“Impossible!” shouted Logan at the top of his voice.
“You do not have a choice” smirked Gerald.
“Everyone has a choice,” said Logan with a scowl and then continued, “And I made mine three years back when I entered the Abbey.”
A hush fell over the hall where the Elders had gathered for council. As his second-in-command, Goran was present too. And he fidgeted looking at his master and the Elders argue. Ever since the McPherson clan was started by Logan’s great-grand father, there had been the Council of Elders made up of the five most wise old men of the clan who could guide the Laird of the clan in all matters. The Council was sacrosanct and its decision final and binding. Of course the Laird could overrule the decision of The Council. But as a mark of respect to the Elders, the Laird generally yielded to the decision of The Council. And only in rare occasions was this decision overthrown – a total of three times till date.
“And yet, you are back here today,” stated Gerald in the ensuing silence. His voice booming in the quiet hall.
“Only because the clan needs me!” retorted Logan.
“And for the same reason you will agree to adhere to The Council of Elders’ decision,” said Gerald with a triumph.
Logan bristled under those words. He didn’t like following commands, always had a problem with that. He was more of a leader than a follower. A strong reason – among others, why even after giving up the position of laird of the clan, he didn’t stay back to follow his younger brother’s orders.
But he knew Gerald was right, if the Council of Elders decreed he would go through with this decision as well. He held immense respect for the Elders, every single one of them – except Gerald.
Okay, so may be that was not true.
Logan respected Gerald too!
He may not like him and not agree with his thoughts most of the time, but he did respect him and his dedication to the clan.
And so with a sigh he turned his back to Gerald and looked at the other Elders seated in the Council and said, “You know, I respect The Council immensely and love the clan even more. I have taken up mantle of the Laird once again at your advice and for the clan.”
He looked each one of them in the eye, as he continued, “But only till the situation becomes normal once again and you can elect someone else – more able and better suited than me to be Laird.”
A hush fell over The Council once more. None of them had imagined that if Logan would come back it would be temporarily. None of them – except Gerald. Gerald expected that Logan was not interested in being Laird even if Ian was no more in the picture.
His old man always said, ‘the best leader does not want to be a leader. But therein lays his greatness. And when such a person steps up to take the mantle of a leader you can be sure that he will be the best thing that happened ever.’
And so Gerald would do anything to achieve this end. He would bind Logan to the McPherson clan in a way that he would not be able to break free.
Logan was still speaking. “But what you are currently suggesting is out of bounds for me,” said Logan as he looked with contempt towards Gerald. He knew it was Gerald who had given this suggestion. Just as he knew that this was the reason of that smirk on Gerald’s face when Logan had entered the Keep yesterday.
“It is not out of bounds,” said the grave voice of Cullen McPherson, the eldest man on The Council of Elders.
Logan respected and admired him a lot. Everyone did. And when Cullen McPherson said something, you listened. So Logan looked at the old man and then looked down.
Cullen McPherson got up from his chair and walked towards Logan. Upon reaching the younger man, he put his old frail hand on his shoulder and said, “Son, I realize you do not want to be in this position. But even you must agree sometimes we must do certain things for the greater good.” Logan listened to him quietly with a nod of his head.
“You realize that even if you act as Laird now and take care of our problems, things will settle down for a while. But these are the Highlands. Life is tough here. If you leave tomorrow, who is to say that the Fuellers and MacArthurs will not try to take over this clan? We cannot have a clan with no laird, son” said Cullen McPherson with a sad shake of his head.
“Besides we have the McMullens to consider. They have been our strongest allies for generations,” urged on Timothy McPherson, “We cannot leave them in their dire need –”
“– especially when their Old Laird has fallen,” interrupted Gerald with a stiff voice.
Logan did not like listening to Gerald’s voice, but he knew that he was right as were the other elders.
“Now if Kate McPherson was married to an able lad and he could take on the place left by her father, it would be a different issue,” continued Michael McPherson.
“But she is not. And they are still our allies,” said Gerald in a complacent tone, “and it is up to us to honor the commitment between the two lairds – Old man McMullen and Ian McPherson.”
Gerald looked straight at Logan and knew he had him – almost. In a straight laced voice he said, “Get Kate married to the Laird of McPherson clan and join these two clans in matrimony.”
Logan suppressed a groan at Gerald’s sound logic. He had to think and think fast of ways to get out of this situation.
“My vows at the abbey –” started Logan.
“ – have not been taken yet” interrupted Gerald.
Logan ignored him.
“I gave up all of this, years ago. I do not want it” said Logan looking Cullen McPherson straight in the eye. Cullen had always been the wisest and the most understanding of the lot. Logan thought his chances of convincing the Council of the futility of their advice would be best if he could get Cullen McPherson on his side.
Cullen sighed deeply and then said, “Then you leave us with no choice, Logan. This is the decision of The Council – Marry Kate, beget an heir and when the new Laird of the two joined clans - McMullen and McPherson is born, you may go back to your abbey.”
“But Cullen –” started Logan & Gerald at the same time.
“No buts,” said Cullen with steel in his voice, something the clansmen rarely got to see these days. But when he did speak in that voice, one and all of his clan listened. “This is The Council’s final decision” said he as he stared down at both Logan & Gerald.
He turned towards Logan raising his white eyebrow and said, “Unless you want to dismiss the Council.”
Logan bowed his head, resigned to his fate. He could never think of dismissing the Council which had stood steadfast ever since the McPherson clan had come into existence.
“No Cullen. Your decision is acceptable to me,” he said glancing a look full of contempt at Gerald.
Gerald maintained a stony façade, but inside his heart was doing cartwheels. It had played just as he wanted. Spending three hours with Cullen McPherson trying to show him the merit of an heir born from the union of Logan McPherson and Kate McMullen didn’t seem so much of a waste now.
When Gerald had first seen the shy daughter of the Laird of McMullen Clan, he knew she would make a good mistress of any keep some day. He didn’t think Ian ever deserved such a competent and industrious wife, but the McPherson clan sure did. And he had decided he would get her to be the lady of their keep one way or other. And now with Logan as Laird, he could envision Kate getting a well-deserved husband.
Above all, from what he knew of Logan’s sense of duty and what he guessed of Kate’s hidden charms, Logan would not be able to resist falling in love with his to-be-bride. And by the time they had a bairn; Logan would be well on his way in love with Kate to think of going back to the Abbey.
Oh yes, Gerald did intend the new babe to be the next Laird, but only when Logan had been Laird for a good number of years – say two score years and trained his son to take the position.
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