Episode 2: Already So Far From Home

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The sun dipped lower on the horizon, bathing the fields in a shade of orange. A long day's ride, and everyone felt saddlesore and bone weary. Up ahead of them, three men on horseback rode casually toward them. MacGregor squinted to make them out at this distance.

"Wonderful!" he said wearily. "Dougals!"

Uther squinted, but could barely make out the horses, let alone the riders. "Kid's got one hell of a pair of eyes," he remarked, to no one in particular.

The brilliant red tunics the three men wore clearly marked them as Dougals. As they got closer, the golden eagles emblazened on the red glinted in the setting sun. The tall, brutish looking rider on the great warhorse was unfamiliar, but Abigail recognized the carefully quaffed one as Gaffney, with whom she had once danced at a ball. He was probably the nicest Dougal she had met, but he was still filled with that unassailable pride that ran throughout most of that family. He remembered how childishly he had reacted when she turned him down for a dance once, and how cruel his words had been. His lip curled up as he yelled out at her: "You're nothing but a half-daughter anyway! The illegitimate baby of a coward and foreign trash!" He had looked so ugly then, and despite his carefully combed red locks and perfect smile Abigail still remembered that red-faced, snarling little boy.

Rikkard spurred his horse forward to meet the riders. Who was more surprised, Abigail or those who approached none could say, although MacGregor suspected that the former's fury was probably worse.

The lead rider looked surprised at Rikkard's approach, and sneered at the foreigner. Before the rider could speak, Rikkard called to him in his rough Shetlandic: "Hold, and state your name!"

The rider reined in his horse, and the sneer turned nearly to fury, but settled into disgust. It was said that the brilliantly red hair that was the Dougal family's pride was also their curse, and that it caused their tempers to rise faster than their common sense. In this Dougal, at least, the race was won by the latter, but obviously it was by a narrow margin.

"I answer not to foreigners, stranger!" the rider threatened in a loud by low voice. "Be informed that you address Alroy Dougal, son of Lord Stone, and I rule by my father's right hand!"

Abigail recognized the name -- Alroy was the heir apparent of the House of Stone, although he was younger than she and his father not likely to die anytime soon. She had never met him, but she had heard her father once refer to him as just like his father. Since she had never really met his father either, however, this did not help her much.

Uther noticed MacGregor tense, and noticed the large rider unbutton the clasp on his sword. "This could get ugly," he muttered.

"Is it always like this?" whispered Isobel.

Uther nodded. "Yup," he said.

"And who," Alroy said, staring down at Rikkard. "Who do you say you are?"

Rikkard placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, gritting his teeth to be addressed like a commoner. He should tremble before my family! he seethed inwardly.

Abigail sighed. Boys! she thought. "He is with me, Alroy of House Stone." Abigail found that formal tone that Urqhart had always insisted upon. It's tone had it's desired effect, as Alroy turned away from Rikkard completely. She noticed that it seemed to have an effect on MacGregor as well, as he sat a little straighter in his saddle and swelled with -- what? She wondered if it was pride or bravado.

"And who might you be, my lady?" asked Alroy. His sneer was replaced partially by a smile as he beheld her. Behind him, the large rider continued to eye Rikkard suspiciously, and gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

Abigail drew herself up tall in the saddle and tried to imitate Urqhart again. "I, dear boy, am Lady Seraphina Abigail O'Malley, daughter of James O'Malley, the Lord Underwood of the House of Green," she answered, her full title rolling off her tongue imperiously.

"The House of Green?" Alroy remarked, turning his head toward Rikkard. "So is it true, then, that the once noble House of Green is bankrupt, controlled by foreigners -- by barbarians and --," his gaze landed on Uther, "-- and dwarfes?"

Rikkard flinched at the insult, and Uther gritted his teeth. "Oh, I hope this gets ugly," he muttered.

"Sssh!" hissed Isobel.

Abigail bit her tongue against the insults that shouted through her head, answering carefully. "These are my travelling companions, Alroy, although whom I and my family choose to take as counsel is none of your business!"

Alroy smiled, sensing her anger. "Of course it is! After all, the House of Green has chosen to ignore all of the good advice that the House of Stone has provided for generations, now, and will likely continue to do so, I suspect...

"So these are your companions, are they?" He rode forward a couple of steps to stand in front of Isobel. "And what lovely companions they are, too! Especially you, miss...?" he bowed slighly in his saddle to Isobel, who seemed surprised, although suspicious. The halo that surrounded her head spun quickly, the slightly glowing apparitions of letters growing slightly more visible in the rapidly darkening day.

"I am Sister Isobel, a follower of the Guardian of Wyndhamere," she answered.

Alroy looked up at her. "A Guardian of Wyndhamere? Well, well... that is a surprise! Perhaps," he added, turning to Abigail, "perhaps you have chosen at least some good companions after all."

MacGregor pushed forward on Halifax to come even with Abigail, and glared at Alroy. The large rider reacted by pulling his sword ever so slightly out of its sheath, to which Rikkard reacted by doing the same.

"Declan!" snapped Alroy. "Put that thing away! I'm sure the good lady's dog can be put back on his leash..." he sneered at MacGregor, who inched forward.

"MacGregor, no!" snapped Abigail. She had never seen him like this before, his teeth bared, his eyes nearly glazed with anger, his face tense with anger. Why does he hate them so much?

She turned back to Alroy. "The Houses all agreed that while the Ulsterian Council holds, any noble and their party may pass freely through the lands of the other Houses without harassment. Do you mock that agreement?"

Alroy looked briefly disappointed, and then returned to his spite-filled smile. "Harassment?" he said with mock offence. "I am not harassing you, sweet Seraphina, I am merely greeting you... And I am warning you?"

"Warning?" asked Rikkard. "What kind of warning?"

Alroy ignored him. "We have been hunting bandits and poachers, recently, and just dispatched with three of them," he explained. "You should be careful, as I believe there are more to be found yet, and I wouldn't want any harm to come to one of your noble stature, Lady Seraphina."

Abigail looked at him coldly. "My thanks for the warning, Alroy, we shall be on our watch for any uncouth ruffians that cross our path."

Alroy seemed to smile wider at the implied insult. He really enjoys this game, thought Abigail.

Alroy bowed slightly and turned his horse away, gathering Declan and Gaffney with him. Gaffney sought out Abigail's eyes before he turned to ride away, but she avoided his.

Before leaving earshot, Alroy called out over his shoulder: "Just remember, Seraphina, that the compact of peaceful travel between houses does not apply to bandits or poachers!"

The three riders rode off, leaving them finally. Isobel rode over beside Abigail, and asked, "What was that all about?"

Abigail wiped her suddenly sweaty brow with her sleeve. "The Dougals have a very strong reputation for being in a lot of fights. In each case, however, they have claimed that they were the injured party, and that they were only defending themselves."

"So they were just trying to goad us into fighting them, so that they could claim that we attacked them?" Isobel asked, confusion playing across her delicate features.

Abigail sighed and nodded.

"Pity," sighed Uther. "Shall we move on?"

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