10
Drew stared out at the collection of Highland clans and his chest swelled with pride. For all of his misgivings about the war and his turbulent relationship with Blair, he was always proud to see the clans working together. His father had always said that if all of them were unified there was nothing they couldn't accomplish, and Drew was inclined to believe him.
“It's quite a sight,” Declan said.
“Cousin,” Drew exclaimed with a wide smile, clasping Declan tightly. The young man was a couple of years younger than Drew, but looked older. “Ye have grown well.”
“Aye, well, Father has me working hard on the land. I'm eager to get fighting the English though. They must pay for what they hae done tae Gall.”
“That they will, and the McClair clan will have our fair share of blood,” Drew added. Declan reminded him much of Blair, the man's body was packed with muscle and his skin was tanned as a result of being out in the sun so often. They lived close by, but it had been a while since Drew had seen Declan.
“Before we go tae war there is something I must speak wi' ye about,” Declan said. Drew, curious, followed him, but was filled with dismay when he saw Old Will and Deirdre gathered around a small fire. Drew rolled his eyes.
“What is this?” he asked.
“Ye know well what this is,” Old Will said.
“Did ye speak wi' Blair?” Deirdre asked.
“Declan, why are ye mixed up with these folks?” Drew sighed, turning to Declan. It was in moments like these that Drew realized how young Declan was still. Although his physique was that of a man, his mind was but a boy's, prone to trusting the wrong people. From the look of Deirdre, it was she who had sunk her claws into him and twisted the boy's mind with her paranoid whispers.
“They speak sense, Drew. We hae to listen tae our hearts before we go tae war.”
“Aye, and I think I know what your heart is telling ye,” Drew said, shifting his gaze to Deirde. She narrowed her eyes at him and looked as though she was about to speak, but Drew did not give her the chance.
“I know what ye all are going tae say, but ye hae tae stop with all this.”
“We cannae stop, Drew. Nae until we can be sure that the English lass is nae threat.”
“Ye are never going tae be sure of something like that. There's always going tae be doubt in yer hearts. Yer fear is tae strong tae be denied,” Drew said.
“Then ye are refusing tae join us?”
“Us? There is nae us. Ye cannae hope tae gae against Blair and win. Even if ye had a good case ye would be playing with fire. Ye should trust in Blair. He is yer chieftain. He hae earned the right tae yer loyalty.”
“Drew, he lies with an English lass,” Declan said, almost spitting at the thought.
“Aye, I know, and if I could change things then I would see her gone from our camp. But the simple fact is that she's here and she's nae going anywhere. Ye are listening to your hearts rather than your heads. What hae she actually done tae ye? Are ye any worse off now?”
“It's nae about what she's done, but what she could do,” Deirdre said.
“Then ye may as well be scared of the sky falling down. Ye are causing more harm than good with all this plotting.”
The others looked at him with determined glances, and a little shame. It was clear they had not expected this from Drew. Why they would have expected him to turn on his brother was another matter entirely.
“I dinnae care for the English any more than ye dae, but she is just one lass. If ye talk with her ye'll see that she is nae a threat. I cannae tell ye how it worked out like this, but she and Blair are in love. Ye can see that just by looking at them. I want me brother to be happy. If that means I have tae trust an English lass then so be it.”
“Even if she could prove tae be the downfall for all o' us?” Old Will said, his whiskers trembling as he spoke.
“Aye. If she does betray us then we will hae to deal with it, and Blair will be devastated, but there is nae more we can dae. If ye continue with what ye are planning there will be civil war and that is something we dinnae need right now, nae when the English are so close. I understand what ye are doing and why ye are doing it, but take a moment tae look at the big picture. If ye cause disarray now ye will only be putting all of us in more danger.”
Deirdre looked to be seething with anger. Old Will stroked his whiskers and nodded sagely. Declan looked confused. Drew caught him staring at Deirdre, and instantly knew what was happening between them.
“I'm not going tae entertain any of this talk again. Ye can either support the clan or leave. There is nae middle ground, and nae way to get rid of Rosemary.”
With that, he walked away a few paces, but not without pulling Declan aside.
“Declan, cousin,” he said in a low voice, “what is the manner of this? Why would ye go against your laird?”
Declan shifted on his feet, looking young and naive. He still had a lot of growing up to do. In many ways they all did. Declan glanced back at the others, then looked to his feet.
“I did nae mean anything by it, but the thought of an English woman being married tae Blair does nae sit right with me.”
“Aye, but that dinnae explain why ye would throw your lot in with them. Would ye really rise up against your own kin?”
“I would dae whatever I needed tae dae for the good of the clan,” he said proudly.
“That disnae sound like yer own words. That sounds like the words of someone else,” Drew said, looking pointedly over his shoulder at Deirdre.
“She's a good woman. Strong, determined. She's what the clan needs,” Declan said, a hint of pride in his voice. Drew hung his head.
“Declan, ye should be careful with who ye get mixed up with. Aye, Deirdre is a fine woman, but she hae her own plans. Ye know she was in love with Blair.”
“I know,” Declan said tersely, bitterness in his voice.
“Then ye should be aware that she hae her own reasons for doing this. She is jealous, Declan, and she would dae anything to have Blair free of Rosemary, but that would nae dae her any good. Blair would never be with her.”
“That doesn't matter anymore. She told me herself that she's nae interested in Blair. Why would she be when he's made his feelings perfectly clear? She's doing this for the good of the clan. We all are.”
“Heed my words, Declan. Stay true to your oaths.”
“I will, but if anything bad happens because of this then ye are going to hae tae pay the price just as much as Blair,” he said, storming off.
Drew sighed. Youth could bring with it so much fire and energy, but also a lot of tempestuous emotions. Had he ever been that hot-headed? Some would say he still was, at least when it came to the English. The thought of them coming into the Highlands, ravaging their women and razing their homes to the ground made his blood burn. Drew liked to consider himself a sane man, a wise man, but when it came to the English he had a blind spot. They were the mortal enemies of the Highlanders, and the division within the clan would only harm their chances of victory.
After Declan left, Drew marched straight up to Deirdre and accosted her, dragging her away from a conversation with Old Will. Deirdre exclaimed loudly and tried to writhe from his grasp, but it wasn't until they were out of earshot that Drew let her go. Red marks were left on her arm from where he had been holding her so tightly.
“What are ye playing at?” she asked, her face a mask of fury.
“I should be asking ye the same question! Does yer scorn hurt ye so bad that ye would throw the whole clan intae disarray?” he asked.
“I dinnae know what ye are talking about,” she said, holding her head up high, her nose pointing in the air.
“Ye know very well what I mean. Declan is just a boy. Ye dinnae need tae go and twist his mind like that.”
“I'm nae twisting his mind. I'm trying tae find myself a man. Seems all the good ones dinnae hae much for brains.”
“Be that as it may, ye cannae continue. We are marching on the English, and we hae tae be united.”
“This wouldn't hae happened had Blair nae done what he did.”
“But he did it, Deirdre. There is nae going back tae change the past. Ye must accept things the way they are and move forward. That is the only way tae be happy in life.”
“Maybe for you, Drew,” she said, clenching her hands into two tight balls and walking away.
Drew hung his head. He wondered if there was any way to talk sense into these people. Hopefully now that war was upon them they would see sense and put their plotting to the backs of their minds, but he would have to watch them closely in case they made a move against Blair or Rosemary. He didn't much like the fact that he had to defend an English woman, but she was his brother's woman, so he would defend her with his life, if need be.
Returning to the main camp, Drew saw that the last plans to leave were being made. Horses were being saddled. Weapons were being sharpened. The steel glinted in the sun, but soon the shining metal would be covered in scarlet blood.
“This is going tae be a glorious day,” Blair said to Drew. The two men were in the depths of the castle. Blair wielded Aife's sword, a grand long sword that had seen to the death of many enemies. Drew's sword was humble in comparison, but no less deadly.
“Are ye looking forward tae testing your mettle?” Blair asked.
“I am. Finally we have our chance tae write our names in the stars,” Drew said, gripping the hilt of his sword.
“It will be an honor tae fight alongside ye, brother.”
“The honor will be mine.”
The two men embraced. Drew held his brother tightly. There was a chance of course that neither of them would come back from this fight. War was an ugly, messy business, and their safety was not guaranteed.
They strode out of the castle and took their place on their steeds. The Scottish clans waved their banners overhead, unified as one, ready to face the vile English. Blair called out to them, rallying them, and the cheers could be heard all across the Highlands. Then the cheers were followed by the heavy stampeding of hooves. The ground trembled as the horses thundered, and the warriors pointed their swords forward, charging to war.