haired man following him. Abi waited for a moment after they had left, so that she could be sure that she wouldn’t be overheard. “What business do you have bringing strangers into our camp?” Abi said sternly. “We are going to war father, we cannot simply trust whoever walks past.” She cried out in frustration.
“Abi, restrain yourself.” Her father said sternly. “I am the leader of this clan and I know what’s best for it. These men aren’t strangers, I’ve known them for some time and one of them is to be your husband.” He finished.
Abi shook her head. “I think you’re mistaken father.” She said quickly.
“Abi, our clan has no hope of victory without others on our side. A marriage is the fastest way to unite two clans, and you are of an age now where it can be arranged.” He explained.
“And what about what I have to say? What about what I want?” Abi said, because she couldn’t believe that her father would really do this to her.
“This is for the good of the clan Abi; I cannot put your individual needs above the greater good.” He said and he shook his head sadly.
“You think that a forced marriage is for the greater good of the clan?” Abi asked him with shock.
“What else is there to do child?” Her father said. “I cannot ask my men to walk into the battle if I know for sure that they will never walk out again. I have to protect them. I have to make sure that I bring them home and back to their families.”
“You can do that without forcing me to wed someone I don’t love.” Abi said desperately.
“I’m afraid, daughter that this is the only option left.” Her father said. “I’m not giving you any choice in the matter anyway. I am your father and the leader of this clan and you will do as I say.” He said.
“You can’t do this.” Abi said, shaking her head.
“It has already been agreed.” Her father replied quickly. “You are to marry Alistair at dusk tomorrow evening and our clans will fight side by side in the war.” He explained.
“You can’t force me to do this.” Abi said quickly. She was angry. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest and her tongue waiting, poised to snap back to whatever her father had to say.
“Abi, I’m not asking you to do this for me. I’m asking you to do this for the men outside of this tent, who have come here to fight for their freedom. I need you to do this for them. I need you to make a sacrifice, so that their sacrifice isn’t their lives. Can’t you do that?” He asked her with pleading eyes.
Abi didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. She had been ready to argue back to nearly anything that he had to say, but she couldn’t argue back to that. The clan would one day be her responsibility and if she was ever going to lead them, then she had to put their happiness before her own.
“Aye, I can do that.” Abi said, as the defeat flooded to her eyes and she dropped them to the floor.
“You have a good heart, Abi.” Her father said warmly.
“Well, then it’s a deep shame that it will never feel love.” Abi said bitterly and then she turned to leave the tent before her father could say anything else to her. She could feel the eyes of the two strangers on her, as she made her way across the camp and back to her tent, but refused to look at them. She was too angry. She was too sad.
*******
Abi spent the rest of the day in her tent and refused to come out, until the roar of conversation had died down and she was sure that most of the clan had retired to their tents. She pulled open the door in her tent and looked out into the darkening scene. The fire was almost at the point of being purely embers, but they were burning brightly enough to see that she would be totally alone if she went out.
She had been wrestling her with her thoughts and emotions all day. She knew what had to be done was for the best of her clan. She knew that as their future leader, she couldn’t be selfish in her choices, but that didn’t stop the numbing feeling that was spreading through her. She’d always had this dream about falling in love and marrying because of that. She had always figured that she would meet someone one day and she would just know, but obviously she had been wrong.
She sighed with frustration and sat down on one of the stones that had been brought over for use as a stool. She had no choice, she had to do it. It didn’t matter how sad it made her. It didn’t matter how unappealing the red haired man had been to her, she had to do what was best for the many.
“You look upset Abi.” A woman’s voice called out from behind her.
Abi jumped. She had thought that she had been all alone and she hadn’t heard anybody approach. “Hello?” She called out into the darkness as she tried to find the person who had just spoken.
“What’s on your mind?” The voice said again and this time it was right next to her.
Abi’s head spun round and she found herself staring at an elderly woman whom she had never seen before. She looked like a gypsy with tattered clothes and a wild look in her eyes. “Can I help you?” Abi asked her, as she tried to gauge whether she was a threat.
“I doubt it.” The woman laughed madly. “But I think I can help you.”
“Is that so?” Abi asked the clearly deranged woman.
“I would think so.” The woman said.
“And how do you propose on helping me?” Abi asked her curiously.
“I think I can save you from marrying the wrong man.” The old woman cooed.
“What do you know of my marriage?” Abi asked her suspiciously. The news of her quickly impending marriage hadn’t been announced yet, so there was no reason for the woman to know about it.
“I know about a lot of things.” The woman said mysteriously. “For instance I know you’re only getting married to protect your clan.” She said as an example.
“So, you were listening to my conversation earlier?” Abi said as her temper flared.
“Not at all. Like I said, I know things.” The woman said with a small smile.
Abi frowned at her, but she didn’t walk away. There was something about the woman that was intriguing to her and she wanted to know what that was. “What advice do you ha
ve then?” She asked her a little impatiently.
“I have no advice girl.” The woman said quickly. “I only have a story to tell you.” She said with a smile and then she sat down on the stone beside Abi and looked into the fire. “There is a legend around here of a great warrior who had led his clan to many victories without ever losing a man to death’s icy grip. He was feared in many lands and because of this, his clan rested in safety for many years before finally someone decided to upset the balance.
His clan went to war, but this time it was different. The night before the war, the warrior found out that his wife had been leading a secret life. She had been feeding information to those that wanted to invade their clan, so that her life would be spared when they did. The warrior was heartbroken by her betrayal. He went into the war the next day, but he had been defeated before his foot touched the soil of the battle ground. He watched all his men die and when finally someone swung a sword at him, he did nothing to stop it.” The woman took a breath.
“So, he died?” Abi asked her with surprise because that wasn’t where she thought the story was going.
“Not exactly.” The woman said with a twinkle in her eyes. “It was said that when the sword struck him, he turned into stone. That’s because his heart had been so broken he was no longer a man and therefore impossible to kill.” She said with a warm smile.
“And how does that help me?” Abi asked her with a small frown because she couldn’t understand what the woman was trying to tell her.
“Well, they say that if a woman goes to his statue and is true with her intentions to protect, then he will wake up from his long stone sleep.” The woman said.
“So, I’m meant to assume this legend is real and that some great warrior is waiting to be awoken somewhere out there in the highlands?” Abi asked with a look of disbelief across her face.
“Well, what other choice do you have lassie?” The old woman asked her. “You can either believe or you can marry a man you do not love. What will it be?”
HISTORICAL ROMANCE: Scottish Romance: Scars of a Highlander (Highlander Alpha Male Romance) (Historical Fantasy Scottish Time Travel Romance Short Stories) Page 3