The scenery was certainly more captivating than that of Katherine’s homeland, which was largely ringed by pitiless mountain ranges. The ground was largely stony and parched, and very little grew there.
Could that have been my father’s reason for waging war all along?she wondered.Did he seek to improve the fortunes of our people by snatching the resources of other clans?
She supposed such a motivation made sense, and in some ways, might even be considered noble. But why not forge alliances with those who might help them instead? Why not promise military aid to those whose armies might not be as formidable, or arrange marriages for herself and Romilly that might have allowed for the import of food and supplies?
That last thought prompted a sour realization inside of her.
“It was the broken engagement, I believe, that caused my father and sister tae plot against the Oliphants,” she spoke up.“Our resources are sparse, and an alliance with yer clan through marriage would have improved our fortunes significantly. Once that was taken away, war became the only option left tae them.”
Bryan nodded slowly. “There might be something tae that, aye. And with regard tae the broken engagement, that was the fault of Laird Alex, tae some degree. His standards when it came tae everything, but most especially potential brides, were impossibly high. That led him tae reject certain avenues which might have benefited him in the long run. Sometimes quite foolishly,” he added with a humorless laugh.
Katherine sensed there was more on his mind, and waited for him to continue.
“On the other hand,” he went on, “whenever I visit Romilly in the dungeons, when I see the malice in her eyes, the way she speaks of our clan, I know that Laird Alex made the correct decision in ending their betrothal. For she was not the woman she presented herself as, nor would she have been a good wife for him in the long term.” His eyes shined with curiosity. “In all the years of yer upbringing, did ye truly never see any hint that violence against us was the main goal of Laird Angus and yer older sister? Can ye honestly claim that they only embraced it once the engagement had concluded?”
Katherine thought back to all the training sessions she observed between her father and Romilly; all the furious rhetoric he had drilled into his older daughter about the evils of the Oliphant Clan, how there could never truly be peace between them and the McGregors.
“Nay, I suppose not,” Katherine admitted in a small voice.
“There is no shame in coming from a family of dishonorable people, Lady Katherine,” Bryan told her tenderly. “It is not our parents or grandparents who define us. Only our own actions may do that.”
“That is all quite easy for ye tae say,” she countered, feeling tears sting her eyes. “Ye were not birthed from a nest of plunderers and killers.”
“As a matter of fact, I was,” he said conversationally.
She turned to him, her eyes wide. “What do ye mean?”
“Precisely what I said.” He smiled at her, but the mirth did not reach his emerald eyes. “My father was a thief. There were even times when he murdered during the act of stealing. Sometimes because his victims put up too much of a fight, sometimes because he didnae wish tae risk anyone describing the features of the man who robbed them so he might be apprehended and hanged. We were forced tae move often, in order tae stay a step or two ahead of the mobs that would have seen him swing for his crimes. So it was difficult for me tae make friends or have any real prospects as a younger lad, with that shadow cast over me.”
“How utterly dreadful!” Katherine exclaimed. “I’m so sorry, I didnae mean tae make such assumptions without knowing the details of yer past.”
“‘Tis perfectly all right,” he assured her. “There was no way ye could have known. I had two older brothers, and our father instructed both of them in the ways of thievery. They took to his lessons well—too well, as it turned out. One is in a dungeon a long way from here, and will remain there until the hour of his death. The other had his head claimed by the executioner of that same territory.”
Katherine’s hand went to her mouth, and she turned quite pale again. She was scarcely able to believe her ears. “How were ye spawned from such horrors, yet able tae make such a life for yerself in the service of Laird Alex?”
“My father wanted that same life for me,” Bryan explained. “But I rejected it, and him. I knew in my heart that these things he did were wrong. Oh, he tried his best tae make me believeotherwise. He insisted that everything he did, he did for me and my brothers’ that he only stole the riches of others because he wished for us to have the best of everything, and to never know hunger. He tried to make me feel responsible for his evil deeds, and for a while, he succeeded at that. But in the end, my mind and soul were my own. I told him I would have none of it, and so he disowned me and cast me out tae fend for myself.”
Katherine was horrified. “What happened then?”
“I was too young tae fend for myself much, in the wilderness,” Bryan said, his voice tinged with regret. “Not an accomplished hunter or trapper, for none had ever instructed me in such pursuits. Nor had I learned any sort of trade. There were no apprenticeships for a lost and lonely boy who emerged from the forest, with no father he could name for fear of being associated with a heinous bandit.” He paused, as though too afraid to go on.
Finally, he hung his head and said, “I turned tae thievery myself after a while, I’m sorry tae say. The worst kind, in fact, for I tried tae pilfer a few coins from the collection box of a church. My belly had been empty for many days, ye must understand, and I could see no other way tae survive. Even as I reached into that box, I prayed as hard as I could for the Lord tae understand my plight and show mercy toward me. As it happened, my prayer was answered.”
“How so?” Katherine found herself spellbound by the man’s tale.
“The priest caught me at it, and took pity on me due tae my tender age,” Bryan told her. “He took me in and fed me, and we sat and talked for a long while. He didnae try tae fix what was broken in me with hollow verses from the scriptures, and I appreciated that, for it would nae have improved my position. Instead, he simply bid me tae break the pattern of thievery that I had been caught in, and tae help some other poor lost soul dolikewise if the occasion should ever present itself. And so I have, whenever it has.”
“How commendable of ye,” she said sincerely. “It seems ye do know something about what I have been going through. How did ye manage tae make such a life as this for yerself?”
“I gave the matter some serious thought,” he replied. “I had tae prove that I was not the man my father was. I had to distinguish myself, forge my own path in life. I had the knowledge of a thief, yet no desire tae practice that skill. I asked myself, then, how else might such talents be put tae good use? The answer seemed simple enough: I could help to catch thieves, as I was well aware of their tendencies. I came tae the Oliphant lands, and petitioned the laird at that time—Alex’s father, as it happens—tae allow me tae join the guardsmen, despite the fact that I was an outsider with no good name tae call his own.”
“And he did?”
“Not a bit of it!” Bryan laughed. “I was heartbroken, devastated, almost ready tae turn tae crime again. Instead, though, I chose tae give it one final attempt by proving my worth tae him. I waited for nightfall, then crept past the guards, snuck into the castle, and stole the goblet from the laird’s bedside while he slept!”
“Ye did not!” Katherine crowed incredulously.
“Aye, I did!” His eyes twinkled at the memory. “When he awoke the next morning and came down tae the Dining Hall for his breakfast, I was standing in front of the table holding the goblet. He was most indignant at first, tae put it mildly. He was known for his choleric temper, even more so than Alex. But it was clear that if the theft itself had been my motive, then I would nae have remained until morning. It was also clear that I was wily enough in the ways of thievery tae contribute greatly tae his castle guard. I was hired on the spot, and within a few years, I had proved myself enough tae be appointed captain.”
