Outlander: Book 1

The Garrison Commander 👨🏻‍✈️

"Tell me, madam. Are you here by your own choice?" Said Lieutenant Jeremy Foster.

After thinking about my answer, I opened my mouth to say "I appreciate your concern, Lieutenant, and I can assure you I am a guest of the Clan Mackenzie".

Seemingly to be satisfied with my answer, Lieutenant Jeremy Foster said "As you wish. Nevertheless, I am certain my commander will wish to speak with you. He's presently in residence at the inn at Brockton. Will you accompany me?"

"Well, if the lady goes, I go" said Dougal.

Knowing that he wouldn't budge, the Lieutenant said "Very well then".

And with that, me and Dougal were led to some horses and we were on our way to Brockton.

🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿

We soon arrived at Brockton.

As we rode through the streets, everyone looked not only at the redcoats and myself, but at Dougal with such intense.

Even though I wasn't going by my own choice, I still felt a heaviness leave my breast.

And for the first time since I passed through the standing stones at Craigh na Dun, I found myself surrounded by my own people.

They might be called Redcoats instead of Tommies, but they were still the British Army my mother, my father and I had been a part of for six long years.

And somehow in a strange way, it felt liberating to be looked upon with sympathy and respect instead of hostility and suspicion.

I knew only too well what Dougal was feeling.

A Scottish village it may be, and on Mackenzie land at that, but for Dougal, it was now enemy territory, and he was the outlander.

It was a strange circumstance indeed.

We soon arrived at the Inn in question.

We then dismounted the horses and the Lieutenant then said to his men
"Each man see to it that his horse is grained and watered. I would not entrust their care to our Scottish hosts".

It sounded rude to me but I knew I had to be quiet and not make an enemy of the ones I would consider comrades in my time.

"If you'll follow me" said Lieutenant Jeremy Foster.

And we followed him inside the Inn.

🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿🏴󐁧󐁢󐁳󐁣󐁴󐁿

Inside the Inn, we was led into a room upstairs.

Inside the room was a long banquet table full of officers; food and drink a-plenty were on the long table.

The men in the room stood up at the door opening to reveal the Lieutenant.

"My lord, may I present Mis Mary Beauchamp and Mr. Dougal..." the Lieutenant said.

"Come in. Come in" said one of the men, ushering them all in the room.

He then walked towards me and said
"This is a happy surprise. A most enjoyable surprise. It has been far too long since I last gazed upon a lovely English rose".