Chief McKinnon the Highlander. [Manxboy]

Chapter 16

Alasdair's ancestral weapons.

Shannon was alone in their bedroom waiting for Alasdair. A few candles burned in the room as he sat by the window gazing at the men below. Outside bonfire flames licked the night sky. Warriors basking in it's glory.

Alasdair opened the door and stood still for a moment. The light played with Shannon's hair colour from shimmering to gold. God he loved him,but today he had no choice but to exclude him from their plans. He did not want too but it was a necessity one he hoped and prayed Shannon would understand soon enough. He cleared his throat.
"Shannon I have to leave tonight"  he whispered. He waited for Shannon to answer him. He moved forward and crouched down in front of him folding his small delicate hands into his own big rough calloused ones.
"Shannon?

Shannon took a long and deep breath  and exhaled softly. He raised his head and gazed into Alasdair's eyes.
"I heard you Alasdair, tell me what happened today."

Alasdair brought his hand up to caress Shannon's face and ran his finger across his soft lips.
"I cannot answer you that not yet I'm sorry. Know this Shannon I love more than you'll ever know." He whispered.

"See that's the thing Alasdair , you say you love me and then do things that hurt me. Bryce ,Ewan all of them knows what going on except me. I'm not allowed to. The things you do makes me doubt that love. I opened up to you ,trust you with my life but it seems that the trust here only comes from my side where your trust Alasdair? Where's your respect for me as your wife? Shannon croaked out as his voice broke.

"I do love you, respect you, trust you and I know it's a lot to ask to be trusted blindly but please trust me just a little while longer. Please." Alasdair begged.

Shannon looked down at their linked hands where Alasdair had rejoined them on his lap. Alasdair leaned foward and kissed him hungrily thoroughly as if it was their last shared kiss before he stood up and went over to his chest. Shannon lips felt swollen and bruised he watched as Alasdair opened his artillery chest and removed his weapon's. Some from his mother's MacLeod clan ancestors. His body wore no armor except for two swords crisscrossed on his back his axe and blades strapped to his sides.
"I don't want you to go. I feel that if you do there'd be a gap so wide between us it be impossible to close but I understand Scotland comes before anything and anyone. You need to understand Alasdair there's only so much rejection one can take. I'm not being weak far from it but being shunned and shutout by the people you regarded as family and by the man I love and supposedly loves me hurts like hell. We shall see where we are when you return. May God be with you in your time of battle husband."  Shannon said as he stood up from the chair and turned his back on Alasdair.

Alasdair swallowed the lump in his throat. He wanted to burst into tears for the first time in his life since his mother death.
He moved forward and stood behind Shannon and placed his hands on Shannon's shoulders. Shannon shrugged his shoulders out of Alasdair's grasped. Alasdair body stiffened and he clenched his hands into fist. He gritted his jaw's and walked to the door he turned and whispered.
"Forgive me I love you."

Shannon watched from the window as the warriors readied themselves to march towards battle with their king. He saw men,women, children ,mother's ,families seeing their love one's off. Bryce and Ewan we're most likely there seeing Hammish and Dagues  off ,the men they loved. He never thought he'd be seeing his own husband off this way. The chains of the castle's gates grounded and rolled. The gates opened and the bridge dropped. He heard Scotland roared and watched as his husband rode off  deep into the night with his men. He stood there until the darkness of the night swallowed them before he dropped to his knees and broke down crying. The pain was unbearable he felt like dying until one or both of his children kicked and nudged him reminding him that there was still life inside him.

Shannon fell asleep that night with sobs racking his body. His heart shattered into a million pieces.

He made his way carefully downstairs the next morning after his grooming rituals. The castle was heavy guarded. Alasdair left a huge amount of warriors behind at Edinburgh castle it being Scotland's stronghold. Guards nodded and bowed to Shannon as he passed them through the halls. Greetings he refused to return. He walked with his head held high his spine rigged and stiff. He was greeted by Bryce, Ewan Tillie and some servants in the kitchen.

"My lord Shannon mmmm I made some off that meat pies you love the way you thought me. Here sit down have some breakfast." Tillie said as she bustled around nervously. Shannon's words stopped her in her tracks.

"No need. I will tend to my own food no need to over text yourself with my needs." He said and smiled at her.
"Its not texting myself I'm here to serve you my lord" she said.
"No Tillie don't contradict yourself, you here to serve your lord and king Alasdair not me" he answered while he made himself breakfast.

Bryce and Ewan shared a knowing look between them before Bryce hesitantly asked.
"You did not see your husband off to battle last night as it is custom and tradition to Scotland."
Shannon lifted his head and looked him dead in the eyes. He regarded Bryce for a while and then answered softly.
"What husband? Am I Scottish?

The kitchen went silent at their queens words. Tillie held her breath , Ewan's body tensed up, Bryce bit into his lips he wrung this hands together and said.
"I'm sorry Shannon I truly am. Believe me I know what it feel like to be hurt by the one's you love but as you said he's our King and an order given is an order followed. I'm sorry."

"So am I. For a while I thought us to be more than friends, I thought us as family. I'm sorry that was my mistake" Shannon said.

"We are! We are family. Please Shannon." Bryce placed his hand on his chest.
"No Bryce, none off you are family. There's no trust,loyalty or love here we are only bounded by marriage to your cousin. You all tolerate and humour me because of the status I married and your blood. Let's stop with the games shall we. We can play again when your Chief McKinnon returns. For now you keep to your own I'll keep to my own council." Shannon left with his food and went to his work room.

Shannon left the room full of stunned people. They knew that they had broken his trust and hurt him. For Bryce it meant he'd lost a friend that was fiercely loyal to him one he might never get back.

Tillie's hands shook. Never having grandchildren she'd lost her only son and his father long time ago in battle. She took Shannon her old friend Kenna's grandson as her own and she lost him through her actions.

Ewan's heart mostly broke for Dagues, he knew the man he loves will find it hard to regain his sister's son's trust. Dagues loves his nephew and he found it hard to face Shannon last night so he avoided him.

Three people sat and faced each other, each filled with their own remorse.
                                                                                                                     
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