by Kate Sheperd
“Where did the lass run off to?” Glenna asked. The house was abnormally quiet, especially after the screaming match that Donnan had just held with their middle child, so Glenna assumed that Caitriona must have run off in a huff.
“The hell if I know where she ran off to. If she wasn’t so bloody stubborn, we wouldn’t have half the problems we do,” he replied, sighing again. Donnan was the strongest-willed man that Glenna knew, which probably contributed quite a bit to the problems between him and his daughter. Yet it was evident that this ceaseless arguing between them on the subject of the battlefield was slowly but surely wearing down his resolve.
Glenna turned and gave her husband a comforting kiss and held him for a moment. “We’ll get through to her yet that she can’t swing her sword around willy nilly and think that anything good will come of it. Don’t give up hope,” she said, trying to encourage Donnan.
Caitriona had indeed run off, away from her father and the suffocating atmosphere of the household. Before she left, she had made her mark: a stab into the wall with her short sword, this being just one of many. A little ritual of sorts she had adopted, a sort of tallying to signify another failed attempt to show her parents the error of their ways. Once again, she had been denied her request to fight for her family. To protect what she loved and held dear. She hated being treated like a delicate little flower, like some rose that needed to be sheltered from the big, bad world. So, she had run away to her usual hiding spot: her favorite big oak tree by the creek.
The soothing sounds of the trickling water normally helped soothe Caitriona’s mind, but it did no good this time. She was too busy belting the tree with her sword, letting the bits of bark flutter and fall as she lashed out her anger on this sturdy opponent.
“Why won’t they let me fight!? she snapped, whacking her sword on a branch before sitting herself down on the damp grass and holding her weapon tight. “I’m only trying to help! I only want to fight! I’m a better fighter than Roddy. I can hold my ground far better than him. I—”
She stopped herself and sighed. What did it matter? Her shouting would solve nothing. Her father was too stubborn to listen. He would bring any other male to fight by his side so his daughter could be kept locked away, as far from the battle as possible. It wasn’t fair. Caitriona wanted to prove herself. She wanted to show her father she was as good as any man on the front lines of war, but that was just not possible. Even with the proof right in front of his face, he refused to accept it. The future seemed bleak to her, like there was no discernable path she could take that would show her father her skills in actual battle, unless he gave her his permission to fight. Mere sparring didn’t impress him. She had to bring him back a prize, something to prove herself. After that, maybe her father would accept her as a warrior, and not just some delicate doll he could put on a pedestal and brag about to the neighbors.
It seemed fate was going to grant her wish. The wind rustled past, carrying the sounds of a young boy’s laugh; it was a carefree, jolly laugh, and it wasn’t far off. Caitriona lifted her head and started through the woods on the other side of the creek. Someone was there. Not many families lived around these parts, so Caitriona knew there was a high probability that this was a MacNeil. Her prize, her proof that she could fight, might just be right at her fingertips.
Caitriona picked up her sword, keeping it close to her as she skipped over the rocks and leaped to the other side of the creek. Once her feet were steady, she crept into the woods, staying silent and stealthy as she approached her prey.
In the clearing, the originator of the laugh stood, petting a small fawn and letting it eat some berries out of his hand. His carefree expression and easy, relaxed manner seemed alien to Caitriona. She was used to the atmosphere of her home, where there seemed to always be a fog of tension present. Yet here was the enemy, standing in the wide open field as jovial as a bird, playing with the creatures of the forest.
Ailean looked up and notice Caitriona standing off at the edge of the clearing. He would have smiled and asked her why she was wandering around the woods, if he hadn’t noticed her short sword first. Seeing the weapon put him a little on edge, and he was afraid that she might put it to use. His only weapon was a bow and arrow, not that he would try and engage anyone in combat in the first place. Much to the dismay of his parents, he was a pacifist at heart.
“Who are you?” Ailean asked, putting himself in front of the fawn so it was protected, even if his knees were trembling slightly.
Hearing the confusion in the boy’s voice made Caitriona falter slightly. She could tell he was scared, but that seemed to emanate from the presence of her sword, not her family name.
“You don’t know who I am?” she asked warily, keeping her eyes locked on the boy and keeping the sword close, ready to strike if he was to reach for his bow and arrow.
“N-No, should I know you?” Ailean replied, trying to put on a brave face to protect his fawn friend. The baby deer kept behind the boy, only poking his head out to see if the danger had left, but the girl didn’t seem to have any intention of going anywhere.
“Then who do you think I am?” Caitriona demanded, trying to make sense of the situation. This boy was strange. She’d never met anyone like him. Any other man would have just engaged her in combat, or laughed at her attempts at being a warrior. This didn’t make much sense.
“You’re a hunter, aren’t you? Someone who just wants to prey on someone weaker who can’t defend themselves,” Ailean piped up, trying to pluck his courage up. He knew he wouldn’t beat this girl in a fight. Fighting just wasn’t his strength. He was more interested in playing out in the woods than learning how to defend himself. Sure, he had some skill with his bow and arrow, but that was against a wooden target. It was obvious that he was no match for a living, breathing killer. However, this killer seemed to have no interest in taking a life today.
Caitriona sheathed her sword, almost feeling guilty for having it out in the first place. She was no cold-blooded murderer. The thought of even taking the life of a helpless creature made her whole body feel cold with shame, even if she was taking the life of her family’s enemy.
“I am no hunter,” she replied softly “I simply thought you were an enemy.” Hearing this, and seeing the sword put away, Ailean physically relaxed and gave the little fawn a pat on the head to show him everything was okay. The little buck soon came forward, shaking its delicate head before starting to graze again now that the air was settled.
“I have no desire to be anyone’s enemy. I think it’s much nicer to have a friend,” Ailean smiled and turned his gaze to the tiny fawn. “This little guy is my only friend. His mother was killed when he was very young. Slaughtered for her meat. I’ve been looking after him since. We were all alone in the world, but now we have each other.”
This was unlike any story Caitriona had ever heard. The tales told to her by her family were those of bloodshed and war; of honor and of victory. She was not accustomed to tales told from the victim’s perspective, but for the first time she felt sympathy for someone on the losing side. She had been conditioned to believe that the losers deserved their plight because they just weren’t strong enough.
Against her will, her heart was swamped in a sea of sorrow. She had grown up in a world of violence. There was constant fighting, blood and death in her life. Love, compassion and selflessness were not things she had witnessed too often, but this act of kindness had certainly melted an icy shell that had encased her heart, at least a little bit. Caitriona took a step closer, her gaze switching from the boy and his buck, really taking in the sight.
“What’s his name?” Caitriona asked softly, cautiously reaching her hand over to the fawn to give it a pet.
“His name is Hamish, and I’m Ailean,” the boy replied with a smile, giving the buck a pat on the flank to encourage him to say hello. The little deer did. He raised his head and sniffed at her hand, giving it a little lick before starting to graze again. “So, is your name as pretty as your face?”<
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Hearing that, Caitriona blushed darkly, her cheeks blooming a rosy red. She certainly wasn’t expecting a compliment, and had never really heard anything so nice before.
“My name? Oh, it’s Caitriona. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ailean,” she replied, glancing back to the little fawn. She had personally helped her family hunt deer for meat, and so she knew how skittish that they were. Seeing this little tyke be so comfortable around humans was a little strange, but perhaps she should just credit that to Ailean rearing him.
“The pleasure is all mine,” Ailean replied and sat down on the soft turf. Hamish, finished with his grazing, went over to his friend and plopped down on his lap, looking up at him as if to beg for a bit of attention.
Ailean chuckled at the little deer and gave him a good pet and played with him for a little bit. He was happy that Caitriona had come along, of course, but he couldn’t ignore his cute little fawn either.
“It’s amazing how tame the little guy is,” Caitriona said, tentatively reaching out and petting Hamish’s head and playing with his floppy ears. Hamish nuzzled into her touch, and she giggled a bit. Before this, she always thought of deer as just a source of food. The thought of a tame deer that she could keep around for fun and friendship never even crossed her mind.
“He’s not tame. He’s just my friend,” Ailean replied, as that was how he saw it. Little Hamish helped Ailean through a hard time, and Ailean helped Hamish. He didn’t teach Hamish any tricks or put him on a leash like a dog. He saw Hamish as an equal, and he didn’t want anything more than that.
“I just mean, he’s rather comfortable around humans,” Caitriona said, a bit confused by Ailean’s response. Having an animal for a companion meant that it was your pet in Caitriona’s eyes, because she’d never been exposed to anything else. She hadn’t been exposed to a deer willing to be around humans calmly at all, so she was being inundated with a lot of new information today.
“Not all humans,” Ailean replied, his voice faltering a little bit there. The baby buck was a rather timid deer, so strangers made him feel frightened, and he would run if there was any sign of danger. It was why Ailean sheltered Hamish as soon as Caitriona presented herself as a threat. Thankfully, it was resolved before things became too dangerous, otherwise the buck would have run away, and Ailean probably wouldn’t see him for a while.
“My father doesn’t really understand. Every time he sees Hamish he tries to kill him for meat. Mother doesn’t even try and stop him. They don’t seem to care that he’s my friend. They don’t understand me at all,” Ailean spoke, a sigh of exasperation slipping through his lips. This conflict had been going on since the time of his birth. He was the disappointing, pacifist son from a family of famous killers. He never quite added up to his parents’ expectations, and that was something Caitriona could relate to.
All her life, Caitriona had been a thorn in her parents’ side, going completely against their desire to raise her as a pretty little princess who just cleaned the house and cooked up a good haggis. Finally, there was someone else who knew how she felt. Someone else who shared her pain. Someone else who finally understood how hard it was not to be accepted for who you were.
“My parents don’t understand me either,” Caitriona spoke after a moment of silence. “Ever since I could pick up a sword, I wanted to learn how to fight. Learn how to defend myself. Mother and Father hated it. They wanted me to wear pretty dresses, play with my dolls and clean the house. That’s not what I want, though. It’s not the life for me.”
“It seems if we swapped parents we’d be fine,” Ailean chuckled a little, trying to make light of the situation. Things didn’t have to be so bad. Sure, their parents didn’t get them, but it seemed they had finally found someone who understood what they were going through, and maybe this was an opportunity to make a friend out of a stranger.
“There’s an apple orchard not far from here. It’s got the nicest apples this side of Aberdeen. Would you like to come pick some with me?” Ailean asked, wanting to spend more time with this girl and hoping to get to know her a little better. It would be nice to have someone around who didn’t judge him for not shooting arrows at anything that moved. A human friend was something he had never had before.
The offer was indeed tempting, but Caitriona had to stop and think. Was this the right thing to do? If her parents found out, who knew what they would say? They would be furious if they found out she had spent time with a MacNeil lad. Not to mention this could be a trap. Just some fool-hearted trickery to lower her guard! But no, that didn’t seem right. Caitriona sensed no foul deed. She could tell this boy was being genuine. All she could see in the boy’s bright, blue eyes were happiness and hope. It made her smile, and she eventually agreed to participate in some apple picking.
“Sure, I’d like that,” Caitriona agreed, and Ailean smiled, leading the way to the apple orchard.
Chapter Two
Caitriona hadn’t ever picked apples herself, or even been to an orchard. Her family was wealthy enough to buy most of their produce, and what they did grow at home was tended to by the servants, so walking into the big apple orchard was a bit of a shock. There were so many rows of perfectly planted trees, all with their limbs burdened with large, ripe fruit. She went up to the first tree she saw and examined the apples that were within arm’s reach before picking a nice big red one and taking a bite. The fruit was incredibly sweet with a nice crunch to it, much better than what she could ever get from the market.
While Caitriona was eating her apple, Ailean found a few smaller apples that little Hamish could eat without too much difficulty, and fed him first. Caitriona was just about to compliment how great the apples were here when she noticed that Ailean was making sure the little buck ate first, and she smiled at that. Ailean really did treat the buck like a person rather than a pet, and it was heartwarming.
“This is a beautiful place,” Caitriona began, mainly just to start a conversation. She didn’t want to express her feelings about how cute it was that Ailean and the deer were like brothers. Or at least they were how brothers should be in her mind, but they were nothing like her own brothers. Ailean and Hamish treated each other like equals. They cared for each other. That wasn’t difficult to tell. However, she would keep such comments to herself for now.
“Aye, it’s a grand place. I always come here when I need to think. The river nearby is also a great place to swim. Have you ever been?” Ailean replied, looking up at Caitriona as a soft smile tugged on his lips. He was really starting to like this girl. She was beautiful, kind and he knew under that tough exterior, there was a heart of gold.
“I’m afraid not. I don’t tend to go farther than the stream by the oak tree. This is probably the farthest away from home I’ve ever been,” Catriona responded, looking a little to the ground after she spoke. This really was the farthest she had been from home. Sure, she would wander the grounds of their land, but her father usually stopped her from going too far. A lady shouldn’t stray too far away from the house. It was unsafe in the wild for a little girl. At least that was what he thought.
“Then maybe we should go sometime. Nothing’s better than a nice swim after a long day,” Ailean said, but he couldn’t help but think it was odd that Caitriona hadn’t ever been farther than the stream by the oak tree. That was only about a quarter of a mile away from her home, if he remembered the geography right. That wasn’t even a stroll, as far as he was concerned. “If you don’t mind me asking you, though, why haven’t you ever gone very far from your home? Are you just afraid that you’ll get lost?” Ailean never considered that Caitriona’s parents were constricting about where she was allowed to go, because he always had been allowed to wander wherever he so chose, and had even made it to different villages in the area all by himself.
“No, it’s just my dad. He doesn’t believe a lassie should be too far from the house,” Caitriona peaked her voice to a higher pitch, just to mock her father, before giggling a little. She had never
had the chance to talk about these things with anyone else. It was nice. She could speak freely, and just be herself. That was something she hadn’t really had before.
“Well, I’ll just have to protect this wee lassie from any harm that may come her way. Whether it’s some big bear, or just a handsome devil,” Ailean replied, beefing up his voice to a deeper pitch. He winked, striking up a hero pose. He even started flexing his biceps, even though he didn’t really have much muscle there, but it made Caitriona giggle like a love-struck schoolgirl. Sure, the boy was a little scrawny, but Caitriona was seeing far past that right now.
“Oh, could my big, brave boy keep me safe then?” Caitriona asked, keeping up a high-pitched voice as she twirled her skirt a little, like an innocent girl. That certainly caught Ailean’s attention, and he took a few steps forward, extending his arm out to link with Caitriona’s
“Anything for a pretty young lassie like yourself,” Ailean chuckled, and Caitriona linked arms with him. She couldn’t stop smiling as her cheeks flourished with a rosy blush. There were fairies fluttering inside her as she felt shivers shaking her spine. This feeling was not something she was accustomed to, but she loved it. Caitriona wanted more, and it seemed Ailean was eager to please as he led her towards the river.
The skies were illuminated with gorgeous blues and purples as the day began to wane, which Caitriona could see above the greenery of the orchard, and it became even more clear when they past the trees and stood by the softly flowing river just a few feet away. The sun’s beams flared in bright oranges and reds as the sky shone with purple and blue colors mixing beautifully above. Everything was radiating with a magnificent light. The scenery was just perfect.
Caitriona felt herself being completely immobilized by the beauty as they stopped and stared for a moment. Having always been relegated to a rather small stretch of land, and usually called back to the house before the sun started to begin its descent, she had never taken in such a picturesque scene. She admired it for a while, only stopping when Ailean reached for her free hand and turned her around. Now she was looking at his gorgeous, glowing green eyes. She was captivated. Ailean didn’t say a word. He just moved his hand up Caitriona’s side, letting it cup under her chin, and leaned forward to touch her lips softly with his own, engaging her in a sweet kiss.