An Unexpected Destiny (Completed)

Home

We're all ready to strangle Isen by the time the first shout emerges. He has not shut up since we started. I don't know how many days have passed, because I'm tired and so ready for peace and quiet and some time alone with Merida so we can go riding (after a nap) that I hardly care. It has been at least a couple of days. Maybe up to four. I'm not sure, because I've been in a daze ever since the morning after we rescued Merida.

I am dozing against Jude's back when the Scout shouts. I jolt alert, the fuzziness from my brain and the heaviness hanging over my eyes gone like they were never there.

"We have arrived," Jude tells me. He sounds relieved. Isen echoes Jude's words in a shout. MacLeod yells at him.

I tighten my sloppy ponytail, rub a grimy hand over my greasy face, and lean to the side. The thick and ivy-covered walls of Dunbroch rise above us. They become taller as we get nearer. Busier. I can hear more shouts and calls from above.

"We made it," I breathe, "Holy shit. I've actually made it back home."

The springy hoofbeats that can only belong to Dove come from behind. Merida pulls up beside Jude and I. She has to stand up in the stirrups to give me a hug. I have to dig my fingers into Jude's hip to keep from falling. He doesn't seem to care.

"We are home, Agnes, both of us," Merida says. She lets go of me, remains standing in the stirrups. She waves an arm and shouts "Hello there! The princess and her Lady Agnes have returned."

"Your mother would certainly approve of that unladylike behavior," I tease.

"I am in a gown, so she cannot fuss too much."

"I doubt she will fuss over what her only daughter is clothed in after she has been missing for several weeks," Jude adds.

Merida says something, but none of us can hear her. Above, the castle walls loom; the gate is only fifty or so paces away. And on the castle walls' walkways, half the soldiers of the clan lean over and cheer. The company stops, and we all crane our necks to watch the delighted faces. Some point to Merida and welcome her home, while others take note of the group of men with her. I go unnoticed.

The gate is cranked open, and I feel like I did when the Scouts brought me here: an intruder, a stranger. Yet there is a sense of belonging this time. As we file in, Merida, Jude and I between Robin, who leads, and MacLeod, who is behind with Ferdinand and Isen, I see things that make me sigh and sleepy with relief.

There is the crowded and smelly main street. People mill about until a soldier announces our arrival. A boy goes charging down the street, dodging halted bodies and declaring our presence. There is the mini tower, in which my library is stored. There is the stone ramp that leads to the front doors of the castle. They are opening-being thrown open. There is the lean-to, where the blacksmith, my friend, works. And-

My friend. My eyes round into balls of autumn leaves. Alistair is jogging towards us. He looks well, very well. I can scarce believe it. I hadn't been able to sleep great, thinking he might not have recovered. I hadn't gotten any letter from him, and I hadn't thought to send one to the highland town or to Dunbroch. Merida had told me Alistair was a grown man, and if he was by some rare chance still ill, he was so kind and charming no one would hesitate to extend hospitality. I asked if we could go to the town anyways.

That was shot down quickly, as nobody remembered exactly were it was. It was not on the map; we had all stumbled upon it by accident. It would take longer, too. Robin, the ass, suggested that if Alistair wasn't in Dunborch when we arrived, the ride to the town would be shorter-if I didn't get lost.

But he's here. And he looks absolutely thrilled and relieved. We make eye contact that is quickly lost due to sudden cheers and cries of joy. It is just long enough that I see the sparkle in his eyes, like the sun on ocean waves. I call his name before being dragged off the horse. Merida has me by the shoulders and is pulling me towards her running parents.