The Empire and the Wolf King (Kaitlyn and the Highlander #21)

66. Chapter 66 - Lochinvar

CHAPTER 66 - LOCHINVAR

THE PALACE SALOON - MAY 16

W e walked in through the front door, my eyes scanned the room and landed on… her.

Her face went pale and she dropped the tray and towel she had been carrying with a loud clatter.

A guy came around the bar. “What happened Ash, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

But her eyes stayed on me.

I put the umbrella in the stand by the door and Magnus and Fraoch went to sit at a table in the corner. I beelined for her, while the guy picked up her tray then stood there as I approached.

She asked, “Who are… ? Do I know you?”

I said, “I am Lochinvar. Ye can call me Lochie.” I put out my hand and took hers and leaned down and kissed her knuckles. “Tis a pleasure tae meet ye, Ash.”

“Lochinvar? Lochie? Have we met?”

“Aye, we hae met, can we speak alone?”

She said, to the guy beside her, “This is Lochie, remember my dream? What is going on?”

He said, “I remember, you were just telling me today. That was just a few hours ago.”

“He’s standing right here!”

She turned to me. “How do you know me? I don’t think we’ve met.”

“I would know ye anywhere. I daena think we hae met, but now I hae seen ye, I… I ken who ye are.”

She said, “Don, can you cover for me?”

“Sure. But if you go ahead and close out that table, I’ll let you take the rest of the night.”

She said tae me, “I want to talk to you, okay, Lochie? Just give me a few moments.”

“I will be sittin’ with m’brothers right over there.”

Her eyes darted over to Magnus and Fraoch. “They’re your brothers…? I feel like I know them too. Are you guys famous? Never mind, don’t answer that, let me finish, then I’ll come talk.”

I sat at a table and Fraoch said, “Did she recognize ye, Og Lochie?’

“Aye, she dreamed of me.”

Magnus said, sipping an ale, “That ought tae be helpful when ye tell her yer story.”

“I truly hope so.”

I watched her work. She had a dazzling smile when she spoke with her customers, a dimple upon her cheek, a bonny lass, but then when she occasionally glanced my way, her brow drew down as if my presence confused her.

I was confused as well. She was verra familiar, though I had never spoken tae her before. Twas difficult tae square.

I saw her finish up and then take off her apron and head toward me. I moved tae a booth with more privacy.

She sat down across from me and narrowed her eyes. “So what is going on?”

I chewed my lip. “I canna say for certain, Ash, we daena ken each other, but in another lifetime we do.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I am goin’ tae tell ye something that will seem magical. And ye winna believe me, but if ye will allow me tae explain, it might make sense.”

“Well, I am definitely curious. I had a very vivid dream last night, you were in it, same name and everything. Did you hypnotize me or something? That’s the only explanation.”

“Nae, there is another explanation... I am a time traveler, my whole family, m’brothers there, we are all time travelers.”

“That is bullhicky.”

“Nae, I am nae certain what bullhicky means but this is true, and this is where it gets unbelievable.”

Her brow raised. “More unbelievable than time travel?”

I nodded. “I met ye, on this weekend, and we fell in love, and we time traveled taegether?—”

“Where did we magically go?”

“I showed ye one of our castles and we went verra far back tae the year 1291. We were married there in the chapel at Stirling Castle.”

She blinked.

“I’m going to need proof, this is crazy.”

I pulled the pages from my inside pocket, unfolded them, pulled off the outer page, and re-folded the other. I put our letter back in my pocket for later.

I spread the page in front of her.

“What is this?”

“Lady Mairead printed it for me, tis a page from the Bible at Stirling Castle, we are listed in the marriages.” I put my finger on the entry, it read:

Lord Lochinvar and Lady Ash married in this day of our Lord, June 18, 1291

Witnessed by Mag Mòr

I said, “Mag Mòr means King Magnus.” I pointed over at my brothers’ table. They waved.

She said, “They look familiar.”

“Because ye hae been livin’ with all of us for a while, I think. My brother Magnus witnessed our wedding.”

“How come I don’t remember this?”

“None of us remember this.”

“Why not?”

“Something terrible happened when we were back there in time. One of Magnus’s brothers, Sean, was murdered. Magnus was kidnapped. I was told that ye were kidnapped and we had tae rescue ye, and… twas all shite. That is what I am told, but it haena happened yet, so tis just a story for us. Lady Mairead intervened...” I looked at the watch on m’wrist, though it dinna really help. “...yesterday. She set us on another course and changed time.”

Ash picked up the page and looked at the writing.

“How did she change time?”

“The first time I came here, and met ye. This time we did things differently.”

“So this is an alternate timeline?”

“Aye, like Spider-Man.”

“This is such a crazy story, like you’re tricking me. This is a joke, but it’s too intellectual for my ex-boyfriend, Buck, to pull off, and why would he? So I can’t figure out who would. Did Don do this?” She looked back at the bar, where the bartender was watching our conversation with visible confusion. “But it’s clearly not him. And then oddly, there’s a weird part of me that is thinking inside my head, ‘ that explains it.’”

I nodded. “The evil man who kidnapped ye is dead, Ash. And Magnus’s brother Sean is still living. Magnus wasna kidnapped, his bairns are safe. Everyone is safe. Setting the alternate timeline has been good for everyone… but us. We ended up lost tae each other.”

My hands were folded in front of me. She reached out and tentatively touched my hand and ran a finger along my finger. Her face had a look of concentration, she entwined our fingers and then brought my thumb up and pressed hers tae it. She held her thumb pressed and said, “I feel like this means something.”

“Aye, it does, tae press yer thumbs taegether and promise tae each other with the thumb oath is as good as getting married.”

“Oh.” She pulled her hand away and returned to looking down at the page.

“What is the oath?”

“Tae never beguile ye... or, ye ken, the person ye hae pressed yer thumb tae, I hae never done it. I daena truly ken how it works.”

I reached in my pocket and pulled out the other page. Then I ran my hand through my hair and opened it. My writing was on one side. I showed her the other. “Dost ye recognize the writing?”

“Yes, that’s mine. What is this, Lochie?”

“We were in the past and trapped and we knew there would be a reset of the timeline and we were rightly worried we might lose each other, we wrote a letter tae ourselves. Tae help us.”

“Where did you find this letter?”

“It was found under a tree in Scotland by a few people, but also the rock star Finch Mac.”

“Finch Mac?”

“Aye, he’s a brother as well.”

I passed her the page. “Would ye read yers?”

She looked down on it and ran her fingers along the writing. “In my dream I had a really cool pen, Lochie, it had a flashlight in it and a screwdriver, and I was writing a letter, but I didn’t know to whom.”

“Och, I would like tae see a good pen like that. If ye are time traveling and ye need tae be rescued, a pen with a flashlight would be verra handy tae hae in yer pocket.”

She looked at me, then shook her head. “I knew you would say that.”

“How did ye ken?”

She said, “I have no idea.” She lifted the page and began tae read.

Dearest Lochinvar,

My husband, I love you. I pray we don’t forget each other, it breaks my heart to think of it, but in case — I love you. Please understand when the time comes. Please.

Tell me to trust you. You’ll always rescue me. Find me and make me understand that I married you, and that I love you forever. Even if it doesn’t make sense to either of us.

I don’t know what tomorrow holds, or how the time will shift, but please find me. Tell me that I’m going to be your family. Tell me that you need me. I need you too.

I hope you remember. And when you do, look for me, Lochinvar. I’ll be waiting for you.

With all my heart,

Ash

A tear rolled down her cheek and her chin trembled. “I wrote this to you?”

“Aye, and I wrote this for ye, Ash.” I pulled the letter from her hand and turned it over tae read the other side.

“Tae my wife, Ash, Yggdrasil, the tree of life.”

I said, “I am nae certain if I spelled this right, I am new tae writin’.”

She chuckled, with a tear running down her cheek.

I continued, “I hae loved ye since first we met and ye took me home and served me a peach pie that ye baked just for me, as if ye knew I were comin’. And I am, I am comin’ tae find ye, I promise, daena be afraid. I love ye, Lochinvar.”

I said, “I wish I had made it longer.”

Tears rolled down her face. “It’s perfect, Lochie.”

She took the letter back and read the front and back. Then she clutched it tae her chest. “What do we do now, Lochie? With this information, we are married?”

“Not yet, but aye, ye are m’wife, I am yer husband, we hae made a thumb oath tae each other I think, but that is not enough. We decided tae hae a church wedding, because we love each other a great deal.”

Just then Magnus waved, he had his phone tae his ear. I called over, “Good news?”

“Aye, the bairn has been born! Master Cook and Sophie hae a boy named Junior!”

I grinned. “Och, twas the last bit of the puzzle, we needed all tae be well, and the bairn is born.”

Magnus went tae the bar and said, “Drinks for the bar, on us, we hae a new bairn in our family!”

“That is wonderful news, Lochie, everyone is doing well... everyone but us.”

“Aye, a great deal has been sacrificed.”

I put my hand out and Ash put her hand in mine. We both looked down on it while I stroked the back of her hand, an intimate touch that vibrated with electricity.

She said, “I still don’t believe you. This time travel story makes no sense.”

I shrugged and gave her a sad smile.

“What...?”

“As ye are a stranger, I am tryin’ tae decide if ye are goin’ tae be angry with me when I prove ye wrong.”

She grinned, her nose was pink with weepin’, her dimples were verra bonny.

She said, “Lochie, I don’t know how this happened, but I have a peach pie at home, would you like to come have a slice?”

“Och aye, peach pie is m’favorite, how did ye ken? Tis as if ye baked it just for me.”

“I think I must have — somehow I knew you were coming.”