Hannah & The Highlander [Book 1 in the time travel series]

Chapter Seven: 21st Century Girl Living in a 12th Century World

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Copyright © 2012



Chapter Seven: 21st Century Girl Living in a 12th Century World



@Hannah's P.O.V.@



Meow.



I peaked through my lashes at C.K. who was daintily perched on my pillow, his green eyes cut into slits. With a monstrous yawn I reached out, scratching his head lazily. I rolled away from him, flat on my back staring up at the high ceiling of the room.



It was two days after the battle. Cailen had taken control, seeing to the injured and dead swiftly long before paying the castle any mind. The tower room-thanks to me-was in pretty bad shape. Cailen swore up and down that it could be easily prepared, but that didn't stop me from feeling guilty. But besides the tower, there was no serious damage to the castle itself.



And even though I hadn't even been hurt in the fight, Cailen had made me stay in bed. This was going on day three of doing nothing but wasting space. Even back home I wasn't used to just lying around-I was active. I hung out with my friends, took trips to the Sanford Mall and did house work.



A knock on my door made me sit up, nearly knocking poor C.K. off the bed.



"Lady? Are ye awake?"



"Uh, come in?" I chocked out.



The door opened revealing a beautiful girl. She looked to be a bit older than me. Her thick, dark auburn curls were loose, tumbling down her shoulders down to her hips. Her skin was fair, and her eyes were black as night. She was dressed in a bland brown dress with a sash of plaid wrapped around her waist.



"Begging ye a good morrow my lady." she said in a light, flitting voice. "The laird bid that I come deliver yer breakfast."



"Um, thanks." I said as she glided towards me, carefully setting the tray on the bed beside me.



"I'm Caitriona," she said kindly. "I'm the one in charge of yer care."



"Thanks, I'm Hannah. You don't have to call me 'my lady' or whatever."



Caitriona's response was to nod as she dipped into a graceful, well practiced curtsy. She left without another word leaving me alone once more.



I rose from the bed, walking over to the wardrobe where I riffled through the dozens of dresses. At this point I was ready to kill for a pair of pants. Never in all my life had I worn so many dresses. I was really close to raiding Cailen's closet-which to my surprise did have pants in them. But he called them 'breeks'. And they weren't denium.



I tried to picture Cailen as a guy from my time-with a hair cut, and the right clothes and a good clean shave, he'd be a total heart throb. Girls would have thrown themselves at his feet.



I snapped back to the present, cursing silently. This wasn't home. This wasn't my country-not even my time! I shouldn't be day dreaming about a 12th century guy who was grave yard dead back in my time.



I threw the dress over my head, tugging the thick folds into place. The dress was a nice shade of blue, like bluebells. It had a wide swooped neck that was trimmed in brown fur. The sleeves were long and the skirt started at my belly button-this thing was high waisted-and ended at my feet.



I walked over towards the fire place where a pair of sturdy looking boots were waiting. The one thing I liked about Scotland was there boots. They were lined with fur on the inside, keeping my feet nice and toasty. I slid my foot into one and began tying up the intricate laces.



Just as I was done the door opened revealing Eileen. Her eyes wided to the size of quarters when she saw me.



"Lady! How many times must I tell ye that ye are not to dress yerself! Tisn't done! Ye are supposed to wait for yer maid servant to assist ye."



I tried not to roll my eyes. Out of all the people in the castle, of the women, at least so far, Eileen was the closest thing I had to a friend.



"Eileen, it's fine. The world won't fall apart just because I dressed myself." I said as I gathered my skirts and started towards her and the door.



"Where are ye headed, Miss?"



"Outside. It's been days, Eileen. I'm so tired of sitting on my a-butt." I corrected myself, remembering a certain incident when I had dropped one too many f-bombs while Eileen was within ear shot.



"But ye are still mending! Between the fever an' the fire, ye have been through so much."



"Eileen," I said firmly, "I am not a porcelain doll. I will not break just because I help out around the castle with some chores. I mean, c'mon! Cailen's the freaking laird and he's helping the other guys fix up the tower. If he can help, why can't I?"



Eileen heaved a heavy sigh shaking her head as she did. "I swear to the Saints that ye are the most stubborn child on God's green earth."



I grinned, knowing I had won the fight. But there was still Cailen, and that was the real battle. My week here-the conscious one at least-had been educational when concerning Cailen. People respected him, looked up to him-he was like a Scottish medieval Superman in their eyes.



I also learned that he was as stubborn and bull headed as I was. We'd clashed on more than one occasion on various things-mostly about me doing what I wanted. It was hard to argue with a hot guy with the mind of a backwards twelfth century macho-he-man.



Before Eileen could change her mind I rushed out the door and down the hall, heading straight for the stair case, C.K. at my heels.



I made my way past workers, who paused in there work to gawk at me as I passed. I was sort of used to it-I've watched Jane Austen movies, I know it's 'improper' and all that to have an unmarried girl in your house without a chaperone.



It may have also have something to do about how I nearly burned down a two hundred year old tower, and picked a fight with the bad guys.



C.K. roused me from my thoughts with a cheerful meow before taking off in a half hopping, half sprinting run down the corridor, darting around the corner out of sight.



"C.K.!" I yelled, charging down the hall after him.



I turned sharply around the corner slamming into something hard and warm. I would have fallen flat on my ass if a strong hand hadn't grabbed onto my arm, steadying me.



"Ye really must learn to watch where ye're goin', lass," Cailen said sternly, giving me his best hard emerald I-do-not-approve gaze. "One of these days ye'll plow right into disaster."



I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest. "Oh, please. Did you see Clark Kitty-Kent come this way?"



Cailen gave an exasperated sigh, shaking his head as he presented me with my kitten.



"To give a wee, poor beastie such a name is surely a punishment."



"Hey! He's strong and courageous! Just like Tom Welling A.K.A. Clark Kent. I could have named him Arnold Schwarze-kitty," I said with a smile remember one of my favorite movies as a child.



"'Tis a terrible name no matter what ye call it! Why can't ye be like other lasses and name it Muffin or Fluffy or some other girlish prattle."



I gave him a hard look. "First off, does C.K. look the least bit fluffy to you? No. He doesn't. And second, I would have named him Buttercup before I would have ever considered a name like 'Muffin'." I said the last word with clear distaste.



Cailen just looked at me sternly, giving a sharp once over.



"What are ye doin' up and about? Ye're still weak from the battle, ye should be abed."



"No! I shouldn't! If I was back home my mom would have already thrown a pitcher of water on me for sleeping in until noon! I would be out with my friends-at Blue Springs swimming or loitering at a Wal Mart or a Mall." I said animatedly. "Listen, Cailen, I'm not from around here, Eileen and her granny made that clear. I'm used to things a certain way, just like you are. The difference is that I fully plan on getting my way."



Ha! I thought as I saw the blank look appeared on his face. For a brief moment I was sure I had won. I would have my way, I would be able to go outside and do what I wanted. But it was only a brief moment.



Cailen squared his shoulders, crossing his arms in the same fashion as I had. And suddenly, I felt very small, and very . . . scared.



"That is where ye are wrong, Hannah," My name on his tongue sent shivers down my spine, the way he looked at me, his entire intent focused on me and me alone didn't help either. "I fully intend on having my way when it comes to your safety."



My heart leaped at his words, and I fought to keep my cool exterior in check.



Cool it, Hannah. Be cooool, I told myself.



"I'm not in-" I began, but Cailen talked right over me.



"This isn't your world, Hannah. There are no flying carriages, or flame-less lights. There are dangers everywhere-there is always someone and something plotting against me. And by being under my protection that makes you an appealing target."



His words nagged at me. I opened my mouth to protest but he held up a hand to silence me.



"Nay, listen now, and dan'na argue." he said austerely. "I will nae keep ye locked up like a prisoner-" I couldn't stop the smile that broke across my face "-but I will have ye accompanied by either myself, Eileen or one of my men. I will nay have anyone say that I am not an honorable man."



I beamed at him. "Sure. Swell, now! Where are we going today? I wanna help, and please don't argue with me anymore. I'm not one of your delicate English Roses or Scottish Pansies or whatever they're called. American girl's are made of tougher stuff."



Cailen was about to argue with me, but I moved quickly, grabbing his hand and tugging him towards the stair case.



Instead of arguing with me some more, Cailen kept quiet, wrapping his strong, warm, calloused fingers around mine.



As we walked I tried hard not to releash how nice it felt to touch him.



___________________Author's Note______________________

Hey :D

Got done sooner than I thought. Ke$ha's a huge help (love her music). So, a pretty uneventful chapter but, hmmm Cailen and Hannah are getting closer. And now there's Caitriona ... she's definitely a main player in this story.

Comment-I love comments, I love encouragement, I love being told I've made a mistake

Fan-It's nice to see that little notice pop up :)

Vote-I just like seeing my numbers go up and my story become more popular, also I feel sort of accomplished.

Bye bye, see ya in chapter eight :)

Amber