The Scottish Princess

Hand Fast

We slowly walked down the center of the crowd, I noticed the archbishop standing in the center of the alter. His bible was already open and waiting to be read. I took a deep, steadying breath as we neared closer and closer. Clare’s instructions were ringing in my ear, there’s nothing to it. The blade will hurt for a fraction of a second and then the pain is gone. I wondered how Clare knew so much about the ceremony, I didn’t see a scar and she didn’t have an escort so I know that she hadn’t been through it herself. 

Graham and I stood across from each other up at the alter. The archbishop began the ceremony with a reading. I tried so hard to concentrate on what he was saying but I couldn’t focus with Graham’s eyes undressing me. I felt like my brain was on autopilot, thanks to Graham, it was easy to follow along. 

Archbishop handed Graham the blade, it was made of sterling silver and had the word ‘ar m’onóir’ engraved across the blade. “On my honor” was something that you would say to another when you pledge your alliance to them. Graham slowly slid the knife across his wrist, leaving beads of blood along the way. Graham extended his hand and I placed my left wrist in his palm. He stared into my eyes and nodded tightly. I gave him a small smile to ensure him that I was ready. He winked quickly at me before pressing the blade into my skin, it must have been pretty sharp, I couldn’t feel it as it pierced my skin. Graham handed the blade back to the archbishop before placing his left wrist on top of mine. The archbishop then began wrapping our hands while reciting a traditional Gaelic prayer. 

“May God go with you and bless you, may you see your children’s children, may you be poor in misfortune and rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.

May joy and peach surround you both, contentment latch your door, and happiness be with you now and God bless you evermore. May you live your life with trust, and nurture lifelong affection, May your lifelong dreams come true for you, move ever that direction.

May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields may the light of friendship guide your paths together, may the laughter of children grace the halls of your home may the joy of living for each other trip a smile from your lips, a twinkle from your eye

And when eternity beckons, at the end of the life heaped high with love, may the good lord embrace you with the arms that have nurtured you. The whole length of your joy-filled days.. May the gracious God hold you both in the palm of His hands. And today, may the spirit of Love find a dwelling place in your hearts.” 

The archbishop then turned to Graham. Without skipping a beat, he looked deep into my eyes and recited these words, like he had been practicing them for years.

“Ye are blood of my blood, and bone of my bone. I give ye my body, that we two might be one. I give ye my spirit, til our life shall be done. You cannot possess me for I belong to myself but while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give. You cannon command me, for I am a free person but I shall serve you in those ways you require and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.” 

I listened intently as Graham spoke, I was trying to memorize his words and his face. He was pouring his whole heart into the words he spoke, I knew he meant every word. I knew that it was my turn, I prayed that I wouldn’t slip up.

“Ye are blood of my blood, and bone of my bone. I give ye my body, that we two might be one. I give ye my spirit, til our life shall be done. You cannot possess me for I belong to myself but while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give. You cannot command me, for I am a free person but I shall serve you in those ways you require and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.” I surprised myself at how well I did, I was shocked that I didn’t stumble or forget anything. 

Before the ceremony was to conclude, we had to recite the Lord’s Prayer and drink the Blood of Christ. 

“Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is Heaven; 

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe. The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world! Your heavenly will be done by all created beings. Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth. With the bread we need for today, feed us. In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. In times of temptation and test, strengthen us. From trials too great to endure, spare us. From the grip of all that is evil, free us. For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. Amen.” 

Graham and I passed the chalice between one another before he placed it back on the alter beside him. Archbishop blessed our hands as he slowly unwrapped the cord. We were nearing the end of the ceremony, my mind would let me break eye contact with Graham, he radiated joy. We were not officially married yet, but I felt like I was already his. Our bond was so strong already, and I knew that I wanted to do anything in my power to keep him happy. 

I must have missed the ending because, I was snapped back into focus by the wild cheering and clapping from around the room. Our clan surrounded us suddenly, they were shouting well wishes and congratulations. I heard the band begin to play and drinks were being poured all around us. I saw bottles and bottles of whiskey being carried in from the kitchen, I only hoped that Graham would stay away from it this time. 

The rest of the night was a booze filled celebration. I couldn’t keep track of how many people came over to congratulate us. Most of the evening was a joyous occasion, but that ended quickly.

Clare and I were chatting in the far corner of the room and sneaking some shots of whiskey. We were so wrapped up in conversation, I hadn’t felt the dynamic change. Suddenly, I felt a chill down my spine and had the urge to turn around.

I was face to face with a mountain of a man. He struck me as very intimidating, his eyes were soul-less and he had a wicked air about him. The hairs on my neck stood up as he drew closer to us. I felt Clare stiffen defensively and the air became thick from anticipation. I took another step back towards her and tried to shield her from this beast. 

“What are you two Bonnie lassies doing in the corner all by yourself?” He was focused in on me, his eyes searched the length of my body and hovered a little too long on my breasts. I felt violated with his eyes undressing me. He noticed the bottle of whiskey hidden behind my skirt and his eyes lit up. “Being naughty I see.” 

I felt sick to my stomach at the way we was speaking, this lad was up to no good. I suddenly felt the urge to run and grab Graham but I couldn’t leave Clare by herself. I gulped down the lump in my throat and squared my shoulders. I felt my body stand a few inches taller as he took another small step towards us. I don’t know who the f**k this guy thinks he is, but he is making me feel unsafe. 

This man was about 6’2 with sandy blonde hair, from afar he didn’t seem like a man that you would be afraid of, but his eyes were a dead give away to the evil that lived inside of him. He was now standing too close to me, I felt the fire ignite inside of me and I wanted to fight, I would scratch, claw or even bite if I had too. I watched as he reached his hand towards me, he was going for my cheek. I took a deep breath and waited for the right moment. Just as his rough finger stroked my cheek, I swooped my hand up under his elbow and grabbed his fingers. I yanked down as hard as I could and heard a pop. 6’2 went down like a wet noodle and I heard his knees hit the ground. I thought that he would yell or scream or come up and hit me but he just looked up at me from his knees. A wicked smile played at his lips and his eyes ignited with lust. Gross. What did I have to do to get this fucker away from me? Just as I was about to send Clare to fetch help, I saw a strong figure rush up behind 6’2. It all happened so fast that I didn’t realize that it was Graham. It was a blur in front of us, I felt another set of hands rush Clare and I off to the side. Angus was standing in front of us shielding us from the scuffle. Clare was so scared that she curled into me, I pulled her closer to my chest and felt the sobs ripple through her muscles. I tried to peer over Angus’s shoulder to see what was happening but I couldn’t see anything, it was useless. 

I heard a scream and knew that it was Graham. I wiggled out from behind Angus and broke into the center. Graham had 6’2 in a choke hold in the center and there was a dagger sticking out of Graham’s thigh. The rest of the guard formed a circle around the two of them. 

Graham spit some blood onto the floor before releasing 6’2 to the ground. 

“How f*****g dare you come here! You have no right to be in my presence, you already tried to fight me, give it up Frazier!” 

I felt my blood run cold, this is the same Frazier that Angus had told me about, that’s why this guy wasn’t phased when I tried to take him down, he had his sights set on me no matter what. My stomach tightened and my dinner threatened to make a second appearance. Angus put his hand on my shoulder and started to pull me back. 

Frazier was still in the center of the room, they were both covered in blood, but Frazier definitely got the brunt of it. He started laughing as he pushed himself up from the ground. 

“You think that you are all mighty and powerful MacKenzie, but when you let you guard down, that’s when I’ll be near by just waiting for you to slip up. You’re beloved will be mine, no matter what you do, you will not be able to stop me.”

Graham was enraged, he was about to kill Frazier. I wanted to rush up and stop him, but I knew that I would only get hurt. 

“You will never have her, do you understand! You will never have what I have!” Graham was screaming on the top of his lungs. “Get him out of here! You will never show your face within these walls ever again. If you do, I will kill you with my bare hands!” 

The guard started to drag Frazier out of the great hall, he was still laughing like a mad man. 

“It’s no matter MacKenzie! I already have the next best thing! She will never see her precious sister ever again!” 

My heart stopped and I felt the rage bubble up inside of me. I don’t know what came over me but if he actually had Fi, I was going to get her back. I pulled up my skirt and took off across the room, I was going to rip his throat out. I was so close to him before I was scooped up by Graham. He had a tight hold across my stomach as I continue to kick and scream. I felt the rage spill over and tears poured out of my eyes. I felt my muscles go weak and my mind went black. I continued to scream after the guard to bring him back. I needed to know where she was, he wasn’t going to get away with this. I couldn’t stop screaming, I was being hysterical. I could feel the hearts breaking around me as they took in their new Madame, losing her mind over her sister. I felt Graham in my ear telling me to calm down, but I couldn’t. My mind kept going to the darkness place possible. Fiona wouldn’t survive that monster. I could feel the pure evil seeping out of his soul, he would kill her just for sport. 

I could tell that Graham was trying to pull me out the side door. This was no way for me to be acting but I didn’t give a f**k. I couldn’t control my emotions and thoughts any longer, I wanted blood, I wanted to mangle and destroy the hideous man. I felt my hope slipping away the further we got. I knew that Frazier was gone by now. He either escaped or he was in he dungeon. There was an unspoken rule that clan Chiefs could not kill one another, no matter the charges. 

“Isla, please calm down, we don’t even know if he has her. He could just be saying that to get to the one thing that he truly wants, and that’s you. He is trying to get to you, do not let him.” 

As much as it hurt, I knew that Graham was right. What if Frazier didn’t have Fiona, he was just trying to trick us. I tried to calm myself as much as I could but it wasn’t working as much as I wanted it to. My throat felt scratchy and dry, my stomach felt like it wanted to purge, and I felt like I had been caught in a stampede of wild horses. 

“Please calm down prìseil, everything will be fine. If he does have Fiona, we will find her. I need to get in touch with Callan. Last I knew was that they were leaving your parents estate the day after we did. It isn’t a far trip from MacKenzie to Mackintosh.” I felt my knees buckle and Graham scooped me up into his arms and he sunk to the ground. He kissed my temple as the tears continued to flow down my cheeks. 

“I will leave first thing in the morning and head to see Callan. As much as I want to bring you with, I cannot afford to bring you with me. It will be just want Frazier wants, he wants us to let our guard down so he can snatch you away.” I looked up at him and saw the worry and stress in his eyes. He leaned down and kissed me lovingly. I was still so emotional but I needed to keep a level head. I knew that being an emotional wouldn’t help us find Fiona. 

“I will make arrangements for myself to travel tomorrow, but for now, I want to get you in bed.” I was suddenly exhausted, I curled up into Graham and prayed that he wouldn’t set me down. I’m pretty sure that my legs would give out from the loss of adrenaline. 

Graham carried me close to his chest as he walked me inside and headed right for the stairs. 

Graham must have been in a hurry to return downstairs. Because once I was safely inside the room, he kissed me quickly and ran out leaving me with Bridgette and Halley. 

Bridgette had started a fire and led me over to the settee that sat in front of the flames. She slowly started taking down my hair before working on the ties on the back of my dress. After a few minutes, my velvet gown was hanging once more in the wardrobe and she brought me a fresh set of linens. 

“Why don’t you get settled into bed my lady, I will fetch you some tea.” I nuzzled more under my comforter and nodded my head. My stomach had been doing flip flops the whole time and it was hard for my eyes to focus and I had the slight urge to puke. I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering, I couldn’t stop thinking about Fiona, apart of my heart was missing and I needed desperately to get it back. Bridgette returned just a few moments later with a large silver tray with a hand painted tea pot in the middle. 

“I made sure to add some lavender, it will help calm the nerves, and help you sleep.” I guess I didn’t hide my emotions too well. Before leaving, she placed her hand on my shoulder and gave me a tight smile. Halley was right behind her as they headed for the door. 

I could only take a few sips of my tea before I felt my eye lids start to betray me. I carefully placed my cup on the tray beside the bed and settled further into the mattress. I felt safe and warm, I knew that no one could touch me in here. 

Just as I was about to drift off, I heard heavy footsteps on the other side of the door. They were getting closer and closer, until they suddenly stopped at my door. I heard a knock, I knew that it wasn’t Graham, he would have just come in. I didn’t want to risk getting out of bed, so after a while, Angus’s voice carried in from the hallway. 

“My lady, I am here to watch over you. Do not worry, I will be here until Chief returns.” I felt comforted hearing his voice but I wanted to know what the f**k was going on, it was extremely frustrating that no one could tell me what was going on. I flung the comforter aside and slipped into my robe. I shuffled up to the door and gently pulled it back, just enough for my voice to carry through to the other side. 

“Angus, I want to thank you for all that you do to keep me safe and secure.” Without turning his head.

“It is an honor my lady. Chief MacKenzie will be a while I’m afraid, he told me to ensure that you got a good night’s sleep. So if you don’t want to get either of us in trouble, I suggest that you follow that order.” There was some humor to his tone, I knew that he didn’t want to seem demanding, but I knew that he was right, I was exhausted and it wouldn’t do either of us any good if I disobeyed. 

“Very well Angus, thank you, goodnight.”

“Goodnight my lady, sweet dreams.”

I shut the door and shuffled back over to the bed. I was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

The next morning, it was quite chilly in our bedroom. I knew that summer was drawing to a close, it was the time of year where it was cold in the morning but by mid afternoon, you were scorching hot. I hadn’t noticed at first, but Graham’s arms were tightly wrapped around my waist. I must have been tired, I didn’t even realize that he had come back to me in the middle of the night. I tried hard to steady my breathing and quietly turned in his arms, I wasn’t ready for him to get up just yet. Instead, I studied his beautiful face. His long black curls billowed around his shoulders and a little down his back. I hadn’t noticed it until now, but he had a large scar through one of his eyebrows, I wanted to remind myself to ask about it later. I glanced down at his arm, his stitches were healing just fine, they should be ready to come out within the next couple days. His skin is a gorgeous shade of caramel and is so incredibly smooth. I can feel the heat radiating from his body, I don’t know what it is about him, but he mimics that of a furnace. I rested my gaze on his beautiful, thick lashes. They began to flutter as his body started to wake. Before I knew it, his piercing, gray blue eyes were locked onto mine. A small smile spread across his lips as he looked up at me. 

“Are you enjoying the views prìseil?” The shade of crimson, spread across my cheeks. I knew that their was no hiding it, with my porcelain colored skin, you could see my emotions from a mile away. 

“Actually I was, I was also enjoying the silence.” He amusement was gone and replaced with mischief. f**k. Mother was right, I really should learn how to hold my tongue. “My apologizes my lord, I didn’t mean anything by that. I was just trying to be funny.” His smile returned once more before he veered his neck and kissed my collarbone. 

“Good morning lass.” I instinctively started running my fingers through his hair and down his back. 

“Good morning my lord, did you sleep well?” Graham let out a small moan as I started to scratch between his shoulder blades. I giggled as I felt him melt further into me and saw his eyes close once more. He nuzzled his head a little further onto my chest into my breasts. I felt the sparks start to ignite my inner fire. Stay focused Isla.

“I did prìseil, thank you. Remind me to write this into your guidelines.” I c****d my head a bit.

“Are you saying that I am required to scratch you at any point during the day?”

Graham looked up at me through his long lashes. “Precisely. No questions asked. Will that be a problem?” I shook my head and bit my bottom lip.

“Not at all my lord. What else will you require of me?” Graham settled back down on my chest and pulled me closer to him. 

“Give me some time to think about it lass, I am still trying to recover from last night.” We laid together for a little while longer. I subconsciously kept tracing my finger up and down his back, he was so tall I could only reach the middle of his back. 

After a while, Graham looked back at me. “I think that you are wearing too much right now lass.” I looked down at him and noticed him trying to pull down on the tie with his teeth. The top of my chemise fell on either side of my cleavage, exposing a little more of my breasts. Then I saw him playfully nip at the cotton fabric, he was trying to reveal them without exhausting any effort. I started giggle at him as he tried time and time again to grasp onto my chemise with his teeth. 

“Here my lord, let me help you.” I sat up a bit in bed and slipped my arms out of the top the cotton slip. I was completely exposed down to my navel. Graham’s eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. A wide smile played at his lips. 

“That is much better, I wish that I could keep you like this all the time.” 

“I’m afraid that that would be greatly frowned upon.” He looked up and pouted his lips, like a small child being reprimanded. I giggled once more, he was being so cute and playful, it was nice to see this side of him. Before I could say another word, he had his lips wrapped around my peaks. I rolled my head back against the head board and let out a small moan. He began tugging gently, making all of my nerve endings stand at attention. I could feel everything under the covers begin to soften and the moisture was building between my legs. 

Graham stopped suddenly and propped his chin on my stomach. He looked up into my eyes, there was a sense of sadness in them.

“Prìseil, I know that I said that we would wait until our wedding night. But last night made me realize that there is no sense in waiting any longer. I need to ensure that you are officially mine. We are hand fast, but I haven’t claimed you yet. I know that you will be safer when people know that I have claimed what is mine.” 

I knew what he was asking me, but I knew that this is not how he wanted to do this. I know that he is right, even though I would be giving myself to the man I love, to others I would be ‘damaged goods’

“Prìseil, do you consent to be mine? All mine and no one else’s?” A small smile crept onto my lips and I felt my fire re-ignite. I nodded my head and watched as Graham’s mouth turne into a beaming smile. 

Graham started trailing kisses across my skin until he eventually made his way up to my lips.

“I love you prìseil, you are my goddess and my queen, I will forever protect you and love you.” He kissed the tip of my nose and both sides of my face before he shifted his weight. He pulled away from me and walked himself back towards the end of the bed.

 Graham reached up and grabbed both of my ankles and pulled me down to him. I let out a small shriek at the surprise. My chemise had slipped up my back as I slid across the top of the mattress. I held up a finger to signal for him to wait a minute. He c****d an eyebrow,

“Are you trying to tell me what to do?” I bit my bottom lip and shook my head. I proceeded to sit up in bed and took my chemise all the way off. I was now gloriously naked in front of him. His eyes bugged out and he stopped dead in his tracks as he took in the sight of me. 

“You are my goddess prìseil.”

 Graham leaned down and kissed my lips and I felt my body ignite as his tongue invaded my mouth, all of my worries and insecurities evaporated. I just followed his lead and we melted into one another. I bent my knees and widened my hips, I felt him position in the middle of my legs before looking down into my eyes. 

“Take a deep break prìseil.” I bit my lip and nodded my head. Graham flexed his hips and I felt him slip into me. I gasped at the impact, it hurt so bad that tears pricked my eyes. I felt every inch of him as he slid deeper and deeper, I could feel myself stretching for him. “That’s it prìseil, you’re such a Bonnie lass.” Graham started tracing kisses along my neck as my body continued to adjust to his size. I wrapped my arms around his neck and we started to rock. Once the pain wore off, the pleasure started to take me. My lungs started to release small moans as I felt Graham’s body move on top of mine. I felt my inner walls start to clench and I felt the gush that followed. Graham buried his face in my hair and growled into my ear. “You. Are. Perfection.” I wrapped my legs around his lower back, I didn’t want him to stop, the sensation was exquisite, I wanted to do this day in and day out, I don’t think that I could ever get enough. 

After a few minutes, he pulled me off the mattress and into his lap. I cradled his hips with my legs on either side. He was able to go much deeper and I he was hitting my inner sweet spot. I threw my head back and surrendered to him, he started kissing my sternum and placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me as I rocked my hips on top of him.  I was building quickly, I wanted to release so badly, I felt my inner walls clench once more and my vision went blurry. My moans got louder and louder, until I was screaming at the intense pleasure.

“That’s it lass, c*m for me. You’re such a Bonnie lass, that’s it prìseil” I could feel Graham’s c**k flex inside of my belly as he poured himself into me. Graham held me tight and dug his teeth into my chest, I knew that it would leave a mark but I didn’t care. I felt different, I felt like I was now bound to him, I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Graham repositioned his arms so he was clutching me to his chest. Shock waves continued to ripple through me as I continued to sit in his lap. 

Graham kissed my neck and made their way up to my jawline.  

“You are gorgeous lass, every inch of you is stunning.” He continued to plant chaste kisses all over my body. “Mine.” He whispered so quietly I almost didn’t hear him. I tilted his chin up and looked into his eyes.

“Yours.”