July, Keppoch Castle, Lochaber, fifteen years earlier

Ach, dinnae be such a baby, Agnes, I’m only gonnae show it tae ye! What are ye runnin’ away fer, ye wee goose?” Duncan said, laughing as he chased his little sister along the narrow fringe of gravelly sand at the edge of Loch Machie, with a long silvery eel dangling from his hand.

The four friends were spending the warm July day at the loch, amusing themselves on one of their frequent outings while their parents were otherwise engaged. Eileen and Conrad’s father, Evander Mackintosh, war leader of their clan, was talking politics with Agnes and Duncan’s father, his old friend, the Laird James MacDonald. Their respective mothers, Lady May and Lady Fiona, also great friends, were spending the day shopping in the nearby Lochaber. Their off-spring were at liberty to do as they pleased, and it usually involved a lot of teasing and pranks.

Eileen was sitting on a large rock at the water’s edge, fishing for crayfish with a hook tied to a bit of string baited with bread. Furious at seeing her younger friend terrorized, she yelled at Duncan, “Leave her be, ye beast! Duncan, ye ken she hates eels. Ye’re scarin’ her!”

“I’m nae gonnae dae anythin’ with it, just show it tae her, ’tis all,” Duncan claimed, laughing uproariously.

“Ye liar, ye said ye were gonnae put it down me neck!” Agnes shouted back at him, running as fast as her legs little ten-year-old legs would carry her, close to tears.

Eileen huffed and jumped from the rock to the sand, to run after Duncan, eager to defend Agnes. “Leave her be, I say!”

Duncan took no notice but continued pursuing his terrified little sister along the narrow fringe of beach, waving the unfortunate eel. “I was jokin’. If ye stop runnin’, I promise tae nae put it down yer back. Just have a look at it, will ye,” he yelled after her.

“I dinnae believe ye!” Agnes cried. She let out a shrill shriek of panic as he caught up with he and grabbed her arm, dangling the writhing creature over her head.

“Nay, nay! Get it away from me, Duncan! I hate ye, get off of me” Agnes screamed, cringing away from the slimy muscular fish as it brushed against her hair, squirming and gasping for air.

“Get it away from me, ye pig!” She shrank away, desperately batting at the eel with one small hand, repulsed by it, while the other bunched up the neckline of her shift, for she was scared he really would put it down her back.

“Ugh, ’tis all slimy and cold. Think how it’ll wriggle when I put it down yer neck,” Duncan crowed, holding the eel high and pulling at the neck of her shift.

Agnes exploded with panic, screaming non-stop at the top of her voice, kicking at him to get away. Suddenly, there was a thud, a loud “Oof!”, and Duncan and the eel were gone.

With a sideways peep, Agnes saw her brother stumbling backwards into the water, still clutching the eel. He fell backwards and landed with a splash on his backside. The eel flew from his hand and, with a flash of silver, slipped away.

“I hope it bites yer bum!” she shouted at him vengefully through her sniffles.

A tall shadow fell over her, blocking out the sun, and she felt someone crouch down at her side.

“Are ye all right, Agnes,” asked the deep voice kindly. Hearing it, the panic and fear began to recede like an outgoing tide. A strong, sun-tanned arm went around her shoulders comfortingly. She looked up into a pair of eyes that were bluer than the sky above and a smile that made her feel warm inside.

“Aye, I’m all right now, Conrad. Thank ye fer savin’ me,” she murmured, dropping her eyes, suddenly feeling shy. Sniffing, she surreptitiously wiped her nose with the back of her hand, embarrassed at her babyish behavior in front of him. At fourteen, he seemed so grownup. He was her hero.

Eileen skidded to a halt and crashed down onto the sand next to them, panting. “He’s a menace, that braither of yers,” she puffed.

“Aye, he is,” Agnes agreed.

“Grand. Come on, up ye get.” Conrad’s large hand reached down. She placed hers in it, liking the safe feeling it gave her when it closed around hers. He pulled her easily to her feet, and Eileen got up and helped her brush off her petticoat.

Conrad, arms akimbo, walked down to the water’s edge and shouted at her brother, who had by now clambered to his feet and was standing in the loch, squeezing the water from his hair. “Pick on someone eyer own size, Duncan. I told ye before, dinnae scare her like that. She’s only wee.”

“Aye, she’s a wee baby,” Duncan said, sloshing out of the water onto the sand. “She’s scared of everything,” he added, glancing at his sister with boyish disdain.

“Agnes is only ten. ’Tis nae fair tae torment her like that. If ye keep on, she’ll be too scared tae come out with us,” Conrad pointed out. The imaginary halo Agnes had already placed around his head shone even brighter.

“Ach, it was only a bit of fun, I wasnae really gonnae put it down her back,” Duncan protested.

“If ’tis fun ye want, then then why dinnae try puttin’ an eel down me back?” Conrad taunted him with a challenging grin.

“Wait ’til I catch another one and I bloody well will,” Duncan declared, hurling himself at his friend. Eileen and Agnes stood and watched while the boys fell to the ground and rolled round, wrestling, punching each other, and laughing as they so often did.

“Stupid boys,” Eileen pronounced derisively. “Come on, Agnes, let’s go and eat some more of that cake.” The girls held hands and walked back down the strand, to the blanket spread out there, which contained the remainder of their picnic luncheon.

“Conrad’s nae stupid, he’s kind,” Agnes said, brushing her long dark hair aside as her friend handed her a lump of yellow seedcake. “He rescued me.” She bit into the cake with relish.

Eileen chuckled as she set about her cake. “They’re both just as bad at times. Ye ken how they love teasin’ us. That’s the trouble with older braithers. All boys really,” she added wisely. “That’s why I’m never gonnae get married.”

“I think I’d like tae get married one day,” Agnes said, secretly eyeing Duncan as he pummeled her brother. No boy was more handsome than him in her eyes, with his strong build and golden hair. She thought of him as a fairy-tale prince, the sort in books that rescued captive princesses and then fell in love with them.

I hate bein’ ten, she thought. If I was fourteen, then Conrad might fall in love with me, and we’d get betrothed, and when we’re grownup, we’d get married. It was a frequent fantasy of hers, one she would never tell a soul, not even Eileen.

The boys finished their fighting and came to join them, friends again. They plopped down onto the blanket beside their sisters.

“I’m sorry about the eel, Agnes,” Duncan apologized. “I was only teasin’ ye. I didnae think ye’d be so scared.” He ruffled her hair affectionately, and she could not help but smile. She adored her big brother, even if he did tease her. He looked after her as well, and she looked up to him.

“I wasnae scared. I was only pretendin’” Agnes said, not wanting to seem babyish in front of her hero. Embarrassingly, they all laughed at her obvious fib.

“Well, I felt sorry fer the poor eel,” Eileen, raising another laugh. Agnes was very grateful to her friend for the distraction.

With harmony restored, they ate some more of their picnic. Then, to make it up to Agnes, Duncan suggested a game of tag, one of her favorites. When at last they packed up their things and began the walk back to the castle, they had not gone very far when an argument broke out between Duncan and Eileen about who was the fastest runner.

“How can ye be faster than me? Ye’re too small,” Duncan told her. At almost fifteen, he was as tall and strong as their father. He and Conrad had been training with weapons from an early age, and it showed. She and Eileen loved to go and watch them spar together. Eileen, on the other hand, was a mere eleven.

“I may be small, but I’m very fast. Are ye scared too race me in case I beat ye?” Eileen taunted Duncan, never one to back down from a challenge.

Conrad laughed. “Aye, he wouldnae live it down tae be beaten by a lassie,” he said.

Naturally, it ended in a race. While Duncan and Eileen sprinted off over the fields, Agnes and Conrad ambled along slowly side by side. Agnes was perfectly content with the situation.

“It’s been a grand day out, eh, Agnes? I love spending the day down on the beach when we come and visit ye,” he said, looking down at her from a great height.

“Aye, so dae I. ’Tis a shame ye’re goin’ back tae Moy Hall with yer parents tomorrow. I wish ye and Eileen could live here with me and Duncan. It would be so much fun.”

He chuckled, his eyes sparking. “That would be grand. But I think me faither plans tae finish his clan business with yers tonight. Ma says we’re all gonnae have a big dinner together after that.”

“I ken, and me and Eileen are allowed tae stay up late,” Agnes said, feeling tired and wondering if she would be able to stay awake that long. The long day at the beach, all the fun and games, and the hot sun were taking their toll. She did not want to miss a moment of Conrad’s company and definitely did not want to fall asleep in front of him like a baby. It would be too embarrassing.

Maybe it was thinking about it that made her want to yawn. Even though she tried to stifle it, Conrad noticed. She was mortified.

“Are ye tired, Agnes?”

“Nay, I’m fine,” she insisted.

He gave one of his lazy grins, his eyes crinkling at the corners in a nice, kind way. “Ye wee fibber. Aye, ye are.” He stopped suddenly, so she stopped too.

“Come on and hop up on me back, I’ll give ye a piggy-back ride the rest of the way home. We dinnae want ye fallin’ asleep at dinner tonight, eh, and missin’ the fun?” he said, adjusting the cloth bag containing the picnic things so she could climb on his back.

So, Agnes found herself riding on Conrad’s broad back the rest of the way back to the castle, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms curled around his neck, with his blond hair tickling her nose.

She felt like a princess. And in her childish heart Conrad was her prince.

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