The Flower of Scotland

Chapter 9

This chapter is dedicated to iammichelle_23!  Thank you so much for your dedication and I am happy to hear you like my story!  Enjoy this new chapter.

A week had gone by and Aine was becoming increasingly concerned that she wouldn't be able to get back home as easily as she thought.  Unsure of who even to talk to about it all, she suffered silently, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to her situation.  Aine sat in her room early in the morning, leaning her head against the wall, deep in thought.  She glanced down at her necklace and stared at the beautiful flower carving; there had to be something to this necklace but she hadn't the first clue as to what or why.  Sooner or later, she would have to tell someone about how she ended up there.  Without actual family in this century, no real home to go back to, Aine knew she couldn't keep the secret for much longer.  Not if she wanted to figure out a way to get back home.

...

Gregory laid awake in his bed, unable to sleep for yet another night.  If Beitris was correct, the lack of sleep would kill him one day.  But he couldn't afford to die, not when the country was in a time like this.  England was inching closer back to his territory, country by country, city by city, village by village.  It troubled him greatly that he had no accurate account of how close they were to his village.  Everyday, he heard news of their attacks but one moment, the attack would be 3 villages over, the next, at least a 2 weeks journey away.  It made not sense the route they were traveling but it would do nobody any good if he sat around actionless.  Ruairi being his second in command had been a tremendous help, getting their men ready for battle was a job he wouldn't wish on anyone.  To have the lives of hundreds of men on your hands and subsequently the wellbeing of their families should anything happen...it was enough to keep any man awake.  And it did.  Gregory quickly dressed in a blouse and light kilt so he could get some training in for the day.  If his mind couldn't be clear, then a hard day working out would help.

It was mid-morning and Gregory invited Ruairi over so they could divide and conquer training the new men as they practiced their combat skills.  Some on axes, some on swords, a few on archery and a handful had gone with their horses to practice on moving targets.  They had all been sparring for a while and Gregory had long discarded his shirt since he had gotten sweaty fairly quickly.  A few hours in, he stretched and rubbed his neck, trying to rid himself of the thoughts that had been clouding his mind over the past few days.  He lifted his sword above his head and brought it down on his target with a swiftness he hadn't managed in a while.  With every movement he made, he let out a grunt that rumbled deep in his chest.  Noticing his friend, Ruairi walked over and approached Gregory with caution.  Whilst his sword was down, Ru called to Gregory, "Now what has that poor sack o straw ever done to ye?"  Gregory didn't bother turning around, he knew a smirk rested on Ru's face and Gregory wasn't in the mood for his jests.  Sighing, Ruairi crossed his arms and called again, "Gregory, why don't we take a rest and go fer a walk, aye?"  Finally turning to face him, Greg exposed his tired face, red and drenched in sweat.  Standing straight, Gregory put down his sword and followed his friend to a stream in the nearby woods to talk privately.

...

Aine decided to go for a walk to clear her mind, it was chilly outside but the sun was shining and she imagined it would feel quite nice.  She grabbed a light cloak and made her way outside taking in the magnificent view of the highlands; though she hadn't wanted to be away from her family for so long, at least she still got to see the views they were seeing, even if it was hundreds of centuries away.  In the distance she could hear clanging metal and men yelling.  Aine had remembered Gregory mentioning that the training grounds were near the keep.  I wonder if he's there... Aine thought to herself.  She had grown somewhat fond of Gregory, he wasn't nearly as mysterious and cold as she'd initially thought.  He was quite serious for his age, he wasn't even 30 yet but then again, she was the in the 14th century.   Aine felt like such a kid compared to him; they weren't quite friends but they weren't strangers anymore, which didn't particularly bother her.  Besides, Aine was convinced that he thought of her as an annoying younger sister that just won't stay still.  She laughed to herself thinking of all the times her older brothers had said the words, "Aine, get out 'o my room!"  Aine didn't annoy to be mean but she did find it funny when they would come to the end of themselves in exasperation.   Quite similar to how she figured Ruairi was for Gregory; she liked Ruairi and his family a lot.  They were fun to be around and really livened up the keep; Aine wondered if they would ever come over for a meal, just for the extra company.  It got lonely during the day.

Aine reached the training grounds and was taken aback by how many people could fit in one area training as intensely as they were; she watched as the men sparr and run what she could only guess were medieval drills with each other.  She knew first hand how tiring sports practices were but this was on a whole other level.  Maybe this was why every man she'd encountered so far had been huge, Gregory being the largest.  He had to be almost 7 ft tall!  And his broad shoulders made him look even more intimidating.  The only thing that made him even remotely approachable were his blue eyes, especially when he smiled.  To Aine, they were so beautiful...could a man be beautiful?  Aine snapped out of her train of thought to bring herself back to her present surroundings.  Training grounds, men sparring, men looking at me...wait looking at me?  Aine realized how out of place she must have seemed.  She was attracting attention to herself which would have been fine if she weren't in a completely different century.  Aine smiled and looked around, trying to find a casual way to exit without seeming suspicious when a blond haired man approached her, shirt off & only in his kilt.  Great. This exactly what I wanted to happen.  Her sarcasm only reached her thoughts.  Aine nodded at him and he smiled in returned.  "Hello there!  I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting ye.  Sean MacHenry, at yer service, miss."  he took her hand and kissed it.  Aine sighed and responded, "Hi. I'm Aine.  It's nice to meet you."  she gently pulled her hand away, she didn't want to be rude but he'd been holding it for a bit too long.  Sean bowed and placed his hands on his hips.  "Aine...well this is a surprise, lass.  Ye don't sound like a Scot but ye sure do look it."  Nodding her head, she responded, "Yea, so I'm told.  I don't mean to interrupt anything but I was looking for Gregory. I thought he would be here."  Sean raised his eyebrows, pursing his lips, "Ah Laird Gregory?  Well now I didn't know ye knew our Laird so...personally.  Usin' his first name and all."

Aine shifted her feet, putting her weight to one side, she could some suspicion in his voice and she didn't like it, "Well no, not really.  He saved my life not too long ago and has let me stay under Beitris', and ultimately his, care."  Sean apparently liked her answer and took a step closer.  "Aye now?  Well I'm glad he did, ye seem mighty fair and in good health."  Was he flirting with her?  Aine was never a good judge of when guys liked her; back in high school, her friends always teased saying her future husband could be on one knee proposing and she'd still ask, "So you like me?"  It never bothered her one bit but she wished they'd just taught her how to flirt.  Aine was very straightforward about what she thought and if a guy didn't do the same, she'd just assume they were good friends.  In the corner of her eye, she could see Ruairi running from a small bit of forest near the grounds and it didn't look like he was running to workout.  Returning her attention to Sean, Aine gave a small smile and finally responded, "Thanks Sean. It was nice talking to you but I spotted a friend of Gregory's and he seems a little frazzled.  I'm gonna go check to see if everything is ok.  Again, it was so nice to meet you."  Aine nodded her leave and picked up her pace, skirts in hand, to catch Ruairi.

Ruairi needed to get Beitris and fast.  He'd almost made it through the training grounds when he spotted Aine running to meet him.  "Aine?  Well I don't suppose ye could lend a hand.  Greg got himself hurt and I need ye to find Beitris."  Shocked, Aine nodded.  "Is it bad? Beitris is out getting some herbs for her medicines and I don't know which way she went or when she'll be back."  Ruairi frowned in frustration.  "Right.  Well Greg will tell ye tis not that bad but he has a pretty deep gash in his arm and he's lost a good bit 'o blood. I rinsed it out, tore his shirt and tied his arm to stop the bleeding.  I only left him to get some help, he's leaned up against a tree near the entrance of the forest."  Aine wondered to herself if she'd be able to help; being athletic meant lots of injuries over time and she learned how to do first aid care for most kinds of injuries that didn't need anything drastic like reconstructive surgery.  She definitely knew how to do stitches.  May as well try... she thought.  "Ok well I can help! I've done a number of stitches growing up, I played sports so it kinda comes with the territory. Couldn't go to the hospital for every little thing."  Ruairi eyed Aine and figured she would be their best bet for now.  Nodding, Ruairi sighed, "Alright, lass. What do ye need? I'll go grab it and ye go to Greg. I'll be quick."  Aine thought and knew exactly what she would need.  "Alright, some clean cloths, bucket of clean water, thread and needle, a bandage, alcohol and a knife."  Ruairi ran to gather the items and Aine went to find Gregory.  Front of the forest, he said.  Aine thought to herself and it wasn't long before she found him leaning up against a large tree, just like Ruairi described.