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“Iain, you will never become anything more than a warrior or farmer if you dinnae aspire to anything beyond this place. Dinnae, you want more from your life?”
“No, Liosa, I am happy to serve my clan and my kin. They are your clan too, you ken. This land, this soil, it’s in our blood.”
She snorted.
Iain had to contend with similar arguments on a weekly basis. He loved Liosa from the first moment he saw her, when they were just children. But nowadays, all she did was complain. Nothing he did was ever enough. Still, he tried to please her.
Eventually he gave in and challenged Cruim for the lairdship. It ended in disaster with Iain lying in Bram’s house with broken ribs, an infected stab wound to his thigh, and a body covered from head to toe in bruises. It was Bram and his brother, Niall, who intervened on Iain’s behalf and saved him from certain death.
It was his cousin Willa, his aunt Fia and his sister Tyra who tended his wounds day and night, ensuring he survived the fever that had set in.
“Honestly, brother, you have so little sense listening to that woman,” Bram said.
Iain was in too much pain to respond, but asked, “Where is Liosa? Please send her to me.”
“Liosa is gone! She was here long enough to show her disappointment that you lost the challenge and she left,” his sister Tyra growled.
“No, she has had a trying day. She probably doesna want to see me like this.”
“Cousin, dinnae delude yourself. That woman has left you high and dry and you deserve so much better,” Bram said.
“Wheesht, Bram! I am going to marry Liosa. She will be my wife and the mother of my bairns.”
The room fell silent after Iain made that statement. His aunt Fia just shook her head in disappointment.
“You’re a damn fool, brother,” Tyra said before she stormed out of the cottage.
When Liosa eventually returned, Iain proposed three times and each time she refused, yet she insisted they remain lovers.
Iain patiently waited for her to change her mind. It never happened. She was eager to bed him when she saw him, then she would disappear for weeks while he waited in hope.
Five long years passed in this manner. As the seasons changed, he waited and with each new year, a tiny part of that hope diminished.
***
1047 - TheBattle of Val-ès-Dunes, Caen, Normandy
William the Duke of Normandy had gone by several names in his brief life. William the Bastard being the most prominent, but he aspired to become a conqueror and king of England. He had a thirst for power and ever since he came into his minority; he knew he was destined for great things, and nothing would stand in his way.
William inherited a dukedom with the backing of King Henry of France and even though he was the illegitimate son of Robert, Duke of Normandy, and his mistress Herleva ofFalaise,Robert named William his heir.
William loved his parents, and it was a blow when his father died. William had a paternal half-sister, Adeliza, and maternal half-brothers, Odo and Robert. He was close to all his siblings and, with his rise to prominence, he ensured they were taken care of as well. By the same token, he knew gaining a position was the simple part, maintaining power was the real challenge.
Which is why William was currently knee deep in mud coming off the battlefield drenched in perspiration and covered in blood.
He walked into his tent as his man helped removed his armor and battle gear. William was reeling at the audacity of his cousin Guy of Brionne and the barons he sided with to oust William as duke.
His brother Odo sat quietly on a bench, trying to read William’s mood.
“You did well, brother,” Odo said.
“Barely. Curse my damn cousin and his moronic attempt to gain power. If it was not for King Henry’s support, I would have perished and Normandy would be lost to me, to us both, brother.”
William walked towards the pitcher of water. He washed the blood off his face and hands. The battle was fierce and had resorted to a battle of cavalry. His battle horse had served him well this day.
“Thank God they were a disorganized bunch of rebels. I trampled more of them with my trusty steed as they retreated, and a lot more drowned in the Orne.”
“You did well. You stand victorious and this reaffirms to others that you do not take direct threats lightly.”
