Anise

Five days later anger still boiled within Cameron but not at Drustan anymore. She was mad at herself now. She was angry that she had let him get close enough to break her heart, that she believed that he wasn't going to go off to war, that she didn't follow after him.

Mostly, though she didn't want to be, she was angry that the last words he heard out of her mouth as he left was her hate for him.

The reinforcements had yet to arrive and she hoped they would soon, she knew that whatever battle Drustan was fighting that his men alone wouldn't be able to fight it and that he'd need help.

Though, Cameron did as she was asked of Drustan. She hadn't left the keep in the days he had been gone and she had sent the missive to Fraiser asking for assistance, explaining what had happened and sent it off with a rider as soon as she could find someone who dared to make the trip.

To occupy herself during her self-imposed incarceration in the keep she helped clean – much to all the maids' dismay – and cook. She wandered the keep and made note of the rooms that seemed to have been vacant for decades, and a nursery with furniture that had seen better days.

When she had first found the nursery, sadness had filled her over how Drustan and she had parted ways. Of the things that both of them had said and how it would effect their relationship, it was then she decided she would apologize to him and let him know that she hadn't meant a word she had said and hope he would forgive her.

She was in the kitchen just before supper when a boy of no older than ten ran into the kitchen, his breathing labored, "Riders are comin'!"

"From where?" Cameron asked, immediately taking her hands from the bowl of dough she had been working and Bessa dropped the knife from the carrots of potatoes she was chopping.

"The north m'lady. They fly the Campbell colors!"

Relief swamped Cameron and she gave the boy a soft look, "They're here to help us. To help reenforce the Lairds men against the MacDonalds. Thank you for running all the way up here to let us know." When the boy left Cameron then didn't say a word to Bessa as she wiped her hands on a cloth before heading out to the courtyard.

She was approaching the large entrance when two men on horseback galloped in, stopping their horses only feet from her. A man no older than Drustan with brown hair and eyes dismounted and approached her; he was no taller than six feet but he was as intimidating as Drustan first was to her.

"Go fetch yer Laird," he man ordered obviously thinking that she was just one of the help since she was dressed simply and covered in flour.

Cameron raised her head and looked the man solidly in the eyes before stating as regally as she could muster, "I am the MacLean's lady and the Laird rode out five days ago to stop the MacDonald's from riding on us."

The man straightened up then and bowed slightly, "I am sorra, m'lady, fergive me fer the confusion. We have come ta help again the MacDonald. What would ya have us do?"

"Thank you for being here so quickly. Drustan asked that your men meet him as quickly as you can to the west, he took all the men in hopes to stop them before they got any closer."

"What of the keep?"

"Keep two men here, the others need to go help them." Cameron said, deciding he needed them more than she did. "The ride to the village is a two day ride if you all ride hard." She then pinned the man with a very serious stare. "When you see him please tell him that I'm sorry."

"I will try, lass. Messages are easily forgotten on the battlefield," he told her.

Cameron nodded and told him, "I'm going to go and help finish supper so your two men have something to eat before they rest. Please just send them in whenever your done with them."

"Verra gracious of ya mi'lady."

Cameron gave a small smile and turned, walking back into the keep. Hoping that the man didn't forget.

The next day.

Drustan was covered in sweat and blood, some of it his own and some of it not as he paced back and forth over a hill looking out at the scene that laid before him. There were at least twenty dead men, laying slaughtered in the field not even a days ride from the village they had destroyed.

He turned to see the injuries being treated best as they could, all of them would make it but it would take time for them to heal. As his eyes scanned over the makeshift camp, making sure everything was as well as it could be, his attention then focused on Murray who sat in front of eight of the remaining MacDonald's that had survived the battle. They were injuried, mostly superficial wounds and bruised bodies, nothing they would die outright from. The men were tied and lined up, waiting for any order for him that would decide their fate.

He walked over to them, a slight limp in his walk from where a dying man's dirk had sunk into the muscle, causing a more than painful gouge. When he stopped in front of them none of them even twitched in acknowledgment, "Which o' them can tell me where their Laird is?"

A few of them looked up, another few sneered, but only one said something, "We are nay gonnae tell ya a damned thing."

Drustan just shook his head and added with a false smile on his face, "The one of speaks first will be spared the same fate as the rest."

They looked back and forth from each other, before one spoke up. "He left us two days ago, left with five o' the men."

"Shadup, William, ya coward!" one of them spoke up, trying to kick at the man with his outstretched feet.

"I ain't nay a coward, I am savin' ma own hide since none of ya are smart enuff ta do it." William growled before looking back to Drustan. "I will tell ya wha'eva ya want ta know."

"Why would ya betray yer clan? Do ya know I will slit the throat of yer laird when I get my hands on him?" Drustan asked, leaning in closer to the man named William.

His eyes met Drustan's as he said, "Some clan. That bastard of a Laird has been killin' us off one by one. Forcing us ta go inta battle with otha clans that we 'ave had ties with fer generations ova nothing. An' if we donnae go he'll starve and kill our families." The man scoff and kept going, taking this time to finally bring to light his displeasure with his Laird, "Then look wha' he did. He left us here, sayin' ya would nay attack us first, said yer a coward and ya have killed us all."

"Where has he gone?"

"Ta yer keep, he plans ta attack while you and yer men were away. He knew ya would take them all and leave it undefended."

Drustan immediately stood straight before looking to Murray, "They must have circled around us. Take a horse and some men and ride back, the Campbells should have arrived by now but I donnae want them ta be taken by surprise. I will ride afta ya when I deal with the rest o' this camp."

Murray nodded and quickly gathered the same amount of men the MacDonald had taken before they all grabbed horses and took off in the direction of the keep.

Drustan stood there for several moments pondering what should be done with these men and with this camp. He wondered if they should just take the men as prisoners and lock them away in the dungeons, or if he should save himself the trouble and kill them now.

Finally, Drustan waved over one of his men, Murdock – a stocky man more bloodthirsty than a pack of wolves but even more loyal – and when both of them stood before all the men now looking up at both of them from the ground he asked. "What should be done ta these men?"

"Bled dry, ma'lord," he replied with no thought to the words as he looked at the men with blood thirsty intent.

Drustan nodded his agreement before looking to William, that man that had so easily betrayed his clan to save his own life with little more than a few words on his part, "And what o' traitors?"

"Strung up and hung, like a traitor should be."

"Ya said ya would let me live! Ya said ya would let me go!" Willaim screamed at him, immediately beginning to struggle, his arms bulging as he tried to break free of the ropes.

Drustan shook his head, leaned down and grabbed the man's face in one of this hands. Gripping it hard as he said, "Nay, I said ya would be spared the same fate. You will nay die the same way but tis nay any way I will let a man who betrays his clan ta go and betray another." He roughly released the mans face and looked to Murdock again. "I will leave ya in charge of dealin' wit' this and caring fer the camp. Make yer way back ta the keep as soon as the men are able."

Drustan just turned away and began walking to where Stomper was eating a patch of grass not to far from the camp he listened to the men scream at his back. He just ignored them as he mounted his horse and quickly urged it into a full paced run, the only thing on this mind was making it back to the keep to make sure Cameron was safe.