Nate Bjorn

Chapter 12

Nate took a deep breath. He never experienced nerves, but they were running rampant the closer he got to Scotland. The plane would land in another hour. Nate wasn't sure that he was ready. Things could go very wrong, but then things could go very well.

A slim hand covered his causing Nate to look over to where Zihana sat next to him. Zihana gave him an encouraging smile as she squeezed his hand. Nate gave her a half smile before he leaned his head back against his seat.

His eyes drifted closed. Nate didn't sleep. All he did was doze. The memories he tried so hard to keep buried threatened to surface. He fought to keep them at bay. Most of them stayed buried deep, but a few swam to the surface. The day that his Father called him a bastard and said that he wasn't his son. The taunting of his brothers' voices and the disgust in his sister's eyes. The worst one of all was when his Mother back handed him and demanded that he leave all because he had dared to ask for a piece of pie. Nate had always wondered why his family hated him. It was a question that he had no answer to.

Zihana shook Nate awake as they landed. He inhaled sharply and sat up n his seat. A yawn overtook Nate and he stretched in his seat before he undid his seatbelt and waited to disembark. The sun was bright as Nate set foot on the ground. He squinted against the bright rays as he slipped his shades on.

A sigh escaped Zihana as they made it inside. She was all smiles as she walked through the terminal. She kept a strong grip on Nate as they gathered their luggage and headed outside. Nate had no idea how they were going to get where they needed to go. Zihana had told him not to worry about anything. That she had everything taken care of.

An elderly gentleman stepped from a car as soon as Nate and Zihana stepped outside. Nate's stomach fell as he recognized the man. It had been 10 years since he'd seen his Grandfather, but he still looked the same. True his hair was no longer the bright blonde it had been, but his blue eyes were still crystal clear.

A smile spread across his Grandfather's face as he stepped forward to greet Nate and Zihana. Zihana gave his Grandfather a hug before she stepped back. Nate eyed the hand that his Grandfather held out. He stared at it for several uncomfortable moments before he reached up and grasped it. Nate was surprised when his Grandfather stepped forward and clapped him on the back.

"It's good to see ye laddie."

His Grandfather's voice was gruff. That surprised Nate. He never remembered seeing his Grandfather show any type of information. It was puzzling to Nate and made him wonder what else he had missed growing up.

"Grandfather," Nate said warily.

A sad look passed across his Grandfather's face before he shook his head. "I am sorry for how I treated ye. There are things that you could never understand as a child or as a teenager. I am hoping that now as an adult ye will finally be able to grasp why I did the things I did."

"I am here only because Zihana convinced me to come home."

Grandfather gave Zihana a grateful smile. "I am here too because Zihana asked me to come."

Zihana turned and gave Nate a look that begged understanding. "I called Arland because we have much to discuss with him."

"Yer Grandmother and I have much to say," Arland said. "Birkita is excited that you are finally home. Give us the chance to explain. There are reasons for what we did."

Nate relented at the pleading look Zihana gave him. "I will listen."

Arland smiled. "That is all I ask." He stepped aside and motioned for them to climb into the brand Rolls-Royce.

Nate held the front passenger side door open for Zihana. Once she was settled he climbed into the back with his Grandfather. He frowned slightly at the Chauffer that he vaguely remembered from his childhood. They rode in silence till they reached the outskirts of Edinburgh. They had another four hour journey to his Grandfather's estate in the Highlands of Scotland. Nate figured that they had landed in Edinburgh so that they had plenty of time to talk.

"Why Grandfather? Why?" Nate's question was simple, but it was complex at the same time.

Arland sighed and gathered his thoughts by rearranging his kilt. "That is a hard question to answer laddie. It started long before ye were born. Ye are the seventh son of a seventh son. Yer Father and Mother fear ye because of that. Yer siblings are jealous of ye because of that. Ye are special. That is why yer Birkita and I treated ye like we did. We knew that if we showed ye any favor yer family would punish ye for it."

"What happens now?" Nate asked several hours later as they were pulling up to his Grandfather's estate.

Arland turned and gave his Nate a sideways look before he shrugged. "We deal with one thing at a time. They will know that ye are back within the next couple of days. There is much to do."

Nate sighed as the Rolls-Royce came to a stop. He got out and opened the door for Zihana. A joyful cry came from the front of the house. Nate could see his Grandmother coming towards him at a quick pace. He gave Zihana a resigned look as he stepped forward to meet his Grandmother. A headache was starting to form and all Nate wanted to do was escape to somewhere quiet where he could mull over everything that he had just learned.

A giggle escaped Zihana. Nate shot her a glance which bode ill for her later. All Zihana did was flash him a mischievous smile. Nate shook his head as he gently hugged his Grandmother and suffered through her fussing over him. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long night.