Jain and Alan made their way over to the water’s edge and searched along the coast for fish. Her breath was visible in the cold and the water was freezing as it ran along its stream.

Alan held a makeshift spear in his hand while they waded into the water. Jain frowned casting her eyes down the stream when there was a splash and he cried out in victory. “Ah! There she is!”

“Ye got one?” Jain inquired with a laugh.

He held up the spear with a speckled fish impaled along the end. “Looks like I just caught us breakfast.”

Jain clapped her hands together and lost control of her footing on the mossy rock. She fell headfirst into the water. “AH!”

She landed in the frigid stream with a tremendous splash, soaking her dress and hair. When she reached out to pull herself up, Jain reached for the nearest thing she could find and then a scream tore from her lips. Amid the ripples, something nefarious appeared in the waters depths, causing Jain’s blood to run cold.

“Jain! Are ye alright?” he asked rushing up to her.

She sputtered in the cold and coughed up a mouthful of water, trying to get away before looking up at him. Alan took her by the arm, helped her to the shore and cast his fish along the river bank.

Her eyes were wide with horror as she pointed back towards the water. “There’s a body!”

“What?”

“There’s a body in the water,” she gasped out determinedly.

“Are ye sure?”

“Go see fer yerself!”

Alan stood and barely had to take two steps before coming to the horrible sight that Jain had stumbled upon by accident. It was partially hidden among the reeds, but Jain had managed to dislodge it when she fell. A gray, mottled face rose to the surface from being submerged in the river, the limbs and face all bloated.

Tears streamed down Jain’s cheeks. She climbed onto her knees and tried to pull the body from the rock. She grabbed the body by an arm and pulled it from the water. Her nose was filled with the putrid smell of decomposing flesh. “Alan help me!” she pleaded in a sob.

He quickly came to her side and helped Jain drag the lifeless body onto the grass. Carefully, Jain rolled the body onto her back and cried. Every sense was assaulted by the discovery that had taken place – her nose, eyes, and hands rejecting it completely. Jain’s need to purge the offensive contact was all encompassing and she could feel the bile rising in her stomach. 

“Is it Heather?” Jain asked him quietly. “Please tell me it isn’t her.”

Alan shook his head. “I’m sorry, love, but I’m afraid it is. I recognize her face.”

The visceral response hit Jain hard with a roll of nausea and she crawled away from him to vomit. Her stomach churned and unleashed the entire contents of her stomach. Dry heaves rocked through her body and Jain trembled from the physical toll it took on her slight frame.

When the worst of it was over, Jain came back towards him to see it for herself. The side of Heather’s face was bashed in near the temple, caving in where the skin had broken. Jain reached out with a trembling hand to brush away the hair.

“Who would do such an awful thing?” she sobbed.

Alan’s brows puckered together with concern. She looked at him, though his image was hazy and partially blurred by tears.

“I think ye and I both ken,” he responded somberly.

When Jain was able to control her breathing and regain composure, she asked him plainly, “What do we do?”

Alan sighed, glancing back over the hill. “When we left, Conrad was challenging yer father fer a seat of power. There’s nae telling what’s going on back there right now.”

Jain shook her head. “We cannae let that happen. Conrad is a murderer and an opportunistic scoundrel. My father has the rightful claim. He’d be a good chieftain. We need to bring Heather back, so she can have a proper funeral and show the people what happens when a man like Conrad is in power.”

“Aye,” Alan nodded in agreement. “If we can show this to some of the other villagers, they will finally see Conrad fer what he really is – a scoundrel. All those pretty words of his will mean nothing once they see the fruit of what his labors brought.”

Jain sighed. “I cannae use her death as a bargaining chip. We have to bring her back, but it needs to be fer the right reasons – to expose Conrad as a murderer. It has to be about justice and not returning my father to his seat as chieftain. Our motivation will be correct, and in that way, Heather’s death will mean something.”

“Ye’re absolutely right,” he assured her. “We’re taking her back, so that her family can have some closure and so the men responsible will receive judgment. Are ye willing to take that risk though in spite of the danger we may face by going back?”

Jain cast down at the frozen form of Heather Gordon. “Aye, once they see the truth I’m sure our clansmen will be ready to listen.”

Alan gently placed his hand underneath her chin, drawing her face away so that Jain would look at him.

“Dinnae look at her, love. It will only make ye cry.”

She wiped away her tears and told him, “Aye.”

Without another word, Alan removed his cloak and wrapped Heather’s body in it. “We’ll fasten a sled out of some branches and hitch it to the back of the horse. That way we can bring her back with us.”

Jain furrowed her brow as she stood up on the bank to wring some water out of her hair while Alan collected some branches from the trees.

“Do ye think that will work?”

Alan grimaced, glancing back towards the cloak and said, “I hope so. It’s our best shot at returning her body to the village. Rhona and Boyd deserve to ken.”

She nodded, watching him lay the branches on the ground and construct the sled. He ripped a few strips of fabric from the sleeve of his shirt and secured them in place before pulling Heather’s lifeless body on top of it. The fabric of his cloak wrapped around her like a funeral shroud and covered her completely. Jain considered that, in light of their circumstances, that was probably for the best.

She swallowed hard, trying to choke down a sob that came bubbling to the surface at the heartbreaking scene it made. Alan glanced up at Jain and sighed. “Are ye going to be able to do this?”

Jain gulped again and said, “Aye. Let's just get this over with.”

She followed him up the hill, still shivering from the wet and cold. She wrapped her cloak around her to try and keep warm, but it was impossible without the warmth of a fire to dry her off. Alan helped Jain onto the horse’s back and hitched the sled carrying Heather behind them. He walked along beside, urging the beast forward as they followed the stream back towards Elign. When the trees thinned, Jain turned to him and asked, “Do ye think this will change anything?”

Alan sighed. “I dinnae ken. All we can do is try.”

“What if, even after we show them what a monster Conrad is, the others still want to turn me over to the Vikings?”

“Then we’ll deal with that as it comes.”