Highlander’s Trusted Traitor (Scottish Medieval Highlander Romance)
Page 13
The men stared in awe.
The young warrior who had almost fallen off came galloping up to stop beside her. Ina did not look at him. She kept her eyes on the other targets as the men finished. None had been as accurate as her own.
The young man smiled broadly at her and gushed, “Yer aim was true once again Lady Ina! You are so, so…” he stammered and blushed bright red. “...magnificent!” But he was speaking to her back since she had already turned her giant horse and began walking away from him. He could hear her talking to herself as she rode away.
He missed the roll of her eyes and the huff of her breath as she sighed dramatically. “Tis always the same!” Ina said to herself. “Where oh where is me hero? Where oh where is me own true love? Me sisters have found their own loves; Godet and Laird Gordon, Flori and Loughlin, and even Ceena and Tristan.” She sighed again as she looked towards the white castle on the hill, her beloved home Fionnaghal.
She and her three older sisters had fought hard to keep their home after their evil Uncle Mungan tried to take it from them and force Godet to marry him so he could have it. But he hadn’t won.
Ina stared with pride at the castle, which was on a hill overlooking the sea. Its name meant white shoulders. Ina sighed. She thought it was very romantic, and though its ancient white stones were crumbling in several places, it didn’t matter to her. Her sister Ceena and her new husband Tristan had brought in some men who were slowly and meticulously bringing the old girl back to her majestic self.
Ina rode Myrtle up towards the castle. She saw her two old aunts where they sat on their small Highland ponies watching the young men practicing on the field. Aunt Hexy’s grey hair was flying in all directions, as there wasn’t much hair left in the tiny bun that sat lopsided on the side of her head. Her wrinkled face was alight with interest as she watched the young warriors in kilts practicing on the field. Aunt Burnie was beside her, her attention caught as well. Her head was almost bald save for a few crinkling white hairs striving to stretch up off her fuzzy white head. The hairs quivered and shook in chaos as Aunt Burnie leaned this way and that as she followed the progress of certain warriors.
“Hello Aunt Hexy, Aunt Burnie,” she said, looking down at them as she halted Myrtle in front of the two old ladies sitting on the tiny, shaggy ponies.
“Hello lass,” Aunt Hexy said distractedly as she kept her attention on the young men.
“Hello Ina,” Aunt Burnie muttered as she too strained to see the field.
“Can ye move a wee bit dear?” Aunt Hexy said. “Ye are blocking our view with yer big horse in front of our darling little King Bobby and precious Countess Winnifred.”
Ina smiled at them and nudged Myrtle out of the way of her two old aunts and their small Highland ponies. She loved her aunts and the little ponies with their unique names.
“Aunt Burnie will ye tell me the story of your ponies’ name again—the story of Countess Winnifred? How she saved her beloved husband from the dank, dark prison, and surely a horrible death, by sneaking past the burly guards and dressing her dear, beloved husband like a woman in order to rescue him so they could live the rest of their lives together in eternal bliss and love, and be together happily ever after for always and forever and ever…” She took a deep breath after her long speech.
“Yes dear, yes…ye just told the whole story yerself, now can ye move a bit more? We cannae see,” Aunt Hexy said.
“Ooh look there Hextilda, another one took his shirt off!” Aunt Burnie trilled excitedly as the hair on her head quivered even more while she wiggled around in excitement on her little pony’s back.
Ina smiled at her aunt’s delight. She gave a cursory glance back at the field to see the men showing off their chests as they stared after her. One in particular was flexing the muscles in his arms while smiling cheekily at her. Ina rolled her eyes and looked away, letting her aunts enjoy the display of manhood. She was bored. Bored with all of it. Her sisters got their happily-ever-afters, so why hadn’t she?
She suddenly noticed a pair of little black eyes peering at her from under Aunt Hexy’s tartan.
“Aunt! Ye dinnae take Friseal’s rat did ye?” Ina said. Friseal was a friend of her sister Ceena. He was a big, huge man with a beard that took up much of his large belly. He kept his pet rat under the beard. Now and then you could spot him sneaking tidbits of food under that beard to feed his rat. He had helped save Tristan and Ceena and had become a dear friend of the family.
“Och of course not. I’ve got meself a wee little dog. If Friseal can carry a pet rat around I can certainly have a wee doggie,” Aunt Hexy said and reached under her tartan to stroke the tiny thing’s head.
Ina frowned. She didn’t see any fur on the animal. “Aunt, are ye sure that is a dog? May I see him? Where did ye find him?”
“Och, stuff and nonsense, of course it’s a dog! It’s just a wee one is all,” Aunt Hexy said without looking at Ina. “I found him…or her.” She waved her hand dismissively at Ina. Her eyes were still captivated by the men on the playing field.
“She hasnae even named it yet,” Aunt Burnie added, still watching the men intently. “I may get meself a pet as well…”
“Ye arnae!” Aunt Hexy said firmly with her eyes glued to the men.
Neither was looking at the other, or at Ina. They only had eyes for the men out on the field.
“And whyever not? I will if I want to Hextilda!” Aunt Burnie said peevishly, still watching the men, the shirtless ones in particular.
“Because ye are too forgetful to care for a pet,” Aunt Hextilda said, but not unkindly
Ina sighed, shook her head, and nudged Myrtle back into a walk up to the castle. She could still hear them arguing as she rode away.
Without Ina around to show off for, the men started heading back as well.
Aunt Hexy finally tore her eyes away from the chests of the young warriors on the field since they seemed to be leaving. She noticed Ina riding slowly back to the castle.
“Even though she is doing what she likes best—being with horses—Ina is vera unhappy Burnie,” Aunt Hexy said to her friend.
“Aye, and so is Laird Tristan, her brother-in-law. He says she is a terrible distraction to his men,” Aunt Burnie replied as she watched the men putting their shirts back on. She frowned and pouted at this.
“Och, no Burnie, tis Lady Ceena who is Laird, remember? Not her husband Tristan. He vowed to her on their wedding day that she would be Laird of her home, not he by marrying her!” Aunt Hexy looked at her old friend’s confused face. She shrugged her shoulders and continued, “And I am not so sure that twas a wise idea for Ina’s sister Lady Ceena to tell Ina to start training with the men. It may be that it is taking her mind off her wish for her vera own husband, but it is driving the men to distraction.” With secret pride in her voice she added, “She almost killed that young warrior just now by slamming Myrtle into the young man’s wee horse! She is a superior horsewoman. Since she was a young lass she has been horse mad, that one.”
“Why is she mad at horses and why would she be throwing Myrtle at a young man or his horse?” Aunt Burnie said with utter confusion.
“Och Burnie! Ina isnae mad at horses. It simply means she loves horses! And Myrtle is Ina’s horse, dinnae ye remember? She slammed her horse into the young man,” Aunt Hexy said as she watched Burnie’s face while the old woman mulled this over.
“Weel no, it seemed to me she saved that young man and helped him right back into his saddle, Hextilda. Touched his bare chest she did!” Aunt Burnie said excitedly with the few white hairs on her head vibrating wildly in the breezes blowing in off the sea and over the practice field. “Will she be marrying him then, because she touched his naked chest?” Burnie’s voice was full of titillation at this idea.
“Och no! Niver that young upstart! He’ll nae do for me Ina! Besides, Lady Ceena and Lord Tristan have vowed she may have a say in her choice of husband. She’ll not be wanting any of that lot down yonder!” Aunt Hexy chort
led. “Dinnae ye hear her insulting all the men? And she was right! None of them are good enough for my niece, Burnie. Not a one.”
Aunt Hexy looked off into the distance. She was thinking of all four of her nieces, left alone in the world after their parents’ death. It was up to her as their great aunt to help and guide them. She had done very well so far. She had three nieces married to their perfect matches who were as strong as her nieces. They were men who respected their women for their strength, which was an unusual thing. It had just taken a little help and push from herself to get them all together.
Now Ina, Ina was different. She had always believed in fairy tales and happily ever afters. She was forever waxing on dramatically about this and that. Ina’s imagination was quite strong. She loved riding her horse and working with horses more than anything. She had a sweet heart that matched her lilting voice and love of the old Scottish words and sayings. Though lately her unhappiness was changing her sweet niece. “We may need to help her, I’m thinking. She needs a vera special man.”
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This book is a work of fiction. Some of the characters are real historical figures, but the others exist only in the imagination of the author. All events in this book are fictional and for entertainment purposes only.