Gifted

Morning

Magnus always dreamed of battle, if he dreamed at all. This was a memory of his clan's most recent skirmish with the Frasers but it was no different than the others. His claymore sliced through a combatant, his feet stepped over the body, a second combatant appeared and the cycle repeated. A third felled a Sinclair soldier and he stabbed that combatant with his dirk. He felt nothing. He never did.

He paused in the act of finishing the third combatant with his claymore. Music drifted over from some nearby trees. Odd because there were no forests like those in the highland plains where they fought. He drifted away from the blood and noise of the battlefield.

The forest path led to a hidden hollow. Strange watery voices harmonized and led him in and through labyrinthine caverns. He found Alina standing at another point of entry to the cave. She was looking intently down the precipice of a cliff and he stepped beside her to see what held her interest. It was a ship way down below.

She looked surprised to see him.

She asked, "What are ye doing here?"

"I don't know," he answered. "What's down there?"

"Can't ye see? He needs help," she answered, sounding rather more intrigued than concerned. "The poor half-naked man."

She turned back to the ship and, suddenly, he could see what she saw. It was indeed a half-naked man. He was tied to the mast of the ship, toga in tatters and doing very little to conceal his smoothly sculpted muscles. He strained against the rope around him as strange half-bird women flew around him singing their watery songs.

She took his hand and said, "Shall we rescue him, then?"

Before he could answer, she jumped, pulling him off the cliff with her. He held her against him as air rushed past, determined to take the brunt of the landing.

She giggled, cuddling against him.

"That's not part of the fantasy," she chided teasingly.

It took longer than expected for them to hit the water and, when they did, it felt surprisingly warm. And thick? He panicked when he couldn't find her. The water was opaque and he fought to the surface to look for her.

He found himself swimming in a giant tub of bubbling stew. It was hot but pleasingly so, like a sauna, and he drifted to a seat along the edge of the tub He was relieved to see Alina approach from the kitchen. She carried a large bowl of raw carrots and turnips.

She knelt at the lip of the tub and dumped vegetables in. Then, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. To his chagrin, she got up, walked around and gave the toga-wearing man a kiss as well. He should have seen him before. The man was seated across the tub just a few feet from him.

"Ulysses, have ye met Magnus? He's new," said Alina.

Toga-man grinned smarmily and saluted.

Between them, a red-haired lass waved, then offered him a turnip.

"And this is Irene," Alina continued with the introductions.

A metallic clank drew his attention to his other side. A knight in full plate armor sat in the stew, the fourth and last occupant of the tub. He removed his helmet to reveal handsome features framed by glossy dark hair .

"Oh, and I almost forgot Christopher -"

Magnus woke with a start. Alina curled softly in his arms, her back against his front. He'd pulled the Sinclair plaids over them both after they returned to bed last night. They'd cleaned up after their lovemaking. Alina had gotten a fresh chemise from a room next door, revealing that she stayed at Orla's cottage regularly enough that she kept clothes and toiletries here. Magnus remained nude and now his morning erection nudged the linen high between Alina's thighs.