The Scottish army moved out onto the hilly plain, covered in gray mist. They could see the glimpse of the enemy in the distance. William and Katie watched their captains. The spear formations, Stephen with the infantry, Monray leading the calvary and William, Katie and Hamish on horseback, looking out over the field.
Hamish looked around. "The Bruce is not coming, William."
Katie closed her eyes.
"Mornay has come," said William. "So will the Bruce."
One side of the field was ankle deep in water and the English covered it with a layer of burning oil, releasing a thick smoke that covered their movements.
"Stephen ready?" William looked at Katie.
"Aye."
"Then I'm off," said Hamish. He winked at his two friends. "If I don't see you again in this life, I'll see you both in hell."
Katie managed to smile. "I'll be damned if you do."
Hamish rode off and joined the spear men.
William and Katie exchanged glances.
"Do you love him?" William asked at last.
"I do," Katie said softly.
"Is he coming?"
"I don't know."
The English advanced.
Katie sat up straighter. "I see them, William!"
There they where, the ranks of crossbowmen.
Suddenly, William leaned forward. "What the hell…"
Some of the English infantry where wearing kilts and marching to…bagpipes.
Katie looked at her brother. "Irish troops."
Stephen stared at the approach of his countrymen. He heard horse hooves and looked up as William and Katie appeared through the fog. He looked away, ashamed. "So that's where Longshanks got his soldiers. Irishmen, willing to kill Scottish cousins."
"Their families are starving, Stephen," said Katie. "They'll feed them any way they can. If you don't want to fight them…."
"I stand with you."
Katie held his eyes for a long moment, then nodded. "Now!" she shouted. "Give them the dogs!"
Stephen jumped to his feet and waved at the slope behind them. Ten handlers appeared, each holding back a dog. They where huge mastiffs, wearing steel collars with razor sharp protrusions. Their handlers let go and the dogs tore down the hill.
Katie and William watched coolly as the dogs tore into the English line. Chaos broke out. The bowmen couldn't run as the dogs mixed among them. They fired wildly, hitting themselves. The dogs' collars slashed legs and their jaws crushed bones. Even with their back legs hacked off, the frenzied dogs continued killing.
William turned and signaled to Mornay with the Scottish calvary. "Now! Charge them!"
Monray took a long look at William then looked at Katie. Then he turned and rode away, leading the calvary.
The bowmen finished off the dogs and began regrouping.
William and Katie exchanged glances. Then Katie whirled. She picked Longshanks out of the English generals. "Damn him!"
Longshanks and his general watched as Monray and his calvary disappeared.
The general looked knowingly at Longshanks. "Mornay?"
"For double his lands in Scotland, and matching estates in England."
William looked at the hilltop but there was still no sign of Bruce.
"Betrayed," said Katie.
Brother and sister watched in agony as the crossbowmen unleashed another volley. They had no calvary and the men where being slaughtered.
Katie looked at William. "For Scotland." She spurred her horse and raced toward the Englishmen, her sword raised.
William and the rest of the men poured after her.
The English army stopped still for a moment and stared in awe as Katie rode hard toward them. But it was only a moment. The English calvary surged forward to meet them, but Katie wove her way through them, cutting down knight after knight. The Scottish infantry dove in, dragging down horses and hacking at knights. The English bowmen fired again.
An arrow slammed into Katie's shoulder and threw her off her horse. She fell to the mud but was up in a flashing, screaming at the top of her lungs. She ripped the arrow out and stabbed it down the throat of a Knight.
At the English command center, Longshanks and his generals watched.
"My god, and still they come!"
Longshanks shook his head. "Use the reinforcements!"
The English reinforcements surged into the battle.
William was now on the ground and fighting, killing every Englishmen in his way.
Katie looked up as an English Knight thundered by her, heading towards her brother. "William!"
William turned and knocked the knight's lance aside and unseated the rider. He raised his sword but the Knight rolled over and his helmet fell off.
Katie ran up but stopped when she saw... "Bruce?" she whispered.
Shock and recognition stunned William. In that moment, looking at Bruce's guilt ridden face, he understood everything. The betrayal and the hopelessness of Scotland.
Bruce stood to his feet.
William shook his head. "Retreat!" he shouted, never taking his eyes from Bruce. "Retreat!"
Bruce looked at Katie.
All around them, Scots began running and the English let out a raged cheer.
A crossbow bolt buried itself in Katie's thigh but she didn't move.
"Katie!" Bruce took a step towards her, his arms held out.
Another one hit her other leg and she fell to her knees, still staring at him. Tears where now running down her cheeks. Another hit her arm, inches from the other wound.
Suddenly, Stephen appeared on a horse. He jumped down and caught Katie as she started to fall backwards. "Katie!"
William grabbed Stephen's arm. "Get up there!" He took Katie from Stephen's arms.
Katie was staring at the sky, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
William handed Katie up to Stephen and stood back. "Get her out of here." He turned to Bruce.
"I had to," Bruce said quietly. He stepped back. "Tell her I love her."
William turned and ran.
Slowly Bruce fell to his knees and all around him, the noise seemed to die away. Along with his heart.
Longshanks looked over the battlefield, strewn with the bodies of the dead Scots. For now…he was satisfied.
William gripped Katie's cold hand. "Stephen, what's wrong with her?"
"We already removed the bolts. She wasn't hurt that bad. She lost some blood but…but she seems to have just given up."
William looked up. "What?"
"She seems to have given up on life."
William looked into his sister's listless blue eyes. "Katie…Katie…please."
Slowly Katie turned her head and looked at him. "Nothing…" she whispered. "Nothing left to…to live for."
"Yes, there is, lass." William pushed a curl of her hair back. "There is much to live for. Bruce…"
Katie turned her head away.
"Bruce told me to tell you he loved you."