Page 29 of Scottish Rose: Coira

“Nay!” Coira fiddled with the lock, but she couldn’t open the door either. To her horror, she saw Lance and Philip fighting, and Sweetcakes barking at Lance’s heels. The dog got underfoot, and Lance fell. Philip was able to knock the sword from Lance’s hand.

“Sorry to have to do this, Lance, but I can’t let you have everything that should be mine.” He lunged for Lance. Coira could see Lance’s sword was too far away for him to reach it. She had to do something, and there was only one way she could help right now from her position right above Philip. She looked at the blade in her hand and, without thinking twice, she reached through the bars and flung the dagger at Philip.

Lance rolled out of the way of Philip’s sword, managing to grab his blade and lift it up above his head. However, Philip didn’t continue to come for him. Instead, his uncle dropped his sword and blood sputtered from his mouth. Lance jumped to a standing position just as Philip fell face down at his feet with a dagger embedded in his back.

He scanned the area but saw no one that could have come to his rescue. Then he heard the voice of an angel from above him.

“Lance?” asked Coira. “Are ye all right?”

“Coira,” he said, staring up into the eyes of the woman he loved. “Did you do that?” He nodded to Philip, dead on the ground.

“I am sorry I killed yer uncle, but I didna want ye to die.”

Lance smiled and held his hand above his head, calling off the battle. When Philip’s men realized he was dead, they left quickly.

“Jack, give me a hand,” Lance called out, running over to the ropes that held the cages in the air. He and Jack lowered them to the ground. Then Lance used his blade to break open the locks. He ripped open the door and dropped his sword, pulling Coira into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. “By the rood, Coira, I never want to see you in this position again.”

“Lance, I love ye,” she told him, looking up with newfound confidence in her eyes. “I ken now that I never need to be afeard again as long as I am with ye.”

“Coira, I am so sorry I deceived you. I was only thinking about myself after all.”

“It doesna matter since I deceived ye, too.”

“I will sell Liddel Castle instead of my manor. We will live at the manor from now on, so you don’t ever have to deal with the dark memories again that this place holds for you.”

“Nay,” said Coira, looking over at the cages and shaking her head. “We will stay here. After all, it is every man’s wish to have his own castle, and I willna try to keep that from ye.”

“But why would you want to do that?” asked Lance. “After all, you were a prisoner here twice now.”

“I decided that my past no longer matters. Instead, I am goin’ to face my fears and look to the future from this day on. I want to have a celebration, and invite the MacKeefes and the MacDuffs if ye dinna mind.”

“I don’t mind at all,” he said, kissing her on the head. “They are your family. I would like to know them better. But tell me, what will we be celebrating?”

Coira glanced over to the iron cages once again. “We will be celebratin’ the fact I am no longer a prisoner of my fears and emotions. And there is just one other thing I want to do at the celebration that will help me to release my past.”

Chapter 12

A sennight later

“Stand back, Effie, and keep the bairn’s head covered,” said Coira.

The day had finally come when the MacKeefes and the MacDuffs all joined together along with Lance and his knights at Liddel Castle. Everyone crowded around the bonfire in the middle of the courtyard. Next to it was a pile of iron rubble.

Coira gripped the wooden handle of the axe and swung it hard at the remains of the two cages. The men had destroyed her former prison, and now she wanted her chance to demolish the bad memories of her past as well.

“Coira, that’s heavy. Let me do it,” offered Lance, reaching out for the axe.

“Nay. I want to do this,” she told him. “I need to prove to myself as well as my sister that I am strong now.” She brought the axe down on the wooden platform of the cage, but didn’t have the muscles to remove it from the wood.

“That’s enough,” said Lance, taking the axe from her and handing it to his squire.

“Oh, is it my turn now?” asked Jack, looking at the axe.

“Effie, dinna ye want a turn as well?” asked Coira.

Effie smiled down at the newborn babe in her arms. Her husband, Aidan, looked over her shoulder at the baby as well, holding the hands of their daughters, Elspeth and Arabella. Aidan’s squirrel, Reid, sat on his shoulder, chattering away.

“Nay, Coira, I want to stay with little Gavin,” Effie told her. “Every minute with our new son is worth more to me than even demolishin’ bad memories of the past.”