Chapter 12

12

T he shock and emotion of the evening had worn off, leaving Elvira drained. She stifled a yawn. Relief entered her heart as she returned to the village, although she half-expected enemy warriors to leap out and attack them again. Thankfully, this did not happen. Instead, she was greeted with the sight of Torrin, Isla, and her family rushing out of the tavern when they heard a horse approach. Rory brought the horse to a stop and dismounted. He held his hand out, assisting Elvira as she came to the ground. Her fatigue was dulled by the sight of seeing her family. Tereza and Ollie came rushing towards her, wrapping their arms around her waist. She kissed them both on the head. Mirella had a concerned look on her face, as she knew more about what had transpired.

"Oh, Elvira, we're sae glad ye are safe. We hae nae idea what hae happened. We're sorry. We never should hae left ye by yeself," Isla said. Torrin looked guilty.

"It's nae yer fault. I pulled the door closed, thinking that ye could use some privacy. I never should hae trusted those men," Elvira said, admonishing herself for enjoying even a moment of complacency.

"Was it him?" Mirella asked as she drew Elvira in for a hug. Elvira bowed her head and nodded, wearing a sick expression on her face. Mirella exhaled slowly, a haunted expression on her face. . Elvira could see the lifetime of trauma that Mirella had endured, and how much had been taken from her. She had lost a daughter, a son in law, and now almost a granddaughter as well. How much was the world going to take before its hunger had been sated? They did not mention Laird McKovac's name, still wanting to protect Tereza and Ollie.

"They said bad men took ye," Tereza said.

"Aye, well, they were greedy and and they were rogues. They dinnae get very far before Rory caught up tae us," Elvira said. Her siblings eyed Rory with suspicion. They may have been children, but they were not stupid. They knew that he had turned them away, and must have wondered why he had gone to these lengths to save Elvira. They did not give rise to these questions, though, nor did they have a chance because Torrin was already clasping Rory's shoulders, congratulating him for his heroic efforts.

"I knew that ye hae this in ye. Ye cannae hide yer true nature forever. Ye are a good man Rory. With this and the swords ye made, I'm sure that everyone is gaeing tae trust ye now. I'm glad ye hae seen what's required tae keep people safe," Torrin beamed.

Rory shot him a look of concern as he looked around, worried that one of Glennrock's agents might have overheard. However, the early hour meant that the area around them was barren. Elvira was shocked to hear this news, however. She turned towards Rory.

"Is this true?" she asked.

Rory pursed his lips. He said nothing.

"Aye it's true. And they are the finest swords I hae ever seen! I cannae wait tae see what he is gaeing tae forge next," Torrin said.

This time Isla chastised him, muttering that he should keep quiet. Torrin gestured around, shaking his head, but Elvira's attention was solely on Rory. He had changed in every aspect. No, that wasn't quite true. He hadn't changed at all, he had just allowed his true spirit to be seen.

Elvira turned away from her family and closed the distance between her and Rory. "Ye are daeing the right thing," she said softly.

"I hope sae," he replied. Then, he smirked. "I suppose all it took was hearing the right words. Maybe part of the reason why I was sae angry was because ye were right."

Elvira didn't smile at all. She searched his eyes, seeing the soul that lay beyond them. "I was nae, Rory. Ye are nae a coward at all. Aye, ye may hae done cowardly things, but that dinnae make ye a coward. Yer heart is true. Ye proved that when ye came after me, and putting yeself at risk in the name of helping the villagers. I am glad that ye are seeing the truth of the world," as she spoke the last remnants of resentment turned to endearment. She had been cold to him even after he had rescued her, not even thanking him for his efforts. She wanted to change that now. She gently placed her hands against his waist and rolled forward, wrapping her arms around his back and kissing his cheek softly. She felt the strong trunk of his body and the powerful strength that lay coiled within him. Her lips bristled with heat as she brushed his cheek. At first he seemed tentative, but then his arms opened and they welcomed her inside, his fingers pressing against the small of her back. There was a part of her that didn't want to leave, that wanted to stay with him all night and uncover his secrets one by one. He was shifting before her eyes, as though only now she was seeing his true nature, and she did not wish to turn away.

In fact, seeing his actions tonight made her recall the words her mother had once told her. She blushed, and was silent as she was led away to bathe and recover from the night.

The children had been sent to bed. Mirella was tending to Elvira, who soaked in warm water. The aches of the night eased away from her muscles. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.

"I feared the worst," Mirella said.

"I was nae gaeing tae let them take me tae him," Elvira replied.

"I thought we would be safe here."

"We are. Rory brought me back, and these people are making efforts tae defend themselves. If McKovac daes attack this place they will be ready, and we can help defend them."

Mirella made an uncertain murmur. "I'm nae sure about that. I'm just glad ye are back with us. I wish I was able tae chase after ye," she reached into the bath and squeezed Elvira's hand. "Although it seems that ye hae yer own personal guard," a playful tone entered her voice.

Elvira blushed. "I would nae gae that far."

"From what Torrin said he dinnae waste a breathe in chasing after ye. As soon as he realized ye were gone he raced out of the tavern, leaving all but one of his swords behind. He reminds me of yer Da."

Elvira frowned. "In what way? He's nae Romani."

"Nae, but yer Da would hae done the same thing for Maria. That's all ye can hope for in this world, tae find someone who will fight for ye. He seems like a good man, at heart."

"Aye," Elvira's heart was warmed by Mirella's words. There was definitely some form of attraction between herself and Rory, although she thought that some of it might be caused by her fatigue. She still wasn't ready to accept these feelings when there were matters that were unresolved. "But it still dinnae change the fact that he turned us away. I want tae know why he was sae reluctant tae help us."

"There's only one way tae find that out" Mirella said with a twinkle in her eye. Elvira's lips curled into a smile, and she sank deeper into the water, the temperature seeming to increase as she thought about Rory.

Rory was led into the tavern. Torrin poured him an ale, while Isla got him some food.

"Look at ye, lad, a real hero," Torrin said.

"I'm nae hero. I just could nae let her be taken like that. It was nae right."

"Which is why ye are a hero! And these swords…ye hae outdone yeself, lad. I was nae expecting anything as fine as these!"

"Dae ye think she will be well?" Rory said, his gaze turning towards the door. Torrin's attention drifted away from the swords. He came to stand beside Rory and patted Rory's shoulder.

"Oh, I think she'll be just fine, and she might be grateful as well. Perhaps ye should come by later, and she might tell ye what lies in yer future. Something tells me it could be something sweet," there was a conspiratorial tone to his words, and it rankled Rory.

"Leave the poor lad alone, Torrin. He did a good thing taenight. Ye dinnae need tae gae putting ideas intae his head," Isla said, and then turned to Rory. "Ye just take pride in daeing a good thing. That poor lass dinnae deserve tae be hounded like she was taenight. We are gaeing tae hae tae be careful about who we let intae the tavern. And we cannae let her be by herself."

"Nae, well, something tells me she's gaeing tae hae a lot of company soon enough," Torrin chuckled as he stared at Rory again, while Isla playfully slapped her husband on the shoulder. She told him to take the swords and get them somewhere safe before people started coming in for breakfast. Meanwhile, Rory left, needing to return to the forge after a long night.

As he left the tavern, he spared a moment to look up at the upper level of the tavern, trying to sense which window housed Elvira. He felt like there was more to say, and after being so close with her, it seemed strange to be returning to his forge alone. He opened the door, walked in, and was greeted by the soft mewing of Ginger, who seemed to sense that Rory had had a tough night. Ginger slipped around his feet and stretched her its neck against Rory's ankles.

"Oh, dae I hae a story tae tell ye, Ginger. I think I lost my mind taenight," he said. But that wasn't the truth at all. The truth was that he had found his mind, and his heart. He couldn't have lived with himself had anything happened to Elvira. Even now, the thought of her being in danger made him light-headed. He was tempted to charge back to the tavern and stand guard by her door. But he held himself back.

He knew that he wanted to see her again, though. The gratitude she showed had been easy and effortless. When she hugged him, she embraced him with her entire body and soul. The tenderness of her lips lingered against his cheek as well. When he closed his eyes, he was back with her on the horse, their bodies close together, moving to the cantering rhythm. He swallowed a lump in his throat and groaned a little, for he knew that he had invited trouble into his life after having spent years keeping it well away. However, while he had made an upstanding name for himself, he had only managed to push everyone away. He thought that he was safer when everyone he cared about was far away, but it had just made his life empty. Knowing that Elvira was in direct trouble had awakened something inside him, and it was not something that could be quelled again.

He would not allow that to happen.

Something had shifted inside him, and it was all because of Elvira. She had exposed him for the fraud that he was, but he had risen to meet his destiny. He had been too complacent with his own life, forgetting that other people suffered. And now, if McKovac was coming for Elvira and these lands, then he was going to have to get through Rory first. Rory staggered to bed and fell onto the mattress, utterly exhausted from the night's exertions and high emotion. He slept better than he had done in a long time, for his soul was at peace, and the inner conflict was no longer troubling him.