Epilogue
Beitris found Logan standing in the room in which she had been held, holding the book she found. Her face had been stitched and while it would leave a scar, the damage was not as gruesome as it seemed.
“Dae ye ken whose book that is?” Beitris asked.
“It’s mine. Abigail used tae read it tae me,” he said.
“Warnock put me in here. I read it. It’s a good story.”
“Aye, although at the end it dinnae speak about how the pain lingers and how we still hae tae mourn the dead.”
Beitris walked up to him and squeezed his arm. “Nae. Stories end, but lives continue and we must think about what tae dae next.”
“I should be punished for my crimes. I shall put myself before yer family again and accept whatever judgment they make.”
“Logan, I think ye hae suffered enough. I hae seen for myself what Warnock is like, and when I think about what ye must hae endured as a bairn…” she trailed away.
“I hae wronged ye. I lied tae ye, and because of it ye were captured and almost killed, and Brody…” Logan closed his eyes and his words became imbued with pain.
Beitris ran her hand down his arm and took his hand.
“Brody forgave ye. He would hae wanted ye tae enjoy life. I ken it’s hard, but after all we hae been through, should we nae make the most of it? I ken I am nae longer the prettiest lass in the Highlands, but I still think I would make a fetching wife,” she grinned.
Logan’s eyes flashed. “A wife? But… but I hae nae lands. Nae name even. I am naething. I betrayed ye.”
Beitris smiled and put her hand against his cheek. “Ye are Logan, and if naething else ye hae my heart. And technically, this Keep is yer inheritance. There are many men in here just like ye. Ye could lead them. Better tae try tae make warriors of them, than bandits.”
A pensive look came over Logan’s face. He exhaled deeply and squeezed her hand.
“I thought ye would hate me forever.”
“There hae been too much hate in the Highlands. We can see what happens when a man hates too much,” she said, referring to Warnock. “Let us love. Let us be happy. Let us be married.”
Logan responded not with words, but with a kiss.
He pulled Beitris into him and they melted together. Hands curled around necks. Fingers ran through hair. The ashes of war were swept away and a new fire blazed, one of prosperity and hope.
The wedding took place in a field outside the Knox Keep.
Logan and Beitris did not wish to be enclosed in walls, and even if they had the Keep would not have been able to hold all the guests.
They came from everywhere, eager to join in the celebrations.
There had been an unending feast since the Knox army returned with Warnock’s body and a declaration that the war was over.
To mark the occasion, Ryan and Logan had stood before the leaders of the Alliance.
They each stepped forward, plunging ceremonial swords into the ground, showing that there was no more need for fighting.
The swords formed a ring and were plunged so deep that not even the strongest wind would disturb them.
For the first time in a long time, people could relax properly, and this jubilant mood was carried forth to the wedding.
Logan was dressed in his finest clothes, although he wore plain tartan, not feeling worthy to wear those of the Knox Clan. Beitris’ hair was tied in ringlets, and she wore a dress that had been passed down from her mother.
A circlet rested on her head, and she was the most beautiful thing Logan had ever seen.
They stood in front of Ryan, hands bound, uttering the vows that would bind them forever, although these words only added to the promise their bodies had already made to each other.
“My heart will be a shield, and I shall protect ye for all time. I was lost, but yer arrow found me. Aye, ye hae never missed yer target, Beitris. I swear that I shall forsake all others for ye. I lay myself at yer feet and pledge my loyalty, my faith, and I promise tae be better than I hae been before. I will continue proving myself tae ye, and I shall love ye ’til the veil of death slips over us,” Logan said.
“My heart will be a shield, and I shall protect ye for all time.
I thought I understood the world until ye came intae my life.
We hae fought against each other and alongside each other.
I shall never stop fighting for ye. There is naething we cannae dae when we are joined taegether, nae force that can stop us.
We are as a bow and arrow, and I shall love ye ‘til the veil of death slips over us,” Beitris said.
When they were announced as husband and wife, the people cheered. There were so many of them that it rippled like a wave across the field, ending far from where it began.
Lively music was soon added to the ambience. Beitris danced with Logan. They moved in time with each other, their bodies in perfect harmony. She draped her arms around his neck while he held her waist. She pressed her head against his chest and felt his heartbeat thrumming through his body.
Usually dancing had been a lively, fun activity for Beitris.
She used to hop around and flick out her hands and feet, but it was different this time.
All she wanted was to hold Logan and sway with him as though they were blades of grass in a gentle summer breeze.
They danced in this manner until her father asked to take over.
“I’m proud tae see ye married, daughter,” Ryan said.
“And dae ye approve of my choice?”
Ryan chuckled. “Ye would dae what ye want anyway. But aye… Logan is a complicated man. Then again, sae was I once upon a time, before yer Ma came along.” The uplifting tone disappeared from his words and was replaced by something more solemn.
“He went tae great lengths tae protect ye. What father could want anything more from his daughter’s husband? ”
After dancing with Ryan, she danced with her brothers, and then Angus.
“I must hae words with ye, cousin. Ye stole my kill,” Angus said with a hint of playfulness in his voice, although the two cousins had a rivalry that went back to childhood and there was always something about him that made Beitris’ temper flare.
“Yer kill? I was the one held prisoner by him.”
“Nae for as long as me.”
“Aye, but at least ye were allowed tae leave the Keep. The kill was mine,” she scowled.
Angus shrugged. “Well, even if it were it hardly counts. He was on his knees. There’s nae glory in it,” he said.
Beitris then stamped on his foot and Angus howled in pain, and they did not bicker again.
Her face ached from smiling so much, and everywhere she turned she saw happiness, although there were so many people that for a moment, she lost track of her husband. She didn’t worry though, she knew he would find her again.
He always did.
Logan looked on, a brooding expression on his face.
While he was happy, he couldn’t help but feel alone.
Beitris danced with various members of her family, but he had no kin.
He missed Brody dearly, he would have enjoyed an occasion like this.
He always knew how to make the best of life, and that was something Logan had always struggled with.
He supposed this was the way it would always be.
He had married a Knox, but he would not be one of them.
But then, from the crowd, Caroline came towards him, stretching out her hand.
“Logan, ye should nae be standing here by yerself. Come and dance,” she said with a warm smile, her lips darkened by wine.
“I—”
“I dinnae hear any word of protest. Ye are family now,” she said.
Without a second thought, she pulled him to the dancing circle and Beitris lit up as he appeared.
He linked arms with Beitris on one side and Caroline on the other.
Nessa and Tara were beside Caroline, laughing gaily.
The rest of the family formed a wide circle that seemed big enough to encompass the entire Highlands.
There were brothers, sisters, cousins, sons, daughters… and now he was a part of it.
As they danced, he noticed Allan giving him a silent nod of approval, while Ryan gave him a look of gratitude. Cheers rose all around him and for once he was not surrounded by the sounds of war but of celebration.
It was past midnight when Beitris and Logan finally managed to pull themselves away from the feast. They skulked away to their new chamber. The sounds of the celebration faded behind the walls of the Keep, but they were still present and would be until morning, and perhaps even beyond.
The door closed. Logan took Beitris’ hand and then caressed her cheek, running his fingers along her scar. She bowed her head.
“For a long time I was nae sure of my place in the world, but now I am. It’s with ye.”
Beitris took his palm and kissed it before resting her cheek against it.
“It’s exciting, aye? Tae think about what’s gaeing tae come?”
“Aye, and a wee bit scary. I understood war, but peace? That is new tae me.”
“It’s new tae both of us, but we shall learn it taegether. There is still much tae dae, much rebuilding tae be done. The wounds Warnock inflicted will nae be healed easily.”
“Ye heal my wounds with every touch,” he said, his voice deepening.
Beitris’ stomach fluttered. A smile curled upon her face.
She rolled onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. He squeezed her waist and then pulled her to the bed. They fell onto the soft mattress and they dueled intensely again, but this time love was the weapon they wielded.
Their passion and fury were turned towards each other, and that night there were no thoughts spared for the past or the future, only on the glorious present.
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