Dunluce by Lori Imdad (readict txt) 📕

right for both of them. On the day that they married the whole village witnessed the love that had grown between them and after the respect he gave their lady. When he died the whole village mourned bitterly, not only for the loss of their Lord, but for the loss of him as a neighbor and friend. She had become an integral part of their training and led them as well as LairdLord Colla had done. So, they protected her as they had protected their Laird. 

They left the castle grounds through the gateway, moved across the bridge down into the village and finally made their way towards the forest which would lead them onwards toward Castle Kinbahn. They would make camp along the way just before nightfall, but needed to cover as much ground as possible today. As they journeyed forward she turned looking back at her home, then the village many times until she could see it no more. The journey ahead would be long and they had miles to go before they would make camp. She focused on the road ahead and prayed that they would have a safe passage.

The shade of the trees made the ride comfortable, but many things could hide among them and that worried Lady Evelyn. Shane had instructed all of the men-at-arms to keep alert for any possible enemies hiding in the forest. The further theythe travelled from the Castle, the more determined Lady Evelyn became to prepare her men for the battle to return to her home. By the time they reached where they would camp for the night she was not only physically exhausted, but mentally drained as well. A tent was erected for her and the Castle cook began preparing the evening meal .. Lady Evelyn took rest while the camp made preparations for the night. Before long the cook was calling all the men to the meal and she joined them as was her habit since Colla’s death. The men talked on various topics, news about their families, rumors about the King at court, plans for the coming journey and joked occasionally making her smile. Once the meal was over, the men prepared to retire and she returned to her tent. Guards were posted throughout the camp and soon all was silent except for the sounds of the birds and animals of the forest and the periodic sound of the guards moving about. 

Chapter 8 - The New Lord

Lady Evelyn’s thoughts turned to memories with Colla. She spoke to him in her mind, “Aye, we are on our way to Kinbahn. ‘Tis true I know ye wouldn’twouldna have been wanting this, but ye know there twasn’t no other choice.” She continued her discussion with him for some time and finally exhaustion overtook her thoughts. Lady Evelyn was not a heavy sleeper and as the guard passed her tent she would listen to his their footsteps. For tonight, it seemed they were safe.  

Not too far away, another camp was also being settled for the night. Here the soldiers were preparing for a battle to take Castle Dunluce. Sean Hugh O’Neill sat in his tent with his Constable and a few of the Men-At-Arms. They had a map of the Castle and were laying plans for their attack to take the Castle. Sean explained to his men that entrance to the castle was only through the gate tower and that more than likely the guards would be posted here. The men-at-arms looked at the map to determine how they could approach the castle best, but there seemed to be only one way in. The men continued to discuss until the wee hours and then retired for a few hours rest before they would head off toward the castle. Sean Hugh O’Neill and his men were still unaware that the castle was now empty. Sean Hugh had sent two of his pages ahead to scout, but they would not return until after daylight. The camp had settled now and Sean’s thought wandered towards the day ahead. He was not a cruel leader generally, but when the Queen had requested him to take over the Ccastle Dunluce now that when she had received word of Colla’s death, he had no choice but to move. Colla MacDonnell had no male heir and she knew his wife was not equipped to protect the border point where Dunluce sat,, so it was not possible for Dunluce to remain without a Lord. The crown needed to pass the title and responsibility on to a new Lord.

Sean Hugh O’Neill had been brought up in the household of the Earl of Leister and attended Queen Elizabeth’s Court. He was already Earl of Tyrone a title that he inherited from his brother Shane.  At this moment he had no idea what his army would face on their arrival at Castle Dunluce and he hoped that his transition as Lord of the Route would come without too much resistance. had been her choice and so now he was heading to Castle Dunluce with his army to to remove Colla’s widow, Lady Evelyn. He hoped that she wouldn’t fight him and would give up the castle easily. He really didn’t relish going to war with a woman, but if that was the route she chose he would meet her head on. He had heard tales that she was as strong a warrior and leader as Colla had been and it worried him that she might not give in easily. The stories of Lady Evelyn had travelled to him when he visited court and when vistors came to Tyrone from Antrim.

 The sun began its ascent on the horizon. Lady Evelyn rose quietly,; washed with the pot of water she kept for that purpose and did her morning prayers. She could hear the sounds of the camp stirring and the smells that told her that cook was already preparing the morning meal. She packed up her few belongings and asked Shane to have the men take down her tent. She went over to the horses and tied her small satchel onto her horse and then joined the men for a breakfast of porridge and milk. The camp was quickly cleared and soon they were again on their way toward Castle Kinbahn. With luck they would reach the castle before nightfall. 

Chapter 9 - Castle Kinbahn

Lady Evelyn looked out across the sea as the group paused while the army checked the area surrounding to be sure all was safe. They had arrived just as the sun was setting into the water. Lady Evelyn could see the shore of Scotland and understood why Colla chose to build the castle here. This castle was smaller than Dunluce, but it seemed they all would be safe here. 

The group began the descent down to the castle on foot leading their horses by their reins. While the men began unloading the horses, Lady Evelyn entered the Castle tower with the few ladies who had accompanied the group. The tower seemed to have two floors. As Lady Evelyn continued her exploration, the ladies began to clean to castle that had be closed up for nearly 4 years.

Shane watched as Lady Evelyn explored her new home making notes of his Lady's needs for each of the rooms. Finally, Lady Evelyn locates what will be her room. She request Shane to have the ladies come to clean and requests that the men bring her bedding up as well. Then she heads back down to the courtyard to see how things are progressing. Most of the horses have been unloaded and are being wiped down and walked to the stables. The cook was setting up the kitchen and beginning to prepare a meal for the evening. As the men had hunted as they were nearing the castle they would feast on a stew of squirrel with vegetables tonight. 

Satisfied with the progress, Lady Evelyn returned to the Castle and made her way back to her room. She found that her room was already cleaned and the bedding laid for her. Also, her bags had been upacked for her and a supply of bathing water brought into the room. It felt wonderful to bathe and change after her two day journey. Later, hearing the castle sounds return to normal she headed down hoping that all were settling to have the evening meal. It was nearly midnight and the sun had set about an hour ago, Lady Evelyn was beyond exhausted. As she approached the courtyard, she saw everyone had begun to have their meal and she happily joined them. The stew was delicious and gratefully consumed by all. She could hear the men discussing returning to training routines on the morrow and hoped she would join them as well. She stayed to listen a while longer until Shane noticed she nearly asleep on her feet and took her to her room. She mused at why she was feeling so exhausted briefly and then fell into a peaceful sleep with visions of Colla smiling down on her. 

The castle dwellers all settled down for the night with the guard dutifully watching over the grounds, the sea playfully bouncing against the rocks and the stars twinkling overhead. 

Chapter 10 - Castle Dunluce

As Sean and his army began their approach toward the castle it seemed the air was quiet, in fact too quiet. Sean signaled for them to stop. He called his Constable to him and asked him to send a few men ahead to scout the area. He was afraid they were heading into a trap and wondered if Lady Evelyn would really stoop to trickery to keep her hold. 

He dismounted and told the men to do the same. Until the scouts returned he was not going to