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It all happened so quickly. One moment Ian was standing there, locked in a duel with Calum, trying to wipe the dirt from his eyes, and then Ainsly was there. Suddenly everything became clear. She called his name, and he turned. His look of confusion turned to horror. His sword dropped as she threw herself towards him. Behind her, something winked and whispered in the air, and then it hit her. He could almost feel the impact as she cried out in pain.

As soon as she hit the ground, he crouched and cradled her in his arms. The woman he loved. What was she doing out here? What was going on? Everyone was stunned. The cheers had fallen silent, and they were all looking at Ainsly with grim interest. Calan rushed down towards him, wielding his sword and pointing it straight at Calum, who was beside himself with grief.

“Nae…” he whispered, sinking to his knees.

“I told ye, Ian! I told ye they couldnae be trusted!” Calan wailed, moving directly towards them. Calum made no motion to resist Calan’s challenge. Ian couldn’t think about that, though. He couldn’t think about anything other than his wife. She felt so light in his arms. Her face was pale. The color was draining from it quickly, and through her back, the arrow was lodged, plunged deep inside. Blood oozed out, and she trembled. The words on her breath told him that she loved him, and her eyes said the same thing. It was all he wanted to hear from her, but never in these circumstances. All his life, he had been alone, and now he feared that the same would happen again. Perhaps it was a penance for all his years of raiding and fighting, but what was the point in trying to be better if everything always ended?

Anger, frustration, and pure, cold rage burned inside him. He tilted his head back and pushed aside the incessant chatter from Calan to let all his swirling emotions flow out of him in one long roar. It echoed across the field and to the heavens until his throat was raw. Then, tears flowed down his cheeks, and he didn’t care that everyone stared at him in amazement, unable to believe that this great brute of a man had a heart. He did have one, and it was Ainsly’s, and if she died, it would never love again.

“Someone help her! Someone help her!” Ian called out. It took a few moments for people to regain their senses, but they rushed towards him, and those skilled in the ways of medicine and healing made their way forward.

“It was never supposed tae be like this. She was never supposed tae be hurt…” Calum muttered.

While the healers tended to Ainsly, Ian turned and scowled at the warrior. “Ye are tae blame for this—ye and whoever shot that arrow. Ye hae a black heart,” Ian jabbed a finger at Calum, who only looked ashamed. Calan wore a smug grin.

“Should I kill him now or wait until later when we can make a show of it?” he asked. A look of horror came upon Calum’s face, but Ian did not give Calan an answer. He was too concerned with Ainsly’s condition. What had possessed her to do something like this? His life was never worth such a sacrifice. There was only one answer that came to mind: love. It warmed his heart to think that she thought so fondly of him and dispelled any of the doubts he had been feeling, and yet at the same time, it was bittersweet to think he should only learn of this when she was wounded.

The healers carefully inspected the wound with trembling hands. Ainsly had lost consciousness and lay limp in his arms. Her chest rose softly. Ian leaned down against her head so he could still feel the sweetness of her breath against him. As long as that still flowed, all was right with the world. The healers reached around her front and pulled open her tunic, examining her chest, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

“I dinnae believe the arrow haes punctured the heart. If we can get it out, and with the right treatment, we might be able tae save her. We’ll need tae take her intae the keep. Hae ye anything we can carry her on?”

Ian was filled with relief to hear this hope. He beckoned to a few men to bring down a huge shield. They lay it flat and carefully set Ainsly upon it, placing her on her side. She looked so small and frail, and Ian shuddered at the sight of the arrow protruding from her back. The tip had embedded itself deep into her flesh, and he knew it was not a wound that could be easily recovered from. He felt powerless, but anger still flowed through his body. Over the course of his life, he had seen so many people die from similar wounds, and he could only hope that she was stronger than they were.

He turned to Calum, eyes blazing with anger.

“Ye hae shamed yerself, yer clan, and Ainsly,” Ian said. Calum still seemed dazed, and although he looked at Ian, he didn’t seem quite cognizant of what was happening. “I will deal with ye later,” Ian declared. He turned to Calan. “Make sure he doesnae gae anywhere,” Ian ordered, although it didn’t look as though Calum was in any kind of state to move. He was still on his knees, looking forlorn and lost. But there was someone else involved in this, and Ian was determined to find out who it was. He picked up his sword and marched towards the forest. His fingers curled around the hilt in a tight grip, so tight that if it had been made of a weaker material, it would have snapped instantly. Anger coiled inside him, twisting and roiling like an angry dragon. His breathing was heavy and he wore a snarl on his face as the rest of the world melted away. There was only the forest and the enemy that resided there.

“Show yerself!” Ian bellowed when he approached the trees. “Ye hae wounded the finest woman in the land. Show yerself now, or I’ll burn this entire forest tae get tae ye.”

Within moments a man emerged. He held a bow. His hands were shaking. His face was grief-stricken, just as Calum’s had been. From the look of him, he had been living in the forest for a few days. Dirt was smudged over his hands and face, his hair was tousled, and his clothes were stained. He went to speak, but Ian was in no mood to exchange words. His sword flashed. The enemy dodged back, but Ian’s fury was relentless. He brought the sword crashing down so deep that it made a gash in the earth. Grass and dirt were spewed up as he brought it for another attack.

“Please, hae mercy!” the man pleaded. The words fell on deaf ears. Ian was in no mood for mercy. A crimson mist fell over him. This was the man who had shot the woman he loved, and he didn’t think there was anything that would stop him from taking this man’s life. He roared with every swing of the sword and the world seemed to shake at the impact. The enemy could only evade him for so long, and soon he fell to his knees. It would not be as satisfying a kill as some of the others in his life, but it would at least extinguish this flame of anger that burned so fiercely inside him. Ian snarled and glared at this cowering man like a predator who had caught troublesome prey. All the anger was focused on his sword as he brought it back and prepared to take the man’s head in one terrible blow.

But the man had something else to say.

“Please, I’m sorry…I’m her oldest friend! If ye kill me she’ll never forgive ye!” he cried, and held up his bow in an effort to protect himself. The words gave Ian pause. He blinked for a moment and furrowed his brow.

“Friend?” he asked.

“Aye, Seamus,” the man said, nodding profusely. The words slipped out of his mouth. “Ainsly and I grew up taegether.”

“And now ye hae wounded her, perhaps fatally.”

Seamus groaned. “I didnae think she would…” He trailed off, but he refocused his gaze on Ian and looked directly at him. “Ye cannae kill me. I hae known her since we were wee kids. That still means something tae her. If ye kill me, she’ll hate ye.”

Ian grunted and flexed his sword. His hands twitched, and he was tempted to end this conversation with one sweeping strike, but the words had a ring of truth to them. Ainsly cared a lot about the people around her, and she didn’t like the idea of violence ruling the world.

“Perhaps ye are right,” Ian said after considering Seamus’s words. “But that is the only thing that will save ye.” Ian sheathed his sword and reached for Seamus’s bow, grabbing it from the cowering man. Seamus did not resist. As Ian held the weapon that had harmed his wife in his hands, his lip curled. “Sae, ye thought ye could kill me with an arrow.” He shook his head with disdain. He brought the bow down on his knee, cracking it in two. The wood splintered in an ugly fracture, and Ian threw it down on the ground in front of Seamus.

“Ye’ll never hurt anyone again with that weapon. If ye want tae kill me then hae the decency tae meet me in combat. I’ll heed yer words for now, but if Ainsly should die, then I will hunt ye down. And dinnae think about leaving these woods. There is nae place ye can run tae that I will nae find ye. Ye are a marked man, Seamus, and it’s only because I love Ainsly that ye are still alive. Count yerself lucky.” Ian turned around and marched back towards the keep. He sensed movement behind him, but he didn’t care that Seamus wasn’t alone. If they were loyal to Ainsly, then they would be horrified at what had happened.

He trudged back to the practice fields. Calan was there to greet him. Calum was being led away, his hands bound together like a common criminal. There was some tension between the members of the McLallen clan and those of Ian’s original army.

“Well?” Calan asked, falling into step with Ian. “What did ye find there? I knew there was something amiss. I knew we had nae gotten them all. This is a dastardly plan. They cannae be trusted, Ian. None of them can! We hae tae deal with them now. What are yer orders? Dae ye want me tae gather them up? Dae ye want me tae kill them all?” Calan’s eyes gleamed with relish, and all of a sudden, Ian realized that Ainsly must have seen the same thing in his eyes when they had first met, and it was no wonder that she had been afraid of him. Ian stopped and shook his head, which brought about a puzzled expression from Calan. Ian took a moment to look at the warriors who had been training together. It was impossible to tell how many of them had been involved in this plot or how many of them even wanted to still get revenge. They had made great strides in recovering from the initial attack, and Ian didn’t want things to fall into conflict again.

He addressed them all. “Taeday a terrible thing haes happened. But I hope it teaches a lesson tae all of ye. Tae anyone who is plotting a rebellion, ye should see that Ainsly was willing tae give her life for me because she loves me and she believes in the plans we hae for the clan. We are willing tae move towards the future, and if anyone should try and get in the way of that, then they are nae longer part of the clan. They are our enemy and will be treated as such. I dinnae want tae hear any more of this. I hae somewhere else tae be, and that is by my wife’s side.”

Ian began to walk away, but Calan skipped beside him and spoke in a harsh but low tone.

“What are ye daeing, Ian? Ye cannae just let them get away with this! We hae tae root them out. We hae tae—”

Ian stopped and glared at him. “I hae tae be with my wife. That is all. Ye need tae keep an eye on them, but dinnae let things escalate. Dae ye see them? They are just as shocked as we were. Ainsly haes been wounded and they are nae gaeing tae let that happen. She is their leader, and she haes shown that she is willing tae protect me.”

Calan nodded. “Aye, but hae ye wondered how she knew ye were in danger? I dinnae think she was praying at all when she went in those woods. I think she knew what they were plotting, and she was ready tae be a part of it. I’ve been telling ye from the beginning that this haes been happening. Why will ye nae listen tae me?”

“Gae and get the ones from the forest and put them with Calum. We’ll decide what tae dae with them later.”

His words were pained, and Ian wished he could give Calan what he wanted, but the pain in Ian’s heart was too great. The truth was that he had wondered how Ainsly had been there at that exact moment. It was too coincidental. If she had known there was going to be an attempt on his life, it certainly explained her strange mood and why she was so adamant about him not going to the practice fields. He could only hope that he had a chance to talk to her about it.

He walked inside the keep to where she was being treated and waited stoically as the healers did their work. They carefully extracted the arrow and dressed her wound. The tip of the arrow was coated in her blood, and it made his stomach turn every time he looked at it. His throat ran dry, and a while later, the healers came up to him and told him that they had done all they could. It was up to the gods now and to her own spirit.

Ian sat beside her bed and watched over her. He clasped his hands in prayer and offered everything he had to the gods if they would just grant her a reprieve.

“I dinnae care what ye thought of me in the beginning, lass. I dinnae even care if this whole plot was yer idea. I know ye love me, and I love ye. Ye hae tae come back tae me. I hae lost sae much. I dinnae know what I will dae without ye. The only future I want is one with ye in it.” His words were desperate and plaintive. There were some things he could not fight, and this was one of them. He could only hope and wait and worry.