Luag watched for his chance. While they were all riding together was not the time. Too much chance that someone would stop him. He had to wait until they were in an open field, and the area north of Aberdeen —toward which he had realized some time ago they were headed— was open, indeed. That was where he would do it.

It was difficult, biding his time until then, pretending so much. Pretending to share in the enthusiasm of his uncle’s boasts. “We wull hae our victory afore the fall o’ night, ye ken!” Pretending not to realize his uncle had lied about coming from the south when he intended all along to attack Aberdeen from the north.

Luag found what solace he could in the knowledge that at least he had been instrumental in getting Roland to dissuade the druids from taking part in his uncle’s war campaign.

At long last, Donald’s army arrived at the open space north of Aberdeen and broke into a run, throwing everything into chaos. Now was his chance. Now was the time when the fewest would see.

Drawing his weapon like everyone else had, Luag charged his horse directly at his uncle’s. Not at his back. No, that was the coward's way out. Luag charged Donald straight on, face to face, sword raised in an obvious threat, his intent clear.

Against all reason and instinct for caution, Luag also called out a challenge. "Ye played me false, Uncle!"

Donald's many lackeys turned to cut Luag off.

No matter. Luag was not going to restrain himself one more moment. Far better to die fighting his enemy than any other way.

But Donald raised a hand to halt his men, calling out his own challenge. "Ye hae also played me false, Nephew."

The truth of this hit Luag in the gut, but he had no more remorse than that. "‘Tis true, sae let us fight this oot."

The two of them rode by each other, each striking at the other in an attempt to knock the other from his horse, and each failing.

Lackeys had begun to crowd around, making a hubbub of speculation about how soon their laird would strike his nephew down, and how bloody it would be.

But Donald reared his horse up at them and put an end to that. "Ye hae a battle tae fight. Gae tae it."

They hastened away, the fear in their eyes reinforcing Luag’s resolve.

His uncle’s difficulty with his men wasn't going to stop Luag from making another charge. He turned his horse in the damp rain-soaked soil and then started it, hoofs pounding under him and his weapon held firmly in his outstretched hand.

Donald met the challenge fiercely, holding his own weapon out while leering at Luag and calling out to his men, "Leave us!"

The two clashed again.

Luag drove his sword toward Donald’s as hard as he could. A strong jab should do it. Aye! He struck his uncle’s weapon in such a way that it went flying out of the man’s hand.

But that victory was short-lived. Donald drew another weapon and turned to make another charge.

It took ten charges before they were both on their feet, their horses settling down to graze the lush tall grass together a few yards off.

Fighting on foot was much more satisfying. He could see his uncle’s hateful eyes up close and personal, just the way he needed to in order to end the man who wanted to be king despite the best interests of Scotland.

"Ye think tae best me again, Uncle, but ye are aulder now and getting frail, betimes I am in my prime." Luag lunged at the enemy’s gut with all his strength.

But Donald easily evaded Luag's thrust and followed through with one of his own. "And ye hae been spending yer time among soft lowlanders, while I hae always carried on in fighting the best warriors."

Luag hacked and thrust with all he had, but his uncle refused to die. The two were evenly matched.

As they fought, Luag was aware that Donald’s horde of islander Viking warriors was swarming the walls of Aberdeen. He didn't hold out much hope that the city would be able to resist.

But if he could just end his uncle, the bloodbath would slow down immensely. He wasn't foolish enough to think the Scots could ever stop fighting each other, but an end to his uncle's campaign to be king would do. Aye, it would do nicely.

Luag was mid-charge at Donald when he heard the bagpipes.

Donald heard them too, because his face was stricken with urgent worry.

Accompanied by the rallying call of the pipes, Alasdair and his knights rode down from the western hills toward the northern wall of Aberdeen, moving through Donald’s horde of warriors as they did, scything them left and right, forming a wedge between the enemy and the walls, churning and spraying blood.

The tide had turned.

Donald’s nearest lackeys were urging on the ranks from the rear, shouting for them to go faster even as the ranks in the front died left and right at the onslaught of mounted man in chain armor.

Calling out to his lackeys, "Sound the retreat," Donald turned and fled like the coward he was.

His men cursed him, but they followed.

Luag was tempted to stand his ground and watch everyone run past him, giving them gloating looks. But he was no fool. Unlike the knights Alasdair led, he wore only wool: a Gaelic plaid and a Viking animal pattern.

He got on his horse and rode for the western hills, expecting to be followed and cut down.

Luag spotted the camp at the top of the hill and turned cautious, keeping the horse to the cover of the trees rather than ride out in the open where he could go faster. Was it friend or foe? Did he have any friends left?

The backside of the hill was devoid of trees, and whoever was up in this camp would've had a nice view of the battlefield. Had they only watched Aberdeen nearly fall but then triumph, or had they seen him challenging a despot? Would it matter?

He needed to know who was up there. He couldn't let them follow him and cut him down unawares. Far better to face them head on, so he kept up his relentless ride toward the camp.

Wait, was that Leif's plaid he saw over the tree? Luag’s stomach churned with excitement, both at the idea that his friend was up here and also the idea of seeing him again, having someone to come home to. He hurried his horse up the rest of the hill, and sure enough that was Leif’s plaid.

"Leif, are ye there?"

Luag's heart beat even faster than it had while he fought, he was so anxious to see a friendly face.

The plaid leapt about with the activity of people behind it. Was all well? Had attackers made their way up here and killed his friends?

Luag jumped down from his horse, gave it the command to graze, and ran through the trees toward the tent with his sword out, desperate to save the lives of whoever he could from the attackers.

The voice he heard melted his heart.

"Luag, could it be ye?"

And there she was, the only lass he had ever loved as a man loves a lass. The sunlight found its way to her fair hair and glinted off like gold. Her eyes sparkled like the waters of the sea under that same sunlight.

And then she was crushing him in her arms and he was kissing her.

She returned his kiss for a few ecstatic moments, then broke away, holding him at arms’ length and plainly searching him for blood. "I could hae killed ye when ye sent me off by myself. What were ye thinking?"

He loved it when she got just a bit cross with him. It made her eyes sparkle all the more, and her body move with exciting precision.

"It doesna matter. Aberdeen is safe…"

As he told her this, he became aware of Jessica and Lauren fidgeting in the tent away from his and Katherine's reunion. "Now the matter at hand is to find out if Leif and Taran are safe. Come, let us go doon—"

Jessica and Lauren both rushed out, looking worried but determined.

Lauren made the cutting gesture. "They will come here at the first opportunity. We hae strict orders tae stay and wait, though I suppose that does na include ye and Katherine."

Luag looked over at the lasses his dear friends Leif and Taran had married. "They are like brothers tae me, and sae ye are like sisters. We are family, and I wull bide here with ye."

Katherine had been clinging to his side, but now she moved away and went to stand with the other lasses. Common sense told him it was because he and she no longer had privacy, but from his time in the future at her home, he knew that wasn't it.

She put her arms around both the other lasses. "Luag, give us a charade tae entertain us while we wait, aye?"

The lasses had been slow to get into the game at first, but this was Lauren's favorite game, so she at least had jumped into it with vigor once he got started, winning ten of the twenty turns they had taken. She was currently up. The other lasses were guessing, and Luag was doing his best to let them win. They were the ones who needed the distraction.

He saw signs of a small party coming up the hill toward the camp before the lasses did. The trees moved just a bit, and birds took flight and called to each other. It was probably Leif and Taran, but until Luag was sure, he kept his weapon hand free and himself away from having a turn at Charades.

A good sign was that whoever was coming wasn't being aggressive about it. He would have known because of the birds flying away. However, Luag subtly moved himself between the lasses and those who approached.

It would do no good to warn the lasses an enemy might be approaching. None of them were warriors, and there was nowhere for them to take refuge. Their panic might ignite aggression in whoever approached.

He mustn't have hidden his intentions well enough though, because Lauren called him out on it. "Someone’s coming, are na they, Luag."

He held up his hands in the sign for remaining still and then signed to them, "‘Tis probably yer husbands, but till we ken for certies, please remain quiet and stay behind me sae that I can defend ye."

To his surprise, the lasses nodded in agreement and did as he said, waiting in silence for several more moments.

The sound of Leif’s smallpipes wafted up from below with the signal that meant "All is well."

Luag grabbed Katherine’s hand and went running to greet the rest of his family.