Despite all she had been through in her twenty-eight years of life, there was nothing being out in the open couldn't cure. Feeling a tad melancholy from her disastrous visit with Adair, Amhuinn had sought out Gillian once Hammond had left for the lists. The two girls had than set out to the hillocks where they had harvested the herbs from the day before, armed with a basket of food Mrs. O'Leary had supplied them with. They spent the rest of the morning collecting as much herbs as Amhuinn could find, as she gave Gillian a little lesson on what sorts of plants would be great for healing, and for what purpose exactly. While the young redhead was not eager to know, she too knew that it was good knowledge to have, and tried her best to listen, even if Amhuinn could see she had trouble keeping up.
"Ye say ye have trouble keeping them dry in winter months?" she asked, concentrating on the problem to be solved instead of the uses of the common heather.
Amhuinn raised her brow, and laughed when Gillian gave a sheepish grin. "I canna help it, Ammi. I seem to just want to solve the problem's of other's."
"Nae, tis naught to be sorry aboot, Gilly." Amhuinn assured, arranging the handful of heather she held in the basket that held an assortment of other plants she planned on using for Tamhas, as well as storing some in the Keep so the MacKenzie's still had some to use after she had left. "Tis just yer specialty. I've seen the contraptions ye make around the Keep. How do ye come up with it?" she asked.
Gillian flushed again. "It just... I just want things ter be easier fer Hammond. He's not had the easiest of life, having ter grow up afore he was ready. I dinna want ter be the useless sister." She tied up the heather with the twine Amhuinn had passed to her, placing her full basket down before pulling out the plaid wrapping some bannocks and kippers. "Are ye hungry yet?"
Only then did the blonde healer notice her stomach growling, and grinned sheepishly. Picking up her skirts, Amhuinn picked her way slowly across the hillock, as carefully as her uneven gait would allow her, and finally bit into the bannock offered gratefully. Settling next to Gillian on the patch, Amhuinn took a deep breathe of the gentle afternoon breeze, welcoming the warmth it offered after many cold, wet afternoon's and nights. "Tis rare fer such warm weather." she commented offhandedly.
Gillian nodded. "I think autumn is almost o'er. Winter should be here soon. Not that we could e'er tell clearly. Tis always cold around here." Amhuinn laughed as Gillian scoffed.
"Tis true." the redhead insisted, and then asked. "How do ye and Tamhas survive such harsh weather?"
The question made Amhuinn halt as she was scooping up some kippers with her bannock, considering her words. "We make do." she finally settled with, not meeting Gillian's eyes. But the young MacKenzie was perceptive as she was intelligent, and nudged Amhuinn. "Nae lie ter me, Ammi. Ye know I am smart." she declared with a knowing smile.
Amhuinn scowled, and then finally answered. "Tis nae easy. Winters are the worst. Tamhas hunts as much as he can so I can preserve whatever meats and harvest we get from our tiny plot of farm near the river, but we oft go hungry from lack of food."
Gillian appeared horrified, making a mental note to tell her brother. "Why dinna ye and Tamhas just look for another clan ter go?"
"We.... tried." the blonde responded, picking at the bannock that was in her grip. "But tisn't easy when the Kincaids have put a price on ye head."
"A price?" Gillian echoed in surprise.
Amhuinn nodded. "Aye. Days after we left, I tried ter return to the Castle. I missed Adair horribly then, but I was careless, and got caught by Dougal. He ordered for me to be bound in the middle of the square and lashed me." she winced at the memory, avoiding looking up as she continued. "The heavy chain he used broke my right leg. No blood was drawn, but I was purple all over. Tamhas and I had sought refuge with the neighbouring Drummonds, but when they saw my bruises after Tamhas brought me back, and received a note from Dougal a few days later, they turned us out. No one accepted us back in after that."
Gillian had scowled when she heard of the Drummonds. When Amhuinn finished, she muttered a curse at them which surprised the blonde. "The Drummonds are a pillaging clan. They were the cause of our mither and fither's deaths." she explained to a surprised Amhuinn. "Why dinna ye come to us? We are nae far from the Drummonds."
Amhuinn shrugged, dragging the last of her bannock through the kippers. "By then I was too injured to make any sound decisions, and Tamhas dinna trust any other clan to not betray our location to MacCallan. Dougal wanted to retain his pristine reputation, so he painted my brother and I as philistines."
"Is that how ye got yer limp?" Gillian asked.
Amhuinn nodded. "Aye. Tamhas remembered from our mither's words which herbs to use to help me internal bleeding and fever, but he dinna know how to set bones as I learned. My bones healed shorter than they used to be, and short of breaking my leg again ter set them properly, there is nae else I could do." she flinched. "I dinna want ter break the bones again."
Gillian blanched and was about to respond when a running figure came up the hillock. "Innes?" she said in surprise. "My maid. She usually has her own duties to do when I'm not in the Keep. What is she doing here? " Gillian explained to a confused Amhuinn. The young brunette was just getting into earshot, and she finally stopped to lean on her knees, catching her breathe as Gillian asked her.
"What's the hurry? Did Hammond send ye?"
Innes shook her head. "Tis the boy, mistress Amhuinn."
Amhuinn had a flash of panic. Had something happened to Adair? Did he try to escape and faced punishment? Blood pounded in her ears, until the young maid continued speaking. "Finlay, the bairn has been crying fer hours. Hilda is at a loss. She didna know what ter do, and she fears Finlay may be suffering some malady. Would ye come and take a look at him?"
Amhuinn's heart eased when she heard it had nothing to do with Adair. Nodding, she quickly turned to pick up her basket of herbs, with Gillian doing the same next to her whilst Innes packed up the blanket of food.
"Gilly, it'll take awhile fer me ter get ter the MacCallister's cottage. Do ye mind going down with Innes to the Keep and grabbing my salves? I'll meet ye there."
The redhead girl was quick to nod, and she and Innes bounded down the hillock. Amhuinn followed at a slower pace, picking her way through the downward slope with her uneven gait. Her mind was racing with the amount of things that could be wrong with a babe a little over 6 months old, not even noticing until she almost walked into a solid wall of muscle and flesh.
"Careful mistress." a warm pair of hands held her shoulders to prevent from stumbling. Amhuinn looked up to find herself staring at the pair or green eyes of one Connor Gilroy.
"Thank ye, Commander Gilroy. I must apologise fer nae paying attention ter where I was going." Amhuinn quickly said, stepping back to guiltily look at Connor.
He raised his dark brows, and to Amhuinn's surprise a smile broke across his otherwise stern features. "Nae worry, mistress. I was just on my way ter visit Tamhas above."
"Och, I hope he hasna been giving ye trouble."
Connor shook his head. "He is a fighter at heart. Reminds me much of myself, which is why I'll remind him of why he needs ter recover afore trying anything else."
"I thank ye verra much, Commander." she paused, worrying her fingers, and then decided to ask even if she figured she shouldn't. "Do ye ken what Adair is doing now?"
An amused smile broke across Connor's face. He raised a brow. "Are ye sure ye wish ter ken, mistress?"
Amhuinn hesitated, but nodded. Connor chuckled. "Must be an affliction on parents, once one has a bairn." He muttered. "Look o'er yonder, mistress." he said to her, gesturing towards the left.
She turned her gaze following his motion. Her blue eyes took in the stables where the stablemaster was brushing down horses and preparing them for the warriors for their afternoon hunt, sliding past the stable boys towards the well, where she finally saw the familiar sandy head similar to hers.
Adair wore a mutinous look, but the boys who were busy pulling out buckets of water to carry back to the castle was having none of it. "Move it sourpuss! Do yer work, and dinna be a loser!"
The harsh words made Amhuinn wince, for it was apparent Adair did not take to being called a sourpuss lightly. However, he was wary of the warning look from Tristan, who stood nearby. Left with little choice, he pulled at the heavy bucket, grunting with the effort it took him. It was obvious to anyone that the young boy was not used to doing chores at all, unlike the rest of the pageboys who worked at the double the speed he was moving at. He barely looked up at all as the rest of them finished their work and moved on, obvious that he was not used to being the weak link in a pack.
"He's learning." Connor spoke up, as if hearing Amhuinn's worried thoughts.
She turned, and gave a watery smile, saved from answering when Gillian's voice hollered her name. "We're waiting fer ye!"
"I have ter get going, Hilda's fussings o'er Finlay, whose acting funny." Amhuinn took a step back, paused and then turned to look at Connor over her shoulder. "Thank ye, Commander Gilroy."
Picking up her skirts, Amhuinn ran after Gillian who now held a basket of the couple of jars Amhuinn had ground and stored her paste in the day before. She was surprised to find Evie waddling up as well. "Why do ye come down with us, Evie? Yer in nae condition to go aboot."
"I'm going to go stark crazy if all I have to see all day are the four walls in the Keep. I love MacKenzie Keep, but I need some fresh air. Besides, your brother is not the easiest company to keep, Ammi." Evie airily announced, one hand picking up her skirts while the other hooked around Amhuinn's bent arm carrying her basket. Gillian strolled ahead of them, happily greeting villagers and chatting with them. With Evie's heavy stomach and Amhuinn's limp, they ended up at a perfect pace, and Gillian was content to run ahead.
"I'm sorry," Amhuinn remarked immediately, a slightly sheepish tone coloring her words. "Tamhas is nae easy company, e'en when he's not hurting. It was nae easy fer him ter leave the Kincaid clan."
"Did he enjoy their company?" the bright redhead asked, surprised.
Amhuinn shook her head. "Nae, but he had some friend's he could count on. And he was a warrior too. Tamhas has a born streak fer battle in him. Tisn't been... easy, living day to day alone with me in the woods." In a way, she occasionally felt bad for him. But no matter how she told him, he would not leave her, not even to take up the task of being a sword for hire. He felt responsible for both instances where she first lost her son, and then ended up with her uneven gait, and as of now, a herd of horses wouldn't be able to pry him away from Amhuinn.
Evie, in a way understood, for she could not see Connor in a position any other than one of leadership. Her husband was born for battle, and even while he learned under her father to eventually take place as the Viscount, Connor was no idle student.
Arriving at the small cottage, even before they were ten paces to the door, Amhuinn could hear the plaintive crying of the baby boy a little over six months. Evie's palms instinctively splayed over her rounded stomach, and even Gillian blanched when the door opened, and an extremely weary Hilda peered out. Compared to the bright and happy lady she had briefly saw in the hall just a couple of nights ago, this one looked like she had aged considerably as the door opened fully, and all three women saw her rocking a baby who was red faced from crying.
"Oh thank goodness yer here, mistress. I dinna know what to do. He's been fussing and crying all night last night, and hasna stopped since.I-" Hilda was on the verge of babbling as she worried over the baby. Knowing how fussing mothers could be unreasonable however, Amhuinn simply took the bairn in her arms, and then started using a circular motion to rub his cheeks.
Noticing that his cries eased a little as she did so, she looked up at Hilda with a questioning look. "Have ye tried nursing him? How does he react?"
"I think he's sick or summat. He keeps rubbing his face against me as I feed him." Hilda wrung her hands. "Is he alright, mistress?"
"Aye, he will be. Dinna worry. Fetch me some cold water and a cloth." She smiled, much to Gillian and Evie's surprise. They had been expecting some dire problem, yet the blonde healer smiled as she rocked while rubbing young Finlay's cheek, rocking him as they entered the cottage.
Hilda hurried back with the basin of cold water. Without taking her eyes off Finlay, Amhuinn dipped the cloth in the basin of cold water, pried his mouth open and started dabbing at his gums, smiling when she found the spot. "He's lil teeth are breaking through."
"Och, what do ye do when they break through? Do we go and get that medi-"
"Nae," Amhuinn interjected Hilda's babble, shaking her head. "Most of those medicines contain morphine."
"For children?" Evie gasped.
"Babies." Amhuinn replied, returning her attention the now soothed baby, who eagerly bit on the finger wrapped in cloth. "Just do this fer him, Hilda. And when yer busy, give him a wooden toy to chew on. Ye can ask yer husband ter dip a wooden block too large fer him ter accidentally swallow, and once it dries, it'd be good fer Finlay ter chew. It soothes him."
"How long will this go on fer?" she asked.
"Fer a while, until all his teeth pop out. Dinna fash. Its a sign he's growing well." Amhuinn replied, smiling when Hilda looked much more at peace. Taking her finger out, she passed the baby and the cloth to her. "Cold water soothes him, as would chewing. If ye can, give him some bread to gnaw on, it does wonders."
"Och, thank ye mistress. It does soothe my heart ter know he's not ailing of anything serious." Hilda thanked, eagerly taking her mildly soothed baby back. Amhuinn smiled, shaking her head as she picked up the basket Gillian had fetched for her. "Nae salve I have can help Finlay fer now, Â but I'll go look fer cloves on the morrow. A salve of that should soothe a particularly bad day."
They left after Hilda's barrage of profuse thanks, with Amhuinn's mind already racing to where she could find the cloves to make the salve, or at least steep into a mixture the young bairn could drink. Not noticing her path with her mind wandering elsewhere, she would've fell had Gillian not been quick enough to grab her, as Evie made a grab at the basket which Amhuinn had slung on her arm. Upon looking down, her heart jumped to her throat when identical eyes glared at her, a mutinous look in them. She panicked, wondering if she should address him. Her eyes quickly took in his disheveled clothes streaked in dirt, and her heart gave out. "Are ye okay, Adair? I can tell Laird MacKenzie-"
"Nae! I dinna need yer help. I dinna need anyone's help." his stubborn voice said, as he hitched the sack Amhuinn just realized he carried on his shoulder. While it was not big, for he was the youngest of the page boys now heading to the castle, it was a considerable weight for a four-year old who probably had never lifted a single thing before. And among a bunch of six year old's, Amhuinn would like to say he was doing quite well. Maybe it's just maternal bias. She thought despondently, as Adair huffed and walked away from them.
The blonde girl looked to her side, and gave a wane smile when she noticed Gillian's empathetic touch along with Evie's smile. "Dinna worry. I should have expected he would be this way. I.. just hope it willna take too long."
"Ye did a good thing, Ammi." Gillian confirmed.
Evie nodded vigorously, as they picked up their feet and started back to the Keep again. "You did, Ammi. If he already has such vile thoughts now, I can't imagine how it would be like if he was entirely raised by that callous MacCallan."
Amhuinn laughed, mildly amused at how her new friends could feel so wronged on her behalf. For a girl whose's pretty much survived on her own with no one but her brother to rely on for most of her life, the feeling of the two walking next to her as they chattered away was a foreign one, but the warm fuzzy feeling in her chest told her it was a good thing.