Gifted

Remembered Futures

Euan fidgeted while Alina heaved over the crenellated parapet, the meager contents of her stomach hurtling down past the castle and cliff walls into the loch far below. She felt vindicated for again refusing to wear a veil. It'd be a right mess after this. As it was, the absurdly long sleeves of her bliaut would never be the same. Alina rarely ate on days she planned on drawing upon her foresight. She rarely went without her gloves and tried to avoid unplanned visions whenever possible.

The initial panic receded as a plan formed to thwart the Campbell's plans. The vision seemed to show him bringing Highlanders who then proceeded to attack Euan and his men. Alina's foresight only ever revealed her own hazy memories of the future. She had no prophecies about the fate of the world outside her own experience. What seemed clear was that these strangers were aggressors. They looked like Viking raiders, especially the giant leading them. When Alina's hand first touched Euan's, she saw him being cut down by the giant's claymore. Now, different futures unfolded in front of them. Their best chance for avoiding violence was getting her cousin to leave before the Highlanders arrived tomorrow evening.

With Euan gone, the Highlanders would be unable to provoke a fight. She'd take away their reason for further aggression. They'd endure a highly tense and unwanted visit from the Campbell's visitors but she would find a way to convince them to leave. Initially, it seemed foolhardy to send away Euan and his complement of fighting men. But the northern raiders both outnumbered and overmatched Euan's forces. Even with the half of Christopher's garrison left behind, the Highlanders would easily take over the territory while the Campbell just watched in the background.

Oh, how Alina missed her grandmother. The visions were often bewildering and it calmed her to talk through possible interventions with Lady Alys. In the four years since her grandmother died, Alina has been alone with the secret of her gift. She'd met other gifted people who seemed to gravitate toward her cliffs over the years - a bard who could feel others' emotions, a friar who could commune with animals, a camp follower whose hands could speed healing - but they never spoke of their gifts openly. The friar in particular feared being accused of heresy and pagan superstition. The gift made for a lonesome existence.

Euan coughed awkwardly behind Alina now that the retching seemed to finally be over. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve, grimaced.

"Ah, lady Alina... I see now why your betrothals have failed to lead to marriage. I have a sister, you see, who has the same aversion to, shall we say, carnal touch. Can only be expected in a convent-raised gel, really. Piety is all well and good, after all. But a man does not want a cold marriage bed either. Ahem. I'll have to consider if that is something I can accept. I'd like to have heirs eventually, you know, and your aversion seems particularly, er, vehement," he said.

Euan looked a little green himself. The prospect of a violently ill wife in the marriage bed seemed to cool his enthusiasm for legends about bloodlines and such. She was glad he was going to make this easy for her.

Alina lied, "Ye're quite astute, cousin, and have found out my secret. It's why I always wear gloves. Touching another's skin..."

She affected a shudder.

He blanched. "Oh dear, do you think you'll be like this every time a man tries to touch you?

"I'm afraid so, cousin. In fact, I'm still so overwhelmed by holding your hand just then that I might be sick for the next few days," Alina said before feigning a convincing retch.

Euan turned even greener. He apparently had a weak stomach himself.

Must run in the Kerrs, she thought.

He said, "Perhaps I will stay as planned, regardless. Get to know your family while you take to your sickbed to recover."

She countered, "Nay, cousin. If ye're here, I'd feel duty bound to spend as much time with ye as possible."

Alina did such a convincing fake retch this time that she almost had to go back over the parapet.

She put on brave smile and said, "I'll try to be discrete when I have to be sick."

Euan looked horrified.

"Perhaps, I should head home in the morning instead. I've seen the castle and its ramparts have provided a good view of these territories. We've got to know each other and agree about the importance of the Kerr bloodline." He nodded to himself, "Yes, I've gotten done everything in an even more efficient manner than originally planned. Father will be pleased when I return home a day early."

Alina tried not to look too eager.

"Apologies again for my illness. I look forward to when ye'll be able to speak with my stepbrother. Do take advantage of the food and drink at supper. I'm sorry to not be able to join you tonight but I hope to be well enough to see ye off in the morn," said she.

Euan headed back down to find his room at the castle. Alina descended into the keep through back ways and secret passages and managed to scurry past Cook to her cluttered workroom. She hurriedly pulled her journal from the shelves.

It was an expensive but necessary habit. Alina's visions were memories of possible futures and those memories tended to fade after she'd taken steps to steer the future toward a different path. She'd likely never forget the image of a claymore cutting poor Euan nearly in half but the details were already starting to escape her. Did he challenge the Viking for her hand? Did he begin the confrontation? Or did the northman?

There was still much work to do. Euan and his men would be safe after leaving in the morning but the villagers below and the inhabitants of Kerr Castle might still be in danger. Hers were a hot-blooded and territorial people. An invasion of menacing northmen would incite several of them into blusters of aggression and those could quickly escalate into pointless violence and death. If Christopher and the full strength of his English garrison were still here, perhaps they'd have been able to defend territory or at least outlast the northmen in a siege, but that would have done nothing to protect the villagers.

King William might be moved to intervene against the Campbell and his highland guests from invading a peaceful neighbor. No one wanted Scotland to descend back into the chaos of the bad old days when Vikings and neighboring lairds blatantly disregarded each other's sovereignty and pillaged territories unprovoked. Clans still did some small-scale looting along the borders - a few sheep here, some food stores there, perhaps - but no one has outright stolen an entire territory from another without provocation in generations now. What kind of man presumed to upend generations worth of progress?