The Highlander

Chapter Twenty

Finlay

I barely slept throughout the night, awake worrying about Rose. The warriors around me fell asleep quickly, the excitement of battle and Alan McKenzie's death expelling from them swiftly. They snored lightly, like a melody of the night, mixing their voices with those of the birds who sat upon the trees nearby.

As the sun started to rise the men, one by one awoke and prepared to leave. Rose and Alistair were meant to be here. It was dawn. My mind raced with images and conclusions as to what happened to Rose and Alistair. One image came to mind of Rose dead, her blood pooling around her whilst the two McKenzie men laughed as they stood above her, before shoving her body into a ditch.

I shook away to images and looked up at the sky.

The sun was nearing the centre alerting me midday was vastly approaching.

"When are we going Finlay?" my cousin Calum strode up to me. His face was red and steam erupted from his ears. He sat tall on his horse, hoping to gain height on me, his coppery brown hair speckled with a blonde shine under the sun.

"When Rose returns." I gritted through my teeth at him. For the past couple of hours I noticed the sly little glances he slid my way or the small conversations about impatience and leaving with other warriors. Calum saw this as an opportunity to get rid of Rose once and for all. I knew he didn't like her the moment Blair saw her screaming in the fire.

Throughout the whole trip so far Calum had barely talked to me, only giving a flicker of advice whilst on the road. I suspected- no, knew- this was because I had spent the majority of my time with Rose and Calum feared of her influence on me.

"We have delayed long enough. We should have left a long time ago. Half the day is nearly gone!" Calum's voice rose to a shout and the band of warriors around us turned to look. The meadow went silent and only the rustle of the leaves in the air could be heard.

"I say we wait." I said with finality. Calum either didn't hear or care and replied forcefully, "and I say we go! We are sat here just waiting for another band of enemy warriors to come along and strike us down! We wait any longer then we are dead."

"And I am yer Laird so what I say goes. Ye have a problem then leave. And don't go back to the clan. The moment we return victorious I will have yer head on a stake." I threatened. Calum's face paled and I said, "so ye going to stay or go?"

Calum just snarled before turning his horse and riding over to a small group of warriors, turning his back on me.

"Why wait for the lass Laird?" a warrior beside me asked. I turned to him and contemplated what my answer would be. I love her? Aye, that would go down great. Finlay the Soft! I could foresee that name scaring the enemy.

A memory came into my head and I remembered how Rose had let slip to Alistair we were engaged, so his wandering eyes would stay away. Not that it worked. Maybe I could...

"Men!" I shouted to the warriors and all eyes turned to me, "I know over the past few days yer have been wondering why we have brought the lass along and now, why I wait for her. There is something ye must know." I paused, "I have decided to marry the lass, Rose. Which means we don't leave until she is here okay?"

The warriors nodded or called out 'aye' before turning to one another and putting their heads together, gossiping like a pack of young lasses.

"Well..." Graham strode over to me on his horse, "that was...brief."

"There was nothing more to say." I concluded.

"Nothing more to say? I'm sure Rose wouldn't like to here that ye dismissed her love with less than a handful of sentences." Graham's mouth curved into a smirk and his eyes sparkled with mischievousness.