A Nighean Ruadh

The Second Battle of Culloden

Featured Gaelic with Pronunciations:

- Alba gu bràth (ah-lah-bah goo brah) - Scotland forever

- Eileanach (ey-lah-nahk) - Islander

- Samhain (sow-ahn) - November, also the day following All Hallow's Eve; a Pagan sabbat celebrating the deceased and the spiritual world

- Cìosamul (kis-ih-muhl) - 'castle island', Gaelic form of Kisimul Castle in Barra

- Àm-Lòin (ahm loyn) - lunchtime

- Gu leòr (goo lee-yor) - enough

- A charaid (ah har-ahge) - friend (speaking to) / caraid (carriage) - friend (noun)

- Fèileadh mòr (fee-leygh moor) - great kilt

- Gle èibhinn (gley ey-veen) - very funny

- Tannasgan (tah-nask-ahn) - ghosts

- Bàigh a' Chaisteal (bye ah khas-teyl) - Castle Bay (Castlebay)

- Mo leannan (moh yahn-ahn) - my sweetheart

- Sgian dubh (skee-ahn doo) - black knife

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24 April, 2138

Culloden Moor, Inverness, Scotland

"It will soon be the day," said the commanding officer, "that we fight the English once again. On the same soil where our ancestors fought nearly four hundred years ago. But today, we fight fer a different reason. We're no fightin' to put a Scottish king on the throne this time - although it was his birthright." She got a few chuckles from the crowd of young, eager faces that were seated on benches beneath a tent. "This time, we fight fer our freedom. Fer our emancipation from that tyrant on the English throne who calls himself our king! We will not fire the first shot - not that we really can, anyway - but we will wait for that damned Captain Richard Randall to make his first move. Whether that'll be tomorrow, or a week from now... we will not fire that first shot." She paused, then locked eyes with me. I stood against the back of the tent, leaning against a filing cabinet. Well, it wasn't a filing cabinet. Not for filing files, anyway. It stored the medical equipment for myself and the other medics, as we were currently in a meeting underneath the medical tent. "We have few guns, only swords, or arrows, dirks and knives, and ye can thank the English for that. Ken who yer medics are. Ken how to identify them and what channel to call for them on your CC's." Communicator cuffs. They were wristwatches we used to communicate with one another. "Fer now, rest. Train. With no guns, we do not have distance or firepower on our side. We need to make sure we hit them once and only once. We'll meet again tomorrow, once we've gotten an idea of what the English plan on doing. Alba gu bràth! "

" Alba gu bràth!" called the rest of the Highland army. As they dispersed from the medical tent, Captain Alexa MacLeod proudly made her way over to me, a pleased expression on her face.

"Captain Fowlis, what a surprise," she said to me with a smile on her face, which I returned. "Surprised you're here. Yer the hero of Bloody Bush and Berwick, ye shouldna be stuck all the way up here in Inverness."

"Where do ye expect me to be? With the division in Boothby?" I asked her playfully.

"Those are your lads, aren't they?" asked MacLeod.

"Aye, some. Whoever's not staying behind to fortify Berwick, but they're fine without me. I've trained them all well in archery so they dinnae need me," I told her. "Besides, all roads lead to Culloden, do they not?"