The Highlander

Chapter Nine

The cold air hit me hard and I wrapped my arms around my chest, trying my best to protect my body from the harsh nip in the air. I walked the distance to the small river, leaving my clothes at the edge of the line of trees.

The water was cold, I knew that before I even got in it, but I still yelped in surprise when I dipped my toe in it. Giving in to my need for hygiene and pushing aside my fear of the cold, I waddled in, letting the water surround my legs and up to my waist.

However, before I could even begin to wash myself the sound of splashing and deep voices filled the air and snapped my head to my left to see a group of warriors throw themselves into the small river, oblivious to my presence.

A shiver of fear ran through me and I was frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do. But when one turned, their gaze nearly fixing on me, I sloshed through the water and threw myself onto the banks, searching for my clothes.

"Looking for these?" Finn's cheeky voice came from the edge of the clearing and I instinctively jumped behind a tree, hiding my naked body from his sight. Finn leant against a tree a few meters from me, my clothes in his hands. He actually had a smirk on his face and a glimmer in his eye as he tried his best to eye me up from behind a tree.

"Please give me my clothes." I begged, my voice hard with anger yet soft with plead. Finn looked like he was contemplating his answer, quite mockingly might I add, and my little hands balled into fists with anger. I thought, momentarily, about striding over to him and taking my clothes but decided against it. Mainly because I was naked and two because he was a big highland warrior and I knew he could overpower me and do what he wanted to me.

"Please." I said one last time with a sigh.

Finn's smirk dropped and for a moment he looked sorry and regretful before he replaced it with a look of mischief. "Okay lass, but I want one thing before ye get yer clothes."

"What?" I demanded.

"The truth." Finn said, "Why don't ye want to explore a relationship with me? Not a physical one, one of emotion and love? Why did ye turn me away? Was I not good enough for ye?"

I looked at him, torn between telling the truth and demanding for my clothes but the sad and pleading look on his face told me to tell him what he wanted. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, hoping I wouldn't regret this later and said, "It's not that you aren't good enough Finn, you are perfect. So perfect that I'm afraid of falling in love with you."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I'm afraid of getting hurt along the way."

"I'd never hurt ye."

"I'd never know that until I was in a relationship with you. And I don't think I'm ready to gamble my heart yet." I said, sorrowful.

"Well, let me know when ye are lass." Finn said his voice void of emotion, before throwing my clothes at me and disappearing in the trees.

I waited a moment before running over and grabbing my clothes, pulling them on hastily, wrapping the tartan cloak around my shoulders. I hurried into the forest, my bare feet smacking harshly against the uneven ground, and I tried my best to remember how Graham and I had arrived at the river in order to make my way back.

I got lost once but soon found my way back to the large clearing in time to catch Graham before he left to look for me. All the warriors were packing up their camp, shouldering their sacks and sheathing their weapons and soon we were ready to go.

Finn was on top of Ares already looking all dangerous and gloomy, ordering some warriors about. I felt sorry for them as they had to face the wrath of a depressed Laird. Graham waved me over to his horse and I let him lift me on top before pulling himself on behind me and grasping the reins, an arm on either side of me.

The weather was good and stayed good throughout most of the day as we travelled. Finlay told everyone that this was the last day of riding and we should arrive at the next village at around nightfall.

I was happy by this but also scared. I had to make some difficult decisions when I arrived. Finlay promised he would take me to safety at this village but I had to make my mind up whether or not I wanted to stay with him to the last safest place before the battle and wait for him to win and return or stay at the village and watch him leave.

I didn't know when I would return home, let alone if I would, and staying by myself at a village I didn't know with people I had never met before in a town from the past didn't seem like the best idea. But going with Finn would mess up my plan to try and stay away from him and calm the ever growing attraction and feelings between us. But he would protect me and there was a whole band of warriors as well who would be there in case there was trouble. And Graham would be there and I trusted him to protect me like family, as I would him.

But my feelings were butting their way into the equation as they grew heavy inside me, weighing me down until I came to realise they were there, and there was a lot more than I initially realised.

At first what I saw in Finn was lust and attraction- any human girl with eyes would- but as the past couple of weeks progressed as I have pushed myself further from him, I felt myself yearn to be closer. My feelings grew as the distance did which only urged me to pull away more. And now here I was sat on Graham's horse watching Finn ahead of us wishing I was on his horse with him. Wishing I was kissing him like I had before and have the feeling of euphoria rush around my body and not the regret I felt the previous times.

This man- this highlander- had sparked emotions inside me that I hadn't ever felt before. Feelings of love and wanting, of heartbreak and total confusion.

This excited me.

But it also scared me.

tpad�<(�z