Page 56 of A Rogue and a Noble Lass

Warnock lay dead at their feet.

It was the easiest shot Beitris had ever made, and perhaps the most important. And she had made it with Logan.

A reverent silence fell over the Great Keep as everyone in the room realized that this was the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Beitris’ and Logan’s hands remained clasped around the bow for a while longer, even as blood dripped from their bodies.

After everything that happened he had come for her.

They had met under the shadow of war, and now their feelings could deepen beneath the banner of peace.

Epilogue

Beitris found Logan standing in the room in which she had been held, holding the book she found. Her face had been stitched and while it would leave a scar, the damage was not as gruesome as it seemed.

“Dae ye ken whose book that is?” Beitris asked.

“It’s mine. Abigail used tae read it tae me,” he said.

“Warnock put me in here. I read it. It’s a good story.”

“Aye, although at the end it dinnae speak about how the pain lingers and how we still hae tae mourn the dead.”

Beitris walked up to him and squeezed his arm. “Nae. Stories end, but lives continue and we must think about what tae dae next.”

“I should be punished for my crimes. I shall put myself before yer family again and accept whatever judgment they make.”

“Logan, I think ye hae suffered enough. I hae seen for myself what Warnock is like, and when I think about what ye must hae endured as a bairn…” she trailed away.

“I hae wronged ye. I lied tae ye, and because of it ye were captured and almost killed, and Brody…” Logan closed his eyes and his words became imbued with pain.

Beitris ran her hand down his arm and took his hand.

“Brody forgave ye. He would hae wanted ye tae enjoy life. I ken it’s hard, but after all we hae been through, should we nae make the most of it? I ken I am nae longer the prettiest lass in the Highlands, but I still think I would make a fetching wife,” she grinned.

Logan’s eyes flashed. “A wife? But… but I hae nae lands. Nae name even. I am naething. I betrayed ye.”

Beitris smiled and put her hand against his cheek. “Ye are Logan, and if naething else ye hae my heart. And technically, this Keep is yer inheritance. There are many men in here just like ye. Ye could lead them. Better tae try tae make warriors of them, than bandits.”

A pensive look came over Logan’s face. He exhaled deeply and squeezed her hand.

“I thought ye would hate me forever.”

“There hae been too much hate in the Highlands. We can see what happens when a man hates too much,” she said, referring to Warnock. “Let us love. Let us be happy. Let us be married.”

Logan responded not with words, but with a kiss.

He pulled Beitris into him and they melted together. Hands curled around necks. Fingers ran through hair. The ashes of war were swept away and a new fire blazed, one of prosperity and hope.

The wedding took place in a field outside the Knox Keep.

Logan and Beitris did not wish to be enclosed in walls, and even if they had the Keep would not have been able to hold all the guests. They came from everywhere, eager to join in the celebrations. There had been an unending feast since the Knox army returned with Warnock’s body and a declaration that the war was over.

To mark the occasion, Ryan and Logan had stood before the leaders of the Alliance. They each stepped forward, plunging ceremonial swords into the ground, showing that there was no more need for fighting. The swords formed a ring and were plunged so deep that not even the strongest wind would disturb them. For the first time in a long time, people could relax properly, and this jubilant mood was carried forth to the wedding.

Logan was dressed in his finest clothes, although he wore plain tartan, not feeling worthy to wear those of the Knox Clan. Beitris’ hair was tied in ringlets, and she wore a dress that had been passed down from her mother.

A circlet rested on her head, and she was the most beautiful thing Logan had ever seen.

They stood in front of Ryan, hands bound, uttering the vows that would bind them forever, although these words only added to the promise their bodies had already made to each other.