Page 28 of Falling for His Cousin’s Betrothed

Alastair galloped to reach his side, his hands trembling on the reins. “You do not get to choose!”

“I mean what I said, Alastair. Now back off!” With that, he threw his right leg over the saddle, and his body thumped with precision to the ground. Laila halted her mare and watched, hopeful that Robert would stand his ground but worried he might fail to hold up under Alastair’s persistent threats.

“Do you need me to say it with more clarity?” Alastair fumed.

His face, reddened with sweat, reminded Laila of a classic ogre. What was she going to do now? She’d come all the way out here in search of Robert like a moth seeking flame, and now there was another contention to manage. She wanted to go home, but there was no way she could leave without first confirming Robert was free from imminent danger. Yet before she could ponder any further tasks or apprehensions, Alastair lifted his arm into the air, clenched his fist, and delivered a solid blow to Robert’s collarbone. Robert, stunned, fell back in the reeds.

“You awful monster!” Laila screamed and threw herself off the mare who had, for most of the afternoon, been content with just moseying along and grazing on occasion. She now, startled, threw her hind legs into a parallel line behind her and tossed Laila like a rag doll to the ground, where she landed with a thud.

“I won’t allow you to win, Alastair, regardless of how strong you think you are.” Robert, his voice lowered and even, lifted himself out of the reeds and lurched forward, his entire weight hurtling into Alastair’s rounded chest. The two rolled onto the sodden ground, insults hurtling as fast as the punches. Laila stood back in horror. Her mare, still spooked, had trotted off to the steam where she pawed the water in agitation.

There it was again. That long, metal rod, that tool flung like a machinated device onto his head. He could see it now being blasted over his crown, and he winced, recalling the severity of the blow. He shook his head, not wanting to see any more imagery, but his conscience persisted. That’s when he realized it had been Alastair who had done it. His own cousin had tried to take his life and had been, thankfully, unsuccessful. Yet here they were, the two of them shoulder to shoulder once more in a battle of wills. He grunted and thrust Alastair into the sagebrush that grew alongside the cobblestone path. Then he kicked him in the stomach just as he attempted to rise.

“I will kill you!” Alastair grabbed Robert by the legs and yanked him down to the ground. Robert writhed beneath his grip and wrestled himself free. Laila, shocked and dazed, watched the two of them roll in the dirt beneath the cloudy sky.

“I must do something.” She bit her lower lip and reached for a low-hanging branch. She hung on it until it snapped, then swung it high in the air.

“Get off of him at once, Alastair!” Her scream echoed through the forest, and the two men, mesmerized by her shrill tone, stopped throwing punches long enough to look at her and breathe. “I am going to call on the closest laird I can find. I’m going to ride straight to his quarters, barge through the door, and demand that he come and knock some sense into the two of you. Am I clear?” Laila had seen enough. She was disgusted with Alastair and disappointed in Robert. Was there not an easier way to resolve all of their dilemmas?

“You are but a silly little girl who knows nothing of honor or betrayal.” Alastair sneered and laughed. “In fact, I’ll be so bold as to say that you don’t even know what either of those two traits are supposed to resemble.” Laila, her patience tested, pursed her lips. He had gone too far this time, and she wasn’t going to let him get away with it.

“I’m sorry you think that. Maybe this will show you what I know.” With that, she wound back her right arm, then let it go, her closed fist decking Alastair right in the mouth. He groaned and staggered backward, then lost his balance on a rock and fell straight down to the ground. Laila, surprised at her own strength, tapped a finger on her chin, then looked down at Robert, who was still struggling to get upright.

“That’s some arm you have there, lass.” He gave her a wink, then eased himself up onto his elbows. The sky had darkened and for a moment he was reminded of that awful excursion through the woods when Alastair had tried to take his life. It made his stomach hurt to recount the events; he tried with all his might to divert his thoughts elsewhere. Laila, luckily, came to his rescue and offered him a swig from her water canteen.

“I’m sorry you have to deal with him, Robert. He is such a horrible man.” Laila spoke loudly so Alastair could hear her. She walked to where he lay and placed a boot on his shoulder, then rolled her toe back and forth. “I won’t be talked to that way ever again. Don’t forget that.” She felt incredibly proud of herself and wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Robert, finally standing, winced and then walked slowly to Bonnie, who had taken to grazing contentedly in the meadow.

“You should get going, Laila. I don’t want you caught up in the middle of this squabbling any longer.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. Emerald diamond, he thought again, a peacefulness coursing through his body. “You’re so beautiful. It truly pains me to see you being tugged back and forth like a rag doll. You deserve better than this.” He nodded, then looked up as a raindrop fell from the sky.

“I don’t want to ever hear that troll's name uttered again. I’ve made up my mind. I will not, under any condition, marry him.” She wanted to press Alastair’s face into the ground, but being the proper woman that she was, she opted to leave him be. He was in enough pain from Robert’s punches, and his nose appeared broken from the angle she had to the right. She would leave well enough alone and let him fend for himself tonight under the blanket of darkness that would arrive when the wolves and the turkey vultures made their rounds for food.

“Stop!” Alastair rolled over and flung an arm across his large belly. Robert looked down at him and wondered if he could see or breathe. His left eye was swollen shut, and his bleeding nose was bent sideways. “Neither of you will be able to get away with this. I’ll call on your uncle, lass.” He let out a grunt, then a snicker. Laila looked at Robert and then placed a hand on his chest. Is my uncle now going to come after me? she wondered. Perhaps. If that happened, she would simply call on the barons, all of them if she needed to, and request their assistance until the threat of danger was gone.

“We won’t be staying here to help you, Cousin. You’ve drawn your line in the sand, and so have we.” Robert wanted, at that very moment, to spit on him, to kick him one last time in the ribs before riding off toward the cloudy horizon. But he respected himself too much to stoop to such a level. He drew in a deep breath, looked in the direction of the Scry Wall, then limped back to his horse. Then he tossed the reins over her head, placed a foot in the stirrup, and hoisted himself into the saddle. Laila mounted her mare and rode toward the reeds, where she then halted and looked ahead. A storm cloud hung low in the sky, and she watched with interest as the rain fell, heavier and faster, on the valley floor.

“I want to get you back to your castle before nightfall. It gives me great unease to think about being on this end of the forest when darkness falls, such a reminder it is of that fateful eve.” Robert shuddered when he closed his eyes, the blunt force of the rod slamming into his head still at the forefront of his memory bank.

Laila nodded. “We should take the streamside toward the east where there’s water. I think that would be the most direct way back.” Laila looked over her shoulder as Alastair grunted and rolled to his side. “And…” She paused and spun her mare around. “I think we forgot one important detail about our departure.” She trotted back to the reeds and dismounted in front of Alastair’s stallion, who was happily grazing on cabbage plant, eyebright, and caraway. “Pardon me, horse.” She gave him a pat on the withers then stood before Alastair’s body.

Robert redirected Bonnie and followed suit. “Laila, what are you doing?” he asked as she reached deep inside her saddlebag and pulled out a ball of hemp and a pair of scissors.

“I’m tying him up.” She knelt down, wound the hemp around his limp wrists, then tightened it into a fine, circular knot.

Robert chuckled. “I don’t suppose he was going to get up anytime soon, you know.”

“All the more reason to bind him. That way, we don’t need to worry about him hatching any deceptive plans to ride back and find either of us.” Laila frowned and shook her head. “Such a bad man.” Robert watched as she walked to his horse. “I think I’ll invite his lovely steed to ride back with us, too.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and looked once more at Alastair before mounting her horse and trotting toward the edge of the reeds. “Come along, horse.” She whistled, and to her surprise, the bay gelding rose upon his hind legs, snorted, and trotted behind her as she led the way out of the forest and back toward the valley below. Robert, enchanted, pulled the reins and steered Bonnie behind her, then watched in awe as her long, amber-colored hair flowed in the somber, autumn wind.

It was almost dark when Laila and Robert reached the last stretch of woods before the castle gates. Both were exhausted and spoke little as they rode toward the gulley. Alastair’s horse, still keeping pace beside them, snorted and whinnied when they approached the moat. He lowered his head, pinned back his ears, and reared, then stomped through the water and trotted up the bank. Laila and her chestnut mare splashed through, followed by Robert and Bonnie. The bell clock struck eight, and Laila perked up, awakened by the echo of the chime. Robert pulled back the reins and watched as she approached the gate. Just as she was about to place her hand on the wrought iron bar that would grant her entry, they heard hoofbeats.

“Who could that be?” Robert looked west and saw the outline of two men on fast-moving horses.

“I wonder who it is, as well.” Laila was tired, but the sight of two strangers so close to her castle gave her pause. Was it Alastair? No. It couldn’t be, she thought, picturing how tightly she’d wrapped his hands. That’s when it occurred to her that one of them was likely her uncle. He’d been suspicious of her earlier at the barn, so it only made sense that he would be hunting for her.

When the riders approached, Laila realized it was one of the gatekeepers. She breathed a sigh of relief. After arriving at the moat with his comrade, Laila folded her arms across her chest, ready to defend her presence. “Alastair is not coming back. He’s tied up on the edge of the forest,” she declared proudly. The gatekeeper looked surprised but not angered.

“I’ve had a long day, lass. Alastair can remain burrowed down for the time being. I should add I’m curious as to how that transpired, though.” Laila said nothing. Instead, she turned her back and proceeded to open the gate. She dismounted from her mare, tied the reins to a piece of fencing, and walked confidently inside. Robert, still amazed at her beauty and relieved he had survived another tumultuous ordeal, simply watched in silence.