"Takin’ charge. Organizin’ people." He gestured to the square, where villagers were following her directions with efficient purpose.
"They trust ye and ken I'm helpin’."
"Ye're daein’ more than helpin’." He reached for the basket of herbs she'd just finished organizing. "Here. Let me get these tae the storage."
Their hands brushed as he took the basket.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered after the fifth time their fingers touched while passing supplies.
"What is?"
"How every time we work taegether, we end up..." She gestured vaguely between them. "This."
Alpin's mouth quirked. "Touchin’? Is that so terrible?"
"It's distractin’."
"Fer ye or fer me?"
"Both, apparently, given how often we keep finding excuses tae dae it." But she was smiling despite herself.
They continued unloading, falling into an easy rhythm.
Alpin would lift the heavier items while Mhairi directed where they should go. When she struggled with a particularly unwieldy crate, Alpin was there immediately.
He helped her lift it onto the bench. "There. Much easier with two of us."
A few minutes later, as they sorted through the herbs, Alpin held up a cluster of unfamiliar leaves. "Are these safe tae eat, or are they just fer medicine?"
"Those are medicinal only," Mhairi said, taking them from his hand. "Good fer treatin’ fever, but they'll make ye sick if ye try to cook with them. The ones with the rounder leaves, those are edible. Good in stews."
"How dae ye keep track of all of it?"
"I kenned a bit afore, but Donnach drilled it intae me. Over and over until I could identify them in me sleep." She handed him a different bunch. "These are the edible ones. See the difference in the leaf shape?"
"Aye, I see it now." He set them in the appropriate pile. "Remind me never tae forage without ye. I'd probably poison half the village."
"Ye'd be fine. Ye just need someone tae teach ye."
"I have someone," he said, his voice warm. "Right here."
They continued working together.
By the time they finished, the square had been transformed.
Neat rows of sacks containing grain and root vegetables lined one wall. Clay pots filled with berries sat in the shade. Herbs hung drying from makeshift racks. The deer meat had beenbutchered and distributed, with portions set aside for smoking to preserve through winter.
"Well done," Alpin said, surveying their work. "The village has enough food fer at least two weeks now. Combined with what we can bring from the castle stores, they should survive until harvest."
"It's nae enough." Mhairi looked around at the damaged buildings, the haunted faces of survivors. "Food will keep them alive, but it willnae replace what they lost. Their homes, their safety, their—" Her voice caught. "The women who were taken."
Alpin's hand found the small of her back, a now-familiar gesture of comfort and support. "We'll get them back. Tomorrow, we start trackin’."
"And if we're too late?"
"We willnae be." His voice was firm with certainty she wished she could share. "Come on. The villagers are gatherin’ fer the evening meal. We should join them."
As darkness fell, fires were lit throughout the square. Someone had salvaged benches and logs to create makeshift seating, and villagers gathered in clusters, sharing what food they had.
