Chapter 28

A Song Of Victory

Four Days Later

Holly and Ragnall stood outside the Crown Thistle tavern. There was no sign hanging outside the stone and timber building—everyone knew the name—and flickering light and loud chatter came from inside. Holly gripped tightly onto her husband’s arm as they readied themselves to go inside.

The night sky hung like a blanket above, speckled with twinkling stars.

It was Ragnall’s first visit to the village since the day they had explored the market and his first time out of the castle since getting his scars. From the outside, he looked as good as new, but Holly knew he had not fully recovered. He could walk around just fine, but he was not able to fight.

Not that she expected him to fight.

“Shall we?” he asked.

“Aye,” Holly replied, gripping his arm tightly.

She had been surprised when he had been the one to suggest going to the tavern. She had been so stunned that it had taken a full minute for her to agree, and even then she had fussed over him. When he had informed her that Eric would be there, she had relaxed a little.

They walked into the tavern together. The music did not stop, but the chatter did. Everyone turned to look at the Laird, including Eric, Mirren, and a few of the castle staff sitting in the corner. Eric looked as surprised to see the Laird as everyone else, and Holly realized her husband had not told his man-at-arms they were coming.

A large, roaring fireplace occupied most of one wall, and the other wall was decorated with tapestries, flags, and paintings. The tavern was filled with history, and the history was accompanied by a fiddler and a drummer in the corner. They eyed the Laird, but they did not stop playing.

“Evenin’,” the Laird greeted. “Why’s everyone so quiet?”

There was a collective greeting from the patrons in the bar, then most of them went back to chatting and telling stories. Eric didn’t, and he shook his head before getting up and approaching the couple.

“Ye didnae tell me ye were comin’,” he said.

“Can I nae visit a tavern whenever I please?” Ragnall asked with a smile.

“Of course, ye can,” Eric replied. “It’s a surprise for sure, but a welcome one. I’m glad to see ye here, Me Laird. But why the secrecy?”

“Because I wanted to hear ye sing, and I worried that if I asked ye for that, ye would have avoided the place.”

“Aye, I might have,” Eric admitted. “But I’ve had me fill of ale so far this evenin’, and I’m in such fine spirits to see ye up and about that I cannae deny ye that, can I?”

“I hope nae.” Ragnall smiled.

“Come and join us, will ye?” Eric offered.

Ragnall agreed, and he and Holly went over to the large table in the far corner. Some of the patrons were still watching the Laird with fascination and amusement, ready to tell the story to everyone the next day.

Holly sat down and felt a thick arm wrap around her shoulders. She looked at Mirren and suddenly felt the urge to cry.

“What a blessin’ it is to have ye here,” Mirren said. “We’ll have some wine brought over.”

“Nay, I want ale,” Holly stated. “That’s what everyone is drinkin’, aye?”

“Aye, it is,” Mirren said with a large smile.

She placed a pint before Holly and poured some ale from the large jug on the table. The jug looked heavy, but she manipulated it just like she did her large chunks of dough in the kitchens.

Mirren picked up her pint and held it in the air. Holly did the same, and they slammed their pints together, making the ale slosh over the rims. Holly laughed and took a drink, the bubbles going up her nose.

She looked across the table to see the Laird looking back at her with a large smile on his face. He was distracted a moment later by Eric, who grabbed him around his shoulders and shook him back and forth. Holly wanted to reach out and protect him, but she let him be. He might feel a little more pain in the morning, but it was worth it to see him laughing and smiling.

She much preferred seeing Ragnall and Eric in the tavern than in the large hall plotting how they would catch Fraser. She felt overwhelmed by the love and friendship not just at the table but also in the entire building.

“A song!” the Laird announced. “Eric promised me a song, and a song we shall have.”

Roars rose from the nearby tables, and everyone at the table banged their pints on the wooden surface. Holly followed suit, becoming caught up in the emotion.

“Aye, aye, calm down,” Eric said, rising to his feet. “Och, I’ll give ye a song, but just this one.”

Cheers erupted around the room, and Holly joined in.

Eric went up to the fiddler and drummer and spoke with them, and a moment later, they started a new tune. Some of the patrons stomped their boots on the floor in time with the tune. Eric got up on a chair, ready to serenade everyone.

When he started to sing, Holly couldn’t help but be captivated by his angelic voice.

“By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes

Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond

Where me and my true love will never meet again

On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond”

There was a round of applause as the first verse came to an end, and Eric gestured for the Laird to come up and join him. Ragnall waved him off initially, but after some cheering, he got to his feet and went to join Eric. He pulled out a section chair, and they sang together.

“O you take the high road, and I’ll take the low road

And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye

But me and my true love will never meet again

On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond”

There was another loud cheer, and Ragnall broke into song again before the next verse could start.

“But me and my true love together, we will be!

On the bonnie, bonnie lassie before me!”

More cheers erupted as the Laird serenaded his lady. He then patted Eric on the shoulder before he stepped down from the chair to let him continue singing alone.

Ragnall went straight to Holly and planted a kiss on her lips. That received the largest cheers of the night. He sat down beside her and wrapped his arm around her. Holly leaned her head on his shoulder as they listened to Eric finish the song.

It was beautiful to listen to, and she felt like she was floating in a dream as she listened to the singing and cheering around her. She did not need any more of the ale. The atmosphere around her was intoxicating.

Eric finished, and the musicians started another song. He rejoined them at the table and had a well-deserved drink. Holly didn’t move—she was much too comfortable, cuddled up against Ragnall.

Eric spoke with Ragnall about old times and how they used to drink together as they plotted. He spoke of old songs and stories that no one else had heard of. Mirren told some stories too, laughing as she spoke—she had become a little drunk.

Ragnall kissed the crown of Holly’s head every so often, and she murmured in delight. She only moved from her spot when he shifted to stand up. She looked up at him, and he looked down at her with a loving smile.

“The drinks are on the castle tonight,” he announced. He didn’t speak loudly, but everyone fell silent immediately and listened. “I ken it hasnae been an easy time these past few years, but our pain has come to an end. Fraser is dead.”

Cheers rose around the tavern, and cups were slammed together before people drank.

“I have tried to lead ye all in the best way I could, but I never kenned what that meant until I met me wife. We will lead the clan together, and we will be stronger together. I want this night to be one of celebration for us all. We celebrate because a man is dead, but I want us also to remember those who died for us. It has been a long road, but we have come to the end.”

Even the music had stopped, and most had bowed their heads.

“I also want to celebrate the reason I am here with ye tonight.” Ragnall reached down and pulled his wife up to stand with him. “If it werenae for Holly, I would be dead. She showed more courage than most when she was spurred into action and stabbed Fraser.”

“We did it together!” Holly shouted.

The celebratory atmosphere returned, and the tavern erupted into cheers again. Ragnall took her hand and held it in the air. The cheering intensified.

It became deafening when he kissed her. Holly relished his touch. He had been in bed for over a week, and she had not wanted to do anything to slow his recovery. As her tongue wrestled with his, she knew that night was about to become even better.

If they were not in public, she would have ripped his clothes off him right there and then, but she needed to calm herself. She wanted to feel his hands on her body again and to have her hands on his, but she could wait. She had waited patiently for over a week, and a couple of hours would do no harm.

They broke apart for air, and Holly smiled, unable to stop herself from doing what came next. She grabbed the Laird by his shirt and pulled him in to kiss him again.

The people around them cheered and laughed. Holly and Ragnall tried hard not to laugh as they kissed each other. Ragnall cradled her head as he kissed her as if she were the air he breathed. He was her calm within the storm, both in the tavern and in life.

Their second kiss came to an end, and they both sat down again. Holly was slightly out of breath.

“Aye, ye have a fine woman there,” Eric boomed.

Holly lifted her pint and clinked it against Eric’s. She knew that first impressions were not everything. She had gotten a bad first impression of the Laird and had never thought she would fall in love with him. She had also gotten a bad first impression of Eric and never believed they would become friends.

Of course, her first impression of Mirren had been spot on. She knew from the moment she met the older woman that they would be friends forever.

Ragnall leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “I love ye.”

“I love ye, too,” she replied, turning to him, their noses almost touching.

“Our castle is open again,” Ragnall announced. “Ye arenae a prisoner here, and ye never should have been. We can welcome people back in again. We are at peace with the clans around us, and that means our life is good.”

Holly had been hesitating about asking the question, but she mustered the courage (with the help of a little ale). “So, maybe I could invite me sisters to come and visit. I’m nae sayin’ it has to be soon, and I ken ye need to recover first, but sometime, aye?”

“Nay,” Ragnall said. “Nay, ye shouldnae invite them.”

“Oh,” Holly murmured, her hope immediately dashed.

“Ye willnae have to because I already did,” Ragnall told her. “We have a lot to prepare, and I want to make sure I am well first, and yer faither has some things to sort out, but they will visit us next month, and they can all stay for as long as they like.”

“Och, ye are the best thing that has ever happened to me!” Holly laughed, wrapping her arms around him.

“I could say the same back to ye,” Ragnall said.