Chapter Five #3
“No doubt ‘twould be wise to have you along, given her nationality in these trying times,” the king murmured, his gaze lingering on Declan before his attention returned to Lachlann and he agreed to his terms faster than I might have thought.
“Aye, then, Laird Mackay. Your son and a handful of your warriors can travel with me and my retinue.” He nodded once at me as if granting a boon, which, in essence, he was.
“And you may bring your dog as long as it doesnae cause any trouble.”
“Thank you,” I said, grateful to at least have Oksana along for company over the next few months.
“Verra well then.” Alexander held up his mug in a toast. “Here’s to weeding out the Norse who dinnae truly want to be here and unifying this country under one flag once and for all.”
Despite it being an uncomfortable thing to toast to, I did so obediently and with a smile lest I cause the king uncertainty.
“Weather permitting, I would like to leave on the morrow,” the king went on, looking at Declan and me.
“If you two think you could be prepared by midday, we will head back to where the battle took place. There are wounded Norse that I need to communicate with.” He focused on me.
“If you still have Norse attire with you, I would see you wear it to put them at ease.
Make them trust you. ‘Twould be better still if you appear more the infamous shield-maiden they claim you are. A warrior just like them.”
I could tell by the way both Declan and Lachlann visibly tensed that they didn’t like the idea.
“Is it truly so wise to bring a Norsewoman there so soon dressed in such a way, no less?” Lachlann wondered. “I would think there’s still a great deal of animosity from fellow Scots who might verra well take issue with it.”
“Aye, there are, but not as many right now,” Alexander divulged. “I’ve sent groups up and down the coast seeking stragglers and keeping an eye to the water lest King Hákon decides to raid sooner than spring. In addition, she will be under my protection, so no one would dare harm her.”
I could tell by Declan’s continued disgruntled expression that he seriously didn’t like the sound of this, but he remained silent, wise enough not to contradict his king given this clan’s traitorous actions of late.
“I will send along some of our verra best warriors as well.” Lachlann gave my hand another little squeeze of reassurance. “And of course, all will be ready to leave at your convenience, my liege.”
After that, with business out of the way, the conversation lightened as everyone caught up, then eventually made their way out to the great hall to dine.
Lachlann sat beside the king with me to his right, and Declan took it upon himself to sit on my other side when usually he steered clear of sitting too close to me.
I suspected it had to do with Gustav’s presence every bit as much as with Declan agreeing to marry me once he learned that Gustav and I had become friendly.
Although Declan said little to me as we ate a fine fare of flavorful wild boar seasoned with garlic and rosemary, a variety of perfectly seasoned smoked fish, and buttery mixed vegetables, I was, as always, overly aware of him.
His earthy, spicy scent and the heat radiating off his body.
His strong hands as he ate and talked to Stewart, who sat beside him.
Every so often, Stewart engaged me in conversation, forcing Declan to speak with me as well. Mostly about preparations for leaving on the morrow, given Stewart would be traveling with us, too, and general conversation about what we could expect ahead.
“’Twill nae be as favorable traveling at this time of year,” Declan warned me at one point. “So pack wisely.”
“You forget I hail from the Norwegian-Russian border where ‘tis often frigid and snowy,” I said, warming at the way his emerald gaze felt on me at this range, hoping I didn’t blush, given we were by no means flirting.
Yet I still saw desire burning in his eyes.
“You also forget my blood possesses the spirit of the great white bear, and like such a mighty beast, I have long learned to survive dangerously cold temperatures.”
“Then this trek into the highlands should suit you well,” he said gruffly, just as affected by me as I was by him.
“’Tis a shame you couldnae bring a lass along for company,” Stewart commented, his gaze lingering on Florie where she dined across the hall with a group of villagers. If I had my way, she would be sitting with us, but unfortunately, she didn’t have enough standing within the clan.
“Astrid has her dog to keep her company,” Declan reminded, glancing between his two friends as if he, too, might realize something simmered between them.
“And us to keep Astrid company.” Stewart grinned at Declan. “But mostly you, by the sounds of it, guardsman.”
Lachlann had smoothly managed that, hadn’t he? Where he might have simply asked Declan to keep an eye on me, he had instead enabled his son to take on the more personal role of guarding me, effectively forcing him to spend more time with me than he might have preferred.
It didn’t end there, either, as both of us found out later that night when Lachlann, once again, smoothly steered us closer to each other.
In fact, things went far beyond what King Alexander would ever have approved, making our journey ahead more precarious than ever.