Anise

Cameron spent about an hour and a half in the stables carefully petting the large black warhorse that Drustan seemed to adore. He was massive – taller and wider than all the rest of the horses and kept in a much larger stall than the rest. From the very beginning Cameron was intimidated by the big beast, afraid he was going to attack her but it turned out he was nicer than a lap dog.

Stomper let her hand feed him and pet him, brushing down his coat from where he had rolled in the dirt. She wouldn't have believed he was a warhorse if Drustan didn't ride him all the time. She picked up a handful of grain from his feed pail and started feeding him more, petting his nose as he ate. "Yer gonna spoil him, lass." She heard Drustan say from the door of the stall.

She shrugged and continued to feed him not bothering to look at him, "He deserves to be spoiled."

Drustan came up right behind her and reached over her, petting the stop of the horses head, "I thought ya didnae like Stomper?"

"I never said I didn't like him. I said that I was afraid he was going to eat me. But you shouldn't be surprised he's the size of a small house and looks like you feed him puppies and kittens for supper."

Drustan chuckled before stated, "Aye, thats what we fed him ta get him to this size. Now he just eats hay and grain."

She turned around and glared at him, "You're teasing me now?"

"Aye, I was hopin' ta make ya laugh." When she turned back to Stomper and began to stroke him again Drustan sighed, "Aboot last evenin', lass. I didnae mean ta upset ya but ya donnae be needin ta throw a temper tantrum in front o' me men when ya donnae get yer way."

"You were the one who got annoyed and told me to go upstairs. I don't like being told what to do like I'm some sort of child." She stated. "Everything would have been fine if you hadn't tried to boss me around."

"All lasses need ta be told what ta do, otherwise the Lord only knows what they would do."

She turned around and set her hands on her hips, glaring up at him. "Is that so? I have never had a man tell me what to do in my life and I'm doing just fine."

He rolled his eyes, "Aye, lassie. Yer doin' just fine."

Cameron's jaw dropped and she shoved him, "Don't be sarcastic with me! I don't need you or anyone else to tell me what to do."

"Ya do here, lass. Ya wouldn't know what ta do otherwise. Ya can't just go around tellin' men what ta do and talk ta them about war things, hittin' people, and flaunting yer knowledge like yer superior." He barked, his tone going angry very quickly. "I donnae know where yer from but women are nay educated well, and are taught better than to speak against orders their guardians give them."

"So now you're my guardian?" She asked. "I barely fucking know you!"

"And they donnae use foul language," he chastised. "Aye, I am yer guardian. I have fed ya, clothed ya, and I am the only thing standing in the way of ya bein' tossed out on yer arse ta care fer yerself."

Cameron sucked in a breath and took a step back, away from him and the horse that seemed content even with them yelling at each other. "Then do it, Oh mighty Laird MacLean." When he just looked down on her, his face determined but his eyes angry but didn't say anything it was her turn to roll her eyes. "You can't do it, can you?"

"Quiet yerself, Cameron. Afore ya say something ya regret," he said through gritted teeth.

"Why should I?" She snapped. "I'm tired of you telling me what to do. I'm not going to walk around like some ditzy, uneducated princess because that's what you want me to be. I can't fit into the mold of what your society thinks is right for me."

Drustan stepped towards her, "I am nay tryin ta make ya change lass. I am tryin' ta keep ya from getting hurt by someone who does nay understand why ya are the way ya are."

"Then stop acting the way you do every time I do something that you don't like."

He lifted his chin, "I cannae fit into the mold of yer society either, lass. Men where yer from may let ya hold their bullocks in yer hand but it cannae be done here. There is too much war, too many enemies, fer ya ta do what ya wish when ya wish."

"Then what can I do? Sit around and knit all day? I'm not allowed to act knowledgeable, I'm not allowed to talk to the men." She swallowed back the tears that seemed to be trying to fight their way out of her. "Tell me what I can do to make you happy, Drustan?"

It was her last statement that made his expression go lax and his angry eyes to go sad, "Lass, ya do make me happy. I just donnae know what ta do with ya. Half the time I wanna kiss ya breathless and the other half I just want ta shake ya senseless."

She brushed at her eyes as she said, "Then stop trying to boss me around. Everything was fine last night until you had to go tell me to go to my room because I wouldn't dirty talk back to you."

"Ya think thats why I sent ya upstairs?" He chuckled and stepped towards her, stopping her from brushing away the tears. "I sent ya away 'cause I knew ya were uncomfortable. I was getting' well into my cups as well and I knew that if ya stayed I woulda only been more unpleasant ta ya." He let go of her hands to held her face gently in his hands. "Ya blushed like the innocent maid ya are and I dinnae wan' the other men ta say somethin' aboot it that would upset ya."

"I knew you weren't talking about your man and the maid." She whispered, looking away from him. "I can't be like that with you right now, Drustan. I'm still getting to know you and... and..."

"Are ya scared, lass?" He asked quietly, turning her head so she was looking him in the eyes. When she nodded he asked, "Of me?" This time she shook her head, "Then of what, lass? I need ta know, cause I am nay sure how much more of this fightin' with ya I can take."

Cameron sighed and pulled away, "I'm afraid of these things I feel for you, Drustan. It's not right to be instantly attracted to you like I am. I don't want to get... involved with you and for you or me to decide that it's not what we want. I can't give my heart away to you until I'm sure it's what I want and all you seem to want is for me to do it. I want to know that I'll be with you forever if I do give you my heart, that you won't be killed or I won't used as some type of war pawn against you by your enemies."

"Ya can never guarantee somethin' like that, lass. Ya just have ta trust the fates ta be on yer side and treat every day like it could be our last."

Tears came to her eyes again but this time she didn't try to stop them, "I don't know if I can do that."

Drustan closed the distance between them in a blink of an eye before grabbing her up in his arms. His lips came down on hers hard but the kiss was soft as he kept his arms around her, plastering her body to his. His lips pulled away from hers just enough for him to whisper, "Then let me do it fer both of us, lass. I promise I will nay hurt ya, but please just trust me enough ta do this."

Cameron looks into his eyes and found her answer before closing them and nodded. "Okay, but please don't let me down."

At her soft words Drustan brushed his lips against hers, "Nay lass, never. I would never disappoint ya in this but if I do ya have ta talk ta me. Ya cannae go around shoutin' at me, behavin' like a child when I have nay done anythin' wrong."

"I won't. I'll talk to you but you can't tell me what to do anymore either. I'll try to pretend to be all docile and dumb in public but I'm not going to do that in this keep and I'm definitely not doing it when you're around."

Drustan nodded and gently kissed her lips again before saying, "As long as ya stop yer cursin'."

"What if I'm in private or alone with you, can I cuss then or do I have to stop completely?" She asked.

"If yer with me or alone that tis fine. But nay around the men and never around a guest. I donnae want ya to be thought of badly 'cause of the gossips and old nags who have nay better ta do with their time."

Cameron smiled at him slightly and said, "Okay so we've come to an understanding. I won't cuss or yell at you anymore and you won't boss me around like I'm a child. I think we'll like each other a lot more now."

He laughed and kissed her again, this time not just pecking to her lips. His hands feel away from her face, one falling to her waist the other to the back of her head.

She didn't turn away, she let him kiss her. She eyes drifting closed before she kissed him back, her heart soaring. It was that moment that she realized he was the type of man she always knew she should be with. The type of man who, with just one kiss, could turn her legs to jello and put butterflies in her stomach. Someone who was kind, caring, and could probably be romantic if he tried. He was the Prince Charming that ever girl wanted and in that moment, Cameron wasn't that upset that she couldn't go home.