The Strength of a High and Noble Hill (An Outlander Story)

Chapter 8: Sister

May 1971

Brian stands in front of the stone that stands in the middle of the circle of many others. He can feel the stone calling to him, urging him to touch it but he pulls back, turning to his sister, who stands next to him, dressed in 18th century style dress just like he is for the journey they are about to embark on.

Brian speaks, "Ellen, are we sure about this?"

"Of course. We need to save Mama and, um, Jamie." She winces at her stumble.

Brian shakes his head, ignoring her stumble because he gets it even if he and his putative father never quite clicked. "You sure it has nothing to do with Roger?"

Ellen narrows her eyes at him. "Of course not."

"El..."

"It's not! I promise!"

Brian looks at her doubtfully but nods. He twists the ring on his right pointer finger. Mama had given it to him, saying it was his paternal grandfather's, his namesake's, ring. She had been wearing it when she had travelled back to the future and had lost the gem. Jamie, his Da, had wanted him to have it.

The siblings grip each other's hands and reach out to the stone.

——

November 1948

Mama is in bed, demanding to know where the baby is when Frank, he and Mama had told Brian he can call the former Dad, brings Brian in along with his newly born sister.

"Claire. Claire." Dad calls to her. One of his hands grips Brian's while the other cradles Brian's new sister.

Mama lets out a gasp at the sight of them.

"It's all right." Dad reassures as he places the baby in Mama's arms and helps Brian up onto the bed so he can join them. "Here she is."

Mama is overcome with emotion as she settles with the new weight in her arms. The baby makes a distressed noise causing Brian to frown.

"Sissy upset?"

Dad smiles at him and shakes his head. "No, Brian, your sister is fine."

"It's a girl?" Mama asks as she shushes the baby.

"She is. She's perfect, Claire."

"What do you think of your sister, Brian?" Mama asks with a beaming smile.

Brian frowns for a moment before declaring, "Pretty."

This causes the two adults to chuckle.

"What a beautiful little angel." A nurse remarks as she places something on the table next to the bed.

"Thank you." Dad replies.

"Red hair just like her brother. Where'd they get it?"

Brian smiles, about to tell the lady all about his Da when he sees the looks on Mama and Dad's faces and something tells him to keep his mouth closed.

——

March 1958

Eleven-year-old Brian (nearly twelve!) stands in the National Gallery in London. They had come to the city on a school trip. Brian had been keenly interested in all the different objects around him but most of his classmates, while excited to be in a different country, found the place immensely boring.

He'd been actively looking at every painting when one caused him to pause. It's a woman wearing old-fashioned clothes with a pearl necklace around her neck. Brian steps closer and reads that the portrait comes from Scotland in the 18th century by a Ellen Caitriona Sileas MacKenzie Fraser.

He looks back at the woman's face, it's what caused him to pause in the first place. Her features are shrinkingly familiar along with her red locks, Brian feels as if he knows her.

"Oi, Randall, what's your sister doing in a painting?" Brian turns to see it's David Mills, one of the less obnoxious kids in his class.

But now that David says it, Brian understands why the woman seems so familiar to him. She looks like Ellen, almost exactly but it's hard to tell as Ellen is so much younger than how old this woman is in the portrait.

Brian shrugs. "Don't know."

——

September 1769

Brian is cradling Ellen as she shakes and sobs in his arms. He should have never let her out of his sight, and should not have stayed with Lizzie. If he hadn't, then his sister wouldn't be hurt.

Ellen sniffles. "I got her ring. I got Mama's ring."

Brian makes a noise of acknowledgement as he holds her, rocking back and forth.

"I-I'm sorry, I—"

"No, don't apologise. It wasn't your fault and no matter how I feel, it's not mine either. It's his."

"But—"

"Ellen." Brian clasps the sides of her face so that he can bring up her face. "It's not. Bonnet is an evil man who took advantage of you because he wanted to. It's not your fault that he chose to do it."

Ellen sniffs and slowly nods. Brian knows she's not completely convinced but then who would after being attacked like that, but it'll have to do for now. It'll take a while for him to get over the guilt himself.

"Come." He pulls her up. "Let's have a wash and see how Lizzie is doing. Yeah?"

Ellen nods and follows his lead into their room.

——

A/N: Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.