In the Arms of a King (My Warrior Lover) (3 page)

‘Who are these people?’ she asked.

‘They are my people. The Picts who belong here – true Scots who are as much part of this land as the grass and the trees.’

‘I don’t understand…what’s all this about?’

Blaine looked at Sabina, his expression serious.

‘What’s this about? It’s about reclaiming what is rightfully ours. What the Romans took from us, we want back. What you see here, Sabina, is the beginning of a revolution.’

***

This was the moment that Blaine had been waiting for all these years. Throughout the days when he was exiled to the Orkney Islands for safety, he had dreamed always of the day he would come home.

And now that day was here…and it was as good as he expected.

Camlan was the only place in the world where he felt truly at home. And although it was not the finest village in the world, it was the place where he belonged. This was where his people lived. And here they were in spades – the men and women who had promised to await his return. The faithful who would now join with him to overthrow the enemy and return their world to its rightful order.

As they walked towards the heart of the village, the cheering rose from the occasional shout to a crescendo of joyous exclamations. Many people shook Blaine’s hand as they passed. Some of the faces he recognized – men who had been boys when they last met, girls who had grown into attractive young women. Other faces were strange to him…much had changed since he last walked these lands. Then there was the most familiar face of all, his brother striding towards him.

They met at the center of the clearing, and embraced heartily once more – reaffirming their kinship in front of the applauding crowd.

‘Welcome back, Blaine,’ Talorc said. ‘You have been sorely missed in these parts.’

‘Well now I’m back – and I won’t be leaving this land again. This is my home, and this is where I will stay, whatever the consequences.’

Talorc looked at Sabina, and as his eyes took in the tunic, he became a little wary.

‘What’s this my brother? You have brought a Roman into our midst? An enemy into our own camp?’

‘She’s no enemy, Talorc. It is because of her help that I am here as a free man. She has already proved her loyalty to me beyond question. We all owe her a debt of gratitude. I will explain later, but for now, I would like our womenfolk to take good care of her. We have had a long and tiring journey, and she needs to be rested.’

‘As you wish, Blaine.’

Talorc called over a woman who was standing at the front of the assembled crowd, while Blaine spoke briefly to Sabina in Latin.

‘Sabina…go with Agnis. You will be quite safe, and she will take care of you. She will ensure you are bathed and dressed. I have business to attend to, but I will not be far away. I will meet with you again, later. OK?’

Sabina nodded her agreement, and the woman led her away.

***

Sabina followed the woman called Agnis with some misgivings. Her thoughts had only been concerned with being near Blaine. But now she was beginning to realize the consequences of her actions. Here she was, miles away from her family and the safety of the fort – stranded in the middle of the forest with these strange and savage people. She trusted Blaine…she felt he would look after her. But the situation was still strange and scary.

Agnis was a woman of about forty years of age. It was clear that she had once been a looker, but the ravages of time and a hard life had given her wrinkles and a deeply-lined face. She looked suspiciously at Sabina, clearly uncertain as to how a hated Roman could have won favor. She took Sabina to a roundhouse that was sparsely furnished but clean. There was a barrel of water, and Agnis gave Sabina a large square of clean linen by way of a towel. She motioned to indicate that Sabina should undress. A few moments later, Sabina was standing naked in front of the barrel, washing herself in the clear water and feeling refreshed.

Agnis brought her clean clothes to wear. They were made from soft wool, and were surprisingly comfortable. Better still, they didn’t mark her out as a stranger, as her tunic did. She dressed quickly, the cloth uncomfortable against her skin. She wished there was a mirror so that she could see herself – the Roman woman transformed into a warrior princess.

There was a shadow in the doorway. Sabina turned to look and saw another woman standing there. She was dressed in finer clothes than Agnis, and had the bearing of someone who is used to enjoying authority. She was younger, too – perhaps late twenties – and she was undeniably good looking, with jet black hair that flowed down to her waist, and breasts that heaved on her chest. There was a heated exchange of words between the two Pictish women, and Agnis left in a hurry. The new arrival turned to Sabina. To Sabina’s surprise, she spoke in near-perfect Latin.

‘So you are the witch I have heard about,’ she said. ‘The Roman infidel who has come here to betray us.’

The woman advanced into the cabin, standing threateningly close to Sabina and staring her in the face. Sabina was taken off guard. ‘I don’t know what you mean. I have not come here to betray anyone.’

‘And you expect me to believe that? I am no fool. I am Eithne, and my name means something around here. You will soon discover that. I don’t know how you wheedled your way into Camlan, but I want you to know you are not welcome here. I see your game…I have met women like you before. You think you can seduce Blaine with your Mediterranean looks and your soft, unblemished skin. I bet you’ve never done a day’s work in your life – too busy being pampered by servants. But believe me, I am onto you, and I will be watching you like a hawk. I will not allow you to take away what is rightfully mine.’

Sabina stepped back, a little shocked at the onslaught. This wasn’t the idyllic new world she had been hoping for. She had never expected to make enemies.

‘You’re mistaken. I didn’t intend to end up here. None of this was planned…it just kind of happened.’

Eithne looked at Sabina with contempt. ‘Oh, really? Now let me guess. I bet it all just kind of happened when you hitched up your skirts and flashed your tits…is that right?

‘Eithne…that’s enough.’ Another voice now – a man’s voice barking from the doorway. Sabina turned and was relieved to see Blaine standing there, glaring angrily at Eithne.

‘Sabina is here at my invitation,’ he said. ‘I expect everyone here – including you, Eithne, to treat her with respect. Otherwise, you will have me to answer to. Is that clear?’

Eithne glanced from Blaine to Sabina with fury in her eyes. All of a sudden, Sabina understood…everything began to make sense. There had once been something between Blaine and Eithne…a relationship that she still held a candle for. And learning that Blaine had brought Sabina here had dashed those hopes. Sabina had never heard the expression ‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,’ but she sure understood the principles.

Eithne said nothing. She pushed past Blaine and stormed out into the clearing beyond. Blaine didn’t give her so much as a second glance. His attention was focused on Sabina.

‘I’m so sorry,’ he said. ‘You should not have had to tolerate such nonsense. I will make sure it doesn’t happen again.’

‘I’m OK. She scared me a bit, that’s all.’

‘You have no reason to be scared. I will ensure that you are well protected.’

Sabina looked into Blaine’s eyes. ‘I know there was something between the two of you. I can see that is why she was so angry.’

Blaine shook his head. ‘Not from my point of view…there never was. When we were children, she was pledged to me in marriage. And she expected that promise would be fulfilled. But I was not the one who made the pledge. Eithne is a fine woman in many ways, but I have never loved her. And I make my own decisions in life. When I marry, it will be for love, not politics.’

‘Then she means nothing to you?’

‘Nothing, I promise you. Please don’t dwell on that incident…it‘s all behind us. We have more important things to worry about.’

But Sabina was not satisfied. ‘She said she will not allow me to take what is rightfully hers…what does that mean? And where did she learn to speak Latin?’

Blaine stroked his chin, as if trying to work out what he should say. ‘You remember I told you that I was one of several children raised with the Romans? Eithne was another, along with Talorc. Her father was what you would call a nobleman…an important man in Camlan, but not as important as my father.’

‘How could your father be more important than a nobleman?’

‘He was the most important man there was,’ Blaine replied. ‘He was the King of the Scots.’

Sabina was silent for a moment. Now things were beginning to make sense. Now she could understand why Blaine was shown so much respect.

‘So it was your father who made the treaty with my people?’

‘Yes, that’s right.’

‘And when the Romans killed him in battle, they had slaughtered the King of the Scots?’

‘Exactly. And that was the end of the rebellion. I and the other children had already been sneaked to safety by then, but it was clear the Romans could not allow me to live. So I was sent away to the Orkney islands until the time was right to fight back.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Sabina said. ‘Why wouldn’t the Romans have let you live.’

‘Because I was heir to my father’s throne,’ Blaine replied. ‘And now I have come back to claim my birthright.’

‘Wait a minute…are you telling me that you are now the ruler of these people.’

Blaine nodded solemnly. ‘That’s right. I’m the King of the Scots.’

3: A Very Angry Woman

With her mind still reeling from all this new information, Sabina followed Blaine to the center of Camlan, where a long, wooden hall had been built. The room was filled with wooden trestle tables, and at the far end, a fire blazed in the giant hearth. The room was already filled with people, and as Blaine and Sabina entered, another cheer went up. Sabina was glad she was wearing Scottish clothing…she didn’t stick out like a sore thumb anymore.

But the rousing welcome got her to thinking about Blaine. She had assumed him to be just another disenfranchised Scot, a typical Pictish warrior angry at his treatment under Roman rule. But it was clear now that there was far more to Blaine than muscles and testosterone. To these people, he was as royal as the Emperor of Rome himself. Everyone treated him with respect, and every man and every woman in the village seemed delighted to have him in their midst. There was an air of expectation that she found fascinating. She sensed that these people had been waiting for this day to come for a very long time.

At the far end of the room, next to the roaring fire, a longer and larger trestle table was set slightly apart from the rest, turned at a ninety degree angle and raised on a wooden platform. Talorc was already seated there, and as Blaine and Sabina approached, he got up to welcome them. Blaine sat at the center of the table, facing the rest of the room, and Sabina was seated on one side of him, with Talorc on the other. Sabina could sense many pairs of eyes studying her with interest. No doubt they were all wondering who she was, and why a Roman woman was seated at the head of their table. It was a little scary, but she could not worry about that. She could only trust Blaine to ensure that she was safe.

Each of the tables was already laden with food. In truth, this was a banquet that even the wealthiest of Romans would have been proud of. The return of their king was clearly a major event, to be celebrated in spectacular style. Sabina could see plates of beef, pork, venison, mutton and salmon. Goblets were filled with wine and mead, she could see vegetables and fruit of every variety she knew, plus a few that were new to her. But despite the abundance of food, no-one was eating. Almost as soon as Blaine had sat down, the crowd began clapping, stamping their feet and drumming on the tables. Sabina didn’t need to speak Scottish to know what they wanted. They were demanding a speech.

***

Blaine surveyed the applauding crowd with a mixture of pride and foreboding. Yes, it was great to be back here amongst his people, and to be so well received. He had feared that maybe he had been away too long, that they would have forgotten him and his father. But instead he had been given a hero’s welcome, one that he knew only too well he had yet to earn. The battle had not been fought yet, and certainly had not been won. Euphoria over his triumphant return counted for nothing in tackling the Romans. They had yet to prove themselves. But for now, he knew that the priority was to establish himself as their leader – the new King of the Scots. And that meant making a speech that would rally his people to his cause. He stood up, and silence fell around the great hall. Everyone was waiting to hear what he would say. Blaine only hoped he could deliver.

‘Talorc, Eithne…and all of my people. I thank you all for your very generous welcome.’ The silence was broken by another thunderous round of applause. When this had died down, Blaine spoke again.

‘I have waited for this day for many years. As you know, the last time I walked in this valley, my father was your King, and I was a mere boy. In those days, we were a proud clan, the rulers of this ancient land of ours. Now my father is dead, and the responsibility of restoring our pride has fallen to me. I do not take this honor lightly. I know that there are many fine warriors here who would make great leaders. And if any of those men wish to challenge my authority, now is the time to do so. Is there anyone here who would dispute my right to rule?’

Blaine paused, and the silence that fell over the hall was more intense than ever. Glances were exchanged around the room, as people nervously checked to see how others were responding. But no-one had a word of defiance to speak. The silence remained unbroken, until Blaine spoke again.

‘Very well, then. I take that to mean you are all with me, and I thank every one of you for your commitment. But I warn every one of you that the road ahead is not an easy one. The Romans are formidable enemies with resources and manpower far beyond our imagining. They are very organized, and their armies are well trained and disciplined. They have built an empire that extends to parts of the world thousands of miles away. We must never, ever, underestimate the power of our foe. But despite the difficulties, I know we can win…because we are Scots. And we have the determination and the strength of character needed to prevail.’