Highlander’s Winter Rose by Fiona Faris
Chapter Six
“Alright, I think that ye are fine enough to dae the simple things yerself now,” Rosallyn was saying that morning. “Maybe today we can attempt havin’ ye use a cane to walk. It has been a few days since ye were stuck in here anyway. Ye should go outside for a while.”
They had just had breakfast, and she was rewrapping his ankle, which she brought out of the ice as she spoke. Maximus was glad that he would be getting out of bed for the first time, but he could not look at her, not with how embarrassed he was. He had been struggling to keep himself in check, but that only meant that he was hyper aware of her. Even now all he could think about was how soft her fingers were as she bandaged his injured leg.
The day before, he had done something incredibly stupid without even realizing what he was doing. He had been trying to get himself in a comfortable position, but she had stopped him, insisting on doing it herself. He had found it adorable that she was being so overprotective and allowed her to arrange the pillows behind his head. He watched her as she did so, amused by the focus on her face as she tried to get the pillows in a position that was just right.
He could not resist and was pulled in by her beauty. Her face was so close to his that he could see every detail. Her lips were full and red, like plump berries that he wanted to bite into. Her skin was so flawless and smooth, as though she had no pores. Her high cheekbones meant that her flushed face was red from just beneath her beautiful green eyes. Her hair fell like a red curtain on either side of her face, and he had been starstruck.
He wanted to reach up and bury his hand in her luscious red locks and pull her face down to his to kiss her. He had been staring at her without realizing that he was being obvious about it. Even when she met his eyes, he still did not realize. He just continued to stare at her, lost in her wide green eyes. That she was beautiful was all he could think.
She leaned away quickly and said something that he did not hear at all before scurrying out of the room while he continued to stare after her. He had been in a trance-like state and did not think much of it. He fell asleep soon after as the medicine she had given him made him sleepy, so he did not see her again until lunch. She had brought his meal to him, and he groggily ate while she put his foot in ice again. He was too sleepy to think at that point, and he could not feel anything, not even the numbness from the ice.
Due to this, it was not until dinner that he realized what he had done earlier. He noticed when his head was clearer that she was skittish around him. She could not look at him, and her face was red all through. He was wondering what made her that way, and then he remembered his earlier actions.
He had been looking at her so intently, with their faces so close. Her cheeks had been red, and he had not even considered that it was because of the way that he was staring at her. What had she thought when he continued to gawk at her that way? Was she upset or bothered? He had been so drawn in that he continued to stare, forgetting to look away. It must have been so awkward, but he had not even noticed.
It was his turn to be embarrassed then. The moments after dinner were painfully awkward. It was the quietest they had been around each other as they continued to avoid each other’s gazes, and Maximus worried that he had made her uncomfortable, but being nice, she did not know how to tell him that. He had tossed and turned all through the night, this time out of embarrassment.
Now he was still embarrassed, although she seemed to be over it and was treating him as normal. It certainly did not help that he continued to notice everything she did and was struggling with the urge to run his hand through her hair. Even if it were all he would get to do, he wanted to touch her hair.
“Does the ice still bother ye?” she asked, obviously trying to make conversation so that things would not be awkward.
“Nay, it never bothered me. I dinnae mind it at all,” he responded with his hands up, trying to convince her that she had nothing to worry about. She continued to stare at him for a while, and he looked away, not wanting to be in another awkward staring contest.
“Have ye decided how ye will get to Kellgan?” she asked, finding another topic of conversation. His ears perked up at that. He was grateful for a neutral topic to put things back on comfortable grounds.
“I am nae yet sure, to be honest,” he responded truthfully. “I am still nae certain that I can make it through the forest path to Kellgan in this state. It all depends on how quickly I am able to heal and how quickly the usurper sends soldiers to look for me. If I attempt to take the forest path while me ankle is still weak, I most likely willnae survive.”
The thought of the treacherous mountainous path alone worried him. He unconsciously looked down at his ankle with that worry. He had not attempted putting weight on it or even checking if moving it would hurt, so he could not gauge how bad it was.
“I want to help ye… Can I help ye? Maybe we can go together… I might be able to help ye get through the path,” she began, but then she caught the look on his face that said he did not think that would be a good idea.
“Thank ye, Rosallyn… but the path is very difficult for one who hasnae taken it before, and it would be worse to have ye there and for something to happen to ye, especially when I am injured and would be useless. The path is perilous, and it could claim both our lives…” he said.
She lowered her head. She could not help at all, and, instead, might even be a hinderance. She bit her lip. He seemed to see this as he spoke again.
“Ye are already helpin’ by treatin’ me, ye ken… Nay help can be more than this,” he said.
She raised her head with determination burning in her eyes.
“I will dae me best to heal ye so that ye can take the path,” she promised.
“Aye, I trust that ye will, but the problem is, what would we dae if I am nae healed by the time the soldiers come? I would be forced to take the path underprepared,” he pointed out.
Rosallyn tapped her chin in thought, the look in her eyes saying that her brain was running a mile a minute. He waited patiently to hear what she had to say.
“I think I might have an idea…” she mused. “Ye see, there is a farmer who lives just down the mountain. He’s a nice old man, but he mostly keeps to himself. Every day he takes a cart full of hay across the border to Kellgan, but he leaves very early each day, right at dawn. I am nae sure how it would work, but if ye hide in the hay, I think ye might be able to cross the border.”
Maximus considered the idea. He had not thought of many alternatives to crossing the forest path, so he welcomed the possibility, despite it still having several holes.
“If that could work, it would be wonderful since I would nae need to stress me body, and I would be hidden. There are a few problems though. For example, how would I get in? Are we going to involve him? He might nae be a good pretender and end up actin’ suspicious, which would lead to our capture. The second problem is the hay. How much hay is there, and would I really be able to hide in it? I am quite large after all. The last problem is, what would I dae with me horse?” he asked.
They were both quiet for a few moments as they thought.
“I think it would be best to sneak into the cart. I will help ye when the time comes, so I can distract the farmer as well as make sure that ye are hidden completely and nae exposed,” she began. “About Barny… I dinnae think that ye can take him with ye if ye use the farmer’s cart. Maybe I will bring him to ye in Kellgan meself.”
He stroked his chin, mulling her words over. He was just about to point out that she did not provide a solution to the second problem when she spoke again.
“As for the second problem, I think I have an idea on how we can be sure,” she said, a grin spreading over her face. He raised a brow in question, squinting when she only chuckled and got up, taking the bucket with her.
What is she up to now?
…
As Rosallyn went to dispose of the icy water and keep the bucket, she wondered if she should bother to push the cart into the room to take Maximus outside, or if she should simply help him up and walk him to the cart outside. After considering the dirt she would need to sweep out if she brought the cart in again, she decided it was best to help Maximus walk. She had already swept the house once that day and was not the biggest fan of having to do it again.
He had been acting strange after they had dinner the night before. Granted, she had been off her game all through the day yesterday after the incident where he was staring at her and called her beautiful. She had not been sure how to process any of it at first, so she was being strange. Luckily, with the effects of the drug she had given him, he did not notice it until the evening.
Perhaps it was her behavior that caused him to be the strange one now. She did not like the air around them swirling with so much tension, so she began to talk to him in an attempt to quell it. However, in the process of making small talk, she had thought up an idea that just might help them in the war.
“Alright, get up. We are goin’ outside,” she said the moment she got back into the room. His puzzlement was clear as he stared at her.
“What?” he asked as though he did not understand her words.
She pulled the covers off him and pulled both his legs over the side of the bed.
“Come on, I mean it. I want to take ye outside. Just get up on yer good foot and lean on me. I will help ye walk,” she said.
Maximus did as she asked despite his movements being slightly hesitant from understandable caution. The last time he had tried to stand, after all, he had crashed to the ground and fallen unconscious.
“This is so sudden. Where are we goin’? Is this what ye were talkin’ about when ye said that I would get to go outside today since I am doin’ better now?” he asked as he got up on his good foot, holding unto her shoulder to balance himself.
She felt her brows raise. She had forgotten about saying that earlier. She pulled his hand forward so that his arm was draped over her shoulder, and then supported the rest of his body with her arm around his back.
“I did say that, but this is nae what I am tryin’ to dae right now. I have a brilliant idea to check how our plan will work with the hay, and to do so means I need to take ye outside now. A good coincidence as this way we can kill two birds with one stone,” she said.
The first few steps were a bit wobbly, but she quickly got used to the feeling of his heavy body resting against her. Once again, they were very close. Although Maximus was tall, he was hunched over as she was his supporter, and he could not tower over her. Every part of her that was in contact with his body began to send heat through her form.
“How dae ye feel? Ye are nae goin’ to collapse again, are ye?” she asked, mostly to remove her thoughts from the feeling of his body against hers. Maximus only chuckled.
“Dinnae worry about me. I am perfectly fine,” he said, fixing her with a grin. She smiled back and looked away quickly. He was immensely dangerous for her heart to be around. She allowed him to lean against her as they made their way outside the house. She took a cautionary glance around, making sure that no one was in the area before helping him out of the house.
He was also looking around, she noticed, and she realized that he had not seen the outside of the house because he had been unconscious the first time he passed through her door. He truly had not seen anything but her bedroom where she had kept him.
“Yer home is lovely…” he said as he looked over the expanse of the building. It was a bungalow, having only one floor, but it was very well built, and since the rooms were large, it was spread out over the hill. It was originally supposed to be a cottage house, but her father had decided to make it as grand as his home in the castle town, even though it was just him, her grandmother and Rosallyn living in the house.
“Thank ye, father built it this way so that it still resembles the house of a noble, although unconventional,” she explained as she led him to the stables. Seeing where they were going, he raised his brow in question.
“Are we goin’ to see Barny?” he asked.
“Nay, that is nae why I am bringin’ ye here, but to be honest, that is nae a bad idea. It has been a while since Barny saw ye, perhaps ye really should greet him,” she said.
Seeing the cart, she helped him over to it, and he hopped on his good foot twice before successfully lowering himself to the cart.
“Alright, will ye now tell me what it is that we are doin’ here?” he asked.
She chuckled and pushed him forward to the barn where the hay was. Walking back to the front of the cart to face him, she lifted both hands grandly.
“Since we couldnae figure out how well the hay would hide ye, I think that it is best to test that theory!” she announced.
With his eyes squinted, he cocked his head to the side to look behind her at the mountain of hay.
“I see, but then how dae ye ken how much hay he has?” he asked.
She had already begun shoveling the hay, and glanced back at him when he spoke.
“Oh, I ken how much hay he has, dinnae fash. I just need to make sure that hidin’ in hay on a cart actually works,” she said, then on afterthought added, “Besides, I think I could take ye to the farmer covered in hay and tell him that I have too much hay and decided that he could have some. That way if his cart is nae full enough, I can use my own hay to make up for it.”
Hefting up some hay in her arms so that she could distribute it more evenly, she turned to him.
“Ye should probably get comfortable,” she prompted.
He shifted so that he was lying on the cart completely and after some internal debate, turned on his side in a fetal position before nodding to her that he had chosen that position. She worked quickly, first arranging the hay all around him, before working to cover him completely.
After a while, there was nothing but a mound of hay on the cart, and absolutely nothing would have hinted to her that he was hidden under there if she had not been the one to put him in there herself.
“It works!” she exclaimed. He began to move beneath the hay, and she was pleased to note that even then he was still not visible until he dug himself out from inside it. She gave him a wide grin.
“A complete success,” she said. “Although I think we should also see how well ye manage to be hidden if ye tried to hide by yerself.”
In case she was not able to follow him after all, then it meant that he would need to hide by himself. She helped him out of the hay and arranged it back into a heap before turning to him again.
“Alright, now ye need to try gettin’ in by yerself,” she said.
