I think I liked these couple of chapters even more than the prologue, honestly. Keith's continual bewilderment about Ewen just never got old. Keith just not knowing what to do with a not-so-barbaric "barbarian" was especially good during the surrender -- the combination of Keith trying to do things properly and at least going down with a fight and Ewen being exceedingly polite the entire time made for a very entertaining dynamic that also gave some more character detail.

And ooh, the heron! I feel badly for the poor horse but I was very excited to encounter it again. I'll be interested for Ewen's thoughts on that -- he certainly must have been shaken if he let it be that obvious to Keith.

That's so interesting about Keith's attitude towards the mountains! I chalked that up to his general disgust for all things Highland, but the land as beautiful because of its usefulness vs. inherent beauty makes a lot of sense. I always find those little differences in attitudes between past and present so interesting. I've been enjoying your historical notes -- while I'm not familiar enough with the period to catch the references while reading the book, I'm always happy to be reading a historical novel that fits in so well with history.

And last but certainly not least, I love that we got another reminder of how splendidly built Ewen is, and from Keith, no less.