The Highlander's Charm

One

There are many thoughts that fill my mind when my eyes creep open... Most of them wondering how they manage to creep open at all with how defeated I had felt when they had fallen shut...

That last parting hallucination was maybe even preferable to the odd one I find myself floating in right now...

I've never been particularly sweet on auburn-haired beauties... But the dark ginger Angel that had appeared to me had been the most heavenly being I had ever laid eyes upon, and being graced with the image of his perfect face had been the most wonderful parting gift when I had drawn what I had thought would be my last breaths.

Somehow the sweet cherub of death that had visited me had instead chosen to deliver me unto bedding that feels like its made of clouds after spending so much time on a cramped army cot and the cold hard ground... But where this bedding is actually located I have no idea, and when I manage to get my very stiff back to cooperate with me so that I might sit up I am still not given any clues as to whos castle I'm in, the brickwork of the walls telling me I'm not stored away in a barn or the upper room of a pub... The heavy brown drapery drawn closed thoughtfully to shield me from being further weakened by unnecessary exposure to the sun. 

Very few creatures would be able to spot me as anything other than just a man... So it makes me question as to who exactly my host is and why they've seen fit to drag my body into bed to let me recover safely... And if they might have any livestock they might be willing to let me drink from... An unwillingness to ask for my host's own wrist after they've already done so much just bringing me into their home so that I might start to heal ever so present... It just does not seem right to ask for something so personal, and as thirsty as I am at the moment... Cow and pig blood would be more than enough to quench me...

In fact, I would much look forward to even that of a chicken or a mouse... And that desperate thirst is what eventually drives me up out of bed, my coat and boots both found to be set carefully in the rocking chair, both looking as though they've been scrubbed clean by careful hands, the kilt that had been part of my uniform finely pressed and draped over the rocking chair's back.

As much as it still pains me to move I manage to dress myself as I have done on so many other mornings, the protesting of my back only slowing me down slightly as I continue to try and heal as I step into my boots last before finally being able to straighten up and slip my coat on, the same familiar scent wafting up from it as it had from my other clothing... The scent of my Angel...  

I cannot resist the urge to bring my nose down to my shoulder and inhale the delicate scent still clinging to my clothes and wonder if this too is just another delusion... 

Or at least I do until a maid lets herself in without knocking and causes me a moment of panic over being found out of bed, though I must say her fright is much worse than my own when her gaze gets turned to the bed and then back to me as if she cannot believe that I've managed to move on my own, "You're out of bed!"

"Aye." I know my answer is curt, but my throat is parched and I am still quite exhausted from my quiet escape from military life, my mind still swirling with questions over where I am and who she is... Who my hosts are, "W-Where am I?"

"Bower territory, Sir. Alpha Bower's youngest son stumbled upon you by the side of the road in the strangest fashion, and we all thought it best to bring you in and get you out of the sunlight for the time being." The maid speaks in a gentle tone, her eyes empathetic as she fills me in on what has happened since my collapse, "You've been sleeping for almost a fortnight now..."

The news is certainly shocking but not to be completely unexpected... I had pushed myself well beyond my breaking point, and it does explain why my back feels as though it's been tied into knots... Not moving for nearly fourteen days can do that to you, "The Alpha... Can you take me to him?"

It would not be right for me to ask anyone other than the Alpha of the Bower werewolf clan if I may help myself to be of their animals, and the maid seems more than agreeable to guide me to my mysterious host, the knowledge that my Sweetheart is not an angel... But the son of an Alpha of all things not adding up in my mind...

His face and vibrant red curls seemed too innocent and pure to be the offspring of someone strong enough to lead an entire clan of shifters and yet it sways my heart not one bit as I follow the slip of a maid as she turns and makes her way from the room she had only just entered, barely stopping to check that I am actually making my way after her instead of lingering in front of the still-lit fire. 

"While we walk, might I ask your name so that I might announce you?" She keeps her voice kind and introduces herself before I have a chance to answer her, "My name's Bridgett. They assigned me to your room just last week, before me Flinn had taken it upon himself, but the sight of a soldier all banged up was given 'im night-terrors, so Alpha Bower ordered him to leave you be."

"Emory Black, Ma'am. Might I ask if Flinn is the one who found me?"

"Aye... And I'm sure he'll be glad to hear you've finally woken."