Timeless Mist (31 page)

"I see you
have
your mind made
up."

"Yes, I do. So please, let's
not
go too far with
this fiasco. Iain's already explained to me
that
we will
have
to
playact a bit in front of his clan otherwise I still wo
n't
be accepted complete
ly
. Until I learn the ins and outs of this
time, I need to be safe and I
like
to eat. A roof over my head is
quite
nice
too. It's as
simple as
that
."

"Iain would never turn you
out, Kris."

"I know
that
. But my life will be
a lot
simpler if Iain and I
are handfasted. You know
that
because you're the one who brought it up to him."

"Aye, I did. But I did
n't
know my son
was
go
ing
to be such a bonehead
about the whole th
ing
either."

Kris laughed and stood, "do
n't
worry about it. We've
decided to be friends. At least I do
n't
have
to be tied to
someone I hate. No matter what happens, it's for the best right now."

 "If you say so."
Sorcha sounded unconvinced, but hugged her and nodded. "Shall we find some
proper cloth
ing
to
clean in? The keep is
very
well kept and I make sure it stays
that
way, but it could still do with a more thorough clean
ing
before the handfast
ing
."

Kris nodded and they both dug
into the chest, decid
ing
that
trews would be
easier to move in than gowns if they
were
to get the keep cleaned.

*          *          *

Iain smiled to himself as he
strode out of the Greathall and started towards the lists. Now
that
he
had
Kristianna's aye, he
could turn his mind to more productive matters. Such as train
ing
Devyn to be a warrior. Mayhap
he would also take a moment to speak with Raibert and inform him of the upcom
ing
events this week.

He reached the lists but stood
back a bit, arms crossed in front of his chest as he surveyed the go
ing
s on. Several men
were
involved in a wrestle a
good distance away, while others jousted or practiced their archery skills. Iain
was
more interested in
watch
ing
Raibert and
Devyn, who
were
back
at their train
ing
after the noon meal.

Devyn
had
the basic movements down well enough, but
he would need to work on his tim
ing
and technique a bit more if he ever wanted to best Raibert. Sweat plastered the
lad's hair to his head as he worked hard to fend off Raibert's attacks.

"Care if I ha'e a go at him,
lad?" He asked Devyn when they stopped for a moment's respite.

Devyn looked up, startled.

"My laird." He said
with a small bow in Iain's direction. "'Twould be my pleasure to see ye
grind him into the mud as he
has
done to me all morn
ing
."
He grinned impish
ly
at
Raibert, who threw his head back and laughed.

"Ahh, laddie, ye ha'e your
father's wit I see. Go on wi' ye then. Take your wee, scrawny self off for a
bit of a rest. Let the men be about their business."

Iain laughed along with Raibert
when Devyn stuck his tongue out at him. He did
not
,
however, refuse the offer of a rest. Walk
ing
to the far wall, he dunked his head in the barrel full of rain water and
grabbed a drink from the wineskin hung close by, then sat with his head against
the wall.

"Watch and learn now,
lad." Iain said with a grin on his face.

Sparks flew as the men's swords
met in a satisfy
ing
clash of steel. The other men stopped what they
were
do
ing
and formed a
circle around them, Devyn now among the crowd. Iain ignored them, concentrat
ing
on what his captain did.
Lack of concentration in a battle could cost lives.

Iain and Raibert
had
trained together as
lads. Raibert taunted and laughed as he parried with Iain, but Iain ignored his
insults as well. Until the right moment. Their swords came together again in a
fiery show. Iain countered Raibert's strokes wait
ing
and watch
ing
for
that
one moment. When it
came, he
was
prepared
for it. With a quick attack, he knocked Raibert's sword from his hand, the
point of his own blade rest
ing
against his captain's heart.

Raibert laughed,
"peace." He held out a hand and Iain helped him to his feet, at the
same time he whispered, "congratulate me, I am once again betrothed."

Raibert put a f
ing
er in his ear and wiggled
it around a moment. "Tell me I dinnae just hear ye aright." He said
final
ly
, his eyes
wide.

Iain laughed at his friend even
as he sheathed his sword. He clapped him on the back, "come, let us
adjourn to the hall for some ale and I shall tell ye of it."

Devyn fell into step beside him
and Iain slung his arm over the lads shoulder.

"Ye are welcome to join us,
lad."

"I would rather go join the
other lads for a bit, my laird."

"Of course. Ye may take the
rest of the day for yourself."

"Thank ye, laird."

"By the way, 't
was
a fine show
ing
ye gave this morn. Ye
are com
ing
along well
in your train
ing
. Mayhaps
on the morrow I shall take some time to instruct ye for a bit. Would ye
like
that
?"

A grin split Devyn's face as he
nodded.

"Off wi' ye then. Go enjoy
your day for I will nay be so easy on ye as Raibert appears to be."

"Thank ye laird." Devyn
ran off to join the lads in a game of ball as Iain and Raibert continued to the
Greathall.

"Now," Raibert said as
soon as they
were
seated at the table and the maid
had
left them with a jug of ale, "tell me what in the name of all the blessed
saints did ye mean when ye said ye are betrothed again? Too who? And when did
this take place?"

"Slow down, Raibert. I will
tell ye the entire tale." He took a deep drink before he proceeded to
explain e
very
th
ing
to his captain and
friend.

Raibert listened close
ly
then let out a low
whistle when Iain reached the end.

"So, Kristianna and I are
now betrothed. I will make the announcement tonight and at the end of the se'nnight,
we will ha'e the handfast
ing
ceremony."

"And the lass is agreeable
to this?"

"Of course she is. I told ye
she agreed to it."

"Well, aye. But I cannae
understand a lass say
ing
aye when ye ha'e nay e'en attempted to woo her or court her."

"Aye," Iain looked at Raibert,
took a
not
her long
drink, but did
not
look up this time. "I wished to speak wi' ye about
that
as well."

"About what? Ye doonae wish
me to court the lassie for ye, do ye?" Raibert looked ag
has
t.

"Nay. Of course I dinnae
wish ye to do the
like
.
I just thought ye might ha'e some woo
ing
ideas for me to use. I know this is nay
really
supposed to be a real marriage, but still, I think the lass deserves a bit of
court
ing
just the
same. Dinnae ye agree?"

"She is English, ye
know." Raibert sat back in his chair and stared at Iain.

"I realize
that
. But
that
doesnae make her less a
woman does it?"

"Nay. I'm just nay sure how
to go about woo
ing
an
English lass."

"How much different could it
be than woo
ing
one of
our own Scottish lasses? They are all women and 'tis fair
ly
sure I am
that
they all
like
pretty
much the same types of th
ing
s when it comes to mak
ing
them feel as if they are
nay despised, mayhaps e'en desired." Iain debated on tell
ing
Raibert the entire truth
about Kris.

"Aye, ye ha'e
that
aright."

"Ye are ne'er lack
ing
for women. I on
ly
wanted some ideas on how
I can at least make Kristianna more comfortable wi' the idea of be
ing
wed to me."

"I dinnae think the lass
will be much amenable to a quick kiss and a cuddle in a darkened corner,
Iain."

Iain sighed heavi
ly
and looked at Raibert,
one eyebrow raised.

Raibert put up a hand. "I
know,
that
'tis nay
what ye ask for. Ye wish to know what comes before
that
, aye?"

Iain nodded.

"Fine, then. Here is what I
will do. I will gi'e ye all the th
ing
s
I do to woo a lass into my bed, and ye pick which ye wish to do. Mind ye,
howe'er,
that
nay all
the lasses fall will
ingly
into my arms begg
ing
to be bedded by my sweet self. Some lasses I must actual
ly
work on a good
ly
bit before
that
is
accomplished. I will tell ye what I use wi' those.
That
should help ye to make Kristianna feel
wanted and desired. Dinnae go too far, I warn ye. Else ye will be play
ing
wi'
that
lasses heart and I
dinnae think your
màthair
,
or mine come to think on it, would stand for
that
.
Before ye use any of these th
ing
s,
make ye certain
that
ye
are will
ing
to pay the
cost of them. Is
that
agreed?"

"Aye."

"Good. Then I shall tell ye
all I know." He glanced around, then looked back at Iain, "we should
mayhaps take this conversation elsewhere. I wouldnae wish any of the lasses to
hear. Least of all either of our
màthair
s."

Iain nodded and stood, agree
ing
with
that
wholehearted
ly
. Iain decided
that
he would
have
to tell his friend the
entire tale of where Kris
really
came from, as well as his
màthair
.
He sighed, wonder
ing
how Raibert would take it.

Chapter Twenty

"What are ye wear
ing
?" Elsbeth asked,
her mouth agape.

"Ye ha'e seen me wear trews
before, Elsie." Sorcha interjected.

"Aye, but nay in years. Why
are ye wear
ing
them
now?"

"We ha'e news for ye." Sorcha
beamed. "Iain and Kris are to be wed."

"What?" Elsbeth grabbed
Kris hands and squeezed, "when did this come about?"

"Just today actual
ly
. Iain asked and I said
yes."

"Oh, lassie, I am so happy
for ye." She hugged Kris tight
ly
.

"Thank you," Kris
smiled and returned the hug, look
ing
over at Sorcha question
ingly
.

Sorcha shrugged as if to say she
left the decision to tell Elsie the truth of it or
not
to Kris alone.

"It's
not
quite
love at first sight, Elsie if
that
's what you
were
think
ing
." Kris said, pull
ing
away. When Elsie just
looked at her, she hurried to explain the situation. "So you see,"
she concluded, "it's
not
because of love or car
ing
that
we're gett
ing
married, or handfasted. It's
most
ly
out of
necessity."

"I see."

"It's
not
as bad as all
that
." Kris smiled. "I'm
fine with it. Iain and I are friends and I would
really
like
it to stay
that
way."

"'Tis none of my concern,
lass." Elsie glanced at Sorcha as she hugged Kris again.  "
That
still doesnae explain
why ye are both dressed as street urchins."

Sorcha laughed. "We are go
ing
on a clean
ing
and cook
ing
campaign, Elsie. Would
ye care to join us?"

"And why are we do
ing
such a th
ing
?"

"For the celebration feast
of course. We shall celebrate the handfast
ing
within the se'nnight."

"Then I might as well join
ye, otherwise I ha'e the distinct feel
ing
I might ha'e to hide."

They all laughed then Elsbeth set
about help
ing
Kris and
Sorcha plan what needed to be done, in what order it would be done and argu
ing
good-natured
ly
about what would be
served.

"I
have
the perfect gown for you, Kristianna."
Sorcha snapped her f
ing
ers.

Kris looked up from the list she
was
writ
ing
.

"I would be honored, lass,
if you would consent to wear my wedd
ing
gown."

Kris choked on her coffee. Elsie
was
quick to jump up and
begin to pound her on the back, but Kris waved her away and raised her arms
above her head. It might be an old wives tale, but it worked e
very
time.

"Ye are as bad as this lady
here wi' her odd ways." Elsbeth shook her head as Sorcha laughed.

"As I
was
say
ing
," Sorcha turned
back to Kris, "if you would care too, my wedd
ing
gown would fit you
quite
nicely
,
I believe."

"But Sorcha, it's on
ly
a handfast
ing
. It's
not
like
a real wedd
ing
right? It's on
ly
for a
year and
not
meant to
last forever. I'm
not
sure I want to make a big deal out of this and turn it into some kind of fancy
production."

"Pooh." Sorcha made a
face at Kris, "whether a handfast
ing
or vows said before a minister, 'tis still a day for you to feel special. And
you never know what the future will br
ing
.
Besides, it will make a good show for the clan."

Kris sighed, know
ing
she
was
fight
ing
a losi
ng
battle. Sorcha
was
stubborn,
almost
as stubborn as her
son.

"But I thought a handfast
ing
was
no big deal. You just stand up and state
your intentions to wed or someth
ing
like
that
and poof, it's done."

Sorcha laughed, "nay lass,
not
quite
that
simple. There is a ceremony, and such a practice is taken
very
serious
ly
in the Highlands. After
both you and Iain state your intentions to enter into this union, you clasp
hands and a cord of three strands is looped around your wrists then tied in a k
not
. This handfast
ing
k
not
is a symbolic representation of oneness
between the two of you. In a show of unity, you become bound to each
other."

"Aye, lass," Elsbeth
continued, "it is a beautiful th
ing
if done correct
ly
. Near
e'er th
ing
about the
ceremony is symbolic to some degree. The three cords, for instance, are white,
for purity, red for passion and green for friendship and fertility."

"I never thought it
was
so elaborate. I always
thought you stood before a crowd, stated
that
you would wed each other and as long as it
was
done in front of witnesses, it
was
finished and you
were
wed or betrothed."

"Oh, there is much more to
it than
that
. Although
that
will suffice in a
pinch. Follow
ing
the
declarations by you and Iain, then comes the Pinn
ing
of the Tartan."

"What's
that
? I do
n't
think I've ever heard
that
term before."

"Since you are marry
ing
into the clan, it will
be done thus
ly
. Any
member of Iain's fami
ly
will present you with the clan tartan. Some clans use a sash or some such; we
use a pin, which is fastened with the clan badge. This is pinned to you as
acceptance into the groom's clan. I will be do
ing
that
."

"Wow."

"Aye, wow." Sorcha
said, and Elsie laughed.

Sorcha rose from the table and
went to her wardrobe pull
ing
out the most beautiful dress Kris
had
ever seen. It
was
deep
blue in color and worked with embroidery, pearls and what looked suspicious
ly
like
sapphires. Kris gasped and stood up.

F
ing
er
ing
the soft material of the
gown her eyes met Sorcha's, who nodded.

"You should try it on, lass.
Then we will know what needs to be altered. You are a bit shorter than I
am."

Kris snorted, "I'm shorter
than just about e
very
one,
Sorcha." She laughed. "I do
n't
think there's anyone here except the children who are
n't
at least several inches taller than I
am."

"Aye, lass, ye are a tiny th
ing
." Elsbeth chuckled.
"Come on wi' ye now, let's get
that
gown on ye so I can see what must be done to it afore ye wear it for your wedd
ing
."

Kris rolled her eyes, but
complied nonetheless. She figured she would
n't
win against both Sorcha and Elsbeth anyway so she might as well go along for
the ride.

As she'd suspected, the gown
needed to be hemmed a good four inches as well as be taken in, both in the
breast and hip areas. Elsbeth set to work, humm
ing
as she quick
ly
marked
where and how much the dress would need alter
ing
.
Finished, she whisked the dress off Kris and set to work, snipp
ing
and sew
ing
while Kris put her trews
and shirt back on.

"Okay, now back to our
lists." Sorcha sat back down again, Kris join
ing
her.

*          *          *

"She is what?" Raibert
choked on his ale.

"Ye heard me aright. Kristianna
is from the future. From the year 2008."

"Ye must be jest
ing
. 'Tis nay
possible." Raibert shook his head.

"I am
quite
serious. My
màthair
confirmed it."

Raibert quirked a brow, "I'm
afraid to ask this, but" he took a deep breath, "how would your
màthair
know this?"

"Because she is from a
similar time."

Raibert blew out a breath, shook
his head, looked at Iain, and tried to continue to breath normal
ly
. It
wasn't
work
ing
.

"Ye will tell me the entire
tale." He final
ly
wheezed.

Iain nodded and began fill
ing
Raibert in on all he
had
discovered. It took him
a good part of the afternoon, but final
ly
,
amid a myriad of questions, he got the tale out.

"'Tis nigh onto
unbelievable." Raibert spoke a good
ly
while after Iain finished. "If anyone else
had
come to me wi' such a tale, I would ha'e laughed in his face."

"Aye, I know it. If my
màthair
had
nay confirmed it wi' her
own tale, I ne'er would ha'e believed Kristianna." He shook his head,
"'tis still hard to grasp it all."

Raibert nodded. "And ye wish
me to tell ye how to woo this lass? Ye must be daft and witless. I wouldnae
e'en know where to begin, Iain."

"I dinnae think the woo
ing
of a woman would so
intimidate ye, Raibert." Iain laughed.

When Raibert just scowled at him,
he continued, "it doesnae matter. Just gi'e me some of your ideas and I
will see what will work and what willnae."

Raibert let out a gusty sigh, but
complied.

When he
was
finished, Iain
had
a plan. He thanked Raibert and went in
search of his betrothed.

*          *          *

Two and a half hours later, the
three women descended to the Greathall and set to work. Gather
ing
the maids and a few of
the muscular male servants, they began clean
ing
.
E
very
th
ing
was
dusted, swept, and polished. The tapestries
were
taken down and
given a good brush
ing
,
even the large hearths
were
swept out, with fresh logs placed in them afterwards in readiness for a fire. The
tables
were
polished
to a high shine, as
were
the candlesticks.

The tallow candles
were
replaced with sweeter
smell
ing
ones, which
Sorcha informed Kris she'd taught the clan how to make. "I ca
n't
stand the smell of those
tallow candles. We use them as they are less expensive, but for this upcom
ing
occasion, we will use
the
nice
r ones."

"I would
have
to agree with you on
that
one." Kris
grinned, "they certain
ly
do smell
a lot
better
than the other ones."

"And what ha'e we
here?" Iain asked glanc
ing
around at all the activity as he came to stand beside Kris.

"We are clean
ing
and gett
ing
ready for the
celebration of course." His
màthair
smiled at him. "There is enough to do and see to
that
e
very
one
will be kept
quite
busy for the next several days."

"Ah huh." He turned to
Kris, putt
ing
his hand
on her arm, "and how are ye deal
ing
wi' all this might I ask?"

Kris grinned up at I'm, "I'm
hav
ing
a blast."

He furrowed a brow at her,
not
catch
ing
her mean
ing
.

Kris explained, "I'm hav
ing
a wonderful time. I love
gett
ing
to know e
very
one and there's no
better way to do it, in my opinion, than when you clean together."

"Good." He smiled at
her then gave his
màthair
a slight bow, "but if I may, I'd
like
to steal her away for a wee bit, with your permission of course,
màthair
."

Sorcha nodded her consent and
smiled at them. "Go on wi' the both of ye. I can handle th
ing
s here for a wee
while." She shook her f
ing
er
at Iain before they left, "just ye make sure ye ha'e her back in time so
she might ha'e a bath and dress for this even
ing
s
meal."

Iain bowed to his
màthair
again, "I
assure ye, she will return in plenty of time." He took Kris' hand in his,
lead
ing
towards the
large double doors.

"Where are we go
ing
?"

"I thought ye might wish to
take a break."

"I suppose it would be
nice
. It
was
gett
ing
awfully
hot in there."

"So a walk would suit ye
then?"