Branded by a Warrior (17 page)

Urging his stallion into a full gallop he followed the horse tracks to the creek where Isobel had just fled.
Never had such a short distance felt
so long
, he rode hard, listening for signs of a fight or screams. Dead silence was all he could hear.

In the bright snow, he saw the stain of blood far before he saw the bodies. Riding up to the scene he scanned the bodies for his brother and future wife.

Ordering his wolfhounds to find her,
he watched as
they ran over to a body by the creek and sat down.
Turning his horse, he
quickly he saw his sable fur sloped ov
er a body, “Elisabeth?”
he shouted,
his heart had stopped.

As he rode towards his sable fur, he saw her beautiful face peer up at him, tears running down her ivory face, holding his brother in her arms.

Jumping off his horse he ran towards her, “No” he whispered as he slid next to her in the snow, blood soaked the ground around them.

Tears fell from her eyes, “He lives
Broderick, just barely. We need to get him back to the castle, his
wound in his shoulder is grave and willnae wake up
.
”

Looking at her, he saw no wound on her, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he asked as he grabbed his brother
and threw him over his shoulder.

“I am fine,
Isobel
?
” she asked as she held the rei
ns to his horse s
o he could get into the saddle, she watched as he easily mounted his stallion cradling his brother.

“Aye, scared, but okay,” nodding to Kendrix’s mount, “
Bring
his horse back Elisabeth, we must
hurry
.
”

Jumping into Kendrix’s
saddle, she followed Broderick back to the castle.
The two of them galloped through the woods, the hounds following behind Elisabeth. Not another word was spoken as they rushed towards the castle.

The drawbridge was lowered by the time they came up to the castle, storming over the bridge Elisabeth saw Broderick ride directly to the castle, following behind him she knew she had to find Isobel. She was sure the young lass was shaken and worried. Broderick shouted orders to those around him as she opened the castle door for him; he took Kendrix to get help, and asked her to find Isobel.

Doing as requested she nodded and went in search of his niece.

Arriving at Kendrix’s room, Broderick booted the door open and carried his large brother directly to the bed. Setting him gently down, Broderick leaned down and ripped his brother’s shirt off in one movement. He needed to see the wound. Walking over to the fire, he grabbed the kettle of hot water and poured it in a basin. Carrying it over to the table beside
the bed, he eyed the arrow woun
d low on Kendrix’s left shoulder, just above
his heart. It was still bleeding profusely.
Dunking a clean linen
strip
in the hot water he squeezed the water over the wound so he could clear away the blood.

As soon as the hot water hit Kendrix’s skin
his eyes flashed open, a scowl upon his face,
“Jesu Broderick! I’m alive stop your
damn
meddling! Is my daughter okay?” he asked as he
struggled to sit
up
in
bed, swatting at Broderick’s hand.

“Yes
she made it back to the castle unscathed.
Elisabeth went
in search of her
. What the hell happened
Kendrix
?”
he
asked as he got
up from the side of the bed and sat in the chair beside the fire, giving Kendrix space.

Broderick watched as Kendrix ran his
hand
s
over his face and through his hair before he answered
, “We had arrived at the creek when it began to rain
arrows
on
us;
I took one directly to the shoulder and was thrown off my horse along with Isobel.
I ordered Elisabeth to see to Isobel, assuming she would grab my daughter and flee back to the castle. Instead, she sat little Isobel on her warhorse and sent her back to you. Elisabeth then ran to my side
dispatched two
Douglas warriors with my bow
and one with her golden dagger. I was losing the battle with the final Douglas warrior, he went for the fatal blow and Elisabeth stuck
an arrow
right into his heart. She was strong enough to pull
my
longbow back Broderick, what woman can do that?” he asked as he took a drink of cool water, “
She
asked me for a sword before we left and I refused to give her one, Isobel and I are alive because of her Broderick. Give the woman her damn sword back!
If it wasn’t for Elisabeth, Isobel and I would be dead
.
”

Sitting back in the chair Broderick
closed his eyes and thanked his stars that she had mana
ged to fend off the warriors, when
he appr
oached the creek and saw
blood he was sure he’d find her dead. He had been such a fool delaying her a weapon.

Behind them, they heard the door open
, Old Rhona and Caitriona shuffled in with herbs and bandages to clean up the laird’s younger brother.

“Aye Kendrix
, ye have my word, I’ll see her armed immediately.
I’ll check on you later Brother, I’ll send Isobel up to see you h
erself, she’s worried about you
.” N
odding
,
he left
Kendrix
in the capable hands of the elder women and went in search of his future bride.
He had so many unanswered questions, everything had happened so fast. He knew Elisabeth hadn’t healed enough to pull a bow back, especially Kendrix’s extremely
tightly strung bow without hurting her existing injury.

He
searched the kitchen first knowing it
had fast become one of her favorite spots, not finding her there he went upstairs to their room to find that empty also.
Growing frustrated he went in search of little Isobel, knocking on her door he heard her sweet voice bid him entrance.

Walking in, he saw his beautiful niece cuddled up in her bed,
“Isobel, your father is doing great love, come here and give Uncle Broderick a hug!
You were very brave today lass, I am proud of you,
” kneeling he opened his arms and watched her run to him with tears still in her eyes.

“Will he live Uncle Broderick?” she asked as she held onto him.

“Aye lass, you can go see him if you’d like. He’s in his room now; can you tell me if you’ve seen Elisabeth? I can’t find her,” he asked as he held her hand and walked her back to her father’s room.

Nodding, “She said she needed to go pray, she just left my room moments ago. I told her she could have my sword this morning, she told me you’d give her one. I hope
you give her a sword Uncle Bro
derick, it would make her smile,”
s
he said innocently as they arrived at Kendrix door.

Ruffling her hair he smiled at her genuine honesty, “Go in and see your Da, he’s waiting for y
ou. I’ll go find Elisabeth lass
, and don’t worry, I’ll get her a sword my love
.
”

After seeing Isobel snuggle with her father as the elder women saw to his wound, he left them alone and went in search of
Elisabeth
.

He
fo
und her in the chapel, alone,
s
tanding
in front of the alta
r with her head bowed.
His sable fur sloped over her shoulders falling to her waist;
her dark red hair had fallen from the crown on her head and spilled over her shoulders in loose curls to her waist. His wolfhounds sat at her feet, looking up at him as he entered the chapel from the back.

Hearing him enter the chapel, he watched as she raised her head and turned around to look him in the eyes.
He saw she was covered in blood, her dress was ripped and she held her injur
ed shoulder. Fresh tears fell
down her
face; her beautiful eyes were red from crying.
Taking
the
alter stairs two at a time he
closed the distance between them in seconds.

Cupping her jaw with both hands he kissed her full upon the mouth, he had came so close to losing her today he almost died. He felt her small hands wrap around his chest as she kissed him back. Wiping away her tears he held her tight as he comforted her.

Pushing away from him, she shook her head, “Kendrix and Isobel almost died today Broderick, I cannot continue on without a weapon. I’ve let you change the subject time and time again, no more Broderick! I will gladly die for them, for you, but give me a fighting chance! Let me die a warrior’s death, not witho
ut a weapon to defend myself!” S
he
seethed between clenched teeth, clearly emotional and upset.

Her words shamed him, she was right. He had pushed aside the conversation every time she brou
ght it up, today his brother,
niece and his future wife almost died because of his stubbornness. In the back of his mind he thought if he
gave her a weapon, she’d change, that she wouldn’t need him.
He had assumed when she got a blade in her hands that she would morph into a different person, that she would no longer have use for him.

Taking her hand, “Come with me Elisabeth, I have something to show you,” entwining fingers with her, he walked with her from the chapel up to the keep. Night was falling upon them and the snow had stopped, walking through the fresh snow he brought her up to the keep.
The two walked in silence, hand in hand.

Bypassing all those they saw
,
he took her upstairs to the solar next to his room, it had been his mother’s and had set empty for years. These past weeks he had Rhona working on making it habitable again for
her, he knew eventually the lass would want her own room
.
He was unwilling to have her far away.
Although he wanted her to sleep in their room every night, he wanted her to have a room in the castle all to herself, a room for his queen.

Walking up the stone stairs he stopped before a door she had never entered before, the door that was directly across from his bedroom.

“Wait here, I’ll go light the candles so you can see,” grabbing a candlestick off the stonewall he opened the door and closed it behind him. Moments later he appeared, opening the door wide.

“Welcome to your solar
my love, I wanted to gift you with it after our wedding. I fear I just can’t wait that much longer, come in,” he beckoned from the doorway.

Walking into the lovely room, she looked at Broderick, “You don’t want me to sleep next to you?” she asked, confused at
finally
being given a room now.

Shaking his head and standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her chest and leaned down to whisper into her ear, “I always want you to sleep next to me Elisabeth, this is room is to be your escape. Your personal room to do with as you see fit, the room is for you yes, but what I wanted to
really
give you sits in that corner,” pointing over to the wardrobe on the far wall, “
You are right, I almost lost
three people I love today, g
o open the doors,” he let go of her shoulders and nudged her towards the wooden doors.

Looking over her shoulder, she was reeling in the fact that Broderick had in his own way
,
told her that he loved her.
In all of her time here, he had never once mentioned anything of love.
Walking over to the large war
drobe, she pulled the doors open
and stepped back.

Before her lay an impressive
broadsword,
a perfect
matc
h to his
. Leather bracers wit
h his crest notched in them. Hanging in the back of the wardrobe was chainmail, specifically shaped for her, a woman. Along with that was a beautiful
longbow
,
intri
cately carved with a quiver
of arrows, a shortsw
ord that shined with perfection and
a matching dirk.

Reaching in she picked up the broadsword and held it out at arms length as she tested the weight in her hand. Turning around she looked up at
Broderick, “You had all of these
made to match your weapons
, for me
?” she asked as she tested the grip on the sword.

“Aye lass, there is a new place above the mantel for your broadsword too. I’m sorry it took so long to make, I wanted your set to be perf
ect, it is your wedding present,
”
h
e
admitted
as he walked towards her, “I had the blade shortened and forged for you only, do y
ou love it?” he asked, hopeful
he had given her something she valued.