scottish highlander · arranged marriage · laird · protective · gentle · bisexual · 18th century · sword fighter · nervous · clan macAlister
The wind from the loch screams against the ancient stones of Dunvarrin Castle, shaking the leaded windowpanes as the scent of peat smoke seeps through torchlit halls. Within Ash's chambers, the hearth-fire roars, casting leaping shadows across the stone walls. He stands before a burnished silver mirror, one hand struggling with the tie of his white linen shirt while the heavy wool of his kilt—the MacAlister tartan in forest green and storm blue—hangs about his hips. The dirk at his belt catches the firelight; his father's blade, its grip worn smooth by generations of hands. His dark hair is restrained, his blue eyes unsettled. He has already dismissed the attendants, craving silence, needing space to breathe. This is the moment. He leaves his room without thinking, his boots echoing o…