Chapter 8: Still spring 874 AD, Fife

First light found them on the banks of Loch Leven, at last able to see enough to stop and take stock. Men rushed forward to help Lachlan lower Scott to the ground and he began to examine the injuries his friend had sustained. A long slash on his right thigh was fairly obvious and accounted for the blow struck by the man Lachlan had cut down. The cut was still leaking blood and Lachlan hurried to attend to it.

The only other injuries Lachlan could identify were severe bruising on Scott's arm and an arc of bruising under a graze on his left temple. It appeared as if Scott had taken the blow on his left side fully on his targe and the shield had cannoned into his head, knocking him unconscious.

"My Lord King, he will live I think. But I worry, perhaps you should take our friend here back to his wives to nurse?"

"Aye, Lachlan, perhaps I should, although they will not thank me when they see he is injured."

Lachlan estimated he had around one hundred and twenty mounted men here with him. He sent out scouts to try to gather in other men who had escaped in the night, but gave Gabrain twenty as a guard so that he could set out immediately for Oban/Dun Ollaigh. He eyed the young King, the almost thirteen-year old had killed Scott's second attacker and the ride through the Saxon host was probably the closest he had been to the white-hot heat of battle. Lachlan thought he seemed to be taking the experience very well considering his age.

The friends sat with Scott until he regained consciousness. He was groggy and still in considerable pain when Gabrain and Lachlan helped him onto a horse and then said their farewells. Gabrain was relieved to see his friend and mentor appear to regain his senses fully during their first day of riding. They retraced their route across Fife and Perthshire, spending the night at Callendar.

The next morning Scott seemed to be in better spirits, but as the day wore on he quietened and Gabrain thought he was looking feverish. When they travelled up Strath Fillan and reached the juncture of Glen Orchy and Glen Lochy, Gabrain could see that his friend was weaving on the horse's back, struggling to stay upright. He called a halt and they camped for the night. The fact that Scott immediately fell into a fevered sleep was a further worry for the young King.

Progress the next day was slow and Scott had to be supported on his horse as he was lapsing in and out of consciousness. Gabrain had wrapped an additional plaid around Scott's shoulders when his friend began to shiver and shake quite violently. It was early evening when they rode into sight of the Oban camp and Fiona and Eilean were soon running to meet them. Men rushed to help carry Scott indoors and the women became very businesslike.

Fiona and Eilean stripped Scott and unwrapped the makeshift bandage around his thigh.

"Gabrain! What is this, have you a death wish against my husband?!" Fiona demanded.

"Of course not woman. What have I done now?"

"This covering, it is filthy! What has Scott told us about cleanliness, especially when it comes to the treatment of wounds? His leg looks badly infected!"

"Fiona, we were in the middle of a battle, no time to find soap and the like!"

Scott groaned and opened his eyes. He tried to smile gamely at his wives when he took in their worried expressions and asked that they help him sit up so he could see his wound for himself. It was clear the wound was infected but he didn't think it was too bad as yet, still early. He described how it needed to be treated and watched Gabrain begin to look paler as he went on.

"It needs to be scrubbed, scrubbed so that all the dirt and infection is removed. It would be best if it was scrubbed with soap and hot water until fresh blood only comes from it. Then you must pour uisge beatha on it and use one of the thin needles from my pack and the fishing line to sew the edges of the wound together. Be sure to boil the needle and line before you use it."

Scott collapsed back on the pallet that he had been laid out on, exhausted by the exertion and speech.

Fiona and Eilean wasted no time in following Scott's instructions and Gabrain thought it would be a good time to remove himself. It was probably a good thing that Scott quickly lost consciousness when the girls began to scrub his wound, scrubbing with a pig bristle brush that had been boiled in hot water. Eilean held the edges of the wound open so that Fiona could scrub deeply into the flesh. There was an awful smell and puss issued forth immediately. She did as Scott had suggested; scrubbing until a strong flow of fresh blood was streaming from the flesh. She used a clean cloth to try to mop the worst of the blood up and then poured a liberal dosage of whisky over the wound and carefully used her best stitching to sew up the edges of the wound. Some blood continued to seep from the stitching and she dabbed at this too before winding a clean bandage round Scott's leg.

The change in Scott was almost immediate. His fevered looking complexion calmed down and his breathing was much steadier and level. Gabrain returned to see how things had gone, pleased when the girls indicated Scott appeared much better.

Scott's recovery over the next few days was remarkable to Gabrain and the girls. From the dire state he seemed to be in when he had arrived home to being up on his feet within two days seemed almost like a miracle to them. Scott assured them that it was all down to the cleaning out of the infection and the loving care he was receiving. That got him hugs from his two wives. Gabrain had found Scott a stout stick and he was able to hobble round the camp to talk to people and to see how things were progressing with various projects.

It was clear to everybody that he was unhappy about being apart from Lachlan, Colmgil and the Dalriada force in Fife. He had argued with the girls and Gabrain when they had suggested he needed to rest for the remainder of the spring at least. He was all for taking to horse after only four days back at Oban, but the fierce response to such a suggestion from his wives had him backing down relatively quickly.

After two weeks he began to walk further, anxious to ensure the muscles in his right leg didn't waste too much. He was now able to visit the workshops and spent considerable time with the craftsmen, enjoying his discussions with them. He shared his design ideas with the builders, smiths and wood workers for a water wheel driven mill. He explained the volume of grain that the lordship would need to process this coming year, hence the need for a new way of dealing with it. This was another project that caught their imagination and they were soon modifying his suggestions, adding ideas of their own.

He also set in train some other orders. He had many arrows and bolts made, more crossbows manufactured and sent messengers throughout Dalriada to gather in as many horses as he could. He raised another small host from Loarne, only one hundred and prepared himself for returning to Fife.

He was also fit enough and needful enough to engage in some play with his wives and they were the happier for it. Since discovering the joys of orgasm, Eilean had blossomed and seemed to find achieving climax easier and easier. She was still not on such a 'hair-trigger' as either Fiona or Kirsty, but did climax reasonably quickly and readily.

One particular episode had left them all satisfied. He had limped back from the workshops one afternoon and found Eilean scrubbing the floor of the house. There was something about her little elfin form on her hands and knees, her tight ass swishing from side to side in her kilt. He didn't know what came over him but simply dropped to his knees behind her, flipping her kilt up to expose her rear.

Eilean squealed, but calmed when she realised it was Scott. Scott was surprised when he dropped his hand to her little pussy to find that she was already lubricating freely. It seemed that there was still an element of her submissiveness in there somewhere and she was responding to the prospect of being 'taken' on the floor.

He didn't waste any further time in preliminaries but instead thrust his staff into her, ramming himself fully home. Eilean squealed anew at this treatment, pushing herself back firmly to meet him. There was no finesse in this coupling and Scott began to drive into Eilean, thrilling at her reaction to him. She was keening, dropping her head to the floor so that her ass was raised, open to him, angled so that he could penetrate her deeply.

Scott was holding his little elf by her hips, looking down at where his cock was slamming in and out of her when he heard a voice behind him.

"Oh, that is soooo hot, just what she needs, yes Scott, give it to her!" Said Fiona.

She moved round in front of Eilean, sat on the floor and pulled Eilean's face between her thighs. Scott might have qualms about treating Eilean roughly, but Fiona didn't seem to have the same misgivings as she gripped her sister wife firmly by her hair.

"Yes Scott, harder, she has told me she wanted you to take her just like this, probably planned it all. Give her what she wants, what she has yearned for!"

Scott did keep driving into Eilean and was surprised but pleased to feel her coming under him very quickly, probably quicker than she had to date, her head raising out of Fiona's quim to squeal, as she let them know how much she was enjoying it. Scott held her down with an arm across her lower back and continued to slam into her, only letting up when she literally cried for mercy. As Eilean rolled to the side he dropped between Fiona's parted thighs and stroked firmly into her already well-lubricated sheath.

Fiona didn't need much of Scot's attentions as she was already on the verge of climax through her sister wife's oral ministrations and soon she too was crying out her climax. Scott slowed his strokes a little and minutes later; Fiona pushed him off so she could take his staff between her lips. Eilean was not to be denied such a treat either and she joined Fiona, the two of them taking turns in bobbing up and down on Scott's cock. The sight of his little elf in particular sliding her pouting lips over his staff was very erotic and he didn't delay long in sharing his spend with them both.

Later, Eilean shared an idea she had had with Scott. If some designated women were given a space, such as the settlement hall-house, they could take on responsibilities for looking after all of the camp's children thereby freeing many more women to take part in other activities. Scott recognised the worth of creating what was in effect a crèche and congratulated Eilean on suggesting it.

After three and a half weeks back at Oban he managed to convince his wives that he was fit to travel back to Fife. Two hundred horses had been gathered in and each of the other lordships had provided additional men too. There were not many but Scott now had some two hundred mounted men to take with him. He had also been pondering on further things he could do to gain an edge against the Saxons and had come up with one or two new ploys. He had been surprised at the lack of flags and banners carried into battle - well aware of how stirring these could be, how they stirred the blood, from how they affected people at things like football matches in his own time.

He had had the women of Oban/Dun Ollaigh make up a large number of flags. He was unsure about the timeline for the adoption of St Andrew as the patron Saint of Scotland; St Columba being the predominant Saint his people seemed to turn to. But he had numbers of Saltire (the cross of St Andrew) flags made up anyway and intended to use them to help bolster and raise morale amongst his troops. He explained the Saltire as something that was personal to him, that it meant a lot to him, and his men seemed to accept that as reason enough to carry them.