An Unexpected Destiny (Completed)

Stories of the Past

My head hits the ground the way a lead weight falls to it: no hesitation or pause. Strange, dull, and infrequent pain stabs through my head. The grass pricks my cheek and I feel my braid slip from my shoulder. I feel a warm weight against my back and smell sweat, pine, and earth. Warm, panting words heat my ear.

"Are you well?"

The voice is masculine and familiar, which is wrong. I should be home, and at home, I barely spoke to much less got close to boys. I sit up so quick the arms wrapped around my waist are thrown off. I scramble to my feet and nearly fall over as soon as I am straight. I fall backwards, head spinning and pounding like someone took a pick ax and is hacked away at my skull. Wiry arms catch me and I see a girl with voluminous orange hair racing towards me.

Impossible.

"Are you well, Agnes?" Another male voice asks. It's. . .

He helps me to my feet but keeps his grip on me. I turn around. "Jude?" I ask, astonished when I see his tan face and green eyes.

He grins. "The one and only, my lady," he says and bows after letting me go.

Something crashes into me from behind. I would have fallen if my assailant hadn't locked arms around me. "You did not truly believe we would let that old hag steal you away, did you?" Merida asks. She squeezes me so hard I think my head may explode.

"No, of course not." I twist in her arms and hug her back.

She won't let me go. I'm worried my organs are getting crushed. I give a mock panicked look at the rest of the company, who approach, smiling and clearing their hair of leaves. They chuckle.

"You are not so easy to let go of, my lady," MacLeod says. His eyes smile at me, then looks past my head to Jude behind me. Or someone else. "You alright, laddie?" He asks. I realize he's asking the guy who was holding onto me.

I finally manage to get Merida to let go of me, even if she does loop her arm through mine with a determination that says if anyone tries to take me away again, she'll beat the shit out of them. I face Jude and Robin with her. It was, indeed, Robin who grabbed me from the boulder.

We glance at each other a few times and look away. Robin has grass stains on the sleeve of his shirt and his hair is home to a couple of twigs. He looks fine, other than being rumpled, but I'm sure I do too.

The land all around us is also rumpled. Debris of small branches and leaves gently blow across the ground from leftover wind. There is no sign of the water tunnel I was in. In fact, the boulder is gone. So is the circle of stones- and Ingrid. The screech I had heard zips into my left ear and rests in my right ear.

"Where," I ask no one in particular, "is the witch?"

Merida's face and the company's faces are smug.

"She disappeared with that rock," Isen offers before anyone can open their mouth. "Lady Merida distracted her while Robin rescued you. Then-" and here he gets so excited he's bouncing on the balls of his feet- "the old hag got in a fight with Lady Merida and they wrestled each other until Lady Merida pushed her into the tunnel of water. She screamed and poof! Disappeared!" His eyes dance.

MacLeod rolls his eyes and reprimands his son that Lady Merida is actually a princess, and should be addressed as such. Merida waves this off.

"Enough with the formalities," she says, "I have heard you call my sister by her given name. If it does not offend her, it does not offend me to be called by my Christian name."

I hardly hear her. I look at her in fearful anger. "You could have gotten taken away just as easily," I scold.

She rolls her eyes. I notice a tear at the shoulder of her sweatshirt. I swallow and hold her arm tight against my side.