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“Ye are makin’ a big mistake. Meet me outside the pub in five minutes.” Bryce said with mock laughter before turning around and moving towards the door.
“Have ye lost yer mind, Ronin?” Lachlan roared as soon as Bryce was out of earshot. Ronin turned to face his friend and noticed that he was red with rage.
“Why?”
“Ye have only been here a couple hours, and ye are goin’ around being challenged by men like Bryce to fighting matches? Do ye have any idea how dangerous this is? Yer mama will have me throat if something happens to ye!” Ronin knew that Bryce’s worry was valid, and he shouldn’t have pulled a stunt like this, but it was too late now.
“He was the one that challenged me and spoke ill of our family. It was a matter of honor. You want me to back down and act like a coward?” Ronin asked, getting more furious as well.
“Ronin, there is nae point in fighting for a lass ye have just met and ken nothing about!” Lachlan boomed, making sure his voice rose above the music.
“I do not care, Lachlan. If you want to come with me, you can; or you can go inside and do nothing,” Ronin replied and turned around to leave. He didn't have time to argue with Lachlan about trivial matters. He was going to fight Bryce, and that was all that mattered at the moment.
He dashed outside and noticed the ladstanding a little further away from the door, his eyes spitting fire. The few people standing outside must have sensed the tension as well, because they all looked at themas they came face to face. Ronin realized at that moment that he had done something stupid, but it was done, and he wasn't one to back down.
“Are ye ready? Because if ye still want tae run away, I’ll let ye,” Bryce laughed, and Ronin raised an eyebrow without saying a word, his expression stoic, indication enough that he would definitely not be the one to run away. The people around them had clearly understood the gist of the argument and realized a fight was about to break out, because several of them went outside the pub and returned with a large group of others, who formed a circle around Ronin and Bryce. Lachlan also appeared, weaving his way through the crowd to stand directly behind his friend who gave him a nod.
Bryce then unsheathed his sword, causing a loud roar to erupt throughout the crowd. Everyone was looking at Ronin now, expecting him to pull out a sword as well. Hequickly followed suit and unsheathed his own.
“So? Ye are still going tae fight? I thought ye would have been scared and ready tae run away by now,” Bryce said, and Ronin simply nodded, refusing to reply. “Don’t forget that ye are defending a man who attacked and killed an unarmed man while he was with his family.”
Ronin knew Bryce was telling the truth. His father was a murderer. However, he was not defending his father, he was fighting for his honor and Edna. He knew he had to take a stand right now if he ever wanted to see heragain.
"I'm not defending anyone but my own self," Ronin replied, his words echoing in the still air. Everyone in the room held their breath as the two men braced themselves for a fight. Lachlan walked closer to himand came forward to whisper in his ear, keeping his voice low.
“Ronin, don’t be an idiot. Ye cannae get involved in this insanity. Letmefight instead of ye,” Lachlan offered, but Ronin shook his head no. This was his burden, and he was not going to let anyone take it away from him. He needed to demonstrate his worth. These people had no idea he was going to be their laird in the future, but they would soon find out. When that happened, Ronin didn't want to be known as a coward, but as a strong man who deserved the position that was waiting for him.
“No, I will be fine,” Ronin assured his friend, knowing that handling Bryce would not be a problem.
Bryce raised his sword to strike Ronin across the chest. The latter, a skilled sword fighter with quick movements, backed away quickly, easily avoiding the blow and blocking Bryce's sword with his own. The crowd began chanting loudly in support of either of them. Most of the people knew Bryce and were aware of his exceptional sword fighting abilities, so they backed him.
Bryce raised his sword to attack Ronin once more, but hequickly judged the direction of his attack and spun past him to reach the other end in a flash. Bryce's attack went unopposed once more;sensinghis opponent's growing rage. He was well aware that an angry opponent was extremely unpredictable, so he needed to end this match before either of them was seriously injured.
He kicked Bryce in the face, and hestaggered back from the impact. Ronin took advantage of the situation by punching himin the stomach, causing him to double over in pain. Ronin snatched the sword from his opponent's grasp and kicked him in the leg, sending himto the ground on all fours. As the crowd stopped cheering and silence descended, Ronin threw Bryce's sword to the ground and pointed his own sword at his opponent's neck.
“If I were anything like you, I wouldn’t hesitate in killing you at all. But you are lucky that I am a better person,” Ronin said calmly. He noticed Bryce was enraged, but he couldn't get up due to Ronin's sword hold on him. He had no intention of killing or even battling him. He had only engaged in this childish affair because hehad challenged him and was forcing him to do something he didn't want to do.
“Move away!” Edna's dulcet tone reached his ears as she made her way through the crowd to where he and Bryce were standing. Ronin's eyes widened as he realized what Edna had witnessed. Ronin with a sword pointed at her cousin's neck. He noticed her expression change to an angry one, and she moved closer to them, her face flushed. “Leave my cousin alone.”
,Ronin yanked the sword from his neck and threw it to the ground just as Bryce stood up.He didn't want Edna to misinterpret him, especially since it wasn't his fault at all. “Edna, this is not what it looks like,” he said but she ignored him entirely.
“Stay away from her,” Bryce said as he took hold of her hand. “I will not leave ye.”
Ronin stood there watching Edna walk away with Bryce, carrying his heart with her.
CHAPTERFOUR
Edna was still completely baffled by what she had witnessed earlier at the pub. She was kissing Ronin one moment and he was fighting with Bryce the next. She had no idea what had happened, and Bryce had refused to say anything. He'd taken her hand in his and led her away from the pub, and now they were on their way to her house.
She had never intended to go to the pub in the first place, and meeting Ronin had also come as a surprise. Though the world as she knew it had stopped entirelythe moment he kissed her. She wished she could return to that time when everything was still perfect. The whole thing appeared tainted or fragmented. Because of the fight that had ensued, the purity and beauty of it had vanished.
“No one is around us anymore, Bryce. Care to tell me what happened?” Edna questioned.
“Did ye ken that lad?” Bryce asked in reply; his tone emotionless.
“Nae, I only just met him at the pub,” Edna answered honestly. She knew nothing about Ronin other than his name. Bryce, on the other hand,seemed to know more about him, which was unsettling. She had no idea what secrets lay beneath Ronin's lovely exterior, and she wondered if she even wanted to find out. He was perfect the way he was, and she had no desire to ruin anything.
“Edna, I dinnae ken who the lad is mysel’, but I ken that he is nothing but trouble. The other boy with him is Lachlan, and he belongs to the McKenzie family. The family that killed yer father.”
