Highland Charm: First Fantasies

by April Holthaus

“So you are looking for a lass who has hair and wears a dress?”

  Why, you little miscreant! If Galen wasn’t in need of his assistance, it would have been quite easy to send this mocking little bastard across a wide ravine with one swift kick in his arse.

  “Stones!” Galen said, with deep frustration. “She carries with her a black leather satchel filled with ancient runes. This,” he said unraveling the bag tied to his belt and holding it out for Grock to see.

  Grock’s smug expression vanished. His eyes widened. Grock’s expression and actions were as easy to read as a book. The lass was here!

  “Where did you get that?”

  “Ye have seen her!”

  “I cannot help you. You shouldn’t be here. Now shove off and leave me alone,” he said, as he picked up his satchel of berries and attempted to walk away.

  “Nay! I am no’ going anywhere. I have tried to be kind, but if ye know where she is, ye are going to take me to her!” Galen ordered, as he stepped in front of Grock, blocking him from leaving.

  “There is no way you are going to get me to travel through the Black Forest.”

  Galen picked him up by his collar and raised him into the air. Four feet off the ground, the little man attempted to wiggle out of Galen’s grasp.

  “Alright, alright! Put me down! I’ll take you. I’ll take you. Just release me, you overgrown whelp!”

  Galen smirked and set the wee man back down to the ground. Grock stumbled backwards and adjusted his shirt.

  “What is the Black Forest?” Galen asked.

  With a loud, annoyed sigh, Grock pointed past Galen and replied, “That.”

  Galen looked past the bright open field to the woods Grock had pointed to. The woods appeared to be like a curtain wall surrounding the dark stormy clouds that hung in the sky. The name Black Forest was quite fitting. Within the forest itself, dark shadows swallowed any sign of light, leaving behind an ominous void.

  Grock whistled loudly startling Galen. The sounds echoed off the trees. After waiting a few silent moments the sound of hooves trotted their way. Galen turned his head toward the sound as a white horse with a silver-colored mane came out from behind the low hanging branches of a willow tree. She was a majestic beast.

  “Listen, human. I don’t know what sort of quest you are on, but chasing after the Princess of Andor will not do either of us any good. If we cross into the land of darkness, we may very well never return.”

  “Princess?”

  “You really don’t know who she is, do you? This is why I don’t meddle in the affairs of humans. You are entirely bad judges of character. If I have to explain it to you we will be here all day.”

  “Fine, ye can explain on the way.”

  “If we are going to travel through the forest you must keep your wits about you. The Forest is nothing more than a labyrinth of trees and hills meant to fool travelers. The landscape changes. It is bewitched. Many who travel through the Forest never return. The forest feeds on fear.”

  “If what ye say is true, then how did the lass pass through?”

  Grock wickedly smiled. “Because! The forest fears her.”

  Chapter 21

  Riding across the wide open pasture, Galen and Grock left the security of the light and entered into a world of blackness. The hilly terrain made it hard for the horse to travel through the thick brush. In the deep valleys, dense white fog enveloped them, obscuring their view. At times, it felt as if they were riding in circles. In the sky above, an orange blood moon cast a reddish glow, bringing the shadows to life. Even the stars remained hidden in the black, sinister sky. Galen, who was fostered to be a religious man, could only describe these woods as the pathway to hell.

  The woods were unusually still and quiet. There was no sign of life or woodland creatures of any kind. Galen sensed that Grock was becoming more and more nervous. The Goblin had started a mighty tremble that Galen could feel vibrating from the tiny man seated behind him on the horse.

  “What do ye know of the lass? Ye called her the Princess of Andor.”

  “She is the Princess of Darkness. An evil and wretched Fae. Have you been sent to kill her? It would be a noble feat”

  “Kill her? Nay!”

  Galen refused to believe the lass could actually be the wicked Fae Grock spoke of, but to learn that the lass was among them was gut-wrenching.

  The white mare slowed its pace to a jarring halt. Something had caught its attention. Galen quieted his breath and listened. High on a hill, he heard feet shuffling in the snow. Grock’s trembling increased so much Galen thought they would be unseated.

  Taking a hasty breath, Grock whispered, “It’s her, the wicked Queen.”

  Galen stilled and looked high on the hill. Walking along the cliff, a woman came into view. Long black hair cascaded down her back against a black dress. Galen needed no introduction. He knew exactly who she was. Ten years may have passed, but he had never forgotten about her. It was the woman in black; the wicked witch who kidnapped the children and the one who took his sweet, young Ella all those years ago.

  Galen slid down the side of the horse.

  “What are you doing?” Grock whispered.

  “Stay out of sight.”

  Galen drew his sword and headed up the hillside to face the wicked Queen. He made no attempt to quiet his movement. He was not afraid of her. Standing at the top of the hill, he stared into the crystal blue eyes of the she-devil herself.

  “You’re very brave, for a human. You must have much courage to dare cross into this realm,” she said, her voice as soft and whimsical as he remembered.

  “I have no fear of ye.”

  The Queen smirked.

  “Why are you here, human?”

  “I am here to avenge the innocent children ye took from my world nearly ten years ago. What happened to them?”

  “Sacrifices must always be made,” she said.

  Galen’s grip on his sword tightened. The Queen eyed him curiously, but lowered her gaze and stared at the black leather satchel tied to his belt. Her head cocked to the side as curiosity filled her eyes.

  “My, my,” she said in a low whisper. “Such a unique satchel for a Scot. May I ask how you acquired it?”

  “It belongs to a lassie whom I believe has crossed into this hellish pit. I am here to find her.”

  “What do you know of her?”

  “I know that if ye have harmed one hair on her head I will kill ye where ye stand.”

  “Harm Ella! Why would I do such a thing? She is like a daughter to me.”

  At the sound of her name, Galen’s stomach fell into the pit of his gut.

  “What did ye call her?”

  “Ella, of course. That is her satchel clinging to yer side.”

  “Ye lie! Are ye to tell me this bag belongs to Ella? Luella.”

  The wicked queen smirked but remained silent. There was no way the lass was Ella. She couldn’t be. Wouldn’t she have known who he was? Wouldn’t she have remembered? Had he finally found her? The only thing he knew for certain was that he was not leaving this world without her.

  “What did ye do to her? Where is she?” Galen questioned in a deep, husky voice.

  Raising his sword, he pointed it toward her.

  “I was just beginning to wonder the same thing,” she angrily replied.

  ~ ♥ ~

  Ella and the others set out to search for Alaris. With guards searching the northern territory, Ella left for Lochmoor. Baudi had the powers to seal the gates of the kingdom to stop Alaris from escaping once she returned to their land. When she reached the runes, she found no one. The gate to the Great Tree was unguarded.

  Ella could not help but feel something was wrong. Baudi never left his post. He would guard it with his dying breath. Calling out his name several times, she heard a low moan near a gravestone. Running toward it, she looked in horror down at Baudi. He was badly injured.

  “Baudi, what happened?”

  “The Queen,” he choked out, ba
rely able to say the words.

  Blood ran down his chin from one corner of his mouth. It looked as if he had been tangled in sharp thorny bushes; his clothes were torn, and tiny cuts covered his body.

  “I am so sorry, Baudi,” she said, as she glanced down at the blood he had lost.

  She knew there was no way to help him. Why had Alaris done this? Baudi was not a threat to her in anyway. He was nothing more than the gatekeeper.

  “Sh…she knows,” Baudi struggled to say.

  Without needing to ask, Ella understood his meaning. Somehow, Alaris had found out what Ella had done. Only she had no idea how. Darius was the only one who could have given her this information, and he was locked up in the dungeon.

  Holding Baudi’s hand, she asked, “Where is she?”

  In a mere whisper, he replied, “The tree.”

  “Stay here, my dear friend. Help will come soon.”

  Ella picked up Baudi’s staff and pointed it high into the air. Light flared around the tip like a glowing orb as she summoned the power of the staff. It was blinding. Forged in the flames of an Elven Dragon, the staff drew its power from Ella. A bullet of light shot into the air like a beacon. It would summon the others to their location. With Baudi’s powerful staff in hand, she raced back to her horse and headed through the winding trails of the Black Forest towards the Great Tree.

  Ella’s heart raced as fast as Demon’s hooves could go. As they rode, Ella combed the woods looking for Alaris, leaving no stone unturned. High on a grassy knoll, Ella noticed movement in the distance.

  “Who goes there?” she asked, as the shadow came near.

  From out of the darkness a goblin on a beautiful white mare rode toward her.

  “My lady,” he nervously said as he bowed his head to her.

  “Do not be frightened, Goblin, I have no intention of harming you. Have you seen the Queen pass through these woods?”

  “Yes, my lady. She has a human with her as well. A man who claims he came here searching for you.”

  “A man? His name, what is his name?”

  “Galen, my lady.”

  “Galen!” she muttered under her breath. “Where are they?”

  “There! Just beyond the hill, near the Great Tree,” he replied, twisting and pointing behind him.

  As Ella was about to take off seven members of the council rode alongside her.

  “We saw the beacon. Have you found her?”

  “Yes. She is beyond that hill,” Ella nodded her head toward the hill. “There is a human with her. We must ensure his safety.”

  “You know we cannot guarantee that,” one of them replied.

  “Leave him to me. You just focus all of your attention on her. As for you, Goblin, I ask a favor. I have a friend that needs your assistance. He is injured near the ruins. Will you see he gets to safety?”

  “Yes, my Lady.”

  As the Goblin rode off, Ella and the others headed toward the tree. Once she reached the top of the hill, Ella’s jaw went slack at what she saw before her. Alaris had opened the portal, and Galen was pressed up against the tree by some invisible force, struggling to break free. Though he was not bound by rope or iron, he was pushed against the trunk by an invisible force that was no doubt crushing his bones.

  “Galen!” Ella yelled out in desperation as she rode toward him.

  The others rode toward Alaris, using their powers to stop her from crossing into the mortal world and giving Ella enough to time to rescue Galen. If Alaris crossed the portal, there would be no stopping her. She could hide in the mortal world undetected forever.

  Ella kept her eyes firmly on Alaris. No longer in her human form, Alaris’s black-tipped, silver wings firmly rested across her shoulders over a dark moss-colored frock and her eyes were as black as onyx stones; hard and penetrating. Ella knew she had only moments to get to Galen before Alaris’s magic killed him.

  Cormac, the wielder of fire, was the first to strike by releasing his orbs of red and blue flames. As quick as lightning, he released them, like arrows raining down on Alaris. Alaris, who had the ability to manipulate the wind, created a vortex of air around her to deflect his strike. The strong wind whipped the trees branches violently. The others summoned their energy for an all-out attack.

  With the others distracting Alaris, Ella dismounted and ran towards Galen. Raising the staff high in the air she swung it against the tree trunk as hard as she could. The force holding him shattered, and Galen fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Ella dropped to her knees by his side.

  “Galen, what are you doing here? You could have been killed. You do not know what she is capable of.”

  “I came fer ye,” he choked out, coughing up a small amount of blood. “I found yer stones,” he said.

  He leaned to his side and unraveled the bag from his belt before handing her the leather satchel.

  “Where did you find that?”

  “Near the tree. It was how I came upon the doorway to this world.”

  “Galen you must leave this world.”

  “Nay, I will no leave ye,” he said, rising to his knees.

  “Galen, the portal is closing. If you do not go now, you may never get home.”

  Though she spoke with a terrible broken Scottish accent, Galen was surprised she could speak. Having been trapped in this world for all these years, she had become more like them and less like the wee lass he remembered.

  Gently, she placed her hand on his forearm. Galen was at a loss. He had so much to say, but could not find the words. Looking deep into her eyes, he could finally see it. She truly was his Ella. But no longer was she a scrawny lass. She had blossomed into a beautiful woman.

  “Ella, do ye no’ remember at all who I am?”

  Ella sadly shook her head.

  “Oh, Lass, what did they do to ye?” he said, as he brushed his hand against her cheek. “Had I known all this time it was ye…,” He sighed. “When ye ran off, I thought it was because of me. I thought Evelyn had…well, I thought she had told ye how I felt about ye.”

  “And what is that?”

  “I have ne’er been a man of many words. I should have told ye this all those years ago. But from the moment I saw ye, I knew ye were the one. I knew my life would change forever. After all this time, I ne’er stopped loving ye. Ye are everything I ever wanted. When ye left, I felt like a broken mon. I have lost ye once, I will no’ lose ye again.”

  With his heart racing and palms sweating, his longing to touch her became unbearable. Galen could no longer fight this emotional force pulling him toward her. With great urgency, he cupped Ella’s head in his hands and brought his lips to hers before she could utter a word in response. For his love, he would cross great oceans. No distance between them could ever change how he felt.

  With his lips pressed hard against hers, it sent a trail of goosebumps blooming along her forearms. The warmth of his lips seeped into her, heating her core. No longer afraid, she found no reason to hold back any longer. Her fingers began to ache with the need to touch him. Wrapping her arms around the back of his neck, she deepened the kiss as she ran her fingers through his hair. She knew she only had moments.

  Ella’s eyes opened, lips still locked to his. Her eyes looked passed him and saw the vortex of light shrinking. It was time. Breaking the kiss, she looked at him one last time.

  “There is much to say, but there is no time. I’m sorry, but ye must understand. I have to do this. Goodbye, Galen,” she said, as she used all of her might and forcefully pushed Galen into the light.

  Tears stung her eyes as Galen vanished and the portal closed. The last thing she heard was Galen yelling out her name. It was the same tone, the same desperation she had heard before. It was as if the past and the present had folded in on itself. Everything that had led up to this point was meant to happen. She was meant to have crossed into the mortal world and he was meant to have crossed over here. It was the prophecy coming true.

  Chapter 22

  Galen was left sta
ring at the dead bark of an old oak tree. Pounding on the tree left his hands bloody and sore. The doorway was closed and she was gone. Ella was in the middle of a war he did not understand and war meant sacrifice. Had roles been reversed, pushing her through the doorway was exactly what he would have done, and he had to admire her valor. As a warrior, he understood. But as a man, it was much more difficult to accept.

  This was not how this was supposed to end. After all this time, why had she been returned to his life just to disappear again? Galen was angry. Fate was a cruel and twisted bitch. He couldn’t help but wonder if he would ever see her again. There were so many unanswered questions that he felt he would go mad if he had to spend his entire life never knowing the answers.

  The sound of hooves trotting sounded behind him. Galen turned in the direction of the sound and found his horse waiting for him near a tree. Mounting it, he reluctantly rode back toward Dunquest. He had to believe that this was not over. He had to believe she was going to return.

  Upon his return, he came upon Alex, who rushed out to the bailey to greet him.

  “My Laird, where have ye been? We have searched fer ye everywhere.”

  Galen sighed. “Alex, even if I told ye where I was, ye would no’ believe me.”

  “I have come to tell ye good news. A message has arrived from Laird McGregor. He has agreed to meet yer terms. The war between our clans is over, my Laird.”

  Galen wiped his brow. It was the best news he had heard in a long time, but it was not without sacrifice. The agreement included a large part of his land that his Uncle had made a false claim to, as well as a large sum of money owed by his uncle. Once again, even from the grave, his uncle had found a way to curse him.

  “Tonight, we shall celebrate. The men have earned it.”

  “There is one more thing,” Alex hesitated.

  “What?”

  “Lady Braelyn is waiting in yer solar. She dinna seem too happy.”

  “Shite!”

  Galen wasn’t concerned that Braelyn had to wait for his return. Making her wait was one thing, but the fact that he now had to go up the stairs to tell her that his answer was no was an entirely different story. Braelyn was famous for throwing a fit like a child when she did not get her way. Galen dreaded it. He had to hope that his rejection, would not stir any mixed feelings from her father. With one enemy clan now on the mend, he did not need to start another war.