Saving Sabine

Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Connor could hear the applause as he approached his old home – the castle. The Highland Games were certainly happening. He hoped they’d serve as a distraction, so that he could go in and search for Sabine without drawing too much attention to himself.

The field was set up so traditionally. He’d competed in a handful of tourneys himself, but he’d always lose, and advise the others to perform poorly, so the poor lad got his woman. Connor hoped that the men still upheld the honourable tradition.

From where he was standing, the Games had concluded, yet the celebrations continued. He spied his brother Fergus dancing with a raven haired woman in the centre of the field as several other competitors cheered them on. A sense of homesickness hit him when he realised that it must have been Fergus who was the one marrying. Had any of his other brothers married? How much had he missed in his absence?

He spied Munro, Hamilton and Ian all standing around Fergus, but he could not see Duncan. Connor felt his heart speed up when he saw his father standing across the field talking to his mother and several others in their social circle. His father was wearing his McKenzie tartan proudly as he smiled happily. Connor had never seen his father look so cheerful. Their resemblance was startling, however, Connor had never seen it so when he was growing up, or perhaps he denied it as his father behaved like a troll. But then again, perhaps he was the problem. Maybe his absence made his family happier.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, or he’d had any chance to look for Sabine, he heard his named being called.

“Connor?”

Turning around quickly, he saw Duncan standing before him with a keg of ale in his arms. Duncan wore a loose fitting white shirt and the traditional McKenzie kilt. Duncan had been too young to compete when Connor was last on McKenzie lands, it made him realise how much he’d missed. Duncan’s red hair was a similar length to Connor’s, with the same amount of curl to it. His eyes were the same piercing green as Merida’s and their mothers and his body was a lot leaner and he’d lost all his childlike features. Duncan was a man.

“Ye are home,” Duncan scoffed, dropping the ale keg to the ground and making his way toward his brother.

“Aye,” he nodded. “Hello, Duncan.” Smiling carefully at his younger brother, Connor extended his arms slightly.

Duncan took the invitation gladly, embracing his brother in a tight hug, crying happily that his brother was home.

The commotion between them had caught the attention of the townsfolk, who began flocking around them instead of the competitors. Connor heard several whispers of ‘Sir Connor’ as they realised who had returned.  

Soon enough the cheering and whooping returned as ‘Sir Connor’ had finally come home. Connor didn’t want to have to deal with any of it though, he had missed his friends and his land, but there was one thing that mattered to him above anything else, and she was nowhere to be seen.

“Duncan,” Connor said hurriedly, as the crowd began to gather. Spying his family in the middle of the field, he could see that they had noticed something was going on, though he didn’t know if he could be seen from where they were standing. “Have ye seen an English lass? She’s golden hair, a bit lighter than mine and blue eyes. She’s no’ very tall … an’ well she’s the most bonny lass ye would ever see in your life.”

Duncan appeared puzzled. “No, I don’ recall – English?” he repeated the last word with a smirk. “Why would an English lass be here? Da’ would have her hung an’ quartered, ye know what he’s like when it comes to the English.”