The Bride of Death (A Story from The Weird Circle)
The Bride of Death begins with an old feud erupting in a narrow street and three young clansmen are forced to fight for their lives. The three men are outnumbered and one of them, Sir Kenneth, Earl of Dunbar, is mortally wounded. Kenneth’s brother Douglas and their servant Bruce Carry him to the home of the dominie, but the holy man’s ministrations cannot save the Earl and death soon claims Sir Kenneth.
Bruce is very distraught when his master dies and the situation is doubly sad because when the three men were waylaid they had been on their way to Black Donald’s Castle where Sir Kenneth was due to be married to the Lady Margaret McDonald, a marriage that was arranged by their families many years ago, when Sir Kenneth and Lady Margaret were just children. Although they had not seen each other in years, Sir Kenneth had been looking forward to the marriage and his last words were that, living or dead, he will seek the Lady Margaret out and have her for his own.
Meanwhile at the castle of Black McDonald the Lady Margaret, unaware of what has happened, is dreading the marriage and does not want to go through with it. She tells her father that Kenneth is a stranger to her and she knows him only by his reputation: a professional soldier known for fits of violence, strange moods, cruelty and overbearing willpower. The Lady Margaret has other reservations about the marriage as well. Her grandfather, Black McDonald, left a prophecy before he died: The last born of Black Donald’s clan shall be the bride of death.
Strangely, when Sir Kenneth arrives at the castle Margaret takes to him straight away and it is her father who begins to have second thoughts. Sir Kenneth is not what he expected at all. He wants a highlander for a son, not a pale-faced imitation and declares, “Let no one say McDonald gave his daughter to be the bride of a bloodless ghost of a man.” Then the following morning McDonald discovers the horrible truth, Sir Kenneth, Earl of Dunbar, is dead, and the prophecy looks set to be fulfilled.
The Weird Circle: The Bride of Death
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