“Ye mean, the clan we are going to meet with?”
“Aye,” Lachlan answered, eyebrows raised in pleasant surprise that Arran had remembered that detail.
“Well, I ken that they live a long ways away from us.”
Lachlan let out a hearty laugh that soon spread to Aila and Arran. She cherished those moments, the fleeting times when they truly felt like a young family with not a care in the world save for where their next meal might come from. She loved getting the small glimpses of Lachlan when he wasn’t so weighed down with his responsibilities as a Laird.
“Aye, that they do. It is about a week’s journey. We have already been riding for three days so it will take us another four to get there. I suspect that is the perfect amount of time.”
“Perfect amount of time for what?” Arran asked, taking the words right out of Aila’s mouth.
“To tell ye all about the clan we are going to meet.”
Lachlan gave Arran a wide grin, but still, Arran wasn’t entirely convinced.
“What makes the McKenzies so special?”
“Well, for starters their Laird is a woman,” Lachlan said with an air of nonchalance Aila knew was pretending.
“A woman for a Laird?” Arran echoed incredulously.
“Aye, and a fierce woman she is. She reminds me a lot of Aila, as a matter of fact.”
“Tell us the story, Uncle Loch. Please. I want to hear.”
Lachlan cleared his throat, rather dramatically, and then launched into the tale.
“It all began long before yer time with a wicked man named Campbell. Legend has it that he was a mad man descended fromkings of old. It was this heritage that spurred him on to wanting to have the largest parcel of land in the Highlands. He wanted to rule it all. And so, he made war with the Murrays.”
“Wait a minute,” Arran interrupted, “I thought that this story was about the McKenzies.”
“It is,” Lachlan reassured the boy. “But ye see, the McKenzies and the Murrays were kin. In order to strengthen their allyship, the McKenzie Laird sent his daughter over to be wed to the Murray heir. The young couple had a son, named Seamus. He was a brave lad, with the red hair of the Murrays but the eyes of the McKenzies. A perfect mix of father and mother.”
Aila let Lachlan’s words paint a picture in her mind. She admired his storytelling ability. In just a few short minutes, he had completely occupied Arran’s attention, and her own, all while keeping an eye on the trees. She had to admit, she was just as curious about the McKenzies as Arran was. A woman for a Laird and a mad king trying to ruin it all was plenty to capture her interest.
“However, their time of peace lasted only a short seven years. Under the veil of night, Lady Murray stole away back to her homelands, to be reunited with her father, Laird McKenzie. When dawn broke, Campbell attacked the Murray Castle, overtaking it entirely.”
“How did Laird Murray let that happen? Why did Lady Murray run away? Was she in on the attack? What about Seamus? If they are weak enough to be invaded by another Laird, why are we going to them for help?”
Aila was surprised at Arran’s string of questions, though at this point, she supposed she shouldn’t have been. He was always so clever, so insightful. He asked all the same things she wanted to know.
“Slow down,” Lachlan chuckled. “I will answer all of yer questions, but ye must allow me to tell the story.”
Arran nodded sheepishly, unable to hide his excitement.
“Word about Campbell’s military prowess had gotten around, so when he attacked, Laird Murray gave the order for his men to stand down. He did nae want to see his soldiers killed needlessly when there was no way for them to win the battle. Some people thought him a coward, others thought him a verra wise ruler. What do ye think, lad?”
“Well, I think that if there was truly nay way for him to defeat Campbell, then aye, he should have waited for another day. Is that what happened?”
Lachlan shook his head.
“I wish I could say it was, but nay. The Murray Laird did nothing for nearly two decades, while Campbell made a mess of his clan. The people were starving and forced to pay too much coin. They were being raided and beaten by the guards Campbell had sent to protect them. By then, Seamus was nay longer a young lad but a grown man, and he had grown tired of seeing his father do nothing while their people suffered.”
Aila had nearly forgotten to watch the trees as Lachlan spoke. Small shadows danced across the forest floor, bringing his story to life.
“He angered Campbell, and the tyrant threatened the young heir’s life. The night before Seamus was sentenced to death, he escaped! He rushed to try to make it to McKenzie lands, but before he could get there, bounty hunters found him.”
“Och,” Arran exclaimed in frustration. “Bounty hunters ruin everything.”
