Highland Strength (Book 3)

Chapter 20

AN - Hi all, this Chapter comes to you from Bowness on Windermere in the currenlty very rainy Lake District!! At least it has meant i had a chance to write you a chaper! Enjoy, Az x

Chapter 20

Sheena led the horse she stilled wondered over, from her position on her mare. How she had managed to get an unconscious Aonghus, on her twisted ankle, upon the stallion, she would never know. The moment it happened such euphoria went through her, she completely forgot how it was possible for her to do such a thing in the first place. All she knew was the black stallion with brown and white socks had taken it upon itself to help her out by lying down next to his master. It had helped, but not by much, especially considering his size and weight compared to her, and her throbbing swollen ankle.

The appendage even now seemed to burn with pain. She had learnt to ignore the pulse since she had injured her ankle, but now, with all the movement and weight she had had to put upon it in the last few hours, the pain was trying to take over her thoughts, wanting attention. There was nothing she could do for it, and she was now wondering if it was twisted or if she had broken something. If it was broken she ran the risk of never walking upon it correctly again. Obviously she had had to do what she had done over the last few hours, and would never regret it, but what would she do if she could not walk properly?

Shaking her head, she knew it was useless worrying over what she had not come to pass yet. She also had the journey ahead, and an injured Aonghus to deal with before she could do anything else. She could not worry about herself, for self-pity had never been her way, she would deal with whatever came her way. Aonghus, however, was clinging onto life. He had not awoken in the hours since she had managed to set off with him in tow. He sat slumped over the neck of his horse, tethered to it to give her peace of mind over how his whereabouts. She was not losing him again. She had already lost years over losing him once, she was not going to let that happen once more. He had already caused her palpitations, her heart could not take losing him, her peace of mind could not, but most of all her ankle could not take it.

A loud rumble over took the silence of the pitch black forest around her. A small chuckle lit the air as she could not keep it in. Knowing that her stomach would not take the lack of food well over the next few hours. Yet, she also knew she would not allow herself the time it would take to do so, as she needed to surge forward, following a memory from long ago to find the one place she knew which could possibly help him. One she had dreamed of often, but never wished to see again, as it reminded her too much of what she had lost, and the gain which had never come to pass. She had been sent here to save her life, along with the lives of countless others. But in the end she did not know if she had not preferred to end it all when her parents had been massacred, at least then she would not have had to deal with the loss of them only seconds after saying goodbye. While at the same time becoming the guardian to Naois, who was a good child, but not something a girl of eight summers should be taking on by herself in the middle of nowhere. No help and no one in the vicinity to find.

Now. Now she found herself in a situation where finding this place once more, was the only way she could think of healing the one person who had come to mean so much in such a little time. Shaking her head once more, she did not know how he had done it. He had wormed his way in, with a small gesture or a flippant comment, gaining her trust while she had not seen him do so. He had been wily like that. Sitting a little straighter, she scowled to herself. No, she would not think as such. He was wily like that, and while she may loathe the teasing in his presence, she secretly like it. Knowing someone was comfortable enough with her to make such jests and knowing they were not meant to cause offense or pain. It was a novel idea to her, and she was not sure how to take it. But what would she do if he never arched an eyebrow at her, or gave her that cocky, know it all grin again?