In the morning, Henry gathered up his troops and they began the long march that would take them home. With every league they passed, Sin felt the distance from his wife profoundly in his heart. How he wished they could have had one more day together. One more night where he might hold her close and love her.
Why had he fought against her? It seemed so foolish now and if he could only have the time back, he would spend it in her arms, holding her close and loving her with the whole of his body. His heart.
Aye, to feel her lips one more time...
A strange sound from the woods alerted them.
“What was that?” one of the guards asked.
It had sounded like some sort of hoarse bird. Sin looked up to see a movement in the trees. Knights made ready as the royal guard encircled Henry.
From the foliage, they heard the sound of a single horse approaching. The air around him was rife with tension as the knights prepared themselves for battle.
The horse drew closer.
Closer.
Then, from the dense green forest before them emerged a large black stallion and a rider who wore ill-fitting black armor that was covered by a solid black surcoat.
But what caught his attention most was the banner the rider bore that flapped in the breeze.
It was the same dark green color found in the plaids his brothers wore and in the center was an oak trunk with a heart and four swords piercing and uniting the two with the words Strength in Fortitude embroidered across it.
It was a banner he’d not seen since his childhood, only then it had borne four gold swords. One for Braden, Kieran, Lochlan and Ewan. Now the second born sword was done in black, representing Kieran’s death.
His heart pounded at the sight and in an instant he knew the small-framed form on the back of his horse.
It was Caledonia—the pride of her people—wearing his armor and brandishing The MacAllister’s banner.
She reined to a stop just outside the small copse of trees and removed her ill-fitting helm. Tucking it under her arm, she leveled a scowl on Henry that would have made any shrew proud.
“Greetings,” she said proudly in an exact duplication of Sin’s words when he had gone out to meet his king, “Henry Plantagenet, King of England. I am Caledonia, wife of Sin MacAllister, leader of the MacNeelys, and I have come to reclaim my husband from your custody.”
The knights laughed at her. But Sin didn’t. His love for her washed over him and if he could, he would run to her and show her just how much he did love her at this moment.
Callie arched a queenly brow as Henry, too, laughed. “What is the meaning of this?” the king asked.
The tendrils of her coppery hair rustled with the breeze. “The meaning of this? It’s actually simple. Either you release my husband to me, or none of you will make it back to England intact.”
Henry scoffed arrogantly at her threat. “And what can a simple girl do?”
Callie smiled coldly. “I was told by my father of St. Mary of Aragon who single-handedly brought down an entire Saracen army with nothing more than her faith in God. He also spoke of an ancient Celtic queen named Boudica who brought Rome to her knees and burned London to the ground. He oft said that a woman was far more deadly as an enemy than a man, because men lead with their heads and women with their hearts. You can argue and win against another’s head, but never with their heart.”
Henry feigned a yawn as if her words bored him. “We’ve no time for this, woman. Now, leave us.”
“Perhaps I am not making my position clear.” She gave a sharp whistle. The very forest around them came alive as man after man moved to stand in a circle around them.
A smile broke across Sin’s face as he recognized the men.
There had to be seven score Highlanders of both the MacNeely and the MacAllister clans who stood ready to defend him.
Never in his life had he hoped to see one man stand by him. Let alone an entire army of them.
He smiled as he saw his brothers standing with Dermot to the left of Callie.
A youth of ten-and-five ran to Callie who handed him her banner. “As you can see, you are quite outnumbered. If you don’t release my husband, then you will leave me no choice save to make your eldest son a very happy man this evening when he learns he is now king in your stead.”
Henry’s face went red in anger as he blustered at her audacity. It wasn’t often anyone got the better of him and Sin knew no woman had ever flummoxed him before. Not even Eleanor.
