"Me maither," he said, touching the first stone gently. "The Lady Fiona MacDougal. She was... she was everything a maither should be. Kind, fierce when she needed tae be, always knew exactly what tae say tae make things better." His hand moved to the second stone. "And me sister, Isla. She was only twelve when..."
He couldn't finish.
Mhairi knelt beside him without a word, her presence a quiet comfort. She looked at the names carved into the stone, at the dates that told a story of lives cut far too short.
"What happened?" she asked softly. She hadn’t had the heart to ask him about it the last time he had mentioned it because he had looked so distraught.
"A raid. I was fifteen." Alpin's voice was steady but empty, like he'd told this story so many times it had lost all emotion. "A rival clan thought we were weak after me father fell ill. They attacked at dawn, burned half the village, killed anyone who tried tae stop them and then attacked the castle."
His hand was still on Isla's stone, fingers tracing the carved letters.
"Me maither tried tae get Isla tae safety. I was with the warriors, helpin’ defend the walls. By the time I realized they'd brokenthrough..." He paused. "By the time I got tae them, it was too late. They were already gone."
Mhairi reached out and placed her hand over his. "I'm so sorry."
"I see them sometimes in me dreams. Me maither's face when she realized she couldnae save Isla. Isla's eyes lookin’ at me like I was supposed tae fix it, supposed tae protect her." Alpin's voice had gone rough. "I was fifteen years old and I couldnae save them."
"Ye were a child."
"I was old enough to hold a sword. Old enough tae fight." His jaw clenched. "Old enough that I should've been there when they needed me most."
"Alpin, ye cannae?—"
"I ken what ye're going tae say. That it wasnae me fault. That I did everything I could." He looked at her finally, his eyes dark with old pain. "But kennin’ something intellectually and feelin’ it in yer heart are two different things."
Mhairi understood that all too well. "Is that why ye went taea the auction? Why ye followed me intae that forest?"
"Partly." Alpin looked back at the stones. "I couldnae save them. But maybe I could save someone else. Maybe I could keep another family from losin’ their daughter, their sister."
"Ye did save me."
"Aye. But nae the others. Nae the lasses from me own lands who were taken before I even knew tae look fer them." His hand tightened on the stone. "That's why Graham needs to be stopped. Why I'll dae whatever it takes tae bring him down.Because every woman he sells is someone's daughter. Someone's sister. And I willnae let him keep destroyin’ families the way mine was destroyed."
They knelt there in silence, the autumn wind rustling through the trees above them.
Mhairi placed her free hand on the ground near the stones, a gesture of respect for people she'd never known but who had clearly shaped the man beside her.
"Thank ye," Alpin said after a while. "Fer comin’ here. Fer listenin’."
"Thank ye fer trustin’ me enough tae bring me." Mhairi squeezed his hand. "Fer sharin’ something this important."
He looked at her then, really looked at her, and something shifted in his expression. "Ye're important too. That's why I wanted ye here. Why I wanted ye tae ken about them, about what drives me."
"Because ye think I should understand yer motivations?"
"Because I think ye already dae." He stood, helping her up. "Because ye've lost things too, been betrayed by people who should've protected ye. And somehow ye're still standin’, still fightin’, still believin’ there's something worth buildin’ in this world."
Mhairi felt her throat tighten. "I'm nae sure I believe that all the time."
"But ye believe it enough tae keep tryin’. That's what matters." He adjusted one of the stones slightly, making sure it sat perfectly aligned with the others. "That's what me maither would've wanted. What Isla would've wanted. Nae fer me taespend me life mournin’ them, but tae live in a way that honors their memory."
"By protectin’ others."
"Aye. By makin’ sure what happened tae them daesnae happen tae anyone else if I can prevent it." He took one last look at the stones, then turned toward the path they'd come from. "Ready tae head back?"
"Aye." But Mhairi paused, looking back at the burial site one more time. "Dae ye come here often?"
"A few times a year. On their death days, mostly. Sometimes when I need tae think." He waited fer her to join him on the path. "It helps, somehow. Talking tae them. Even though I ken they cannae hear me."
