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Douglas was still aching all over when he awoke, finding himself in a strange place. But Lyndsay was with him, and this made him feel safe. Food and water were brought to him, which he nibbled on gingerly. His stomach was doing somersaults, and he didn’t feel confident in keeping anything down, but he was glad of the nourishment. Lyndsay had filled him in on what had happened after he had lost consciousness.

“I was so worried about you. I thought you were going to die.”

“I could nae die when I hae only begun tae live,” he said, clasping her hands tightly. “I’m sorry for falling asleep. I should never hae let myself be sae weak. I should never hae let Fergus sneak up on us like that.”

“I can’t blame you. We thought we were safe. We just have to make sure that we never make the same mistake again,” Lyndsay said.

Douglas was about to reply when the flap of the tent flickered, and a man entered. He was tall and slender, like a willow tree, with distinguished lines on his face. He had long white hair and a beard that was bound together, looking like snow that gathered at the foot of a mountain.

“My name is Leigh. It’s my pleasure tae welcome ye tae my humble clan. Tell me, what is yer name and what haes brought ye here? It seems as though ye hae a story tae tell,” the laird said, pouring himself a drink.

Douglas knew there was no point in hiding the truth from him. “My name is Douglas Galbrith ,” he said, and noticed a slight pause in the Laird’s movements when he heard the Galbrith name. “Do ye know the name Galbrith? .”

“Oh aye, and I believe that ye have something to do with Ruari Calbraith, am I right lad?”

“How can ye know that? ”

“I know yer uncle, lad. When he’s drinking, well… let’s say it is easier to extract information. He has told me about ye, about yer story. How did you get the name Galbrith?”

“When I’ve learnt from my uncle that my father was Ruari Calbraith, I changed my name to Galbrith. I did that, because I wanted to have something from my father, something to remind me that I have part of him in me. I couldn’t use the name Calbraith. I used a variation of the name and I figured that no one would ever imagine that the names were anything but a coincidence.”

Lyndey was looking at him with such love and dedication.

Can I assume that yer Laird, Laird Wallace, is responsible for all the trouble across the border?” the Laird asked.

Douglas nodded. “Aye. He wanted tae send a message tae England.”

Leigh clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. “He certainly succeeded in that. I hae no doubt that soon enough, the forests are gaeing tae be crawling with the English. I just hope that they dinnae see fit tae set fire tae our lands as revenge. I want tae make it clear tae ye that this clan is a peaceful one. We hae no interest in war or fighting. We are men of the land, and if ye want tae fight, then I would ask ye kindly tae leave once ye hae been healed.”

Douglas glanced at Lyndsay, but he already knew what he wanted to say. “My days of fighting are behind me. I’m nae gaeing tae lie; there was a time when I thought that fighting was all there is in the world. I dinnae think I could be anything aside from a warrior, but Lyndsay showed me that I’m capable of more. I dinnae want that life for myself. I dinnae want any part of a war. All my life, I hae been fighting, and it haes never brought me anything but misery and pain. Lyndsay here changed that about me. She showed me that there is more tae me than I thought possible. She’s loved me when nobody else haes, and I want tae spend my life repaying her.”

“Is this true?” Leigh asked.

Lyndsay nodded. “It is. My home was attacked. Douglas saved me. He protected me. Even when his own kin threatened to kill him, he chose me over returning home. Please, I know it might be a lot to ask, but we have nowhere else in the world to go. We have no home. We only have each other.”

Leigh’s lips curled into a smile. “Well, that’s nae strictly true. Ye hae us as well now. I cannae promise ye much apart from a wee bit of land, and maybe if the gods are kind tae ye, a bountiful crop will grow. But I can promise ye peace here. There’s nothing stopping ye from finding that.”

“That’s all we want,” Lyndsay said, nodding toward Douglas.

He winced as he braced himself against the pain that was so present in his body, but he felt better for being in friendly territory.

“Aye. I am nae a warrior, just a farmer. I hae done enough fighting tae last me a lifetime,” he said.

Lyndsay squeezed his hand, and he felt all the better for it. The laird shook his hand and told him to get well soon and that he would prepare some more food for when Douglas was able to get back on his feet.

Now that he and Lyndsay were alone, they turned and smiled at each other. Lyndsay kissed him again and hugged him tightly, almost as though she believed that if she let go, he would die.

“Are ye sure ye want this?” she asked in a low murmur.

“Aye, lass. It’s all I want. It’s the chance tae build a life with ye and dae something good for a change. It’s a chance tae find the best version of myself, and it’s a chance tae be safe.”

Lyndsay’s smile widened as she kissed him again. “And I get to be with a man I choose, in a life I choose rather than one that has been chosen for me.”

“Even if the place we’re gaeing tae live is far from what ye are used tae?” Douglas asked, for life here was going to be much different from the world that Lyndsay had grown up in. However, since she was so full of spirit, he had no doubts about her ability to adapt to this place if she was willing to live more humbly than she had before.

Lyndsay nodded. “As long as I hae ye, I dinnae need anything else,” she said.