Anise
ochd.
Camaron slowly got off the horse and handed the reins to the boy who cared for them. The sun had gone down an hour or so before and she was already feeling sore from riding for to long.
“Supper should be ready,” Drustan stated as he lead her to the kitchen door and into the castle.
Bessa quickly shooed them out to wait in the dining room with the rest of the men. This time Camaron sat next to Drustan as his friends and men sat around.
“Are ye gonna introduce us to yer lass, Drustan?”
“Tis Camaron Gatewood.”
“Camaron.. Anise?” One of the men asked in confusion.
“Nay, not Anise.” Drustan told him before Camaron could say anything
“Who is she? The lass looks just like Anise.”
Without skipping a beat he answered, “Camaron is Anise's second cousin. They favor each other greatly.”
The man looked to her and asked, “Where do ye hail from?”
Camaron looked to Drustan for more assistance before looking at the man. “England... A very remote section.”
“And why have ye come to Scotland?”
“To see Drustan. I... uh.. I miss my cousin very much and have only just heard the news of her death. I wrote Drustan but he must have not received my letter and he found me coming here to Duart Castle.”
The men laughed, “Musta given ye quiet the scare.”
“Aye, I though the dead were rising.”
“We're ye traveling alone then?”
“Yes. There was no one to accompany me and it was dire that I saw Drustan.”
“She will be stayin' with us for an unknown amount of time.”
“Is she why you broke your engagement with the Campbell girl?”
Camaron turned to face him abruptly, “You broke an engagement?”
“Not now, Camaron.” He said to her before saying to his men. “Aye for now. I sent a missive to her father asking for a year of support in battle before marrying his daughter.”
“And if he does nay give you support?”
“Then we will go on as we have. MacLean's fight for MacLean lands and for MacLean honor.”
The men cheered, banging ale cups on the table along with their fists.
Dinner was brought out shortly after. Roasted pig, vegetables, and breads were set on the table and the men dug in. Camaron would have except she was feeling sick, her stomach churned as her heart ached.
Engaged.
The one word had caused her to feel so ill she wanted to cry over the man that wasn't hers. She wasn't even sure why she felt the way she did. All she knew was that her heart was screaming at Drustan's news.
“I... uh... I'm going to go to bed.” She told Drustan as she stood.
“Are ye alright, Lass?” he asked, concerned.
“Yeah, I'm just tired from today.” She hurried to her bedroom and once the door was closed she began to sob and curse herself for crying. She had no right to cry. Drustan wasn't hers and she wasn't his. Of course he would marry someone else.
“Lass?” Drustan called through the door. “are ye alright?”
“Don't come in!”
Drustan didn't listen and opened the door, “Why are ye cryin'?”
“I... I...” she tried to come up with a lie but couldn't. “How could you do this?”
“Do what?”
“How could you betray me?” the words just poured out, she didn't even realize what she was saying. “How could you marry that Campbell girl while you love and I'm standing right here? You are betraying me! Killing me with your pending marriage!” Camaron stormed around the room angrily. “Will you bed her in your bed? Let her carry your babes to replace the one you lost? Will you love her like you loved me?”
Drustan stood still and listened to Camaron's rant. When she finished he said slowly, “I dinnae realize I was betraying my Anise. You are Camaron. My Anise is dead.”
Camaron sobbed, “I know.” She walked towards Drustan. “I don't know where these words are coming from. I just say them because it's what I'm feeling. I shouldn't. I don't know you.” She let another sob shake her body. “Help me Drustan.. I think I'm going crazy.”
Drustan's expression softened as he pulled her to him and held her to his chest. “Year nay going crazy, Camaron.”
“Yes I am!” she wailed as she buried her face in his chest. “I have feelings for you that shouldn't exist. I hardly know you and your from this time and I'm from 600 years in the future.”
“When we are from and how much we know each other donnae matter.” He said as he smoothed down her hair. “You feel how you should. Ye did nae like the news of my broken engagement because ye love me but ya cannae justify it.”
“I don't love you.”
“Aye, ya do.” He pulled her away so he could look in her eyes. “Ya do love me lass.. I am a pounding in yer chest that you cannae ignore.”
“But it doesn't make sense.”
“Love never makes sense, lass. Love is something that has nay explanation.”
Camaron frowned, “But you don't love me.”
“I do love ya, lass. Yer the pounding in my chest and a song on the wind.”
“But you don't know me. How do you know you love me.”
“I spent all day with ye. I watched ye laugh and ye looked so beautiful with the sun on yer skin and the wind in yer hair.”
Camaron blushed and wiped her cheeks, shaking her head. “Just because I'm beautiful doesn't mean you love me.”
He grabbed her roughly and planted his lips on hers, again. His hands tangled in her hair and held her face to his as his tongue danced with hers. Camaron felt her heart soar at his kiss. When he pulled away he looked into her eyes, “Ye cannae say ya don't feel that.”
“I can't loose my heart to you Drustan MacLean.”
“Why not?!” He roared, releasing her suddenly. “What must I do to prove to ye that I love ya? WHAT!?”
“Nothing because I already know you love me.”
“Then why won't ya love me back?”
“Because when I go back to my time it would already hurt being away from you. I won't give my heart away while I might still be able to go home.”
“So if ya cannae get home ye'll love me?”
Camaron nodded, “I'll try to.”
“Then we leave in the morn to find your witch. Rumor is there is a few on Fraser land and we will nay be bothered there. MacLean's are friendly with the Fraser.”
“Seriously? I might go home?”
“Aye.”
Camaron screamed in delight before throwing herself at Drustan, hugging him. “Thank you!” She then rushed off to get ready to go and get a good nights sleep.
“Supper should be ready,” Drustan stated as he lead her to the kitchen door and into the castle.
Bessa quickly shooed them out to wait in the dining room with the rest of the men. This time Camaron sat next to Drustan as his friends and men sat around.
“Are ye gonna introduce us to yer lass, Drustan?”
“Tis Camaron Gatewood.”
“Camaron.. Anise?” One of the men asked in confusion.
“Nay, not Anise.” Drustan told him before Camaron could say anything
“Who is she? The lass looks just like Anise.”
Without skipping a beat he answered, “Camaron is Anise's second cousin. They favor each other greatly.”
The man looked to her and asked, “Where do ye hail from?”
Camaron looked to Drustan for more assistance before looking at the man. “England... A very remote section.”
“And why have ye come to Scotland?”
“To see Drustan. I... uh.. I miss my cousin very much and have only just heard the news of her death. I wrote Drustan but he must have not received my letter and he found me coming here to Duart Castle.”
The men laughed, “Musta given ye quiet the scare.”
“Aye, I though the dead were rising.”
“We're ye traveling alone then?”
“Yes. There was no one to accompany me and it was dire that I saw Drustan.”
“She will be stayin' with us for an unknown amount of time.”
“Is she why you broke your engagement with the Campbell girl?”
Camaron turned to face him abruptly, “You broke an engagement?”
“Not now, Camaron.” He said to her before saying to his men. “Aye for now. I sent a missive to her father asking for a year of support in battle before marrying his daughter.”
“And if he does nay give you support?”
“Then we will go on as we have. MacLean's fight for MacLean lands and for MacLean honor.”
The men cheered, banging ale cups on the table along with their fists.
Dinner was brought out shortly after. Roasted pig, vegetables, and breads were set on the table and the men dug in. Camaron would have except she was feeling sick, her stomach churned as her heart ached.
Engaged.
The one word had caused her to feel so ill she wanted to cry over the man that wasn't hers. She wasn't even sure why she felt the way she did. All she knew was that her heart was screaming at Drustan's news.
“I... uh... I'm going to go to bed.” She told Drustan as she stood.
“Are ye alright, Lass?” he asked, concerned.
“Yeah, I'm just tired from today.” She hurried to her bedroom and once the door was closed she began to sob and curse herself for crying. She had no right to cry. Drustan wasn't hers and she wasn't his. Of course he would marry someone else.
“Lass?” Drustan called through the door. “are ye alright?”
“Don't come in!”
Drustan didn't listen and opened the door, “Why are ye cryin'?”
“I... I...” she tried to come up with a lie but couldn't. “How could you do this?”
“Do what?”
“How could you betray me?” the words just poured out, she didn't even realize what she was saying. “How could you marry that Campbell girl while you love and I'm standing right here? You are betraying me! Killing me with your pending marriage!” Camaron stormed around the room angrily. “Will you bed her in your bed? Let her carry your babes to replace the one you lost? Will you love her like you loved me?”
Drustan stood still and listened to Camaron's rant. When she finished he said slowly, “I dinnae realize I was betraying my Anise. You are Camaron. My Anise is dead.”
Camaron sobbed, “I know.” She walked towards Drustan. “I don't know where these words are coming from. I just say them because it's what I'm feeling. I shouldn't. I don't know you.” She let another sob shake her body. “Help me Drustan.. I think I'm going crazy.”
Drustan's expression softened as he pulled her to him and held her to his chest. “Year nay going crazy, Camaron.”
“Yes I am!” she wailed as she buried her face in his chest. “I have feelings for you that shouldn't exist. I hardly know you and your from this time and I'm from 600 years in the future.”
“When we are from and how much we know each other donnae matter.” He said as he smoothed down her hair. “You feel how you should. Ye did nae like the news of my broken engagement because ye love me but ya cannae justify it.”
“I don't love you.”
“Aye, ya do.” He pulled her away so he could look in her eyes. “Ya do love me lass.. I am a pounding in yer chest that you cannae ignore.”
“But it doesn't make sense.”
“Love never makes sense, lass. Love is something that has nay explanation.”
Camaron frowned, “But you don't love me.”
“I do love ya, lass. Yer the pounding in my chest and a song on the wind.”
“But you don't know me. How do you know you love me.”
“I spent all day with ye. I watched ye laugh and ye looked so beautiful with the sun on yer skin and the wind in yer hair.”
Camaron blushed and wiped her cheeks, shaking her head. “Just because I'm beautiful doesn't mean you love me.”
He grabbed her roughly and planted his lips on hers, again. His hands tangled in her hair and held her face to his as his tongue danced with hers. Camaron felt her heart soar at his kiss. When he pulled away he looked into her eyes, “Ye cannae say ya don't feel that.”
“I can't loose my heart to you Drustan MacLean.”
“Why not?!” He roared, releasing her suddenly. “What must I do to prove to ye that I love ya? WHAT!?”
“Nothing because I already know you love me.”
“Then why won't ya love me back?”
“Because when I go back to my time it would already hurt being away from you. I won't give my heart away while I might still be able to go home.”
“So if ya cannae get home ye'll love me?”
Camaron nodded, “I'll try to.”
“Then we leave in the morn to find your witch. Rumor is there is a few on Fraser land and we will nay be bothered there. MacLean's are friendly with the Fraser.”
“Seriously? I might go home?”
“Aye.”
Camaron screamed in delight before throwing herself at Drustan, hugging him. “Thank you!” She then rushed off to get ready to go and get a good nights sleep.