A Healer For The Highlander (Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance)

by Fiona Faris

  “There are people settin’ fires ‘round the estate. We need tae get the men together. Now!” Alrick turned and too grabbed his sword. Sophia stood back, her body pressed against the stone wall. She was amazed with how well the men moved, how organized they were. Near the end of the hall the sisters poked their heads around the corner and made their way towards Logan.

  “Logan, what is happening?” Mildred rushed forward.

  “Someone is settin’ fire tae the land. Make sure Ava is alrigh’!” Logan shouted back as he and Alrick rushed past all of them. Mildred nodded, understanding, and rushed away. Sophia stood there, unsure what to do.

  Logan could not stand around directing everyone. He waved off Sophia and mouthed,

  “Go back tae yer bedchamber,” as he rushed down the long hall.

  “Do ye know who it is?” Alrick asked as they both ran in the direction of the great hall.

  Logan shook his head. “Nae, but I reckon tis Dillon’s clan. who else?” he shouted as he ran.

  The two were nearing the great hall when Alrick turned in a different direction and went to wake the rest of the scouts. Logan went towards the small armor room near the great hall. He took out a shield and his helmet. He slid the heavy metal over his head and held out his claymore. He let out a long howl as he prepared his body for a battle, should it come to that. Logan exited the small room and ran to the great hall. Before he knew it, Alrick was there alongside him. The scouts had woken and grabbed their own swords. Each was half-dressed and half still in sleep, but prepared to battle.

  “Let us go find out who thinks he can set fire tae our stables!” Logan held up his sword as he shouted, and the men all followed his lead, lifting their own swords.

  He went to leave the hall entrance when he noticed the number of shadows behind him had grown. He turned and saw more men surrounding him than had in a while. But it wasn’t more scouts. It was the men who had been living in the keep, the ones who lost their homes to the fires.

  One young lad stepped forward. “Let us help ye, Laird!” He raised his fist.

  Another man stepped near him. “Aye, we shall stop them!” he said.

  More and more men walked forward, unsheathing their weapons and holding them out in front of them, ready to charge at anyone or anything who stood in their way. Logan’s mouth hung open. He had been so worried for so long that his men would turn against him when the clan most needed them, but here were countless of them, ready to fight without proper armor, without proper weapons. They just wanted to protect the land and stand by their laird. If he had more time, he would have turned around and told them all then just how much he appreciated their service, their willingness to believe in him.

  He wanted to say something, but all he could manage was a, “Thank ye, very much,” with a nod. “Let us charge then, aye?” he added. Everyone cheered, and all the men moved forward in procession.

  Logan could smell the smoke and see the flames before he reached them. He smelled the familiar sweetness of hay burning.

  “Aye!” he shouted. “Who dares tae burn down my stables! Ye’ll lose yer bloody head if ye dinnae run now!” he hollered from the head of his army, using his bellowing voice to let the men know they were caught. He looked around and saw some men scampering. They were dressed in the kilts of Dillon’s clan.

  Before he had a moment to think, all the men behind him flooded out from the great hall. They ran, yielding whatever weapons they had, towards Dillon’s men. Logan charged straight for the stables. The man who was setting fire to the back part of the roof turned and lifted his claymore. Logan struck it hard, and knocked the sword right out of the man’s hand. Logan could see the man was young, easily only nineteen or twenty, clearly sent to do this mission without much training. He stepped back and Logan swung again, this time knocking the torch he held in his other hand. The man turned and ran.

  “Aye, go on and get outta here!” Logan shouted at him. He turned then and focused his attentions on the other men who had been nearby. But the minute Logan stepped towards them, they turned and ran too. The men sent to start the fires were clearly weak and not well-trained. In the distance, Logan watched as some of the men who had been staying in the keep fought off some of Dillon’s men, who had been trying to steal cattle. Logan charged forward to help. One by one, Logan’s men either scared off Dillon’s men, or beat them to a bloody pulp.

  Finally, Logan approached a group of men from the keep who held one of Dillon’s men. Two held his arms back, while a third was punching him in the middle of his stomach. The man’s legs buckled beneath him as Logan sauntered over to where they stood.

  “Thank ye, lads,” he said to his men. They each nodded and stopped their assault. “I want tae have a word with this man.” He stuck his head out pointing his chin towards the man. Each of them nodded to Logan.

  “Shall we keep holdin’ him?” the one on the right asked.

  “Aye,” Logan responded. They continued holding the man up. The one they held up barely lifted his head to look at Logan. His eye was already badly bruised, and his lip had a nick from a blow at just the right angle.

  “Ye and yer other men can run on back tae Dillon, and tell him I will nae give up my land for anythin’. If he wants a battle, I shall give him one.” Logan practically spit at the man. “I know ‘bout the poison in our water, and dinnae think fer one moment I will not force the bloody fool to drink buckets of it the minute I get my hands on him.” Logan grabbed the man by his shirt and shook him.

  Logan threw the man away from himself, and he landed on his knees in the soft dirt. “Run. Go tell Dillon what I’ve said,” he commanded. The man stood as quickly as he could and ran off towards where the other men had disappeared earlier.

  Logan looked around and knew there were no other men left from Dillon’s clan. He gave pats on the back to the three men that stood in front of him.

  “Well done, lads. Thank ye,” he said, catching his breath. He made his way over to the stables to check on the horses. From here, he could see that one of the men had taken a horse. It was not until Logan moved much closer that he could see they had stolen Sophia’s mare. Logan frowned then, knowing how disappointed she would be to learn that they had taken Moon. Logan vowed to himself that he would do all he could do to return the horse to her as soon as possible. Without Moon, the estate would never again feel like a home to Sophia. After all she had lost, this was only another grain of salt in the wound.

  Logan turned and waited for the men to approach. Behind him, he could see some small flames were still burning.

  He turned to the men quickly. “Great work! Now, if ye can, I need all of ye to get tae work puttin’ out those flames. We need tae stop any more damage from spreadin’.” The men nodded and went straight to work, throwing sand and dirt on whatever small flames they could find. Thankfully, only part of the healer’s garden had been badly burned. Logan hoped it was nothing that was too difficult to regrow. With the coming winter, they would need all the resources they could get to recover from the usual illnesses.

  Alrick approached Logan as he stood staring at the burnt garden. “We were able tae stop them from takin’ the cattle, but seems they rode off with a horse.”

  “Aye, I noticed,” Logan said. “I cannae believe Dillon is going so far as tae attack again so soon. Tis unlike he has ever been.” Logan shook his head in disbelief of Dillon’s actions. They had had their small battles, but rarely any attacks like this. Usually, each clan kept to their own, unless matters of crime or outside enemies forced them to meet.

  “Seems we have a lot tae think about,” Alrick said then. Logan agreed. The two moved around the stable, checking the foundation and the roof, seeing just how much damage had been done. Thankfully, it seemed Sophia had woken at the right moment. The men had not gotten very far when she went to fetch Logan. With the help of the scouts and the men of the keep, Logan was able to stop much of what they had started.

  Still, he felt sorry for not being able t
o stop them from taking Moon. He knew he would have to tell Sophia first thing in the morning. He was not looking forward to the disappointment that would be very evident on her face. Damn Dillon, he thought to himself. That bastard of a laird had taken so much from him. Logan rubbed his beard.

  Some of the men began to approach Logan; it seemed all the fires had been put out. There was not much else to do in the moment, and Logan knew he should send the men to get as much rest as possible in what few hours they had left of the night.

  “Laird,” one man started, “we have put out all the fires, there are no signs of any other men,” he finished.

  Logan turned then to the men as they gathered around him. “Aye, well, ye lads did a mighty fine job tonight. I am much grateful to ye for all the work ye put tae stoppin’ Dillon’s men. I know I can count on ye. I promise tae do all I can tae make sure this ne’er happens again.” The men clapped and whooped as they started walking back towards the keep. Logan patted them on the back as they moved.

  He truly was grateful. It had been a long time since he felt that all of his people were behind him, but since the original fires, it seemed that more and more people were supporting him and praising him for his leadership. He thought back to many of the conversations he had with his sister. She had told him early on he needed to listen, that he needed to watch his tone and really work at being his old self again. He could not deny that since meeting Sophia, a great part of him had wanted to be kind again as well; he had wanted to rid himself of his terrifying ways. He had a new motivation to be seen by her and the rest of his people as the kind and caring leader he had once been.

  After the men of the keep went back in for the night, the scouts approached Alrick and Logan. Alrick spoke to Logan before addressing them.

  “I think tis a good idea if we leave a few men tae patrol fer the rest of the night.” Logan agreed with Alrick, and let him be the one to give the orders.

  “Alright. I will need Hamish and Finlay tae patrol the edges of the estates fer the night. The rest of ye, head inside and get some rest. We shall continue training in the mornin’.” The men separated, and Hamish and Finlay climbed onto separate horses to begin their patrol duties.

  “Tis a good idea tae have them look out,” Logan said to Alrick. “I have some thoughts I need tae share with ye.” Logan weighed his words and wondered if he really was thinking for the best. He knew Dillon had been ramping up his actions and all he was willing to do for the land. He didn’t know whether Alrick would be in agreement, given how this idea had gone over at the council meeting.

  “Aye, tell me, Logan. What bothers ye?” Alrick said.

  “I think tis time we start a battle, Alrick. I have waited long enough. With these fires, with someone poisoning the estate and my Ava, I cannae stand around and let Dillon keep actin’ this way. Tis time.”

  Logan had thought long about this. As much as he wanted to avoid sending his clan into battle, especially after the recent tragedies, he knew there was no other choice. Everything Dillon had done this year was more than enough reason to go in and attack his estate. If they did nothing now, it was very likely he would continue to terrorize the estate.

  “Logan, I ken. Tis time. There is nought much else we can do, and if we let time pass, Dillon is bound tae get worse. Hearing about Ava, tis worth going in tae battle just fer her.” Alrick had long considered himself avuncular to Ava. He had to fight himself from going and poisoning Dillon himself after he heard how she was affected.

  “We will tell the council there was nothin’ else a’ could be done,” Alrick added.

  “Thank ye, Alrick. Tis settled, then. We ride out in a day, strike just before the morning hours.” Alrick nodded as if he understood. The two men said goodnight and parted ways, each knowing they were going to need a lot of rest if they were going to be battling in less than two days’ time. Logan didn’t know what he was going to tell Sophia, his sisters, Ava. He only knew it was because of them that he most wanted to do this. He needed to protect his family—at all costs.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sophia could hardly wait for morning to come. She wanted to find Logan, to talk to him about what had happened the night prior. She knew that he wanted her and his sisters to all stay inside, along with the other women of the keep, but she needed to know what the attacks meant, and whether it was in fact Dillon’s people who had come back to attack once again. She was so worried about the flames, wondering how far they had reached and whether they’d caused much damage to the healer’s garden.

  She rushed out of bed as soon as the roosters made their call and the sun stretched through the windows. She dressed for the day and went to the kitchen; she wasn’t sure if Fanny knew about everything that happened. There was a lot to tell her, and she knew Fanny would be eager to hear from her.

  Sophia arrived in the kitchen and poured herself a nice bowl of grains with milk and honey. She sat at the table and started eating. She lifted the spoonful into her mouth and savored the sweet nuttiness that ran over her tongue. It had been a very long night, and Sophia was happy to have a hearty meal to start the day. When she was about halfway through her bowl, Fanny came into the kitchen, trailed by Gilbert. He was solemn, and based on Fanny’s frown and the furrow in her brown, the two had not remedied their issues yet, but at the very least, Sophia was glad to see them together.

  “Fanny! I have much tae tell ye!” Sophia practically jumped as Fanny moved through the kitchen.

  “Well, good tae see ye tae. Let me get my meal,” she responded with a chuckle. Gilbert said nothing and sat down with his grains, as far from the two of them as he could manage in the little eating area.

  “Tell me, Sophia,” Fanny said as she sat next to Sophia with her bowl.

  “There was an attack last night. I woke tae the smell of fire and saw bodies lighting the stables, and the garden.” Thinking of the stables, Sophia wanted to talk to Logan even more than before; she needed to know if her mare was alright.

  “An attack?” Fanny dropped her spoon in shock. Sophia expected Gilbert to also be shocked by the news but he looked disinterested, clearly still brooding about their fight.

  “Aye, an attack. I woke Logan right away,” Sophia said between mouthfuls.

  “Oh, did ye now?” Fanny smiled terribly wide, and Sophia wished she would not have added that last bit. She did not want to imply that she knew where Logan slept, or that she had any access to him, and now she had very clearly given away that detail.

  “I meant, I had,” she paused, looking for an excuse, “someone wake him for me, I meant,” she spit out quickly. Fanny smiled in response but dropped the issue.

  “I have nae heard anythin’ else about it,” Sophia added. Fanny looked off in the distance, lost in thought.

  Just then, an attendant rushed into the kitchen. “The Laird has requested all members of the clan go to the great hall so that he can make an announcement as soon as possible.” She looked back and forth between all three of them, as if wondering why they did not jump up quicker. After a few moments of silence, she stepped out of the room.

  After the three healers had finished their breakfast, they began their journey to the great hall. Sophia wondered if the announcement had to do with the previous evening. She assumed it did, but wondered if it was good or bad news. She had a strong feeling it was Dillon’s people. If it was, given the poisoning and the previous fires, would Logan want to start a battle? After the most recent issues, she could not see him restraining himself further.

  “I guess we shall be findin’ oot more about last night,” Fanny said grimly.

  When they entered the great hall, they noticed Logan standing on the mezzanine above the hall. He leaned over and waited as everyone settled in. “Clearly, this is an important matter,” Fanny whispered to Sophia, “because Logan seldom makes announcements from above.” It was only when he needed to be clearly heard, but not hear others. Sophia sat next to Fanny on one of the benches near the former healer’s cor
ner. Everyone settled on the floor and in seats, filling every open space.

  “I have an announcement tae make, and it will nae take much time. I have decided tis time we go to battle against Dillon’s clan. Tis obvious they began the fires not tae long ago, they tried tae poison our clan, and now they have attacked again. As many of ye know by now, there were men setting fire tae our land late last night. They stole one of our horses. They tried tae steal our cattle. We cannae let them get away with this any longer. We must stop them.” Logan waited for a sound of disagreement from the crowd, but everyone was listening to him, enraptured by the news of all Dillon’s people had done.

  “I expect every healthy lad tae join us. We shall be setting out late tonight, sometime before dawn. Bring what weapons and armor ye have. I appreciate every man who joined me last night, and I hope ye will join me again. Yer loyalty is much valued, and I hope ye see me as a laird deservin’ of it.” Logan stepped away. He hoped that the men of the previous night would still be willing to support him now that they knew about the battle. Alrick walked with Logan, and gave him a pat on the back.