Heart, Faith, and Steel 8/8 ============================ Cassandra bought a horse for herself, and she and Tak Ne hunted for the young Immortal all that spring, visiting the villages, traveling around the lochs and up the glens. "You go along the north side of this loch," Tak Ne suggested, one fine summer day, "and I'll go along the south. We'll meet at the other end." They parted company with a kiss and a wave, and Cassandra rode to the village. The new Immortal was not there, and Cassandra went on. She was tired of looking, but the time of the Prophecy was near. She spurred her horse and rode on to the next village. The new Immortal was not there, either. She traveled along the loch, with many detours to visit every small hamlet and every remote croft. Harvest-time was just beginning when she finally found him, on the south side of Loch Leven, in the glen of the River Coe. It was an open place, cleared of trees, and a tower of darkened stones stood stark and lonely at the top of a small rise. Tak Ne was sitting in the shadow of the tower, sharpening his sword. Cassandra sat and watched him for several moments, then finally rode down the hill. Tak Ne came over to greet her, resplendent as always, dressed now in red velvet with a cape of peacock feathers about his shoulders. The clansman joined them, a young man with shoulder-length brown hair, braided away from his face. He was dressed in the sark and breacan common to the Highlands, the garb which reminded her of the Roman tunic and toga, though more brightly colored. His breacan was blues and greens, faded mostly to gray, with a pink stripe in the weave that might once have been red, and his sword was at his side. A young woman in a blue gown came down the tower stairs, balancing a basket on her hip. Her head was bare, and the slight breeze tossed her blonde curls in front of her face. She stopped at the sight of Cassandra, and looked to the clansman for guidance. "Cassandra," Tak Ne called in greeting, and Cassandra carefully did not show her annoyance at his use of her true name. He turned to the Highland couple and made a low sweeping bow, his plumed hat held off to one side. "May I present the Witch of Donan Woods?" That name was not much better. The young woman gaped, and the new Immortal stepped back, his eyes flicking nervously from her to Tak Ne. Tak Ne straightened and replaced his hat, then finished the introductions. "This is Connor MacLeod, of the clan MacLeod." Connor MacLeod nodded, his gray eyes still wary, and Cassandra nodded in return, scrutinizing him closely. A Highland Foundling, an Immortal. He could be the one. She controlled her impatience and turned to the woman, whom Tak Ne was introducing as "Connor's wife, Heather." Cassandra smiled warmly at the young woman, then took a pair of rabbits from her saddle horn and held them out to her. "I went hunting this morning, Dame MacLeod, and had good fortune. Shall I prepare them for us to eat?" Heather nodded, reassured by the normality of the gesture, and the two women went to cook the evening meal, while the men headed off to spar. Cassandra used the persuasive power of the Voice to put Heather at her ease, and soon the two women were chatting like old friends. "Ramirez is rather odd, but very charming," Heather confided as she kneaded the bread dough. "He's been here near a week now. He says he's going to teach Connor how to fight." She sighed and brushed her hair from her eyes, leaving a smear of flour across her forehead. "I hope it does not take too long. Connor's not been keeping up with the orders from the forge, he's been so busy swordfighting." Cassandra merely nodded as she took the skin off a rabbit with her knife. The Game interfered with life in many ways. She chatted for a bit, then turned the discussion to birthdays. "Connor's birthday?" Heather asked, as she shaped the dough into a round loaf. "Why, 'tis the day after Hogmanay, the first of January. He always says he can be assured of getting a drink somewhere on that day. My birthday is in the spring, right after Lady's Day." Cassandra kept the smile on her face as she whacked off the head of the second rabbit. Connor was not the one. She would have to wait. Again. She took off the feet with more sharp blows, then set about skinning the carcass. The bread was rising near the fire and the rabbit stew was simmering in the pot when Cassandra and Heather went back outside. Connor and Tak Ne turned at their approach and nodded, then resumed their conversation. With a grin and a whispered, "Hush," in Cassandra's direction, Heather picked up a bucket of water, took a few steps closer to the men, then tossed the contents at her husband's back. Tak Ne stepped back with a curse, for some of the water had splashed on him, and Cassandra and Heather both laughed aloud. Connor's reaction was silent, but much more vigorous. He whirled and charged at his wife, and she fled shrieking and laughing, trying--not very hard--to escape. Connor grabbed the bucket and filled it from the rain barrel, then cornered Heather at the bottom of the stairs. She made to dart past him, and he blocked her path, then upended the entire bucket of water over her head. They were both laughing as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, then the two of them started up the stairs. "We're going to go get dry," Heather called over her shoulder with a triumphant grin, then squealed as Connor clapped his hand to her backside and hurried her inside. "I don't think they'll be out for a while," Tak Ne commented. "No," she agreed, and then she smiled at him. "There's a waterfall just down the hill," she said. "Should we go get wet? "As long as I can take my clothes off first," he said, flicking at the water spots on his velvet sleeve. "I think that is an excellent idea." ~~ They lay naked in the grass, late summer sunshine warm on their skin. "What do you think of your new student?" she asked him. Tak Ne snorted, then rolled over on his back and closed his eyes against the brightness of the sun. "He's arrogant and impatient. He has the manners of a goat, and he's stupendously ignorant." "A typical savage Highland barbarian," she said, propping her head up on one hand so she could look at him more easily. She liked looking at him, the strength in him, the powerful muscles in thighs and arms, the thick curling mat of gray hairs on his chest that felt so good to touch. "Exactly," he agreed. "And he's stubborn and thick-headed, as well." She smiled. "You like him." Tak Ne laughed. "That I do. He'll learn. He's brave and determined, and he's a good man." She leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. "And so are you." He laughed again, a contented chuckle, and his arm pulled her closer. She relaxed against him, her head pillowed on his shoulder, her leg between his, their hands clasped together. Butterflies veered about them, and the scent of the wildflowers floated heavy and sweet in the air. Cassandra lay quietly, just enjoying the sunshine and being with Tak Ne. For now. "I'm glad we've had this time together, Tak Ne," she told him. "This time of trust between us." He opened his eyes and smiled at her, and she dared to continue, very softly, "This time of love." He rolled over, taking her with him, then kissed her gently as she lay beneath him. "I told you we could find love, if we looked for it together." "And you were right," she said, then drew him to her once again. ~~ Cassandra stayed with Tak Ne and the MacLeods for four days; then she said goodbye. "I'll leave you to your student," she said, as she and Tak Ne stood outside in the rain, holding hands. "You know where to find me," he said, kissing her forehead in farewell. "Yes," she said, forcing herself to smile, hoping the visions were wrong. "I'll look for you here." It was a few days ride back to Donan Woods, but Cassandra sold her horse and walked most of the way. She settled in her cottage and began waiting again, waiting for the Highland Foundling to be born. She was not waiting for Tak Ne to come back to her this time. ~~ Night had fallen, and the air was cold. The tall figure of a man stood dark against the sky, blocking out the stars, while another man knelt at his feet. A sword swung down, and there was lightning and blood. Great black rocks tumbled, falling to earth, and flames soared high. Silence and darkness came again. ~~ Cassandra's eyes flew open, but she stayed where she was, curled on her side in bed. The fire had burned low. She stared at the flames and saw only death. She let the tears come then, endless silent tears, alone in her bed, alone throughout the coming years, alone without her friend. Tak Ne was dead. **************************************** ===================== Glen Coe, Scotland New Year's Day, 1997 ===================== Four and half centuries had passed since that night, and Cassandra still remembered that dream. A few months later, Connor had come to her in Donan Woods, and he had told her that the Kurgan had taken Tak Ne's head. The tower had been destroyed by the Quickening, and Tak Ne had been buried under the stones. Cassandra lay her hand on one of those stones and watched as the flame flickered in the wind. The candle was almost gone. "The Kurgan is dead now, Tak Ne," Cassandra said. "Your student avenged you; Connor took the Kurgan's head ten years ago. You were right about Connor; he is stubborn and arrogant." Very stubborn. "But he's a good man." The tears came, and she welcomed them, tears of grief, tears of tribute, tears of love. "As were you. You were a man worthy of trust, and I wish I had let myself trust in you more. "I miss you, Tak Ne." She waited until the flame died, then stood and placed a rock on the cairn over his grave. "I miss you still." AUTHOR'S NOTES Many thanks to Bridget Mintz Testa, Vi Moreau, Tanja Kinkel, Cathy Butterfield, and Robin Tennenbaum--excellent beta readers and very good friends. Special thanks to Liz Silver for proofreading. More stories about Cassandra and Connor and the Highland Foundling and Methos can be found on my webpage: http://www.erols.com/darkpanther **************************************** About Ramirez Ramirez was played by Sean Connery in the first two Highlander movies. He was born in 896 BCE in Egypt, with the name Tak Ne, and was killed for the first time by being crushed by a runaway cart. He had three wives, the last being Shakiko, a Japanese princess, daughter of Masamune the sword-master. Masamune gave him the dragon-headed katana in 593 BCE. Ramirez met the Kurgan in Babylon, Greece, and China. (This line was filmed but cut from the movie.) Ramirez was chief metallurgist to King Charles of Spain (somewhere between 1520-1540), and he was beheaded by the Kurgan in the winter of 1542 at Connor and Heather's home in Glen Coe, Scotland. Nowhere is it stated that the Kurgan raped and killed Ramirez's second wife, however, Ramirez and the Kurgan obviously didn't like each other, and I thought I would make it personal. **************************************** About Methos Methos is Cassandra's unnamed first master, and he is, of course, not dead. However, for many years Cassandra believed that all of the Horsemen had been killed. Historical Notes - The canal across the Corinthian Isthmus was finally completed in the 1890s. - Unwanted children were often abandoned, in many cultures and in many times. The midwife in the HL:TS episode Family Tree suggested the infant Duncan be "cast out for the dogs." - King Sennacherib's Assyrian troops destroyed Babylon in 689 BCE. - There really was a Temple of Artemis on Lesbos that was burned c. 1200 BCE. - The Roman town of Massalia was first founded as a Greek colony, and eventually became Marseilles. - The manorial system of feudalism (lords of the manor, serfs being bound to the land) got its start at the end of the Roman Empire. References: * Bradley, K. R., Slave and Masters in the Roman Empire, Oxford University Press, 1987. * Garlon, Yvon, Slavery in Ancient Greece, Cornell University Press, 1988. * Lacey, W. K., The Family in Classical Greece, Cornell University Press, 1968. * Pomeroy, Sarah B., Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves - Women in Classical Antiquity, Shocken Books, 1975. * Wiedemann, Thomas, Greek and Roman Slavery, Croom Helm Ltd., 1981.