by Fiona Faris
Logan followed the woman as she weaved toward Fanny to grab the buckets and ointment. He wasn’t sure who she was, but after that great show of embarrassment, he wasn’t about to ask if she knew what she was doing. Logan led the lassie back to the woman who was with child and watched as she placed a wet rag on her forehead.
“I’ll be takin care of ye, dinnae ye worry,” she leaned in and whispered to the woman, as if she was a frightened mare.
“Thank ye very much. Tis my feet; they burn terribly.” Sophia followed the woman’s eyes and looked down. A small shock came over her, but she quickly shoved it down.
“Well, we’ll take care of ye real quick. Just hold still.” She lifted the woman’s legs one by one tenderly. Sophia moved quickly, but with great care. She poured water boiled with herbs over the woman’s sore feet. Though the woman made a whimper of pain, she continued steadily. She wiped off all the bits of dirt that clung to the soles of her feet. After she deemed them clean enough, she rubbed in some of the ointment and wrapped them in clean linens.
“Thank ye so much; yer a fine healer. I already feel relief. If ye dinnae mind,” The woman turned to Logan now. “I’ll just sit here for some moments and rest.”
“Please, sit, rest. Ye’ve had a long journey.” He gave her a soft pat on the shoulder and the woman closed her eyes. To the side, Sophia picked up everything she had carried over from their healer’s corner. Logan searched for words, anything that would convey a sense of making the situation right.
“Ye are a healer, then?”
Sophia stopped, frozen in her movements. Why had Logan asked that? It was painfully obvious that she was.
“Aye, and if ye dinnae mind, I’ll be gettin’ back tae my duties.” Logan simply nodded as she said this. Sophia walked off. After a few steps, she stopped and turned back. “And try nae tae scare everyone half tae death again, aye?” She had a hint of a smile on her lips, but Logan couldn’t say for certain. Still, the mere words made him stifle a laugh.
After watching the woman walk off, Logan went over to the area where the bowls of stew were being poured and grabbed one for the wounded woman. He brought it to her, and she was very grateful.
Still, he was unhappy with the way the exchange ended with Fanny’s newest apprentice. He decided to try his best to make it right, even if only in a little way. He walked over to where they were situated. Fanny looked up, her face full of light as she recognized him.
“Logan, lad, nice tae see ye here.” She smiled while mending a man’s twisted ankle.
“Ye as well, Fanny. I see yer doin a fine good job carin’ for all these patients.” He looked around and took in the sheer number of people waiting to be seen alongside the number of those already bandaged and mended.
“Well, ye know, we are doin’ our best. Have ye met my newest apprentice?” Fanny gestured toward Sophia, who did not lift her head from her patient.
“Aye, we met,” she responded rather sharply.
Logan looked around at their tools and medicines. “Is there anything I can fetch for ye, Fanny?” he asked kindly, hoping to do any small task to win back their favor.
Fanny was about to say no when Sophia interrupted her. “Yes, fresh water please, and linens. We’ll be needing a whole lot of them.” She gestured with her chin to the empty buckets beside them.
Gilbert’s mouth hung open. No one had ever asked the Laird for a favor. Logan smiled, knowing though she was feisty in the moment, he was slowly going to get in her good graces and redeem himself from his earlier moment.
“I’ll get ye all some fresh water. If ye need anything else, let me know.” With that, he gave a shallow bow and headed toward the kitchen staff.
Behind him, he heard a soft “Thank ye.” He wanted to respond, but when he looked back all, he found himself doing was focusing on the curve of her neck; how it slid beneath the collar of her eggshell-colored dress. There was a part of him that wanted to run his finger along that curve, to trace the collarbone to where it met the shoulder. Her body flowed like a stream, one he so desperately wanted to dip into.
After glancing for far too long at her neck, Logan was distracted by a group of men outside the entrance to the great hall. It seemed Alrick and the other scouts had returned; they were due for a council meeting that evening. Logan knew Alrick would rush up to their meeting room to discuss what he had found. He hoped it was nothing too much worse than he imagined.
After asking the kitchen staff to send down fresh water to the healers, Logan left the great hall. He climbed the stairs and went straight to the room to meet Alrick. He still wasn’t entirely sure about the conversation he had overheard earlier that day, but there wasn’t anything that could be done about that at the moment. Logan needed to move forward and act as if nothing had happened. He prepared himself for the worst; perhaps more farms had burnt down than he anticipated, or maybe the fires were just the beginning of worse fates. As he climbed the stairs, he thought of many things that might have started the fires. Nothing made sense.
Inside the room, Alrick was already seated with a chalice of wine in his hand. He looked as exhausted as Logan felt.
“I’m glad ye saw our return. There’s much we need tae speak of.” Alrick got straight to the point, which was always what Logan preferred.
“Aye; now tell me what ye have seen.” Logan poured himself some wine and sat across from Alrick, waiting to be filled in on the details.
“Tae begin with, all of the farmhouses at the southern border have been badly burned. Most of the fields and harvest are ruined. There are some crops that we may be able to salvage, but none of the homes are livable.”
Logan was confused. There were no neighboring clans in the area of the southern border; in fact, travelers rarely passed by there, and aside from the cattle and some wildlife, there were no other signs of life in that region.
“Ye say we may be able tae save some crops? How much?” he asked, trying to think further about the fires.
“Aye, we may be able tae get maybe a fields’ worth of various crops,” Alrick responded quickly.
“What about livestock?” Logan needed to know what resources they would have to make it through the coming winter.
“None—they must have all fled as quickly as possible.”
Logan placed his chin on his hand. He couldn’t stop thinking about the fires.
There had to be a reasonable explanation for what was going on. “Tell me more about the fires, Alrick.”
Alrick stood and walked over to the window from which two of the borders were visible. “There’s one other thing I have na’ mentioned. The fires, Logan—they were clearly started by someone. There is no rationale tae them. There were large burn marks near the fences and grasses that have no logical sense—aside from being man-made.”
Logan stood and looked out the window. The south border was the furthest from any of the neighboring clans. It was a border that most did not visit, aside from going to the farm lands. Why would someone start multiple fires near there? And who could possibly have a reason to burn all the farmlands down? Whoever it was, Logan was set on finding out.
Chapter Six
Logan finished his conversation with Aldrick. The two discussed all the scouts had witnessed on their journey to the south border. Aldrick seemed supportive, but Logan couldn’t help but wonder still if he was a man to be trusted.
“I just want tae say, Alrick, I’m glad yer my second-in-command. Ye’ve handled much of this well. I think we’ll be alright.” He placed his hand on Alrick’s shoulder and gave him a hard squeeze. Logan tried to sound as serious and sincere as he could, he wanted to see if any hint of Alrick’s response would give away betrayal. But for the time being, there were no hints of anything other than loyalty and respect.
The two left Logan’s library space and headed back to the commons area. The day had been a long one, and Logan was exhausted, but he wanted to stop in and check on his family before continuing on to the council meeting. He miss
ed his joyful little Ava and wanted to be near her, even if only for a few moments. His time spent in the great hall had drained more out of him than had been drained in a long while. While there was often work to be done as Laird, much of it gave him time and freedom still. Today was the first day in a long while where every ounce of his strength was used up, and every ounce of his patience.
He thought back to the lichen-eyed lassie for a moment. She was beautiful and fierce; two things he normally did not see existing together in a woman. He was drawn to her. After their exchange, Logan found himself thinking again and again about her eyes, the curve of her neck, her soft chest showing above the neckline of her dress. He wanted to know more about her. Who was she before all of this took place? Who had she lost in those fires? Her husband, perhaps? He knew he needed to find out more about her, but right now wasn’t the time to think about those things.
Logan went to the commons room to look for his family. Outside of the tasks Mildred and Diana had been asked to do, they had, for the most part, remained tucked out of sight. This offered Logan some relief. He was worried that with so many people in the keep, they would only add to the chaos and his own worries. After remembering the little children he had seen, and the woman with child, Logan was glad that his Ava had been safe and sound inside the castle when all of this took place.
He wondered what life would be like had he been a worker for the estate. What if it was him and Ava in a farmhouse when the flames moved in? But Logan knew what loss was without imagining himself in these scenarios. The council meeting would help him figure out how to rebuild this lost part of the estate and some long-term steps. Logan knew that the council wasn’t so sure of him as a leader, but he was ready to show them that he could handle a disaster as large as this. There was no question about it. He was willing to do whatever was necessary, even if it meant fixing the crops one by one with his own bare hands.
When Logan walked into the commons room, he was greeted by a high-pitched squeal and a tiny figure in a layered, poofy dress running at him full force. After missing him for most of the day, Ava was clearly happy to see her father.
“Aye my wee one, how are ye doin?” Immediately Logan picked her up and spun her around. Her dress flew out around her.
“Papa!” Logan held Ava close to him and looked into her eyes. She had the face of her mother, there was no denying that. He had severe features and a wildness about him, but Isla had been like a flower, soft and gentle, and wondrous to look at. It pained him to look at Ava sometimes because of how much she reminded him of her mother. Still, he would never let her know or see this. Logan was happy to have been blessed with a child from Isla, even if it meant her passing. He had Ava now to focus on, to look after. Their marriage had been beautiful, and his daughter was the result of a deep and wondrous love.
“Papa! Papa! Put me down!” Ava squealed again, and though she was asking to be put down, her demands came out in the form of laughter. Logan listened to her, stopped spinning her, and set her down gently.
He walked over to a chair near Diana and Mildred and had a seat. “I dinnae have much time tae talk tae ye two, but I wanted to stop by before I head up to see the council.” Logan leaned into the chair and tilted his head against a wall, feeling spent.
“How has the day been?” Mildred asked first.
“There are a lot of people who have lost their homes, but we’re doin all we can, and we will be able to house them all for now. There’s that, at least.” Logan found himself drifting to thoughts of the lassie again, and he wondered if his sisters knew anything about her.
“Do either a’ ye ken the new apprentice tae Fanny?”
Diana and Mildred met eyes after Logan’s question. “Why do ye care tae ken?” Diana smiled as she said this, trying to conceal just how wide her smile was growing.
“No reason; just curiosity.” Logan’s cheeks reddened to match his beard, and he thought to himself that it maybe wasn’t the best idea to ask this question of his sisters.
“Well, we wanted tae hear more about the fires, all that happened. How much damage is it, Logan?” Mildred thankfully re-directed the conversation by asking about the real reason he was there. Diana sat quietly, stitching an old shirt she hoped to repair for someone who might need it.
“Well, the damage is bad. The fires began in the south border. They spread from multiple spots, and they spread quickly. Because it was night and everyone was asleep, and it was so far from the main part of the castle, no one could do anything tae stop them.”
“How are the fields lookin’?” Diana chimed in.
“No good. They’re all mostly ruined. We have very little left, about perhaps a field worth of harvest.” Logan spoke bluntly, not holding back any of the details. His two sisters looked shocked.
“But all the work that went in tae those fields, all the livestock, all the homes? They’re all gone?” Diana stopped stitching, a look of shock across her face. Logan nodded in response.
“We will have tae make do with what we have.” Mildred was always the practical one. Ava waddled over to Logan and planted herself between his legs on the floor. She leaned on his muscular calf. Her eyes blinked slowly and lazily. She, too, was spent, without having any real reason to be. Logan picked her up and placed her on his chest. He patted her back softly in a calming beat.
“I should be getting the wee one tae her bed.” Logan moved from the chair and headed towards the stairs. He smiled to himself, thinking how easy Ava’s life was today, yet how exhausted she clearly was. He made the journey up the many steps with ease. Though he hadn’t needed to exert much physical effort these days, he trained often and fiercely. He knew a true leader needed to be prepared to lead his men into battle at any moment’s notice. When they reached Ava’s bedchamber, Logan laid her softly in her bed and tucked a quilt around her. He was going to head out the door, thinking she must have been asleep, when he heard her tiny voice behind him.
“Papa, wait. Will ye tell me the bedtime story about the king and the dragon again? Please?”
Logan rolled his eyes, but smiled. He had many duties as Laird, but none felt as important as the duty of a bedtime story.
“Aye, wee one, I will, if ye promise tae close yer eyes at the end.” Logan sat on the floor near her bed. He ran his hand over her hair.
“Once, there lived a great and mighty king. A noble and kind king. His land was filled with plenty of happy villagers, and they all worked together tae provide for each other. His lands were filled with more stinky boars than they could count!” Ava laughed at this part, as usual.
“But one day, the happy villagers were greeted by a nasty, mean visitor. A scary dragon showed up!” Ava’s mouth shot open, and her eyes went wide. She feigned shock at the part she’d heard countless times.
“The dragon was an angry dragon. He demanded he get all the boars he wanted. ‘This is my land too!’ he bellowed. ‘And I want all of yer boars!’” Logan stretched his arms out and flapped them like a dragon, speaking in a low and growly bear voice. Ava tucked herself further under the quilt to shield herself from her father-dragon.
“But the king knew how tae take care of his people, and he refused tae give the dragon the boars because his people needed them. So he shouted tae the dragon, ‘Ye canna take my boars! My people need them! Be gone dragon!’ But the dragon did na’ like that.” Ava continued listening intently.
“So the dragon opened his spiked mouth wide and began setting all the fences and all the trees aflame. But the people were nae afraid of him. The villagers all gathered around their king and lifted their swords and their bows and arrows, and they did what they could to defend the village. People climbed all over the castle and threw what they could at him. Now, when the dragon was only dealing with one little king, he wasna’ afraid, but after seeing whole masses of villagers, the dragon grew worried. The bows and arrows pierced his flesh, and he ran away, scarred and scared for his life. That day, the King knew he was a great king, because his
people cared enough to stand for him, tae help him. And the dragon never returned again.” And of course, by the time he got to the most interesting part, Ava had fallen asleep and was lightly snoring.
Something about the dragon story stuck out to Logan, it stirred a feeling in him that he couldn’t quite place and it all felt very familiar. Logan stood quickly from Ava’s side of the bed and left the room. He knew he only had a few more moments to speak with his sisters before he was due to meet with the council.
In the commons room, Mildred and Diana were awaiting his return.
“Did she go down alright?” Diana asked.
“Aye, but she required a story, of course.” All three laughed in unison. Ava was so predictable, and definitely spoiled with their love.
“Logan, I need tae tell ye something.” Mildred looked at Logan. Diana quietly watched the two, waiting to see how the conversation would progress.
“Aye, go on then.” Logan sat in the chair he was in earlier.