Page 19 of A Rogue and a Noble Lass

The words echoed around the room and caused Beitris to fall silent. The war had been harrowing for so many, but she had rarely seen her father this distraught. He looked as though he had aged ten years with the passing of a few moments, and his features were pale.

“Da… death is something that all warriors must face.”

“There are fates worse than death. I cannae… I cannae bear the thought that ye will suffer the same fate as Angus, that he will strip ye of yer memories and make ye think ye are his child. That is the kind of twisted man he is, especially if he blames me. I’m sure it would be a sick kind of justice in his mind. He blames me for the loss of his daughter, so he would take mine from me.”

Ryan’s tone was desolate and filled with dread. He put his head in his hands. “Ye would be more of a target than yer brothers. That is why I cannae allow ye tae fight.”

“But the villagers, I want tae help them.”

“I ken ye dae, but we must choose our battles wisely. I need tae keep ye safe, and if that hurts yer pride then sae be it. If ye hate me, sae be it. I would rather have ye alive and angry with me than dead or… or worse,” he said.

“It’s nae fair,” Beitris muttered.

“None of this is, but I hae tae keep my family safe. That is the end of it.” He lifted his gaze. “And I would appreciate it if ye dinnae meet a warrior at midnight.”

Beitris supposed it had been too much to hope that the training session would have been kept secret. “He is nae just a warrior. He’s the best at what he does, but I will become better. I’ll become the best warrior there is and ye will hae nae choice but tae send me tae war. He is the only one who sees my potential. I bet if I were a boy we would nae be haeing this discussion.”

“Think that if ye want, but it is nae true. One day ye will understand what it is tae be a parent, and ye will forgive me,” Ryan said.

Beitris stared at him but could not conceive of an instance where that would be the case. She turned on her heels and marched away from him, heading out to the training field to blow off some steam.

To her surprise, she found Logan there.

“Why are ye nae with the others? Hae ye nae heard about the attack on the village? Everyone is certain that Warnock is waiting tae ambush us,” Beitris said.

“I will nae be needed. Warnock will nae be in a mere ambush. If anything, this is a distraction and he will be elsewhere.”

Beitris pressed her lips together and nodded. It was a wise thought and something she had not considered when she insisted on riding to the village. There was more to being a warrior and a captain than prowess with weapons it seemed. She would have to start thinking about things in new ways.

“Then it is prudent tae hold back,” Beitris said as if she had thought of the possibility herself.

Logan had a strange, distant look in his eyes and there was a thickness to his voice that had not been present before.

“Aye, although that dinnae make his army any less dangerous. I hope Brody returns.”

It was the first time she had seen Logan care about anything.

“Our armies hae fought Warnock often. They ken his tricks,” she replied, although he did not seem convinced. “By the way, I’m afraid I hae some bad news. I dinnae think a good word will make any difference with Da. He kens that we trained taegether last night.”

Logan nodded, although he didn’t seem too disappointed.

“I see,” he replied.

Beitris looked away and bit on her lower lip. Then before she could stop herself she blurted out, “He forbade me from joining the army.”

“I dinnae think ye were the type tae allow anyone tae forbid ye.”

“It’s different with him. He is my father and my Laird. He will hae ordered everyone tae stop me from riding out.”

“He dinnae believe ye can fight?”

Beitris shook her head. “It’s nae that. My cousin was captured by Warnock. He lost his memory and believed himself tae be an ally of Warnock, a ward. Warnock made him hate us, treating him as if Angus were his own son. I cannae think of a worse fate,” Beitris spat, and by the look on Logan’s face, he seemed to think the same as well.

“I believe I heard whispers of something like that…” Logan said.

“Da is worried the same thing will happen tae me, which I think is unfair, but there’s little I can dae about it.”

Logan didn’t reply, and it was as though he hadn’t heard her. She was about to chastise him for ignoring her when she realized it was because he was distracted by something over his shoulder. She turned to follow his gaze and tension curled within her as she saw her father striding to meet them.