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Chapter 17
After spending two nights of holding and kissing and pleasuring each other without actually coupling, Fia was starting to think Alastair had forgotten all about using her as a trade for his father. But she was wrong.
This morning, Alastair had left the solar before Fia even awoke. And when she went out to the courtyard with Caitlin, they found Alastair’s men saddling their horses and collecting weapons as if they were preparing for battle.
“What is happenin’?” Fia asked Caitlin.
Cerberus picked up Alastair’s waist pouch and ran in circles.
“Bring that back here,” growled Alastair, trying to catch the dog. Every time he got close, the dog barked with the pouch in its mouth and ran further away from him, making him angrier.
“They are preparin’ for battle,” Caitlin told her.
“Are ye sure?” asked Fia in disbelief. “Richard’s troops went back to England. There is no one to fight.”
“It is no’ King Richard they are preparin’ to fight. They are goin’ to bring back my faither.”
“Yer faither?” Fia’s heart jumped into her throat. If they were going to confront Clan Grant, that meant Alastair did not forget about the silly feud after all.
“Fia, that means ye’ll be leavin’ with them, and I’ll never see ye again,” said Caitlin. “I will miss ye. Ye have been my only friend.”
“Dinna say that.” Fia took the girl’s hand in hers to comfort her. “I’m no’ goin’ anywhere.”
“But if ye dinna go – my faither will never come home.” Caitlin’s eyes filled with tears. Fia looked over to Alastair. He managed to get his pouch from the dog and was pulling on one end while the hound pulled on the other. She would miss Cluny Castle and Caitlin and even the dog. And most of all, she would miss Alastair. The time they had spent together was special to her. She had lost her heart to him, and now he was about to break it. She had thought possibly of hiding or running or convincing Alastair to let her stay. But now, after seeing the tears in Caitlin’s eyes, she realized it would be selfish for her to refuse to go. Caitlin needed her father. So did Alastair. Like Alastair said, sometimes you have to do things for the good of the masses and put your own needs aside. That is what she had to do right now.
“I will find a way to get back to Cluny Castle, I promise. And I will see to it personally that the Grants return yer faither.” She pulled Caitlin to her in a hug, thinking of her sister and cousins back in Rothbury. They were probably frightened, wondering what happened to her. She was also sure, in time, her father would hear about this and come looking for her. If she was with Clan Grant, she could hopefully contact her parents and let them know where to find her.
She walked over to Alastair still struggling with the dog. When the dog saw her, he brought her the pouch. “Guid dog,” she said, handing the waist pouch to Alastair. He shook his head and took it, tying it onto his belt.
“I’m ready to go,” she told him.
He adjusted the leather harness that held his sword on his back, not looking at her. “Go where?”
“I ken ye are goin’ to meet with the Grants.”
“That’s right I am. But ye are stayin’ here with Caitlin.”
“Nay, I am to be the trade for yer faither. Ye need to take me.”
“Niven, let’s go,” Alastair shouted, mounting his horse. “Fia, go back to the keep.”
“Ye said I was the only leverage ye had. I need to go with ye.”
“I changed my mind.” He turned his horse, riding over to join Brohain and Rhodric and the other men of the clan. “Guidbye, Fia.”
Fia stood there not knowing what to do. She had been the one fighting him all along, but now he was telling her that she was staying behind. Determined not to let him leave without her, she ran after him. From his side, she spoke while he rode atop his horse.
“Alastair, ye need me. What will ye use for a trade if I am no’ there?”
“Well now, I was hoping that fancy crown of yers would have served as a backup but, then again, we dinna have it any more, do we?”
“I took it,” she blurted out, thinking he would get so angry with her that he would bring her along after all.
“I ken,” was all he said, looking forward.
“Dinna ye want to ken why I did it or where it is?”
“Ye told me that ye dinna ken where it is.”
