Chapter 2

© Copyright 2004 by Sara Keprensk



Annabeth slept very late the next morning. They really should have started moving a lot earlier but Robert hadn�t the heart to wake her. The other warriors were all willing to do the job for him as he didn�t want to but he snapped at them so sharply that they never uttered the suggestion more than once.

Annabeth was none too happy herself when she finally woke up. The concern that the Baron might catch up with her made her short tempered.

�Why on earth didn�t you wake me up sooner?� She demanded of Aaron, who happened to be nearest.

�I would quite willingly have done so, Milady,� he replied calmly. �But I wished to stay with the group and I�m quite sure that if I had defied my Laird he would have turned me out.�

�So it was your Laird who decided not to wake me was it?� Annabeth didn�t wait for an answer. She marched up to Robert and poked him in the chest.

�Is something wrong, Lady Annabeth?� he asked, grabbing her hand and forcefully removing it from his chest.

�Do you realise how much closer the Baron will be now? He would have been up hours ago. I should have left at dawn. Why didn�t you wake me up? You said that you would protect me but I don�t call giving him time to lessen the gap very good protection.� Annabeth spouted, getting riled.

Robert shook her gently by the shoulders. �Calm down,� he commanded. �Getting upset isn�t going to accomplish anything. I let you carry on sleeping because you need your sleep. You hardly slept at all last night as it is. You can�t help yourself by not giving your body what it needs. Now that you�re up we�ll leave immediately, does that suit you?�

�What you do doesn�t really affect me, I�m not staying with you.�

�Aye, you are staying with us,� Robert bellowed. �You�re staying with us if I have to tie your horse to mine to make you stay.�

Annabeth stepped back from him, surprised and frightened by the tone of his voice. She retreated as far as she needed to be out of striking distance and then looked fearfully up at him.

�What do you want from me?� she asked quietly. �I have nothing that you could benefit from. I have no food and no money, what is it that you want?�

�Do you truly think that I want something from you, lass?� Robert raised his eyebrows and raked his huge hand through his thatch of dark hair.

�Why else would you want me to stay so much?�

�I gave you a promise, and I gave God a promise, that I will protect you at all costs. If you leave us I will have no way to keep that promise.�

�It wouldn�t count if I stopped you keeping it, it wouldn�t be your fault.� Annabeth protested.

�Let me make myself clear. If you leave I will follow you, just as I did last night.�

�Then I am no better than a prisoner.� Annabeth turned away from him, walking away to where Destrier was waiting for her.

Tears gathered in her eyes as she stroked the horse�s neck. Was she any better off now than she had been when she was in the clutches of the Baron? Would staying with seven men, of whom six hated her and the seventh was rather domineering, be any less crushing than what she had fled from?

�Are you needing help?� Liam asked her from behind.

�No, thank-you,� Annabeth blinked back her tears and straightened her shoulders. �I am quite able to get on a horse without help. If you hadn�t noticed, I was getting on quite well before I met you.�

�Nay, Lady Annabeth,� Robert appeared and lifted her onto Destrier�s back before she could protest. �You weren�t doing so very well. If you had gone much longer without food and sleep you would have been easy pickings indeed for your Baron who you worry so much about. If it wasn�t for meeting us you would be in big trouble.�

�Has anybody ever told you that you are both sinfully arrogant and disgustingly egotistical?�

�Many people,� Robert replied cheerfully. �That�s what it takes to be Laird of a clan of thick headed Scots.�

�It isn�t a trait that you should be proud of, Laird MacAllen,� Annabeth tossed her head, almost causing her cloak to slip from her head again. �The Bible tells us to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord that he may lift us up.�

�This lass is as bad as you and Aaron, Laird,� Liam complained. �Who cares what the Bible tells us? The Church is to punish us when we�ve done something the Church thinks is wrong, nothing more.�

�I had heard that the Scots were heathen but I didn�t believe it before. Now I see that it is true.�

�Please don�t dress us all in the same plaid,� Robert requested. �I do not like to see myself as heathen, though most of my clan could be called a rather pagan bunch.�

�Any person who keeps another one prisoner is a heathen.� Annabeth tossed her head, clutching at the hood of her cloak to stop it slipping off her head. �If you insist on coming with me you�d better be ready because I�m going now!�

* * * * * * * *

Annabeth was extraordinarily proud of herself. It had been a good plan and it had worked like clockwork. It hadn�t really been hard to fall behind, everyone knew that her horse wasn�t as strong as the men�s horses. And then the men had started talking about some strategy or other and hadn�t paid any attention to her at all.

�I didn�t think that they would make it that easy for me.� Annabeth confided in Destrier as they covered miles of ground, heading in a different direction to the way that the Scots were going.

She thought that perhaps Owen had noticed her leave but she wasn�t altogether worried about that because Owen didn�t want her with them anyway. As long as Robert didn�t know where she had gone she was ok.

He would be angry when he realised that she wasn�t with them anymore but Annabeth was sure that his warriors would be able to cope with him. They would probably curse her for bringing on his wrath but that didn�t overly worry her.

She brought Destrier to a stop by a small stream. She needed a drink and it would be nice to wash some of the grime of the journey from her face. She wouldn�t stay long because of the Baron but she could afford a short stay.

The cold water made her teeth ache but it quenched her thirst and refreshed her immensely. She splashed it on her face, feeling cleaner than she had done for a while.

As she raised her head to wipe her face on her sleeve she sensed a movement behind her. She stiffened, immediately thinking that the Baron had found her.

She turned her head slightly and saw a pair of enormous feet. Her eyes travelled up and she sighed with relief when she saw the familiar pattern of a plaid. It wasn�t the Baron! Looking up even further, her heart sank. Robert MacAllen looked as black as thunder.

Annabeth swallowed loudly. �Did you need a drink as well, Laird MacAllen?� she asked weakly, quickly getting to her feet and brushing herself off.

Robert didn�t say a word but grabbed her hand and dragged her a fair distance to his horse. He roughly lifted her onto the horse�s strong back.

�Let me down,� Annabeth protested. �This isn�t my horse.�

�You can�t be trusted on your own horse,� Robert said shortly, swinging up behind her and picking up the reins. �Liam will take your horse and I will take you.�

�Are you married, Laird?� Annabeth asked stiffly.

�No, why do you ask?�

�I didn�t think you were. You have no idea how to treat a woman.� She replied, sitting as far forward and as upright as she could.

�Then we must be equal for you have no idea how to treat a Laird. One thing that you do not do is defy a Laird, especially when he knows Scotland better than you do.� He pulled her roughly back against him.

Annabeth screamed in pain and jerked against his arm, tears flooding her eyes. Robert immediately loosened his hold.

�I�m sorry, lass, I forgot about your back.�

�I asked you not to call me �lass�.� Annabeth shouted, completely losing her temper. She grasped the reins and tugged hard on them, bringing the startled horse up short.

�Let me down, Laird MacAllen. I refuse to go a yard further with you.� She tried to rip his hands from the reins, to break the cage in which he held her.

Robert turned her in his lap and tightened his grip. The anger in her eyes seemed utterly unreasonable to him, it was her who had run away not him. He should be the one who was angry. He knew of only one way to take her mind off her anger.

He pulled her close and kissed her hard on the lips.

Annabeth pulled back from him as if she had been scorched. Her eyes blazed and Robert realised, rather apprehensively, that she was even angrier than she had been before.

�You had no right to do that,� she whispered hoarsely. �I insist that you let me down. You cannot expect me to ride with you now.�

Robert knew that he had upset her greatly but he didn�t know what to do to put it right. He knew, however, that making her stay with him wasn�t the answer. He pulled his horse up along side Patrick�s and lifted Annabeth into the other man�s lap.

�Lady Annabeth doesn�t want to ride with me,� he said by way of explanation. �You�ll have to look after her. Be careful of her back and don�t call her lass, she doesn�t like it.�

�Why me, Laird?� Patrick asked. �Why can�t you ask one of the others.�

�Because I trust you to look after her more than I do the others. If it was any other woman I would trust Owen equally but he and Lady Annabeth don�t seem to like each other very much.�

�Thank-you for trusting me, Laird.� Patrick nodded, happy with his Laird�s reasoning even if he wasn�t happy with his task.

Robert held back to ride behind them, where he could keep an eye on them. He told himself that he was only worried about her because she was a woman on her own in a foreign land but in his heart he knew that there was more to it than that.

All his life Robert had been surrounded by women who threw themselves at him, wanting his attention, and relied on the men around them to do everything for them. He had to admit that Annabeth intrigued him because she was different. She resisted his assistance and didn�t seem at all affected by his looks. If anything she seemed to be desperate to get rid of him.

Robert smiled ruefully. The lass really didn�t want to be with them. Aye, it wasn�t just him that she wanted to be away from; it was all of them, though she did seem happier with Patrick than she was with him. But perhaps that was just because Patrick hadn�t kissed her.

Robert was a bit nonplussed at her reaction to his kiss. He was used to women welcoming his attentions. Annabeth had been angry. At least she had reacted, Robert thought, it would have been worse if she had been indifferent. As it was he had an unreasonable desire to take her into his arms and kiss her again.

Annabeth had no such desire. Robert could tell from her stance that she was still angry. She sat as straight as a poker in front of Patrick, her cloak covering her head as always. She hardly moved throughout the whole journey, not even to put more space between herself and the man that she rode with.

Robert wasn�t pleased with the knowledge that Annabeth felt more at ease with Patrick than she did with himself. He determined then and there that she would ride with him the next day, whether she wanted to or not. He was not going to spend another day feeling his blood boil whenever Patrick accidentally brushed against her.

With that in mind he jumped off his horse as soon as they stopped for the night and was by the side of Patrick�s horse before Patrick had time to move. He lifted his arms to lift her down but she swatted his hands away.

�Patrick, would you please dismount and help me down please?� she asked, turning slightly to talk to Patrick for the first time since she had been with him.

�Nay, Lady Annabeth, for if I did I would anger Robert. He is waiting for you to go with him and it would be rude of you not to go with him.�

Robert seized the opportunity to lift her down while she wasn�t paying any attention to him. She struggled against him but she wasn�t any match for his strength. He set her feet on the ground but didn�t let go of her.

�You�ll be riding with me tomorrow, you might want to work on disliking me a little less than you do at present.� He told her. �For now, we will eat and then sleep. I will not release you until you promise me that you won�t try anything foolish, like running away.�

�Where would I run to?� She asked dejectedly. �If I run you will only hunt me down like an animal again. You�re no better than the Baron.�

Robert inhaled sharply. Her words went straight into his heart and each one stabbed. He had never met the Baron that she talked of but he had to be some sort of monster. Robert felt like a monster himself; how could he fail to notice that the light in her eyes had been extinguished?

�I hope that you will have learned to think differently of me by tomorrow,� he said, trying to keep his voice emotionless. �The journey won�t be too pleasant for you if you insist on bearing a grudge against me.�

�How can I think differently of you?� Annabeth demanded. �You have given me the same status and privileges as a prisoner and you have tried to take advantage of me. That doesn�t give me a good view of you.�

�I didn�t try to take advantage of you, Annabeth,� Robert protested, completely forgetting all formality in his indignation. �I kissed you. I kissed you because you were angry and I was trying to distract your mind.�

�Who cares why you kissed the lass?� Aaron interrupted. �We just want to eat and sleep. Here�s your share and some for the lass.�

Robert tried to hand Annabeth half the food that Aaron had pressed into his hands but she stepped back and refused to take it from him, though her stomach was growling quietly.

�I do not wish to eat your food. I do not need anything from you.� She said haughtily.

�You must eat, Milady.� Aaron protested.

�I have gone longer than this without food, I will survive.�

�Are you going to allow this, Robert?� Aaron wanted to know.

�I can�t force her to eat. If I did she�d properly bring it right back up again. It would be a waste of good food. She�ll come to her senses eventually.�

Annabeth gave an unladylike snort and tried to stop her stomach rumbling as the men gulped down their bread and cheese. She sat a good distance away from them and pretended not to notice them.

Robert watched her silently, praying that she would be more cooperative on the morrow. He could hear her stomach making noises even at the distance she was sitting from him. Perhaps she was just acting up because of lack of sleep. The lass certainly did look tired. He would make sure that she had a good sleep that night.

The men stopped eating and fetched their plaids. Settling in a ring around Annabeth, nobody complaining this time, they made themselves comfortable and closed their eyes.

Robert took a plaid to Annabeth but she stubbornly shook her head. �I do not wish to use your plaid. I do not need anything from you.�

�You�ll get cold if you don�t use it.� Robert warned.

�Perhaps I would find the cold preferable to charity or imprisonment from a heathen.�

�You�re a stubborn lass,� Robert remarked, giving up. �I�ll leave it here in case you decide that you wish to use it after all.�

Annabeth didn�t acknowledge his words but turned away from him and stretched out on her side, pulling her cloak closely round her. The ground was cold and hard but she wasn�t going to admit it.

Robert sighed and left her, snuggling into his own plaid and listening to the sounds of the night. He could pick out the individual snores of each of his men, telling him that they had all dropped off quickly as was their habit.

Annabeth tossed and turned. Robert thought that she was asleep but he wasn�t sure. Her small body was shaking and trembling like a leaf. No doubt the frigid air, coupled with the cold ground, was giving her great discomfort.

He got to his feet, suddenly hit with the discovery that he wouldn�t sleep a wink if he kept on worrying about her. He took the plaid that he had been using and laid it beside the writhing form. Ever so gently he lifted her and laid her on his plaid. Reaching over, he picked up the plaid that she had refused and carefully draped it over her.

�Lord, make it right between us,� he prayed in a whisper. �And give her sweet dreams.� He stooped to graze his lips across her cheek before searching out another plaid for himself.

He settled down again and, with his worries abated, he fell asleep.


HEY! and don't forget to e-mail Sara Keprensk if you have a comment! She would really like to hear from you.





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