Elyn collapsed on the bed and let herself finally feel again. She had kept her mind firmly locked shut while Gavin was in the room, but the surge of emotion was too much to keep in after the door clicked closed.
A wave of anger and sadness washed through her as she lay on the bed. After some time, she choked back her tears and sat up again. She stared out over the balcony and frowned.
"What's wrong with me? I never would have cried about a boy a month ago," she said quietly. She fished her necklace out of her blouse and rubbed it between her fingers. The ritual gave her some relief.
She knew he had to leave. His decision to see the King wasn't to punish her, but his duty. It wasn't fair to Gavin or to her to feel that way, but she couldn't help it. She fumed and climbed off the bed to lock the door. She didn't want to risk anyone seeing her so weak.
It was bad enough that she had heard Alec talking to some lads about respecting her, even if she was raised outside the walls of a castle. If they saw her weakened by the duty of their Laird, she'd never live it down. She closed the doors leading to the balcony. The room was sealed up, and already growing stuffy from the heart of the fire.
After staring at the flickering flame for a while, she moved to sit at the same desk that Gavin had penned at earlier. She hadn't spent a lot of time practicing reading, but Gavin had encouraged her since she had access to the entire collection of works that were housed in Eilean Donan. She pulled one down and spread it open to a middle page. Almost instinctively, she placed her finger on the page and traced the words as she silently rehearsed their meaning and pronunciation. The book talked about the history of some of the castles and clans in Scotland. She recognized Castle Iverlochy, Strome, and Eilean Donan. She came across a new one, too. Kinfauns Castle. For the last two hundred years, it had been occupied by the Maxwell Clan. Just seeing the name made her shudder.
How had Gavin been so careless? She tried to imagine his thought process, but couldn't wrap her head around it. Maybe he was too swept up with excitement â having just won the battle outside Eilean Donan. Elyn relented. She had been excited too, she hadn't thought of Laird Maxwell either.
Hours passed and Elyn felt a bit better. With a slight buzz of exhaustion gripping her, she closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. The sun was low in the sky, and a milky orange light washed over the chamber. The coloring of the glass gave it a strange tint. Elyn's stomach grumbled a bit and she thought of sneaking down to the hall to grab something to eat.
She pushed herself away from the desk and looked to the door. No. That wouldn't do. She didn't want to deal with anyone, even if it meant giving up food for a night.
Elyn slipped under the covers and curled up. She felt foolish for not fighting harder to join Gavin out on the highlands, but after the skirmish with the Maxwell men, Gavin had been unenthusiastic to take her out to practice any of her fighting skills. She knew she wasn't the greatest warrior, but she was likely stronger than a lot of the whelps that he brought with him on hunting expeditions.
Night would come soon enough, and maybe she could sneak out of the castle then and go back to her parents' old cottage. Something familiar and comfortable. She hadn't seen it since the raid on the castle, after all. The cool air of the highlands might do her some good.
***
Elyn stirred with surprise. She didn't remember falling asleep, but the black sky outside the balcony windows was enough to convince her. Her heart raced with worry. Something didn't feel right. A grave feeling of unease was stuck in her chest like an uninvited guest.
She threw the sheets off herself and leapt from the bed. It was time to get some fresh air. She dressed warmly, admiring the furs as she latched and tightened the sinew against her body. She was surprised: she had put on some weight since arriving at Eilean Donan, but it was welcome weight. She was used to feeling her body being a bit thinner and more frail.
She eased the chamber door open and peered into the hallway. No one was around to catch her up in a conversation. The sconces flickered quietly against the stonework, illuminating the hallway in patches in both directions. Despite her life growing up, she'd never felt so paranoid before, she could only think it was the unexpected sleep that disturbed her.
Elyn's cheeks still felt puffy. She moved silently down the hall and made her way to the entrance. She kept a chuckle to herself as her heart raced seeing the guards posted outside the entry. She recalled the escape from Castle Iverlochy, and how tight her throat felt convincing the guards into letting her and Gavin pass.
She bowed her head and quickly moved between the two men. They were daydreaming and paid no attention to the robed woman pacing out of the castle and into the village square. She silently thanked the Lord they didn't interrogate her on how she was feeling.
The streets were empty. Only a couple of villagers and merchants were loitering about, chatting quietly or laughing all too loud. She hurried to the bridge that separated Eilean Donan from the highlands, wanting to feel the cool wind scoop her emotions out of the mud.
Finally free of the castle walls, she started hiking across the bridge. but her unease didn't fade. She glanced over her shoulder at the castle, trying to see if there were any eyes staring at her as she departed.
As she finished crossing the bridge, the cool and wet scent of the highlands finally tickled her nose. She smiled as a gust of wind blew hard against her furs, pulling the scent across her exposed skin and disappearing in the distance.
Then, a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her and clasped her tight. Before she could react, a bag went over her head and she was thrown into the air.
She tried to scream, but her voice cracked as she was hauled and thrown into a cart. Her shoulder slammed into the hard wood with a shocking force that knocked her head. She groaned loudly as she heard someone scramble to climb inside, and a whip crack that was followed by the lurch of the carriage as it moved away from the castle.
Elyn's heart raced and panic overwhelmed her. She kicked and struggled to move, but a man's voice sounded out harsh in her ear.
"Shut yer mouth or I'll give ye a reason ta cry out!" He slammed his hand down on her and held her against the floor, keeping her from struggling. She tried to thrash even more violently, hoping she could at least knock the bag off her head and see who her captors were. The man growled in frustration and punched her in the stomach, making her wheeze with excruciating pain.
"That's betta', now hold still ye little wench," the man said. He dragged a rope against her body and bound her arms and feet before she could catch her breath. She felt groggy and exhausted, feeling the same sense of dread fill her as the cart moved further and further from Eilean Donan.
"Where are ye takin' me! Donae ye know who I am?" Elyn struggled again, fighting her binds in waves of energy. The man chuckled and spoke to the driver.
"Ye hear this? This wench thinks we made a mistake!"
The driver chuckled, his voice just as gruff as the other. It was hard for Elyn to tell them apart.
"You're the useless, suckling babe of the MacDonalds, and we're here to save you, yer highness." The man's voice was venomous and without a hint of concern. He continued. "Elyn MacDonald, the King is going to be happy about this."
"The King?" Elyn said, not even attempting to hide the shock in her voice. "What does he want with me?"
"Just ye cooperation. I'm sure he'll get it after dispatching Gavin, at any rate."
Elyn's heart sank like a stone through a loch. "Gavin?"
"Aye. Gavin MacKenzie. Your Laird."
"What have ye done with him!" Elyn struggled to sit up. Her eyes burned through the burlap sack, she desperately wished she could pull it off. It was too dark to see through the stitches, and she could only make out the vague outline of the man who was harassing her.
The man laughed again, slapping his leg just as a rock bounced the carriage. Elyn stumbled over and fell on her face. The man ignored her. "Donae worry ye pretty little head..." the man said. He softened his voice and touched Elyn's back. "I can see what the man sees in ya."
Elyn rolled over and forced his hand off of her. "Donae touch me or Gavin'll make sure ye regret it."
"Shut up, I'm already tired of hearing ye yammer." The man kicked the wind out of her and she buckled over in pain. "Think on that next time ye threaten me." The man stood up and climbed through the front of the cart, joining the driver on the outside.
Elyn squeezed her eyes shut to fight back the tears. She felt them drip off her face and land on the sack anyway. She breathed quietly and slowly regained her composure. The rumble of the cart's wheels was monotonous and familiar. She knew they'd pass Dornie soon enough and then she'd be out of luck.
The smell of the highlands was trapped in the sack. She tried to savor them, but felt foolish for leaving the safety of the castle. Is this what Gavin meant when he said she'd be safer? So much for that.
She sighed to herself and tried to stay still. She didn't want the men getting any ideas. She would roll out of the cart if she had to, but it wasn't any use if she couldn't even stand. Elyn heard the two men talking to each other, but they kept their voices low. It was impossible to decipher them over the rumble of the wheels.
She groaned and shut her eyes. Hopefully sleep would come, and she'd wake up to realize it was all a dream after all. Gavin would be back with her, his arms holding her tight as she told him every horrific detail.
But she knew the truth. It wasn't a dream at all. Worse yet, she didn't know when the nightmare would end.