15 - Wee thing

Ailsa

My trek down the stairs to visit Fraser is solemn today. Although I'm as excited to see Fraser as any other night, this time is different. Those other times that I came to him there wasn't a dark cloud hanging over me.

I keep my head held high, feigning confidence as I keep my expression guarded.

"So, you're back." A familiar, rough voice says. "I was wondering when you'd show up."

I shrug, putting down my lantern and sitting cross legged on the ground before his cage door, looking up at him through my lashes. His bearded face is as handsome as ever, even when shrouded with darkness.

"What happened to your face?"

I tilt my head to the side, gently pressing my fingertips to the delicate skin around my eye. I thought the wounds from my fall were hardly noticeable. Clearly I was wrong. If this man could see it through the blackness, than it was more obvious than I had originally thought.

"A horse. I don't ride particularly well." I say, laying the book that I brought into my lap and opening it to the marked page where I left off.

"Then who let you on a damn horse?" His voice is like venom.

I glance up curiously at his sudden cursing.

Fraser rarely shows any kind of emotion. Good. Bad. Doesn't matter, you never really knew what he was feeling. And this is no different.

His face is blank, despite the sudden outburst he just showed. I can't imagine for the life of me why he cares.

"Don't worry, the horse is fine. Maybe a bit annoyed, but otherwise unfazed." I take my hand away from the mark. "I'm the one who got the worst of it."

I keep my eyes on the book, letting the uncomfortable silence draw out.

"Who cares about the bloody horse?" This time, his voice is quieter, full of malice.

I laugh, a giggle more like, shaking my head at him as he looks away. It seems Fraser cares for me after all, even if it is just a little bit.

But our time together is running out.

My laughter dies in my throat, and the book in my lap becomes blurry through a slight haze of tears.

"Truth is I'm meant to learn how to ride." I admit. "I have a long journey ahead at some point, I'm sure."

That's the end of that, and I'm ready to move on, wiping at my eyes and sighing.

"I brought you some food, as well as a book."

"I dont need you to feed me, lass." He looks me up and down. "At least not with your food." Fraser adds on a whisper. My eyebrows scrunch, wondering what he could be alluding to.

"Everyone needs food." I insist, thinking about the few, scarce bites I took at supper. "Some less than others I 'spect."

He lifts his broad shoulder, adjusting against the wall as he folds his arms.

"Some more than others." He agrees, actually agrees with me, and I'm shocked to say the least.

I pull the food from my pocket, lifting the morsels to show him.

"I went through a lot of trouble to bring this to you. I was almost caught, in fact. So, you will take it whether you want it or not." I say firmly.

He smiles softly at me, but remains decidedly silent even as I push my offering through the bars. I don't even care that it lands in the dust and grime that's been collecting for centuries. If he wont take it from my hand, why should I care if it gets a little dirty? He says he wont eat it anyway.

It infuriates me that he's so hellbent on not eating. I wonder how dumb he really is.

"I thought you were smart." I mutter, turning back to my book.

He exhales through his nose, a subtle hint of a laugh.

"Oh?" He wonders.

"Yes, but now I know for certain that you're not." I say, matter of factly.

I try to go back to my book, preparing to read outloud, when I hear the rustle of clothes. My head snaps up, and Fraser is moving forward. He snatches a small piece of bread and pops it into his mouth.

Narrowing my eyes, I ignore the smirk on his face and finally put my foot down.

"I'm going to read to you. That's the whole reason I'm here, so you can stop this and allow me to do what I came to do." I say, lifting the pages and picking up where my story left off.

It's a story about a brave knight who travels far and wide to rescue the love of his life, the princess of . The chapter I'm on is when he discovers from a trusted source that his bride has been locked away in a deep, dark prison. His anger is unmatched as he fights harder, travels faster.

I take a long pause after a chapter, not realizing the irony until it's sitting right in front of me.

A deep, echoey laugh startles me out of my thoughts.

"What?" I demand, slamming my book down onto the stone floor.

He clasps his stomach, still laughing deeply. Its a beautiful sound, but I'm determined to be annoyed with him.

"I suppose this makes me the princess in this scenario."

My lips twitch. I'm trying to conceal my smile and I'm failing miserably. I allow it to show itself, just for a little while. No harm in letting myself enjoy this moment, even if the future is bleak.

I delve back into the story, letting the words lilt off of my tongue as they carry the tale with eloquent majesty. Whoever wrote this book is a master of storytelling, crafting out of words and phrases so beautiful and vivid that I feel as though I'm right there in the midst of the events.

My mouth seems to make the characters come alive. I grow more enthusiastic with each page that I finish, flipping through the book at a rapid rate until my eyes grow weary.

Even then, I press on. Not even my heavy lids and yawns keep me from stopping.

Only when Fraser speaks up do I finally look away from the words that are a light with the flickering lantern.

"I think it's time for you to retire, wee thing." My face scrunches at the way he addresses me.

"That is something for me to decide." I say back, fingering the corner of the page I'm on and trying not to look at him.

I can feel his gaze boring into me. He doesn't look away, waiting patiently for my eyes to address him.

Finally, I look up, and his dark eyes meet mine for a fleeting moment, and suddenly I can't breathe. It's different than my attacks. It's not at all unpleasant. In fact, I like it. It's like there's a flood of butterfly's flying around my rib cage, batting their wings as they try to escape their fleshy prison.

"Leave the book and go, Ailsa. You need your rest." He gestures up to his face, likely in reference to my own injury. "You need time to heal. I'll read the rest tonight."

I sigh heavily, looking down at the hook. My mouth quirks to the side as I chew on my lip, looking for any excuse so that I won't have to leave.

I tell myself it's because I enjoy having someone to read to, someone to read out loud with and share this beautiful story with. That's the only reason I would have for refusing to leave at a decent hour.

But I know the truth, the real, true reason. I just don't want to leave Fraser.

And not just because I enjoy looking at him,that I like being close to him. I also am beginning to hate the idea of leaving him all alone down here. The thohhht of him sitting down here in the dark,'in the cold, practically starving, it makes me lose sleep.

I rub my eyes. It's likely why I'm having a hard time staying awake. I'm constantly tossing and turning as I think of him, wondering if I should return, wondering if he would welcome me back.

Angry with myself, I stand up swiftly, glaring down at Fraser as I slam my book shut with a thump.

"You wouldn't be able to read it in the dark anyway." I insist, practically sneering down my nose at him.

He takes it all in stride, grinning up at me. He looks even more handsome with the shadows cast on his angular face from the oil lamp. I want to scream at him for not becoming mad at me. Why can't he see that I'm becoming too attached? That we are becoming too familiar with one another?

"I'll manage just fine." Fraser holds out his hand expectantly.

I press the book against my chest. What if father visits his prisoner and discovers the book? I know it's preposterous, but I fear he'll immediately know it was me that snuck it in.

"I promise I'll take good care of it." He murmurs, and the soft words are enough for me to relinquish my novel to his care.

I'm careful to not let our skin touch as I hand it over, afraid of what it will do to me.

I pick up my lantern. I back away. I get one last good look at Fraser as he smiles at me, nodding his head in thanks. With that, I disappear into the night, ready to fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.