Nobles & Longswords: The Highland Way

[navarro951]

Sorry bout' the anonymous storytelling friend, names Mirren. I hail from the Macgregor clan, our lands are some miles north of the town of Stirling. I'm a simple Bóaire, which is Gaelic to say, I herd cattle. Now back to the story shall we?

Chapter Two: Where Our Loyalties Lie

Now any true highlander, one whom worked the land tended the cattle, and fended for his own; they would have the good mind to tell ye they would never be bought off by nobles to do their bidding.



Unfortunately, every man had his price. The nobles paid so well that seven, which was more than usual, different Rí túaths and Flaiths from the clans came marching out of the highland. The clans: We the Macgregors, the Campbells, the Murray, the Stewart, the Macauley, the Robertsons, and the Menzies. All of us were willing to answer the call of...greed.




For meself it was not the money, my clan Flaith, a giant of man we call Finlay, or "white warrior". I would gladly follow that man anywhere, into any battle, under any noble commander.

The first order of business was to get our spies into Inverness, which we did...



It was revealed that we would face four clans, whom had a history of bad blood with us southern tribes. They were: The Mackenzie was the largest of them, then there was the Munro, the Gunn, and the Macleods. All of them as fierce a fight as we.



We setup camp, along with the bloody nobles, and awaited all the clans to gather their forces and rendezvous with us.

The King's Noble Son

On a late winter evening, young Edmond brought an issue to his father...

: Father, is it true you've sent Edward to claim Inverness?

: Yes tis' true boy, problem?

: Well I don' believe in warring with me own kind.

: You're own kind? Highland rubbish ain' your own kind boy. You and your philosophy's of unity...its all rubbish. You...you are royalty friend.

: Father is not just the war. You don't see what my brother has planned? He will sell us to the English for a castle in Nottingham. He simply wants more land to bargain with, and the nobles think there buying time? Is everyone here just blind?

: Perhaps...but then so what? Maybe we need the English to settle our disputes. If we can keep our own half of this island unified, maybe the English would do a better job at it ey?

: I cant believe my ears. My father, a man of chivalry, has been plagued by my brothers words as well...I cant stay here.

With that, young Edmund stormed out and prepared himself to leave Edinburgh. He would not return for some time.

[SwissBarbar]

I already sense a civil war ;-)

[navarro951]

I already sense a civil war ;-)

you sense correctly..hehe!

[navarro951]

Chapter Three: Under One Flag of Failure

I caught wind that young Edmond had been taken in with the Macdougall clan. Nobody heard words for him for some time now.



During the spring after his leaving, our army had surrounded Inverness after minor skirmishes. The main army, the four clans, had compiled was now trapped in their own castle. And so Prince Edward ordered us to lay siege. The bastards would hold out for six months before we were finally given the order to charge. Meanwhile, England was reestablishing its own unity, they had retaken York and slaughtered every man, woman, and child of Scottish descent.



But the siege was once more delayed, a series of unforeseen events had taken place in Edinburgh. The young and beautiful Princess came to our King Malcolm with an offer of economic partnership with England.

And during what should have been a diplomatic meeting, King Malcolm turned into Prince Edwards dream come true. He solidified the marriage between the two, and it was so. The Prince even left our camp to wed her.

And the alliance Prince Edward had so much hoped for, was made so.

Chapter Three Part II: Their War, Our Blood

The utter failure that was the First Battle at Inverness, was just another showing of the incompetence of our noble leaders. While they sat back and watched us bleed the white snow red, things turned from bad to worse. Even with numerical superiority the idiotic Prince Edward could not direct us properly.

He and his nobles simply sat back and wasted us like fodder...

The first two signs of defeat was that they had countless numbers of Archers lining the walls and they lit our ram afire within the first half hour of the battle...

And so we charged with the ladders we'd made during the siege. And their walls filled with blood from both sides...

It is with the sharpest of pains that I retell this fine story. That battle was our good Finlay's last. He found himself a fine opponent, both of them so fierce in battle they took each others lives.

As Prince Edward and his nobles rode off in defeat, acting as if nothing had happened, we broke rank and fled the walls. At least what was left of us.

Those madmen drove us to our deaths for a cause they only politically cared for. A sad day for our clans. We returned home, ashamed, drained...and defeated.

[SwissBarbar]

pretty girl there

[navarro951]

Chapter Four: King of the Highlander

A year after our hideous defeat at Inverness, young Edmond came out of hiding and took the matter of Scottish unification into his own hands. The meeting took place in Hamish, the leader of the Macdougalls, own home.

"That damned brother of mine as turned nearly every northern clan against the idea of unification under a Scottish king. Bloody fool he is. He believes that because he has title and money, men will pave the way to victory for him simply because he says charge."

Hamish laughed, he sat drinking fine Scottish whiskey by a fire pit. "Your plan of action has to change now friend. The northern clans are indeed in a frenzy. No telling if they may come and burn Edinburgh itself to the ground," Hamish laughed once more, "In time the clans may learn peace and harmony under a monarch, but for not the path to unification will certainly require blood, and a fine leader such as yourself."

Edmond sighed deeply. "Perhaps I must face your truth. Because of Edwards actions there must be bloodshed. Do you believe that it can be done?"

Young Edmond had doubted his reputation. Word of a man of royal blood coming to live alongside the clans like brethren had spread even to some of the northern clans.

"Rally my friend...rally and they will follow you!" Hamish said sharply.

And he rallied so. He was astonished to find that word had indeed spread. Nearly twice the army Prince Edward assembled gathered to fight with Edmond and asked no pay, only for a Scotland under one banner, and an end to the bloodshed. It seems young Edmond would be proclaimed...King of the Highlander.

[Monk]

Good stuff so far navarro951! Looks like the nobles' arrogance led to a bit more than the army bargained for, now the English have York and Scotland is still not united.

Though it looks like your fourth chapter got cut off, or maybe you just posted the title as a teaser! Either way, looking forward to more.