Chapter 2

The throne room was crawling with soldiers by the time Elinor had managed to sneak out of her room. The walls echoed their thunderous cries of indignation throughout the castle and every now and then the sharp clash of steel against steel pierced the air. The few servants she ran into avoided eye contact as they scuttled passed her, eager to put a safe distance between themselves and the room of armed warriors. A few of the more daring servants were hiding in the outskirts of the crowd and Elinor envied their ability to go unnoticed. She had been forced to find refuge behind a stone pillar barely larger than herself. Her view dismal at best, the tightly packed soldiers making it difficult to spot the three strangers. Standing on her toes she tried to find where the heart of the mob when a fortunate shift of a lance revealed their tell-tale red hair.

Someone had given them simple rags to wear, torn and dirty from their trip up to the castle. Elinor could just make out from her hiding place the two guards stationed on either side of the men and the tight rope binding their hands out in front of them. The strangers were just as riled up as the soldiers, fighting against their bonds and growling at any guard that got too close. One of them did nothing but stand with his shoulders thrown back and chin held high. His eyes were murderous. She recognized him instantly as the second man.

Elinor wiped her sweaty hands on the side of her dress and clung to the stone wall she hid behind. She shouldn't be down there- her father had specifically told her to remain in her room when he had found out what had happened. But despite his outrage and scolding and worry she couldn't bring herself to just sit around and wait for someone to tell her an overly exaggerated version of what had happened. She wouldn't have long. The maid who had been not-so-secretly assigned to guard her would realize she was gone soon.

She tentatively poked her head out from behind her pillar and found that she had an unobstructed view of her dad sitting on his throne. His thick beard did nothing to conceal the deep scowl on his face. His demeanor was calm but his gaze was unyielding as he looked down at the strangers. Elinor could tell by the way his fingers curled against the arms of the chair that his diplomatic stance was beginning to waver.

"I ask you again, from where to you hail?" Her father asked gruffly. One of the men let out vicious snarl and he was given a sharp smack with the flat of a blade. She heard an angry roar and suddenly one of the guards was knocked off his feet and sent sprawling on the floor as he fought against the bounded blue-eyed man he had struck. Three more soldiers jumped on him and she lost sight of the group as they all struggled to subdue the enraged stranger. One of the brothers was forced back with a heavy shield when he made an attempt to aid his clansmen. The second brother responded by snarling at her father as though he would have liked nothing but to rip out his throat with his bare teeth.

She certainly hoped it wouldn't come to that. Startling the princess was one thing, but attacking the king? That was sure to lead to bloodshed. Especially with so many warriors so eager to brawl.

Elinor felt helpless. This was all just one big misunderstanding- they had done nothing wrong! She hadn't meant for them to be captured or handled so roughly. They had done nothing to endanger her and yet she was the reason they were being treated like criminals. Strangers or not, they didn't deserve to be unjustly punished for her sake. They were unusual, granted, but they didn't appear to know what they were doing. She remembered the bright look of joy in the first brother's face when she had taken her shoes back. It contrasted horribly against the wide and genuinely frightened eyes she had seen just before being pulled back by an arriving guard into the undergrowth. She shifted nervously, ducking when one of the soldiers came too close for comfort. The crowd was getting restless.

A low rumble came from the second man. "Very well, perhaps a night in the dungeons will loosen your tongues. Take them away!" Her father boomed. The guards made to grab the men and the strangers shook as they fought mercilessly against their ropes. The backs of their muscles bulged and for a second it seemed that the binds would snap apart. A few of the soldiers began to lift their swords up, ready to attack.

The dungeons! Her mind reeled at the thought of those kind blue eyes locked away. She had to do something. The men were getting progressively more violent, sharp cries of pain joining in when the indiscernible growls and shouts.

Taking a deep breath she stepped out from behind the pillar. No one noticed. Another bellow came from one of the brothers, causing the soldiers to rush forward until she couldn't see any trace of the strange men.

"Don't hurt them!" Some of the men standing close by turned her way but did nothing to show they acknowledged her words.

"Leave them alone!" she shouted. The strangers froze at the sound of her voice. Confused, her dad followed their gaze and noticed her for the first time. The guards moved and her father once again came into view. He was frowning.

"Elinor-"

"Dad, they've done nothing wrong." Elinor pushed her way through the crowd until she was between the men and her father.

She could feel the way the room shifted uneasily at the sight of their princess among them, many turning to their king. She had caught her father off guard but Elinor knew he wasn't very happy to see her. He wasn't the sort to be strict when it came to following his orders but when it jeopardized her safety he wasn't very lenient.

"I thought I asked you to stay in your room-" he warned

She interjected, motioning towards the strangers behind her "There's no reason to lock them away"

"Then why do they not speak for themselves" her father said, glaring at the second man.

"They can't. I don't know how to explain but they aren't here to hurt anyone." She turned to the red-headed strangers. She recognized the first man by the way he looked at her hopefully. He had been the one held back by three guards though right now he seemed more afraid than dangerous. "They're just trying to defend themselves" she told the soldiers.

Her father was unconvinced. "Elinor, I've heard enough. Return to your quarters while I deal with them" he said firmly. The first man let out a quiet whimper and offered his hands out to her. The third man was no longer fighting the guards, instead standing timidly with his shoulders hunched. The second man turned his attention to her but remained expressionless as he waited to see what she would to next.

"Elinor" her father said sharply. She hardened her resolve and stepped to the first man. She knelt down before him, grabbing a hold of his outstretched wrists, and fumbled with the rope. It had cut into his skin and some parts had been rubbed raw, blood dribbling down his forearm. The guards protested, stepping forward only to be stopped by the second brother who suddenly rounded on them, baring his teeth as he fought against the soldiers who held his arms back.

The binds came undone and the man rubbed his wrists. Countless swords and lances were trained on the man. He ignored them, smiling gratefully at the princess. Elinor asked if he was alright and he let out a low coo. His eyes stared up at her and once again the nagging feeling that she knew him clawed at the back of her mind.

"They mean me no harm, dad" She said. She moved on to the other brother and started at the knots again.

"That's enough, Elinor" her father called out. She could hear him rise from his throne behind her. Elinor doubled her efforts but her father stopped her hands just before she could finish. The first man suddenly hissed, jumping to his feet.

"No! Wait!" Elinor ran to push the man away from her dad. The red-headed man watched in confusion. He let out a low grumble, looking first at her hands then at her father before lowering his head. The soldiers around them seemed amazed by the sudden submissiveness. He had, after all, been previously trying to wrestle them all to the ground with his hands tied down in front of him.

"Elinor, who are these men?" her father asked her quietly.

She wished she could have answered her father. She wished she could have justified her reason for feeling as though she had to defend these men from an angry mob of warriors and soldiers who were convinced they were dangerous. And who blamed them? They towered over most of the crowd and even her father, who was amongst the biggest and strongest in the room, barely had an inch or two over them.

"I-" she stammered. The first man lifted his gaze to wait for her answer.

The stranger's bright blue stare made her feel like she was missing something. Something important. The feeling was unsettling and she couldn't tear her eyes away. "I don't know. I found them when I was climbing. They don't seem to be able to speak." The stranger smiled again, kind eyes crinkling around the edges as a single red curl fell across his face.

A memory of her mother flashed before her eyes, when she used smile at her just like that. When she used to hold her hands as they sat together and a rebellious coil of her hair would cross her face as she laughed with her daughter.

"Mum?" she whispered.

Her father frowned. "What did you say?"

Elinor stepped back, looking at all three brothers now. They all watched her.

"Dad" she whirled around. "Dad, do they…look familiar?"

He shook his head in confusion "What do you mean?"

"I mean do they look familiar? Look at them- their eyes I mean."

Her dad stared at her for a moment or two before reluctantly giving in and studying the men before him. She hoped her father would see it too. He had to.

The same idea that had taken hold of her seemed to dawn on him. "Where did you find these men?" he repeated again, more firmly than before.

"I told you-"

"The forest? When? How long ago?"

He was getting louder, frightening her with how adamantly he asked his questions. "Just this morning. I've never seen them before today." She bit her lip. "Dad…do you see it?"

"Their hair" he whispered. "A shade like that I've not seen since…" He trailed off, realizing they weren't alone in the room.

"Out." He ordered his men "All of you"

A few protested weakly but he shook his head, holding up his hand as he continued to study the red-headed strangers. They all filed out slowly until the very last one closed the door shut behind him. The room was quiet now.

Elinor could feel herself grow excited despite not knowing why. There was something very special about these men, something that had brought them to their kingdom. Her father stepped forward and undid the rope around the wrists of the second brother. Elinor quickly went before the third, finishing the final knot before smiling at the man. He didn't look at her, instead watching as the second man was freed from his bonds. Elinor wondered if the second was their leader, though he seemed no older than any of them. In fact they looked exactly alike in every way, except perhaps the manner they carried themselves.

"Elinor, are you sure you found these men in the forest?"

"I've never seen them before today" she repeated. She was beginning to think her father knew something she didn't. "What is it, dad?"

"Your mother had hair like this. As did her father before her. She had his eye too. I remember; I saw them for the first time when I first came here to compete for the Highland Games."

"Compete? For what?"

"Your mother's hand in marriage" he said, circling the second man. If the stranger minded he didn't show, remaining still and proud as his eyes locked on Elinor's in that strange and eerie way that seemed like he was trying to look into her.

Elinor turned to her father "Mum's hand? But she chose you…didn't she?"

"Ay, she did" a ghost of a smile crept onto his face "Though not at first"

"Are you taking about the Highland Games- the one where she Notched the Three Arrows?" she asked. The third man stepped closer to his brother, scrunching up his face as he stared at the king. It seemed like her dad wasn't the only one who recognized someone from the past.

"They'll not remember me, it was too long ago and they were too young. Much too young." He turned to her. He must have seen the confusion in her face. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Elinor, I've only seen them once, a long time ago. Your grandfather- he passed on his most distinguishing features to members of his line. Your mother had them and there were three others." He looked over his shoulder at the red-headed strangers watching him closely.

"Her brothers Harris, Hubert and Hamish."

"You mean-?"

"Lass, these are your uncles."