A Warrior's Perception (11 page)

“
Feed him to the buzzards and lea'e his bones for the wolves,
”
he ordered through clenched teeth.

Adalie fell to his knees in heart wrenching agony as Crimm answered Kagan's order,
“
It is done!
”

Kagan turned as Crimm continued,
“
I ha'e dishonored ye, I failed ye, my life is in ye hands. I swear by Dagma that she will be found!
”

Kagan was laird and could not let his emotions be shown,
“
Find her and lea'e her be. I will deal with her in due time. Waste na time in returnin' to me when ye find her.
”

“
Aye
milord
, it will be done!
”
Crimm vowed as Kagan stalked out the double doors.

Davonna Abbey – Scotland - 1573

Andra clapped her hands as the children from the nearby orphanage finished their puppet show for the nuns at the abbey. The recipients smiled in delight as the sparingly dressed children bowed with puppets in hand. The children were orphans from the wars that plagued the highland clans. The nuns had found them huddled and
half-starved
in an abandoned shack on the outskirts of a destroyed village. Andra had been at the abbey for at least six months when the children came.

They had been a godsend, bringing Andra out of her depressive state of mind. She had taken to them like flies to honey and they had welcomed her loving hands. Smiles, happy tears, laughter, and long nights of storytelling were indeed the cure that the children brought with them.

The children piled around Andra as she kissed their foreheads and praised them. They loved her from the very start and wormed their way straight to her heart. She laughed and smiled as the children rapidly talked and danced around the small abbey hallway. They made their way to the schoolroom at the back of the abbey and took their seats.

Andra had taken it upon herself to teach the children how to read and write. She spent hours with them each day as they pondered through what few books the abbey possessed.

Months flew by as Andra's heart melted and she finally cried for herself. She cried in agony and the tidal waves of pain eased as she accepted what had been done to her. She vowed to herself that it would never happen again, she would never trust another man, and she would use what little she had to get what she wanted.

After her breakdown she moved into the make shift orphanage and met Flaron, the abbey carpenter. He had built the orphanage rather quickly as the demand had warranted and kept the abbey in repair.

Flaron was quite a man with a nice friendly smile and a square jaw. His intense blue eyes sparkled with kindness and his smile puffed his cheeks up in pink mounds. Andra liked him but kept her distance. Andra guessed him to be in his late fifties by the streaks of white in his red beard and braided hair.

The nuns had told her he was widowed twenty years past and had no children of his own. Andra had watched him work from a distance and was slightly impressed by his stamina. He rarely ever talked, but his eyes sparkled and his smile made her hand wave in greeting. But he was a man nonetheless and she would not fall for his kind eyes.

Andra ran her hands through the tall blades of grass as she watched Flaron work on the abbey wall. Sweat poured from his brawny back and his skin glistened in the sunlight. He looked up and cheerfully waved at her. She dropped her eyes as he turned to the children that came up behind him laughing. He chased them around the abbey and through the field towards Andra.

Panic attacked at her heart but she forced it down refusing to let the children see fear in her eyes. She had downed one man and she could do it again if necessary.

“
Save us from the ogre. Save us Miss Andra!
”
they squealed as they ran behind her.

She laughed and shooed them behind her skirts,
“
Stop beast or suffer my hand!
”

He stopped and put his hands on his thick hips with a twinkle in his eye,
“
But milady, I promise I will'na harm the wee ones.
”

She laughed in delight despite her panic as she pointed behind him,
“
It is'na the bairns I am worried 'bout.
”

He raised his brow and roared with laughter as the littlest one punched him in the gut. Andra scooped her little hero up into her arms and rewarded him with a kiss on his cheek. His little face flushed and he wiggled out of her grasp. The children ran toward the orphanage as Flaron sat at her feet, propping himself up on his elbow. He picked a blade of grass and stuck it between his teeth. Andra sat beside of him as they watched the children play.

“
They like ye,
”
Andra noted as he laughed at the least one's antics.

“
I always wanted a house full of bairns,
”
he admitted,
“
but Keyra was'na able to ha'e 'em.
”

“
I am truly sorry,
”
Andra whispered.

“
She left me long ago. She disappeared as if she were a dream,
”
he returned with sad eyes and heavy heart,
“
She was a good woman.
”

“
Ye loved her very much?
”
Andra asked curiously as Flaron's eyes misted with tears.

“
With all mine heart,
”
he breathed as he looked to the heavens,
“
I take comfort in knowin' that she waits for me in Valhalla.
”

“
How did ye know ye were in love with her?
”
Andra asked.

“
From the first time I saw her, she captured my heart,
”
he smiled,
“
Keyra was a fine lass. Her heart was as strong as a bear and as tender as a lamb. I could'na stop thinkin' bout her, she haunted me day and night ‘til I realized I would'na e'er be happy without her.
”

Andra frowned,
“
I did ‘na mean to pry, forgive me.
”

Flaron's soft smile melted Andra's heart,
“
There is nothin' to forgive. It was my good fortune to ha'e loved her and I thank Dagma that I had the time that I did with her while she was here.
”

“
She must ha'e been wonderful to ha'e a man love her so deeply,
”
Andra commented as Flaron patted her hand,
“
How did she pass?
”

“
She was indeed wonderful and lovelier than the sunset. The priest at Geldamar said she died in her sleep after a long illness. She was taken to bed with a fever one night and lay sick for months while I was fightin' at Laird McKregan's side,
”
he stated with ragged breath,
“
The priest said that her body disappeared that later that same day''.
”

“
Laird McKregan? Kagan McKregan?
”
she whispered.

“
Nay, was ‘na Kagan, it was by his father's side that I fought. Laird Kain McKregan,
”
he replied.

“
Ye were a warrior?
”
she asked in awe as she studied the scars on his arms and legs.

“
Aye,
”
he answered as he stretched out onto his back,
“
but it was long ago and the past is sometimes best left where it lies. Can'na live for tomorrow if yesterday holds ye heart.
”

“
Ye speak kind wise words, unlike the warriors I ha'e known,
”
she replied,
“
Do ye say what ye think I want to hear or do ye speak the truth?
”

“
Ha'e na reason to lie to ye lass,
”
he grinned,
“
I am much too old to try to court ye.
”

Andra frowned and narrowed her eyes,
“
Good thing ye be so old and I respect my elders or I would ha'e to wallop ye.
”

Flaron's laughter rang out across the hillside,
“
And where is the man that lea'es ye in a place such as this?
”

“
There is na man,
”
she stated unable to understand his humor.

“
Nay. I am sure that all men fall at ye feet,
”
he sat up and took her hand,
“
Tell me who has captured ye heart and won ye love.
”

Andra turned her head and peered at the tree line in the distance,
“
Men donna fall at my feet less I conquer ‘em in battle.
”

He sighed,
“
Is love na a battle of the hearts?
”

“
I would'na know, na man has e'er been interested in me enough to pull on the strings attached to my heart,
”
she replied as thoughts of Laird Kagan crept into her mind.
             

“
Ah, I see, ye be afraid to let a man get close enough to melt ye pride,
”
he paused,
“
But one day, a man will thrill ye beyond reason and ye hard cold shell will melt revealin' all that soft delicate woman underneath.
”

Andra stood and crossed her arms in defiance,
“
I am'na soft and delicate and I ha'e na desire to be with any man. Men are bastards that only take what they want.
”

He stood and went to her side. He took her soft hand in his calloused palm and lifted it to his nose. He breathed deeply and ran her knuckles across his jaw. Sadness filled his eyes as she flinched under his touch. Her scent was glorious and her hand held a fire that longed to be released much like his Keyra's had.