Chapter 25 – The Vow

They were taken to a room in the castle where Jamie sat a moment to recover as the men moved about bringing in clothing and other items. It was a storage room at best and there were the three guards, Rupert, Willie, and Lizzy all crammed into the room with James MacTavish who was taller than any of them by at least head and shoulders.

Lizzy sat beside him. The blow made an impressive lump, but did not have blood with it. She sighed and looked at him as he rose to his impressive height. She stood near him watching.

Rupert came to him and smiled. "Ye'r a bawherr late, laddie, bit ah hardly blame ye." He said looking at the lass as she settled herself on a stack of bagged oats.

Lizzy blushed and Jamie shook his head. Everyone thought they had been sneaking about to find their pleasure not because Jamie had been stopping her from running away and possibly being dragged back to face his uncle's justice for betrayal of the clan. Perhaps that was better.

"Willie! fetch some claes fit fur th' laird's nephew, 'n' hurry jimmy." Rupert said.

The younger man who had been there scurried off as Jamie looked to his wife. She looked most unhappy there.

"Lizzy?"

She looked up at him. "I'm sorry."

"Dinna fash yirsel yersel' nonen."

"How is your head?"

"Fine." He smiled. "Mah sister jenny says it's harder than an iron pot."

She had to agree. He had nearly been killed by an ax and now this. She folded her arms and then gasped sharply causing every man in the small room to look at her. Jamie shifted to her, his eyes looking at her in concern and then his eyes dropped to where she was rubbing against her belly.

"Urr ye weel?" He asked as she took a calm breath.

"Yes. Just kicked hard in a rib." She said.

He nodded and lifted a hand to touch the spot. She moved her own hand looking at him as he smiled a little. He stooped. "'ere noo, bairn. Yer hurting yer momma. We need ye tae bade in thare fur a few mair months. Dae nae be sae raucle wi' her." He said before pressing a kiss to the spot and then leaning up, stole one from the mother.

There was a polite cough. Jamie turned his head and sighed as Willie stood there with a starched shirt, trousers, a length of MacKenzie plaid, and a metal pin to hold the plaid at his shoulder.

Jamie moved and pulled the trousers on under his kilt and the removed his kilt with ease as he moved to button the trousers. His wife watched in slight amusement that he would not just strip naked here. There was nothing she had not seen of him and she doubted among men it made little difference.

He looked at his wife and gave her a lop-sided smile as he then pulled off his shirt, keeping his back to the wall as he pulled on a new one that had decorative lace on it.

Lizzy lifted the pin. "Luceo non Uno." She said reading. She looked up. "I shine, not burn." She said.

"Aye. Th' Mackenzie motto." Rupert said behind them.

The others in the room raised their mugs toasting. "Slàinte mhath!" Came several calls in the room.

Jamie sighed and took it, lifting it in his hands. "Ah cannae wear this. Ah'ament a Mackenzie." He said. "Dae ye ken whit mah motto is?" He asked. "Oor motto, ah mean fur oot clan?" He asked looking to his wife.

She cocked her head. "No."

He looked up and then in good French spoke. "Je Suis Prest."

She blinked and nodded.

He tossed it into a bucket as Rupert reached for him to help. He looked to his wife. "Gang fin' a steid in th' loaby, lass." He said softly.

He offered a hand to help her down off where she had been sitting. She took it and maneuvered off the sacks with a considerable lack of grace with her bulged body, but then managed to stand. She brushed herself off and walked toward the door.

Je Suis Prest. I am ready, she thought. Ready for what?

She walked into hall. People seemed to notice her and looked her. She walked to one side, taking some wine to sip as she stood watching the various men pledge their allegiances to the laird. Beside him, Dougal now stood with Hamish seated on the step. Letitia had gone to find a drink and stood with several women. Dougal was holding little Ellen, in her best clothing, a MacKenzie tartan about her small shoulders, wearing a crown of heather in her hair as she played with her dolly not paying attention to anything going on about her as her head rested against her uncle's shoulder, small body on his arm.

She heard a rather odd hush come over the crowd as Jamie stepped into the hall. She looked about at the reaction of the clansmen. She cocked her head, but a hand laid on her arm and she was pulled to the side by Murtagh.

She looked at the godfather of her husband startled. "What is it?"

"Come lass."

"Why is everyone so tense? It is just Jamie."

He pulled her close to him. "If Jamie pledges his-sel tae Colum he wull be in line tae be laird. He haes Mackenzie blood thro' his maw."

"But Hamish and Dougal have a claim."

"Aye. Thay an' a' dae, bit th' scots ur tanist mah dear." He watched Jamie advance slowly, head down a little. "If enough o' th' clan waant Jamie tae be laird efter Colum dies, he wull be."

Lizzy looked at the mousy man beside her. "Perhaps Jamie would be a good leader for the MacKenzie."

"Aye, bit his uncle Dougal wants tae leid efter Colum. If Jamie steals th' oath, than Dougal micht murdurr him thare afore th' laird he juist swore tae."

Lizzy paled and looked to where Dougal stood. He noticed Jamie there before Colum. He leaned and spoke to his brother. Colum stiffened a little and Dougal shifted the small bundle before him.

"What if he refuses?" Elizabeth asked starting to realize the danger. Surely Dougal would not kill Jamie in the hall with his daughter there watching. Dougal's face was sour, but he held his niece with such care. He nodded to a large man nearby. He leaned to him and spoke softly. He looked directly at Lizzy and she met his gaze only a moment before she looked down.

"Jamie is living at leoch 'n' as a healthy fighter, he haes na choice tae be 'ere. If he refuses th' men in th' loaby wull nae allow him tae lea th' loaby alive." He looked at her. "Nor ye, ellen, or th' bairn ye carry. Colum micht save ellen as an innocent, bit he wid nae be able tae halt thaim harming ye a'd wager, even though yer neither scots or a jimmy. Ye wid be th' guidwife o' a traitor carrying a bairn he sired 'n' ye wid be blood at th' laird's feet as weel."

Lizzy swallowed hard. "We should not be here." She realized that she was in mortal danger and wondered what she could do.

"Whaur else wid ye gang lassie? ye baith hae prices oan yer heids. Ye wid nae lest ootdoors leoch fur mair than a week atween th' Watch 'n' Randall." He looked at her. "If he hud stayed awa' fae th' castle this nicht, Colum wid hae let it gang."

She closed her eyes and took a sharp breath. "He was bringing me back to the halls." She looked at her tall husband, full head and shoulders above those about him as he moved forward slowly with the line of MacKenzie. "Oh God! This is my fault."

"Aye, lassie. It's." Murtagh agreed folding his arms.

Lizzy looked at him. Murtagh was a good man who always spoke his mind, but this time she would have appreciated some comforting words not him pointing out that it was because her that she and her red headed husband could be executed then and there.

All she could do was watch helplessly as her husband became the next person in line. A large MacKenzie clansman came and pulled her to him. She felt like an elf as he moved, holding her arms, as he walked forward. She noted Murtagh made no move to help her and she hung her head in defeat as she walked willingly with the man.

Jamie saw her being held out of the corner of his eye and he took a breath as he looked at Colum as the man before him finished the sip from the cup. Colum was watching him. He too had noticed the young woman behind held, but many clansmen likely thought the young woman was being held because she was faint by how he captor held her to him, it forced her head against his chest. She was pale and eyes wide.

Colum regarded his nephew. Even with Colum on the steps, Jamie was still nearly a head taller than he. It was not until then that Lizzy had noticed the true family resemblance between the three men standing there. Knife-edge noses and broad foreheads, MacKenzie inheritance. Lizzy looked up at the man who held her. He was not tall, though he was taller than she by a few inches, but still looked small next to Jamie, but he was burly and she felt a bit like a hen in the jaws of a fox.

Ellen noticed her father and reached a hand to him, he shook his head slightly. She frowned a little and laid back against Dougal. Lizzy realized that this was a rather firm form of blackmail. She was being held and his daughter as well within his visible range. It was a firm reminder to him that not just his life was at stake. As far as she could make out the clan was making ready to bloody floor either with the tall red-head's blood or that of he and his family together.

His blue eyes rested on his child a moment. She smiled shyly a moment and buried her face against Dougal's shoulder playfully. The little girl had no idea the danger, but it was clear Jamie well understood by the determined shift of his shoulders.

Jamie took a slow breath and let it out as he knelt before his uncle. Dougal stood, a hand going to Ellen's head as he bounced her. His other hand rested, none to inconspicuously on his sword. Jamie then rose to his feet causing a murmur about him as he looked at Colum levelly. "Colum Mackenzie, ah come tae ye as kinsman 'n' as ally. Ah gie ye na vow, fur mah oath is promised tae th' name ah bear." He said.

Lizzy heard a low ominous growl from those of the hall. She saw several reaching for their dirk hefts.

Jamie for his part ignored it and went on. "Bit ah gie ye freely th' hings ah hae, mah hulp 'n' goodwill, wherever ye shuid fin' need o' thaim. Ah gie ye mah obedience as kinsman 'n' as a laird. Ah haud masell bound tae yer word, sae lang as mah feet rest oan th' lands o' clan Mackenzie."

Lizzy shook. The tension you could cut with a knife. It was now up to Colum how to react to this rather unusual way to offer himself. Lizzy knew her life was in the balance as much as her husband's and her breast rose and feel against her bodice as the beefy man held her against him by the upper arms, holding her almost so she was up tip-toe. She was not sure she was breathing.

Colum stood unmoving a moment and then smiled and held out his hands. After a moment's hesitation at the withering look from Dougal, Jamie placed his own hands lightly in Colum's palms. "We ur honored by yer offer o' friendship 'n' guid wull." Colum said clearly. "We accept yer obedience 'n' haud ye in guid faith as an ally o' th' clan Mackenzie."

The tension relaxed almost instantly and Lizzy hung limply a moment as the man held her still, but not with the bruising pressure as before. She panted for air as she released the breath she had been holding. Lizzy thanked God for Jamie being so clever in this action.

Dougal narrowed his eyes and Jamie ignored it as Colum drank from the large chalice.

Jamie smiled and took the cup from his uncle. Instead of the customary sip of the drink to seal the bargain, Jamie tilted the nearly full cup and dank. He kept drinking.

There was a gasp of respect and amusement from the spectators as his powerful throat muscles moved. Lizzy was sure he would need air at any point, but no. He drained the cup and lowered it with a large exhale and inhale as he handed the cup back to his uncle was watching him a rather respectful glance. Even Dougal's tight lipped expression relaxed at that feat.

He beamed then. "Th' honor is mines." He said, a little hoarse. "Tae be allied wi' a clan wha's taste in whiskey is sae braw!"

There was an uproar of cheers and amusement at this. Lizzy almost laughed. So Colum was not the only show-man of the family. His nephew knew well how to work the mob and also had found a great solution to allow his family to bow out of the oath-taking without offense.

Jamie chuckled. Dougal let Ellen down and she scampered to her father who lifted her with a laughed. "Ahhh mah wee yin! 'twas ye charming yer uncles tae let me bide wasn't it?" He joked to her.

She hugged his neck and he kissed her neck looking back at Dougal with a clear look that warned of threatening his family.

Lizzy knew as she was released, how close to death they had been. She stepped to her husband who was getting handshakes and blows to his back in celebration as he stepped back a few paces into the crowd.

Elizabeth looked looked at Colum and Dougal who regarding her. She could easily read that they did not trust her after the incident with the Colonel and she needed to make amends for it. She took a breath and stepped to them. Colum looked at her a little startled. She drew her husband's dirk and dropped in a billow of skirts about her as she dropped to her knees.

The room instantly fell quiet at this rather sharp breach of protocol. She heard her husband turn toward her, but he said and did nothing, just watched, blue eyes burning into her skull from behind.

Colum watched her curious as to what she was doing. Lizzy spoke first in Prussian causing the Colonel to stiffen a little. She pressed the blade to her forehead. She felt Jamie step closer behind her, but still he said nothing.

The whole room was silent as a grave. No woman had ever made a vow. Nor had they been expected to. Daughters and wifes were sworn to serve with their husbands. Lizzy was an extension of Jamie in this regard, but she felt she needed to say something.

After a moment she switched to English. "Colum MacKenzie. You are my uncle through marriage to my husband. Though my oath as a wife is to my husband and his clan, as kinswoman I make a vow to you." She said. She looked up at him above her. "I offer whatever aide I can as a woman and I will use everything I have to offer to protect clan MacKenzie while I remain as guest on the lands." She drew the knife sharply as she held the tip cutting the delicate skin between her thumb and forefinger. She lifted her hand to show him the blood. Colum's eyes widened a little in respect.

Everyone in the room were whispering. A blood oath was very serious and though she was not a MacKenzie, nor even Scottish, she had sworn to aide them. There were still wide rumors about who she was within the halls of Leoch because of the foreign colonel bending knee to her, not the laird. She was a mystery to them.

Colum and Dougal watched her. Colum again lifted his hands out. She took one with her unbloodied hand and he raised her to her feet. She had sheathed the dirk. It was too long and heavy for her to weild properly. He moved, lighting fast to his own dirk, lifting it and cutting his hand on the blade. Dark blood welled as he looked at her, not flinching. He pressed his cut to her own, similarly to what had happened at her wedding with her wrist with Jamie. She still had the long thin scar from that.

He then wrapped both their other hands about the bleeding ones.

"Ah fàilte yer friendship Elizabeth Hohenzollern." He said, pointedly using her maiden name and he said it with little trouble, something she was surprised at. Of course he would know it. She had been married with her true name and he kept their marriage certificate safe in his lock boxes at Jamie's request. "'n' ah fàilte yer vow. Few hae th' courage tae mak' a blood vow tae thair laird, 'n' 'ere ye staun, as a wifie afore me, wha bears a different name, bit ye offer as muckle o' nae mair than mah kinsmen ye wed." He lifted her hands to his lips.

She smiled at him and dipped her head.

He then nodded as the room again became pandemonium as he leaned forward. "Gang tae yer guidman lass. That wis bravely dane. Ah wull speak mair tae ye."

She nodded and sheathed the dirk and then lifted her hand to her lips to lick the blood away.

Jamie wrapped an arm about her as they walked toward the back. Murtagh regarded them as Jamie led his family from the hall to their room.

He put Ellen to bed with a story in Gaelic. Lizzy was sure it was his voice, not that was said that lulled her to sleep. When the girl was asleep, He turned to her. She had been seeing to the cut on her hand. He took a couple steps and lifted it to look at it closer.

"How come did ye offer yer ain vow? ye wur safe as soon as colum made his mynd tae accept us as kinfolk."

She nodded. "But he knows I have kept secrets. I want him to know I will protect him and MacKenzie."

"Yer ainlie a wifie."

"I am a duchess, fifth in line for the throne of Prussia, and I can turn my uncle's agitation into help for the Jacobites."

Jamie blinked. How did she know of that? He eyed her a moment. How had she come to guess such a thing?

She smiled at his confused look. "I know many things, beloved. However, I need a back rub. Your child is in my hips and they ache so."

He smiled a little and then nodded moving to help her out of her dress and then caressing her to ease the pain she was in.