The Highlander

Chapter Twenty Four

"They don't want to help us. They think that McKenzie's too strong to defeat. They'd rather wait for a weak moment to strike then attend this 'bloodbath battle'. If these bastards don't want to help us, don't make them my Laird. They'll run away in fear before we even get to fight." Graham snarled the last bit and I wasn't surprised to see such emotion from him. If one thing angered Graham it would be cowards, or the harming of women.

"Does this come from ye or yer Laird." I asked the other warriors, the ones loyal to Clyde.

"Us," one replied, stepping forward into the opposition leadership role, "if our Laird demands us to we will fight but we will fight to get our own opinion across. This is a trap. Ye think he had one or two clans on his side. Wait till ye get there. McKenzie is good at manipulating people. When ye arrive ye will be surrounded by the whole of the lowland clans!"

"That may be yer opinion," I replied, "but if we don't strike now then another chance like this will never come again and more innocent civilians lives will be lost as we try to fight McKenzie's clan and allies." My voice raised as my emotions started to overcome my logic, "Every second we wait McKenzie is getting stronger He's sending more men to gain more allies, taking over more clans and destroying defenceless villagers. Imagine if it was ye and yer family who were awake every night, wondering if her town, yer house and family were next to die? Wouldn't you want us to fight and try instead of give up?"

At first I got no response, only shocked silence before the men started to pick up their weapons, gripping them hard in their hands and shouting, "I will fight." A chorus of pledges erupted around me until the excitement and adrenaline had worn away and I told the men to go back to their business and train together. Blue with green.

I started to round the corner, finally making my way towards the garden, returning my search for Rose when I smacked into a small moving bundle. A small squeak burst from them and I instinctively I reached out and grabbed the person's shoulders to steady them, gripping them hard.

When I was assured the person was no longer teetering on their toes I released them to look and see who it was.

A young girl in her late teens looked back up at me with wild green eyes and a mesh of orange hair. Her clothes seemed rugged and dirty Her dress was torn in some placed slightly and the bottom was frayed. Her chemise showed at the neckline of the dress, which was also completely untied. If I had glanced at this girl I may have thought she had been attacked but I knew the look in her eyes told a different story.

"Ye are Laird McCall?" she asked with a fake coyness. Her finger lay questioningly on her bottom lip to draw my eyes there. Their ruby red colour and swollenness suggest recent activity.

"Yes." I replied shortly.

"I heard ye travelled many days and nights to be here." The girl said and I noticed her shuffle closer to me, "Did ye get lonely?" The whore ran her finger up and down my chest seductively and I shivered in disgust.

"No, he didn't." An answer came from behind me before I could reply myself and before I could turn to see who it was, Rose stepped up beside me.

"Who are ye? The whore he brought along? Well move along love, ye are in my town now which means all yer men are mine."

Before I could hit her for calling Rose a whore, the delicate blonde beauty stepped forwards, hands on her hips and put her face close to the whores, "I'm the future wife. So if you come anywhere near my future husband I will rip yer head of before ye can even call me a whore again. Understand?"

The girl nodded rigorously before scurrying away.

I looked to Rose is shock and surprise.

"My kitten has claws." I laughed, pulling her to my side.

"What can I sat, I'm territorial," Rose replied, reaching for a kiss before stopping short, "you weren't going to-"

"Never." I interrupted her, knowing her question before she even spoke and swiftly stole a kiss from her lips.

"I think my hormones are acting up as well- don't ask medieval man- and I think it means I'm probably going to start my period," Rose groaned, "I don't even want to start to think about how I'm meant to keep that mess clean in the year 'we-just-invented-the-wheel'."

I had to let a small laugh of amusement at the ever changing emotions on Roses faces and her strange way of expressing words before saying, "ye won't bleed lass. Ye are pregnant remember."

This caused Rose to look up at me, her face cutely scrunched up in annoyance, "I'm not pregnant. Stop saying that!"

"Ye aren't going to believe ye are pregnant till ye see the bump are ye?" I asked her.

"I'm not going to believe I'm pregnant till the baby comes shooting out of me," Rose replied, "Understood?"

I was barley able to nod as my laughs shook my shoulders, "Ye are amazing, funny and beautiful," I said as I pulled her close to me, "and that is why I love ye and would never be with another woman."

"And I would never be with another man."

I held Rose's chin gently as I drew her to my lips, the centimetres between us decreasing into millimetres before we were a hairs width away from kissing-

"Am I interrupting?"

I looked up in anger at who interrupted us to be met with a mass of blonde hair and ego leant against the side of the castle.

Alistair.