I sat perched on Declan's lap as he and his friend caught up and spoke, a bottle of wine shared between us like it was communion. I didn't dare take more than a few sips, being so long without anything other than water, I knew I was a lightweight and that we weren't 100% safe yet.
"What's that?" Declan asked, seeing his companion place something on the table before us.
"I almost threw these in the river I don't know how many times." The man walked away, Declan looking at him before the wrapped pouch. I stepped away from him, his arm reaching out to expose whatever was wrapped up. Weapons, it looked like. But it made Declan smile. He admired a few as the Scotsman poured himself another drink.
"I almost had him."
"Well, there's less chance of taking him down now he's in London. That's his world."
"Well, if I can't have Benton, I'll take his Company."
"Terrible logic," I rolled my eyes, admiring a few things on the walls.
"Won't bring him back," McTaggart shook his head.
"We'll see about that." I turned when I heard footsteps.
"And what, give him a chance to do to her what he did already?" I frowned, seeing Declan approaching his friend. With a growl, he launched a knife into the bar top between them.
"Not a chance. Join me. I need people I can trust."
"You need cutthroats, plain and simple." I watched the two, their eyes starring the other down to locate a lie, an emotion, something they needed to locate. "To vengeance, the fickle bitch."
I smiled a bit at their toast, the man seemingly agreeing when there came a sound of a whip cracking and a groan from outside. There came more, my confusion heightening as Declan and McTaggart turned and headed for the door. "Love," Declan stopped me before the two could exit. "Stay in here. Nobody needs to know you're here as well, it'll make you a target."
"Dec-"
"He's right," McTaggart spoke. "If we go out, they'll assume none others are in here. You can spy from any of the windows, however," he grinned, his teeth blackened.
I sighed and nodded. "I'll loose any arrows if I see any of them putting you in situations you cannot get out of."
Declan chuckled, threading a hand through my hair. "She's a keeper, that one," McTaggart nodded.
"She really is," Declan nodded. He pressed his lips to mine before moving them to my forehead. "Stay here, stay hidden. I love you."
"I love you," I nodded, sighing as he and the other man left. I moved to one of the windows, seeing the two stop before the scene. The dark man was tied to a post and was being whipped by a white man while two others stood and watched with torches. Barbaric.
I saw McTaggart say something before patting Declan's chest and move back towards the door. But my lover did not move. Instead, he paused, eyes glaring hatefully at the scene before starting forward and making his friend pause. I watched as Declan stood right next to the man being whipped, glaring at the white man who was doing the bidding.
"Declan, what?" I whispered, seeing him conversing with the man tied up. He moved so he was protecting his exposed back, cutting him free. Declan made some remark, the man limping towards McTaggart before the whip cracked and came down upon Declan's back.
I gasped, eyes wide as my man grimaced but stood tall still, only barely flinching. McTaggart brought the man in, my eyes still set on the commotion outside. "Oh, that there's his lady. Don't mind her, she's very protective of him."
I ignored the man, my mind whirling as Declan stopped the whip with his forearm. "He's an idiot."
"Tell me about it," McTaggart responded.
The words I couldn't hear but the fear the white man felt was nearly tangible. Declan negated both pistol and whip from his grasp, the man trembling before stripping from his fur coat. I chuckled as he stood there glaring, the men rushing away.
"Bloody idiot," I rolled my eyes, turning from the window. "Move," I shooed the man away, stepping up to examine the whip markings. I cleaned them as best I could. "Luckily they don't look too deep. Most are flesh wounds because your shirt caught the most of the force."
"I'll consider myself lucky then, ma'am."
"Oh, please," I smiled. "None of that, we're all equals here. Well, all us save for McTaggart over there," I winked, making him chuckle. I continued to clean as Declan came in, presenting the coat to the man.
Once done, I stepped away after helping him into the warmth. McTaggart gave him food and ale, letting him eat to his hearts content. My own heart felt heavy for him, shaking myself as I took my place near Declan. "Fill your boots, son, you're at your Aunties," McTaggart spoke, refilling his stew as Declan yanked me into his lap. "And there's some good brandy-" He slapped away Declan's hand as he went to reach for the dark liquor. "Not you, you numpty arsehole you've cost me enough already." I couldn't help but laugh. "You can stop over tonight, but that's your lot!"
"I like him. He tells you off," I grinned, making Declan smile at me as he chuckled some.
"I like ye too lass-" McTaggart was cut off by the echo of a gunshot. I furrowed my brows as we all looked up in alarm.
"Declan Harp," A voice called, my hands tightening on his arms that held me anchored to his lap. "Surrender yourself!"
I watched as McTaggart turned and smiled a bit, Declan heaving a sigh. I looked down at him when his fingers rubbed my hip. "Watch out, love. Lemme handle this." I stood from his lap, letting him stand as his hand lingered on my hip for a moment as he stepped away. I frowned, following as McTaggert grabbed a loaded gun and headed to the outlook window.
I waited behind them still out of sight, knowing already Declan wouldn't like me being noticeable. "Well? How many do you think?"
"Six. And the Virginian." That must have been the white man, this 'Virginian'. What was he doing so far North? Into this territory?
"I knew it. As soon as I saw you sitting in that corner, I knew trouble would follow, sure as there's shit in a cat."
"Strange analogy," I rolled my eyes, making McTaggart grin and shrug at me.
"There's no escaping, Mr. Harp!" An official called once more. "We have vantage and we have numbers!"
"Then come on in," Declan spoke to himself before turning from the window.
"Come out peacefully and I'll see you're not harmed!" The man continued. Declan took my hand in his, leading me to follow as the man continued to speak. "Come out, Mr. Harp, or we'll burn the place down."
I heard from the back McTaggart call out, "Aye! That'll be right!"
I scoffed, shaking my head and taking a seat on the table top as I could no longer hear what they were saying outside. My eyes were trained on Declan as he neared me now and stood between my legs, hands on my hips. He pressed a kiss to my lips. "Remember, stay hidden."
"I have your back from in here."
"I know you do," he whispered, kissing me once more before stepping away and heading to the weapons McTaggart had brought out earlier.
Then, "Charleston! You come out right this minute!" I shook my head, not liking the sound of this white man. "Charleston! Charleston! God damnit, you're a bystander in this! That crazy half-breed took you prisoner- I vouch for that! Now, you come on out now!"
Declan armed himself decently well, hiding knives and axes in many places. "You go."
"No. No." Charleston refused, making me perk up some. He was choosing his own freedom.
"Congratulations. You've got about two minutes to enjoy it before we all die in fucking hellfire."
"I take it you weren't the one who would give the motivational speeches before any fight, right McTaggart?" I asked, perking a brow and standing beside my man. The Scot shot me a look before rolling his eyes and nodding.
"Nah, we'll fight," Declan decided.
"Well, I've got buckets of powder but only one musket. Let's just charge at the bastard, hard and loud!"
"This is your last warning!" Came from outside. "I would prefer to take you alive, Mr. Harp, but we will end this one way or another!"
"Englishmen still don't know how to hold their tongues, eh?" I rolled my eyes.
"Oh, I really like this one," McTaggart laughed.
"This'll get bloody," Declan warned. He held a knife for Charleston. "You in....or are you out?"
I smiled when he accepted the knife and seemingly made his decision. "Great. Where's a decent vantage point? I can shoot em down from above."
"Upstairs, first door to your left. Open the window niiiiiice and slow, they shouldn't even notice."
I nodded. "Good luck you lot. Don't die and don't get too bloodied up. I've only enough patience to nurse people from the brink of death so many times." The guys smiled briefly. I turned to Declan. "You especially."
"I won't let you down," he chuckled, kissing me before nudging me to the stairs. I took them quickly, hearing a company man speak again but ignoring the words as I set up on the window sill. I opened the window slowly like McTaggart said and he was right, none noticed the movement. And I was directly above them now.
I saw Charleston approaching with his hands raised in surrender, knowing they must have came up with some plan. "I surrender.... I don't want trouble."
"Oh, there you are, you stubborn beast," the white man spoke. "And what the hell are you doing wearing my God damn coat, no less? You get over here."
"Wait, wait," a Brit stopped him. "Search this man."
"That's not necessary," Charleston spoke. "I don't mean any harm."
"Coat off. Now."
I watched with baited breath as the knife was wrangled from his belt. I notched an arrow silently, waiting. "And just what were your plans with this? Come on." The white man seethed, taking Charleston by the lapel of his tunic and urging his forward.
I flinched some when there came a gunshot and then an explosion. Inside the coat were bags of gunpowder and one of the guys must have shot it to cause a distraction. I watched as McTaggart and Declan moved in, immediately slicing, stabbing, and impaling men left and right.
I loosened a few arrows, them all zooming forward and hitting their marks. I gasped as a man held a rifle to Declan's back, my arrow finding his eye and skull quickly as Declan turned. He saw the arrow and turned to look at me briefly before reengaging the remaining soldiers. I shot another man down that was threatening McTaggart as well, eyes shifting over the darkness to make sense of everything that just occurred.
When most things died down, I furrowed my brow as McTaggart gripped the stone wall and began jumping on one of the deadman repeatedly. "Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy! Bouncy, bouncy!" Man was a complete nutter and a loon and I kinda really adored him and all his quirkiness. He kept going, stomping the man into the dirt.
I descended the stairs and made it outside, still armed as Declan called Mctaggart's name to get him to focus and stop stomping over the man. "What a buzz!" I frowned, catching a glimpse of the disfigured man as Declan leaned over the wall to look at it dead on. "Should get going. Could be more coming."
"So you're in?" Declan asked.
"I'd say I'm downright involved, wouldn't you?" The sweaty and blood splattered man asked, heaving for breath as his adrenaline worn off. "I might as well finish what you fucking started!" I shook my head, rounding the wall and standing with the men. "Probably a lot more of this, just worse odds. You coming?" McTaggart looked from Charleston to Declan, back again. "What? At least he'll be free!"
"You're a Saint, McTaggart," I rolled my eyes.
"Glad someone knows it," he laughed, eyes following where Charleston was staring off to. I turned, spotting his old.....master. "We should follow that prick."
"Aye," Charleston stopped McTaggart as Declan held him back as well when he made to follow. "I've exhausted all desire to ever deal with that son of a bitch again. I'd rather move forward."
"Admirable," I nodded. "If you lot are good, I'd say we clean ourselves up and get the hell out of here."
"I'm with her," McTaggart agreed, turning and hightailing it back inside. I shook my head and chuckled, Charleston moving forward as well. I went to follow when Declan's hand stopped me.
"Are you alright?" He asked, soothing a finger along my cheek. "That was just a taste of how it's going to be."
"Are you with me?" I asked.
He looked confused for a moment before answering. "Of course, where I go, you go, right?"
"Exactly. So as long as I am with you, I will be okay. I will handle all of this. And I am not afraid of what is to come, Declan Harp. I chose you and you chose me. We're in this together now, yes?"
"I feel bad we won't get much rest until we reach somewhere relatively safe. Even now, we cannot linger there."
"I am aware and it is okay. I knew what I signed up for."
"I love you, Meera McMullan."
"I love you, Declan Harp," I promised, standing forward and pressing my lips to his. He accepted the affection, hand pressed to my jaw and holding it there. We remained in our own moment as we knew from now, they'd be rare. Too rare.
"With me, my love?" he asked, hand laced with mine.
"Always," I agreed. "I do think I'd be lost without you, Mr. Harp."
"Mh," he hummed. "I do think I'd be dead without you, Miss McMullan. And I don't quite know about you but Meera Harp has a certain ring to it... don't you think?"
I stared back at him, a smile forming over my lips. "It does but if that's your idea of a proposal..."
"If it is?" I was a bit taken aback by his response. "What if it is my way of...of asking you to marry me?"
"I'd think you were joking at first but now, not so much. Declan, are you asking me to marry you? In all honesty and truthfulness?"
"I am," he nodded, eyes dancing between mine as he smiled some. "I am, Meera. I cannot and will not be without you in this life or the next. I know this now and I will not run from it."
"I'd like nothing more than to take your last name and be bound to you for life," I nodded.
"Was that a yes?" He asked, smiling brightly.
"It was a hell yes!" I laughed, his arms coming around me and picking me up in a hug and laughing. Despite standing in blood-splattered dirt, in the midst of carnage, where we really needed to get the hell out of, we couldn't help but find a moment of happiness in the middle of it all.
"God, do I love you."
"And I love you," I smiled, smoothing a hand over his cheek and beard. "I've been blessed three times over because of you. I'd be lost in life, still stuck in the frozen lands, not knowing a purpose."
"And you know now?"
"It's to love and support you in all this. You, you are my purpose, Declan. Do you believe in fate?"
"Depends."
"I believe we were destined. I believe we've both suffered for reasons that then brought us together and now, look." He smiled widely at me, setting me back on my feet.
"Fate has made you my wife in all but title," he declared.
"I hate to break up this really tender and touching moment," McTaggart called, hanging out of the doorway. "But we need to get a fucking move on!" I couldn't help the laughter I felt then, shaking my head and heading inside with Declan's hand laced with mine.