King McCloud came down the hill, galloping through the Highlands towards the McGill side of the Ring. Hundreds of his men rode beside him, clinging to life as the horses raced down the mountain. He leaned back, raised his whip and hit his horse hard with it - he didn't need to be urged, but McCloud liked to whip him. The king enjoyed inflicting pain on animals. The sight before his eyes almost made McCloud's mouth water - the idyllic village of the McGills, unarmed men in the fields, women scantily clad in the summer heat outside the houses, hanging laundry on lines. The outer doors were open, chickens were roaming freely around the yard, and the pots were already boiling, foreshadowing dinner. McCloud smiled wider at the thought of the destruction he would bring, the spoils he would take, the women he would abuse. He could practically taste the blood he was about to shed..."