Free One & Only by Kara Griffin

no desire to be amongst
the MacHeths.”
    Each and every one of the guard
knelt before her. Their swords pointed upward and they each placed a hand over
their hearts. They began chanting something in an unknown language. Bree had a
sudden urge to laugh. What strange fellows they were. She had no idea why they
felt the need to kneel in front of her and so she smiled at their peculiar
behavior.
    “My men give you a great honor. They
have sworn to protect you for the rest of their lives.”
    Bree was astounded. “Why ever would
they do that?”
    “You show dislike for our enemy.
‘Tis honorable of you. You may rise,” the tallest warrior said to the guard.
The men stood and continued to grin at her.
    “Why would my dislike honor them?”
They were a confusing lot of men. Bree looked at each of them and felt somewhat
comforted by their presence.
    The tall warrior frowned. “Because
ye don’t want to wed the MacHeth.”
    Upon saying the MacHeth name, the
warriors all spat on the ground and mumbled blasphemous words. She was
beginning to like the Gunn soldiers.
    “You must be Laird Gunn.” Bree
curtsied, as was his due. How she knew him to be the laird, she didn’t know. He
had that look of commander about him and certainly was their leader.
    He neither smiled nor frowned. “Aye,
Laird Gunn.”
    “I would like to bargain with you,
if you have a mind.”
    His left eyebrow rose. “Bargain?”
    “Aye, I do not wish to go to the
MacHeth laird and to wed his choice.”
    A light-haired warrior stepped
forward. “Are ye not the laird’s intended?”
    “Nay, I was to wed one of his
followers. Does that matter?” Bree began to panic, and her heart tensed. If
they only came for her because they thought she was to wed the laird, then she
was done for.
    All of the men shook their heads.
“Any MacHeth as a husband would bode ill, milady,” a light-haired warrior said.
    “If you give me safety and protection,
I shall reward you with my treasure. The trunks are filled with salt and herbs.
I assure you it is of good quality. I had heard salt is of value to you. Will
you accept my bargain, Laird Gunn?” She waited for his answer, and he gave a
slight nod. She’d been on a fool’s errand, because they certainly didn’t need
to consent to her bargain. They could have taken her treasure without force and
left her to fend with the MacHeths on her own. The laird’s agreement relieved
her though.
    “You will ready to leave,” the tall
warrior said, before turning away from her.
    Her heart started beating
ferociously. “Wait.” She didn’t know why his leaving disheartened her. Panic
set in for a few seconds until he turned back to her. Bree was relieved when he
stepped closer. For some reason the warrior calmed her. It was an anomalous
feeling, because someone like him didn’t seem the kind to calm anyone.
    If she was of sound mind, she’d be
groveling at his feet begging him not to hurt her. But she relaxed and smiled,
not knowing what to say. “Laird Gunn, will you introduce me to your men before
we leave?”
    “Step forward and present yourself,”
he said, stepping back to allow his men room. The men scrambled forward,
knocking each other in their haste to stand before her.
    “I’m Duff, milady. Your laird’s
commander-in-arms.” He bowed. “At your service.”
    Bree curtsied to him and noticed he
kept his frown in place. He seemed a dubious nature, similar to the laird.
    Two men stepped forward, both
smiling. One had light hair, the other dark. “I’m Kenneth and this be James.
We’re your laird’s guard.”
    She smiled back. They certainly
seemed of a more pleasant nature than Duff and the laird.
    Two more men stepped forward, “Colm,
milady, and this is Sean,” a dark haired man said. They both bowed.
    “It is a pleasure to meet you all. I
am Bree this is my friend, Cait. Cait, all is well, you can come out now. Cait
is my dearest friend and lady’s maid.”
    The men looked at Cait and she
smiled