A Love to Discover (Loving in the Highlands 2)

'I have heard that Murgan is dead,' Ainslee says, lowering her voice to almost a whisper and widening her eyes.

'Yes, Calem killed him yesterday,' I say proudly.

'Oh, thank you,' Ainslee says to Calem, not knowing how else to express her gratitude. 'The moment that I heard he had kidnapped Elsie and was holding her in the dungeon, I wanted to kill him myself. And at night I heard from the warriors that he was killed, but I did not know any details. I am so happy that he will not be here anymore and will not make our lives hell. We will live together, all of us, happily and in peace.'

I and Calem look at each other.

'I am also happy Ainslee that he is not here anymore,' I say, 'but we are not staying here. I and Calem are going to live on our own lands, but we will visit you often.'

Ainslee looks at me for a second before she realizes what I am talking about.

'I will miss you, my girl,' she says, 'but I will be happy for you, knowing that you are well and happy. I will love to see you visit me, as well as Megan – I have missed her, too.'

'Of course, she will also visit Bedigalhall, now that Uncle Murgen is not here anymore,' I say. 'She is the Lady of Domnhall now, and is the wife of the Laird,' I add proudly, even though I know that Ainslee probably knows the details of Megan's marriage.

'Oh, really? I did not know,' she gets sincerely surprised. 'I only knew that Megan had got married, but I did not know all the details,' she adds happily. 'Oh, my Megan, my dear girl, she is a Lady of a castle. She deserved it, and I am so happy for her.'

Calem's presence, the tasty food, the positive energy, Ainslee's happy face, and good memories make my morning wonderful.

Ainslee makes a big basket full of food for our trip to Gherland Castle. As there are not many things for me to take, I and Calem are ready to go.

'Elsie, we must take only one horse from the stables of your castle,' Calem tells me.

'Why? We have many horses here, so we can take two,' I say, getting surprised at his suggestion.

'We will mount one horse together and will go to the woods nearby,' he says. 'Achaius, Baigh and Camron are waiting for us there, and my own horse is also there. We will continue from there.'

I agree and we get ready to leave. I hug Ainslee on the steps of the castle.

'Stay well, Ainslee, and remember that we will come to visit you soon,' I tell her.

'Take care of yourself, my girl,' she says. 'I will wait for you and Megan. I will always keep this castle ready for you, and when you arrive, you will feel yourselves at home, like you always have,' she adds, her eyes getting teary again.

I wave goodbye and leave with Calem. We mount one horse together, which is going to be my horse throughout the trip. The horse walks out of the gates of the castle and starts going towards the woods.

Chapter 12

Calem

The morning air is cool and pleasant. Elsie is sitting in front of me, while we are riding the horse. I hug her waist with one hand, while holding the reins with the other. The cool morning air hits her face, making her hair gently sway around and touch my face. I smile, enjoying the feeling, as I hug her waist tighter.

'This is so pleasant and wonderful,' Elsie's thrilled voice is heard. 'I feel like we are riding to our dream future.'

'Because it is so,' I confirm. 'When we reach the Gherland Castle, our dream future will begin.'

'My dream future has already begun,' she says. 'This is the dream future, and it is gradually turning into our dream present,' she adds, giggling.

I love how her giggles get mixed with the noise of the horse's hooves, and then the mixed noise gets carried away in the morning breeze, leaving only her soft breathing and the excited beating of her heart.

We continue riding in silence. The pleasant relaxation that we both enjoy is more wonderful than any kind of conversation. Soon we reach the first trees of the wood, where I have left three of my warriors. They have already noticed me and are now coming slowly to meet us.

'It is so good that you have rescued Elsie,' they exclaim, seeing my beautiful sunshine on the horse.

'Of course,' I say solemnly. 'And now, we shall continue our way to the Gherland Castle,' I add, as I dismount Elsie's horse and mount mine. I pass the food basket to Achaius, and we start moving.

'Our horses are rested and fed,' he says. 'We are as ready as we can be.'