The English Rose

Chapter Six- The Castle of Red Stone

I had cried myself to sleep. That could be the only reason why the room was dark and cold. I sat up in bed and wiped my eyes. They felt puffy and pained me whenever I blinked. I grabbed my chest and felt my soft skin. I was alive, that was all that mattered. I got up out of the bed and started to feel my way around the room.

It was when I suddenly fell and felt cold metal on my neck; I knew if I said the wrong thing, my protector would slit my throat.

I grabbed the man's forearm. I felt the cold metal bite my flesh. I took a shaky breath. I wasn't in the light, therefore I couldn't see. I couldn't exactly tell how tall or how bulky this man was. Would he be able to pin me against the wall in seconds? Which one of the four men was this? It couldn't be Brohan, the boys were out in the dining room below us. I could hear Adams bellowing laugh under the wooden floor with a higher pitched laugh.

"Jamie, is that you?" I felt a sigh and cold air across my face. The hand with the dagger dropped and my head did with it. "You nearly scared me to death."

"Aye, almost killed ye too lass." After three days of hearing the word Lass, it was starting to upset me how much the men used it towards me. I got up and started a fire. "What do ye think ye were goin' to do? Walk out of the room and with how much trouble ye are in?"

I didn't answer him. To be honest, I didn't like how he was talking to me, but I kept quiet. He was right. I was in a lot of trouble. I looked into the fire and watched it hatch from a small ember to a full fire. I heard Jamie walking around now and sat next to me. "I didn't know where anyone was. You could have all just left." He sat next to me and handed me the bottle of whiskey from my breakdown earlier in the day. I took the large decanter; making sure to have three large gulps before giving it back to him.

He sighed and took a few drinks himself "Nae, we would have left ye next to a lake." I looked at him and hit his arm again. "Ah jest," I closed my eyes and reached for the decanter. "Why would ye think we would leave?"

I took another large gulp. The fire caressed my cold skin like a lover would on a wedding day, gentle, warm and caring. "I am too much of a burden for you all." Was I asking for pity? I guess in some ways I was. "You are all risking your lives if you stay with me." I looked over at him.

"Aye," I looked back at the fire "Ye are" I rolled my eyes "But ye are a fighter yerself." I watched him "Donnae give me that look, tis true. I saw ye fight in that forest. Using dirt tae blind someone, someone had taught ye well." I reminisced and nearly cried at the thought of my father. I could see him in perfect detail. His graying hair swept back so that everyone could see his face, a scar above his right eyebrow had shown his years in battle and of fighting the king. He was a head taller than me. Women were still trying to be wooed by him, even in his older years. "All ye need is a bit of sword wielding." I would let him think that I was weak in that department until the right time came.

I scoffed "And who will teach me, certainly not Brohan, Alistar is shorter than me and probably needs to work on it himself. You and Adam are too large for me to fight, it would be an unfair advantage." I took another swig of the whiskey.

"Ye will be facing Brohan, Adam and Ah. Ye will learn to wield a sword as if it were part of yer own arm." I took a deep breath and nodded. I didn't really have a choice, plus I would love to see the way they fought.

I straightened out my skirts, "I would feel better if I had a dagger or some sort of weapon to defend myself with." Watching the fire I asked "Are we to start traveling tomorrow?" he nodded and yawned. I mimicked him and tried to cover my mouth. "Well then I suggest we rest." I rose from the floor and nodded to him "Good night Jamie" I walked back over to the bed and rested in the covers once again. For hours I watched the ceiling, thinking about what the men's families would be like. Would they feel the same as Brohan, when he first met me? Would they immediately call me a traitor and try to kill me or worse; would they send me back to England? I tried not to think of the worst possible scenario. I took a deep breath and watched the sun peak through the small window. I slowly got out of the bed to start the day.