Highland Legend

by Kathryn Le Veque

  Magnus was standing by the door, his big arms folded angrily across his chest. “So she left ye with Nikki.”

  “She did.”

  “And he climbed out of bed and escaped.”

  Diantha nodded. “One moment we were asleep, and the next he’s climbing out of the bed and running away. I had to go after him.”

  Magnus grunted and rolled his eyes, seeing that she hadn’t been willful about disobeying him, but the result was still the same. She had exposed herself to a world that had Ambrose and Conan hiding somewhere in it.

  Magnus gestured in the direction of Lor and Isabail’s cottage next door.

  “Lor and Bane had returned from the arena before this happened,” he said. “Why dinna ye let Lor run after his own son?”

  “Because he was in Bane and Lucia’s cottage at the time. I was the only one with Nikki.”

  “But I told ye tae stay out of sight for yer own good. Do ye understand that?”

  “I do. But I could not let Nikki run away, querido. Surely you understand that.”

  Magnus did, but he was shaken. Angry and shaken. Still, there was no use berating her more than he already had because he knew very well she couldn’t have let the boy simply run off. Therefore, he let it drop.

  But he was still on edge.

  As he stood there and wearily rubbed his face, Diantha dared to lift her head and look at him. He seemed particularly brittle, but that was understandable given the day’s events. She also noticed a big bruise on the left side of his jaw.

  “How was your bout?” she asked. “I am sorry I missed it.”

  He grunted, turning for the table and planting himself in a chair. “Dunna be,” he said. “A giant hit me so hard he loosened one of my teeth.”

  Her eyes widened. “You were actually struck? How did it happen?”

  “Trickery and stupidity,” he said, but he didn’t want to speak further on it. He looked up at her, reconciling himself to the fact that she was safe. That was all that mattered in the end. Reaching out, he grasped her hand. “Is there something for me tae eat, love? I could use something.”

  She nodded quickly. “Bread and cheese,” she said. “There is a little leftover meat from earlier today.”

  “I’ll eat it.”

  Diantha rushed around pulling together a meal for him. Normally, she would have had it ready, but her inability to go to the kitchen had hindered that. Soon enough, Magnus had bread and cheese and warmed-over beef in front of him, which he chewed gingerly because of his loose tooth.

  Diantha poured him the remainder of the watered ale she had, putting it in front of him as he silently ate. He was pouting and she let him, sitting down across from him but not making any attempt to change the focus off of her. She’d let him get it out of his system and then they would move on. As she’d come to discover, his fits of anger didn’t last long. He was quick to temper, but quick to forget.

  She’d simply let him forget.

  As Magnus finished his meal in silence, Diantha tended to her bee by moving him over near the hearth so he would have some warmth. The little bee was slowing down, nearing the end of his life cycle, and it saddened her to know he’d soon be gone. She planned to bury him beside the cottage, among the flowers that he had loved. As she stood by the hearth, she put her hand into the bowl and the little bee slowly climbed into her palm where it was warm.

  “My little friend will soon be gone,” she said, peering at the wee beastie. “He is the first thing that ever really belonged to me, the first thing that ever needed me. Mayhap that seems strange to say that about a bee, but I will always remember him with fondness. He was the first thing that ever made me feel needed.”

  Magnus looked over at her. “I need ye.”

  “You were the second thing.”

  She looked up from the bee and grinned at him, a jest to lighten his mood. Magnus fought off a smile as he finished the rest of his ale.

  “I was the first and only,” he said. Then he softened a little. “Ye know I’m not angry with ye, sweetheart. But knowing ye left the cottage… That frightens me.”

  Diantha put the bee gently into the bowl. “I know,” she said. “Believe me when I say I would not have done it had there been any other way. But I could not let the baby run off.”

  He held up a hand to stop her from explaining again. “I know,” he said. “Ye’re compassionate and responsible. I see that every time ye take care of the bee, or teach Aurelius how tae write in Spanish, or chase after Nikki because Isabail is too tired tae do it. But if I lost ye…I wouldna know how tae go on.”

  She set the bowl down near the warm stones of the hearth and went to him, wrapping her arms around his head, avoiding his tender jaw.

  “You’ll not lose me,” she whispered. “I’ll be with you forever, querido. You and I are meant to be together, for always.”

  He put his arms around her torso, his head against her chest, hearing her heartbeat steadily in his ear.

  “Ye’ll sleep with me tonight,” he said. “I promise I willna try tae seduce ye, but I want ye in the same room with me. I dunna want ye out of my sight.”

  Diantha understood. In fact, she was grateful for his sense of caution. “Of course, Magnus,” she said. “I would not feel safe away from you tonight.”

  He looked up at her, kissing her torso when she smiled down at him. Then he stood up, taking her by the hand and leading her toward the back chamber where the comfortable bed awaited.

  A knock on the cottage door stopped him in his tracks.

  “Quickly,” he muttered. “Intae the chamber.”

  As Diantha dashed inside, Magnus shut the door behind her. Over near the hearth was a heavy iron fire poker and he silently picked it up, wielding it in one hand as he made his way over to the door.

  “Who comes?” he demanded.

  “It is Clegg, Magnus.”

  Magnus threw the bolt and opened the door to reveal Clegg standing there in a glorious robe. The rain had mostly stopped and Magnus invited the man in, out of the damp and the cold.

  “What’s amiss, m’laird?” Magnus asked with some apprehension.

  Clegg turned to him, his robes swishing. “I have just ordered Ayr and his son away from the Ludus Caledonia,” he said. “But I fear they will not stay away. Magnus, they saw Diantha. They want her returned to them.”

  As Magnus’s eyes widened, the door to the smaller chamber flew open and Diantha appeared. Her face was taut with shock.

  “It was an accident,” she said, already in tears. “I was tending Isabail’s little boy and he ran away from me. I had to chase him, but I was not out of the cottage more than a minute, I swear it.”

  She started weeping and Magnus put his arms around her, comforting her. “Dunna worry,” he said, kissing her forehead, but the truth was that he was very worried. He looked at Clegg. “She was only ever next tae the cottage. If they saw her, it meant they were in the warriors’ village where they shouldna have been.”

  Clegg was looking between Magnus and Diantha. “I know,” he said. “I would not be surprised to know that they had been prowling this entire encampment, but they seemed quite outraged that Diantha was here. They have threatened to bring the church to force me to return Conan’s betrothed, and if that happens, I cannot protect her, Magnus. She will have to go back.”

  Magnus knew that. He looked at Diantha, who was terribly upset. The worst had happened, what they had all feared, and she was to blame. But then again, no one was. It was an accident. Gently, Magnus touched her face before returning his attention to Clegg.

  “Not if I marry her first,” he said. “She has agreed tae marry me. We’ll simply do it as soon as possible.”

  “You’ll do it now,” Clegg said firmly. “Although Ayr and his son have been escorted away from the Cal, I suspect that knowing she is here, they will not go f
ar. They will return. My sentries are vigilant, but they cannot be everywhere. It is possible they will return in stealth and try to take her.”

  Magnus’s jaw flexed, indicative of his emotions. “Even when I marry her, they may try tae take her from me,” he said, trying not to feel defeated. “M’laird, I know I told ye that I had no desire tae fight anywhere other than the Cal, but as long as that pair is on Diantha’s scent, she’ll not be safe here. Is it possible tae go tae the Ludus Hadrian in Carlisle or the Ludus Trimontium in Berwick? I must put distance between Diantha and Ambrose.”

  Clegg nodded. “Of course, Magnus,” he said. “I will send you wherever you wish to go with a full escort. But right now…now, you must marry Diantha and consummate the marriage. Once you are free of the Cal, wherever you end up, you will marry her again in the presence of a priest so that the union may be recorded properly.”

  Magnus looked at Diantha, whose tears had faded by this point. She was gazing up at him with utter trust in her eyes, knowing he would do the right and good thing to keep her safe. He smiled faintly.

  “I’ve never been married before,” he said. “Everyone I know has been married by a priest.”

  Clegg shook his head. “You can do it now, in this very cottage,” he said. “You do not need a priest to officiate or a mass. Simply tell Diantha that you take her as your wife, and the deed will be done. Do it now, Magnus. Hurry.”

  His smile grew as he gazed into her eyes. “Diantha Marabella Silva y de Mora, I take ye as my wife,” he murmured.

  As she realized that they were about to become husband and wife, Diantha lit up with joy. She put her hands on his face, gently touching him, hardly believing that the moment had finally come.

  “Magnus Stewart, I take you as my husband,” she whispered.

  Magnus leaned down, kissing her sweetly, feeling his love and adoration for her burst forth from every pore of his body. Never had a moment in his life meant so much. Never had he felt such contentment.

  Whatever came, he knew he could face it so long as he had her.

  “Ye have been mine since the beginning of time, and ye’ll be mine until the end of all things,” he murmured against her lips. “I wish I had a ring tae give ye, something tae express what it is I feel. I promise I’ll get ye one as soon as I can.”

  Clegg, who had been watching the exchange of vows with a mixture of emotion, spoke softly.

  “I think I can help,” he said softly.

  As they turned to him, Clegg reached into the neckline of his robe, pulling forth a golden chain with something on the end of it. He pulled the chain over his head, unfastening the clasp and pulling off the charm. He held it up into the light.

  It wasn’t a charm, but a small golden ring with an elaborate flower design on it. Something like that was meant for a woman, not a warrior of Clegg’s status. When Magnus and Diantha looked at him questioningly, he smiled weakly.

  “This belonged to a woman I loved long ago,” he said. “Her name was Benedetta and we were married for a very short time before she died of a fever. I could never bring myself to marry again, and I have carried the ring I gave Benedetta for all of these years as a reminder of what I loved and lost. But now…now, I would be honored for Diantha to wear it. I can see the love between the two of you, something I once shared with Bennie, so I would like to give you this ring to carry on that love. Please…wear it for her.”

  Diantha was tearing up again, deeply touched by Clegg’s gesture. He was an intensely private man, and not even Magnus had heard of Clegg’s long-lost wife. But Clegg was holding the ring out to Diantha and she put her hand out so he could drop it into her palm. It was truly an exquisite piece of art with the flowers and filigree on it. Diantha and Magnus inspected it closely, seeing that there was an inscription written inside of it.

  “I see words,” Magnus said. “What does it say?”

  Clegg smiled weakly, his gaze on the beautiful little ring he’d worn on a chain for forty years.

  “I gave it to her before we were married, as a token of my intentions,” he said quietly. “It says Tempus Veniam Nostrum.”

  “‘Our time will come.’” Diantha translated the Latin words, looking at Clegg with great sympathy and tremendous gratitude. “Oh…my lord, it is so beautiful. Surely it means a great deal to you. Are you certain you wish to part with it?”

  Clegg wasn’t certain, but it was time he did. He wanted to see the ring which was given for love continue in that vein. With him, it was simply an object of memories. But with Magnus and Diantha, it was the symbol of what it had always been meant to be…

  Love.

  “I am not parting with it,” he said. “I am simply giving it to Magnus to give to you for safekeeping. But I will ask one thing.”

  “Of course, my lord.”

  “When I die, I wish for the ring to be buried with me. Will you make sure of it?”

  Diantha smiled, reaching out to gently touch his arm. “It will be returned to you, I promise. I will take good care of it until that time comes.”

  Clegg could feel himself getting pulled down into a bog of emotion by something he’d not thought of in many years. Rather than allowing himself to become swept up in those bittersweet memories of a woman he’d loved long ago, he forced himself to return to the matter at hand. It was the very reason why he’d come. Lifting Diantha’s hand, he kissed it. Then he headed to the door.

  “Your time is now, both of you,” he said. “Do what needs to be done and I shall arrange transport south.”

  Magnus stopped him before he could get through the door entirely. “Ye have my everlasting gratitude, m’laird,” he said. “Ye canna know what this means tae me. Tae us. We’ll never forget it.”

  Clegg’s yellowed eyes glimmered in the weak light. “A happy Magnus is a victorious Magnus,” he said. He winked at the pair. “Here is to our victory this night.”

  With that, he was through the door, out into the coming dawn. Magnus shut the door behind him, throwing the bolt before turning to Diantha. He was trying to think of something meaningful to say to her at such an important moment, but she held out the ring to him.

  “Put this on me,” she said.

  He took the little ring from her, slipping it onto her right hand, which was customary in Christian marriages. He looked at the ring for a moment before kissing it and her finger.

  “I had no idea Clegg was married once,” he said. “I feel as if he has given us something of great importance tae him and I’m hesitant tae accept it, tae be truthful.”

  Diantha looked at the ring, which was a little large, but not terribly so. “I know,” she said. “I feel the same way, but he seemed to very much want us to have it. It was very kind of him to do so.”

  Magnus nodded, still looking at the ring, before his gaze trailed up to her face. He looked at her a moment, hardly believing he’d just married the woman.

  But nothing had ever felt so right in his entire life.

  “Lady Stewart?” he said softly.

  She looked up at him, grinning at the use of her new name. “Aye?”

  Magnus tilted his head in the direction of the rear chamber where the big, comfortable bed was. “Shall we make this official?”

  Diantha nodded with great anticipation. “We shall.”

  With a sly grin, Magnus took her by the hand and led her back into the smaller chamber.

  It was dark and cold in the room. There was a small brazier in the corner used to heat the chamber, but it sat empty. Magnus didn’t bother with such things as heat and light. At the moment, he had one thing on his mind and it had nothing to with lighting fires in a brazier.

  He intended to light one elsewhere.

  Without a word, he sat Diantha down on the bed and completely disrobed before her. That gorgeous, muscular, nude form was now on full display, and although Diantha had seen him with
out his clothing before, this was the first time she’d really gotten a good look at him unimpeded. As she studied him, the words from that woman long ago came to mind.

  I’ve heard he has a manhood as big as a rutting stallion.

  Diantha had seen stallions before. She was fairly certain the woman had been right.

  But her view of his enormous and erect manhood was cut short when he sat down beside her on the bed, his eyes drifting over the clothing she was wearing. It was another old dress, this time from Isabail, and full, white cleavage daringly peeked out from the neckline. Magnus’s gaze was lustily drawn to it. One arm went around her shoulders as the other went to her torso, and he pulled her close again, his mouth on her cheek as the hand on her torso began to gently stroke her belly.

  “Ye’re so incredibly beautiful,” he murmured, kissing her neck. “I dunna know what I have done in life tae warrant such a prize as ye, but know that I will always treat ye with the greatest respect. I’ll love ye ’til the end of time, Bee, I swear it.”

  Diantha’s eyes were closed as he nuzzled her neck, the hand on her belly moving gently to her rib cage. She was so overcome by his hot breath on her skin that she threw her arms around his neck, falling back onto the bed and pulling him with her. Magnus gladly lay down, his nude body half covering her own.

  His seeking lips slanted over her mouth and he kissed her deeply. The hand on her belly moved to the underswell of her right breast, and she gasped softly as she felt his hand against her bosom. Already, her heart was racing at his touch and Magnus lowered his head to gently kiss her shoulder. As he nuzzled her soft, warm skin, his hand moved up and enclosed her right breast. He fondled her gently and Diantha groaned when she realized how good it felt.

  She wanted more.

  Magnus heard her groan and his kisses resumed with force. His hand on her breast grew bolder. Fingers slipped along the neckline, trying to pull it away somehow, but the bodice fit snuggly against her body. He was forced to take a moment to disrobe her and Diantha helped him. In fact, she was working faster than he was. Lifting her arms for him, he removed both her dress and her shift in one swift motion.