65. Chapter 65 - Ash
Iwas lifted from the cart by someone. I opened my eyes, a blurry Lochie swam into view. “Hi!” I giggled. “You’re not real.”
“I assure ye I am.”
I looked around, faces swimming around me, all looking weirdly old-fashioned, wearing skirts. The men had weapons and beards and, I pointed, “You’re not real. You’re not real. You’re not real.” I swung my good arm around. “All y’all not real.”
Lochie began striding across the... where were we? Stone walls, like a castle. Funny, they said castle and now we were in a castle and it all seemed real, but couldn’t possibly be... but I had been in the longest most realistic dream of my life.
There was a woman walking ahead of us, “Ye can take her tae the east room on the third floor, Lochinvar, the chambermaid has it readied.”
His deep voice returned, “Aye, Madame Lizbeth, thank ye.”
We started up a stairwell and I reached my hand out and felt the stone wall as we climbed. “None of this is real.” There was a draft, the air was cold, I tucked my head against his chest. “Warm.” I sighed. “I like you even though you’re just a dream.”
Lochie said to the woman, “She is overly weary and overcome from the injury.”
The woman said, “I understand.”
We went down a long dark corridor and I faded in and out of consciousness until a heavy door was opened and the temperature and light changed. We were in a room. I looked around and said, “Old bed, old table, old fireplace, old walls...” Then forgot what I was talking about, happily it was warm, there was a fire roaring in the hearth.
I was placed down on a lumpy mattress, in a bed with a canopy, a small bed, not much more than a twin.
Lochie fluffed the pillow under my head and said, “Tis comfortable?”
My face was heavy, my lips felt like they were sliding down off my face into the down pillow. “No, but that’s okay, Lochie, you did your best. It’s all a figment, a weird figment of my...” I couldn’t remember what I was saying again, so I stopped.
The woman, Lizbeth said, “I will leave ye — dost ye need aught, Lochinvar?”
“Nae, I will stay here until she comes back tae herself.”
It grew quiet in the room. Lochie pulled a chair up beside the bed.
I fell asleep.
I woke up a little while later, on my side, my sore shoulder up, with the sound of Lochie’s voice muttering though I couldn’t understand what he was saying.... “What...?”
He brushed my hair off my cheek. “I was prayin’.”
I chuckled, looking at my bandaged hands, “You don’t have to pray for me — I feel great!”
He smiled down on me. “Ye hae been out of yer mind.”
I said, “Did I say something stupid?”
He shook his head, with his eyes cast down.
“Ugh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it, whatever it was. I don’t know, I feel sane, but this all seems maddening. What is happening, Lochie?”
“I am a time traveler.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Time travel doesn’t exist.”
He shrugged. “Then how dost ye explain that ye hae been in the thirteenth century, that now ye are in the eighteenth century? What is yer explanation, Ash?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m a time traveler, the brother of a king.”
“Who was the man who kidnapped me?”
“His name is Asgall, we daena ken much about him, but he is tryin’ tae outmaneuver Magnus.”
“Why me?”
“Because I love ye, and?—”
“You love me?”
“Aye, I promised tae protect ye and I... dinna.”
I was looking at my bandaged hand on the pillow beside me. “You didn’t promise me anything.”
He said, “I did in m’heart. When we did the thumb oath, I swore I would never?—”
“You swore you would never beguile me, Lochie, you promised.” A tear spilled down my nose. “And you have done nothing but beguile me, so much beguiling, everywhere, beguiled.”
“I am sorry, Ash...” He shifted in his seat. “I dinna ken how tae tell ye. Ye wouldna believe me if I had. Tis a fanciful tale and I hoped that if ye fell in love with me first, ye might believe it later.”
“Exactly. That is beguiling, Lochie.”
He nodded.
Then added, “In m’defense, I hae been lost since I met ye and dinna ken how tae behave. I wasna certain what tae tell ye.”
“So you didn’t tell me — I could have died.” My eyes went wide. “Is everyone worried about me? Where do they think I went?”
“I daena ken, but ye can return tae the next day, most people winna ken ye were gone... twas good ye called Kaitlyn, tis how we kent ye had been taken.”
I relaxed my head back to the pillow. “So you’re a time traveler, and you have beguiled me, and now I’m caught up in it too?”
“Aye, Ash, I am verra sorry. I dinna mean tae draw ye in, I will take ye home as soon as ye are well enough tae travel, and then I will leave ye alone and ye can go back tae yer life. I winna bother ye again. I promise ye will be safe from harm once I am gone.”
I watched him speak, marveling at the planes and angles of his face, his jaw, with its newly grown beard.
“I don’t want you to go. Why would you leave me?”
“Because I am dangerous, I am the brother of a king, and I daena ken how tae keep ye safe. I am an orphan, ye can see that yer bed is small, and this is beyond what they would ever offer me, because ye are a guest ye are given yer own room, with a small bed, but when I come tae visit I am made tae sleep with the men in the barracks, tis all I am, an orphan who was found by Magnus, his half-brother by blood, but he dinna ken I existed until he was forced tae take me on. I grew up fightin’ for my life, being beaten when I dinna fight well enough. I hae given Magnus my oath tae be his sword, and in exchange I hae the treatment of a lord, but not the respect. I daena hae vast armies, I canna command others tae my bidding, I only fight. I am verra good at fighting, Ash, but that also means I attract battles, what kind of life does this mean for ye? Tis not a good enough life, ye deserve more.”
My mouth drew down. “That is the saddest story I ever heard.”
He nodded. “Tis true.”
“It’s not really true, what I hear is you are a knight, you fight for a king, you saved yourself by being the best fighter around, and you are young but already when you have a guest at the — what castle is this?”
“Balloch, the Earl of Breadalbane’s castle.”
“When Lord Lochinvar the Great invites a guest to stay at Bally, the Earl of Breadelywhoo gives her a very fine bedroom, one of the best?—”
He chuckled, “Twas his niece who gave us the guest room, we ought not tell the Earl, and this inna a good room, the bed is verra small.”
I said, “You, my love, are not seeing the worth of yourself.”
The corner of his mouth turned up. “Ye called me ‘my love’.”
I sighed. “I have been hopelessly beguiled. You’re better at that than you give yourself credit for, too.”
“If ye see the worth of me, tis good enough?—”
There was a knock on the door. Lochie said, “Enter!”
The woman named Hayley came in. She said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, I just really need to hear more about what was going on. I really need to know if you think Fraoch and Magnus are okay.”
“Aye, Hayley, I am certain they are well.”
“Thank God, I mean, I thought it was okay, but I just needed to hear you say it. I felt the Trailblazer.”
“Aye, they must be usin’ it. They dinna want tae subject the horses tae it, and I needed tae get Ash home. She was injured, but as far as I know they are well.”
“That is a relief, thank you.”
“Would ye sit with Ash for a moment? I need tae relieve m’self.”
“Of course. Would you go talk to Kaitlyn too, Archie is freaking out — they really need to be reassured.”
“Archie is upset?”
“Yeah, he’s not doing good.”
“Och nae.” He squeezed my hand. “I will leave ye with Madame Hayley, I must speak tae m’nephew, he is worried on his Da.”
I nodded. “I understand.”