It seemed that love, a true abiding love, made marriage all the merrier.Yet having such love between man and wife might not be that common a situation, and certainly not one gained without active cultivation.Leila was not only right in yearning for it in her marriage, but offered Fergus the chance to gain it himself.
She was honest.She was honorable.He would commit himself to her and their marriage anew and strive to create the marriage she desired above all else.If she wished to wed another, Fergus would let her go for the sake of her happiness, but on this night, he wanted to win Leila’s love for himself.
He also wanted to hear what the king with the faithless wife had seen in the garden.
Despite his desire for haste, their progress was slow.Fergus could not believe the quantity of mud, much less the amount the rivers and streams had swollen in the rain of this day.He and Hamish retraced their footsteps a dozen times to continue on higher ground if they did as much once.As it grew darker and the rain became more chilling, he began to wonder if they would ever arrive home again.
A warm fire was beginning to sound like a taste of paradise.
When the sun sank below the horizon and the last of the light was gone, he and Hamish urged the horses to stumble onward.They finally reached a place where the water ran shallow and Fergus nearly shouted in relief.
“Give me your reins,” he said to Hamish.
“Just in case more goes awry,” the boy agreed, then sneezed mightily as he followed instruction.“Truly, my lord, I cannot recall a journey of such challenge.”
“Nor I.”
The boy sneezed again.“Nor of such relentless cold.”
“It is a far cry from the scorching heat of Jerusalem,” Fergus agreed as Tempest picked his way down the bank to the stream.He let the horse choose his own path, for it was safer thus.Even so, Tempest slid several times in the mud before he stepped into the shallow water.The stallion shook his head and snorted, clearly disliking the temperature of the water.Fergus eased him on with a touch of his heel.
“When we were there, I thought I might never be cold again,” Hamish said with a smile.“Now I wonder the very opposite.”The boy clutched the neck of his palfrey, following Fergus’ choice and trusting the pair of horses to negotiate the running water.There was an abundance of stones on the river bed and Tempest proceeded with caution.It seemed to take a thousand years to cross, but Fergus knew it was his own impatience to be home at root.
Would Leila be concerned for him?He could only imagine so.His father certainly would be, though he believed that Leila would reassure the older man.He imagined them sitting together, and Leila coaxing tales from his father, distracting Calum from the passing hours.The notion made him smile despite his discomfort.
At the deepest part of the river, the water was almost to the horse’s knees, though Fergus would have wagered it had been hoof-deep that morning.Tempest balked and snorted, probably at the chill of the water, then, evidently encouraged by the proximity of the other bank, took another step.
The rocks the stallion stepped upon loosed themselves and rolled.Tempest whinnied, tossing his head as he spooked to find naught beneath his hoof.No doubt the darkness did not assist.The destrier stepped backward before Fergus could soothe him and the palfrey took exception to the proximity of the stallion’s rump to her nose.
She nipped his flank, seemingly impatient with his pace.Tempest neighed in protest and bolted forward, leaping onto the shore.Fergus released the palfrey’s reins as soon as he realized what the stallion was doing, but it was too late.The palfrey was compelled to step forward and stumbled in her turn, stepping into the same hole that Tempest had created.The palfrey stumbled to her knees, whinnying in indignation, and Hamish fell into the river with a splash.
Tempest spooked at the sound and galloped onward a dozen steps.Fergus leaped from the saddle and cast the reins over the destrier’s head.The palfrey, much less easily disconcerted than the stallion, regained her footing, marched across the remainder of the river and climbed to the shore.She gave the destrier’s flank another nip, as if to chide him for his folly.Tempest whinnied and stamped again but he did not flee.
There was some mercy, after all.
Fergus was already striding into the river, He seized Hamish, who was not injured but was struggling to get to his feet in the cold water.The boy’s cloak and clothing were sodden and heavy with the weight of the water.It took some effort for even Fergus to haul him to his feet.They were both soaked by the time they reached the shore, and breathing heavily.The weight of his own wet woolen cloak made Fergus feel a handspan shorter.He removed one boot and then the other, draining the water from them, and Hamish followed suit.
“An exercise in futility,” Fergus muttered, considering how wet his boots and feet were.
“We will not need a bath when we reach Killairic, sir,” the boy said in an attempt at humor.
Fergus chuckled and urged him toward the horses.The pair stood with their heads down and their ears folded back, evidently also dejected by their wet state.
“On the contrary, we will be in dire need of a hot soak to drive out this chill.”Fergus helped the boy into his saddle, then swung into his own.“At least we are finally on the right side of this cursed river.”He looked about himself, knowing they were far uphill of the road he would have preferred, and his heart sank.
“There is a good path, sir, unless I remember incorrectly.Just there on the left.”
To Fergus’ delight, Hamish was right.It was not a sufficiently wide path for them to ride abreast, but it would hasten their return to Killairic.Fergus knew that they all needed to be warmed soon.“Our fortune changes for the better, Hamish,” he said with cheer.“Let us ride for home with all haste.”
“Aye, my lord.”
“You ahead of me,” Fergus instructed.“Your palfrey shows good sense so Tempest can follow her.Let her set her own pace.”
As soon as they were on the path, the palfrey lifted her head.She seemed to catch the scent of home and a warm stable, for she began to canter with purpose.Tempest followed her, his nostrils flaring, and it was not long before Fergus smelled a fire.
The horses broke into a gallop just after Fergus recognized the shape of the land surrounding Killairic, then to his relief, the silhouette of the keep appeared in the distance before them.Golden light gleamed from the windows and smoke rose from the village.
“Home!”he cried.
“Home!”Hamish echoed and laughed aloud as they galloped for the gates.
