Waylaid

Chapter 1

"What do ye fear the most Elena? 'tis said that Laird McInnis is a skilled fighter and that his clan wants for nothing. I do hope he carries through with the marriage, our clan is in dire need of any and all aide." Elena shivered at the thought, essentially she was to be sold to the highest bidder and it so happened to be Laird Finley McInnis.

Clan McInnis came from the highlands whereas Clan Chisholm resided in the lowlands, there were more warring clans in the lowlands and resources were becoming scarcer.

Elena's da had aged drastically since the passing of her younger brother, leaving only Elena and her younger sister Isobel left to inherit the weakened Chisholm clan. For many moons the clan had been subjected to border attacks, it was how Garrick Chisholm had died trying to defend against one such attack.

The hopes for the Chisholm clan name died with Garrick, once Elena hand fasted with Laird McInnis the Chisholm name would cease to exist, instead being absorbed into the McInnis clan as an extension to their already sizeable territory.

Though clan McInnis was in the highlands, through marriage there was a common border between clan Chisholm and laird Finley's clan. It was their luck that there were generations of sons born with very few daughters, Elena wondered what it would be like to belong to such a family.

Elena's family were never overly affectionate but they had been full of love, especially her mama. She cherished all three of her bairns, but her heart broke on that terrible day. Every time Elena saw her ma now it was her eerie wail that echoed in her mind, every time she was saddened she would remember that noise that escaped from her mother and a tear would roll down her cheek.

She hoped that where ever Garrick was, he was looking down on them and protecting them all.

"I'm nae sure 'tis a fear that I have, maybe 'tis an uncertainty. The question has rolled around in my mind so many times that the answer is never the same, the only thing that remains the same is the feeling that the future is never certain and I cannae say that life will be happy and that laird McInnis will honour the agreement. Will he agree tae wed me in a years time? He may grow weary of me in that time." T'was Elena's biggest fear, that laird McInnis would find her lacking, especially as a future wife.

"Come now Elena, ye will make yerself sick with worry if ye continue to think like that. Laird McInnis is said to be an honourable man, yer da would never agree to such a much if he had doubts in his mind." Elena tried not to scoff as her maid tried to reassure her, nothing was certain about a hand fastening. It would be agreed that Elena and Finley would live as husband and wife for a year before their wedding ceremony.

"Isobel, 'tis fact that men and women hand fast but decide before the year has ended that they are not a good match." Elena did not voice her doubts again, she knew it would do her no good and instead squared her shoulders.

Despite the low standing of her clan and the poor state of the keep, she was proud to call the place home. Loch Alainn was beautiful in the winter, it often froze over enough to walk out onto the ice.

The first time, Elena would never forget the first time she stepped out onto the ice and the echo it made when Garrick had jumped onto it. The very sound penetrated her bone, right to her soul and she felt it even to this day.

So many memories, good and bad, tied Elena to her home.

Everywhere she looked a memory would flash through her mind, it would make her feel a variety of feelings but she would remember each with a fondness that would never wane.

"Aye, 'tis known to be so. But mayhap ye and the laird will be different, mayhap you will fall in love." This time, Elena did scoff at Isobel's words. They were very close in age, Elena counted Isobel as close as a sister.