She dropped below the water as best she could, wrapping her arms around herself as she scrabbled back towards the bank. After running all night, she had been drenched in sweat and dirt, and she had deigned to give herself a break for long enough to clean herself off in this quiet brook. She feared a sickness entering through the small wounds on her body if she did not tend to them, and she knew she would not survive such an illness out here in the woods alone. What little she could do to take care of herself, she knew she had to try.
And she had looked around to make sure it truly was just her, out there in the woods. She had been certain there was nobody else nearby. She was sure she had heard the sound of some men earlier in the day, but that had been hours before—or what felt like hours, at least—and they would have been long-gone bynow, if they had been looking for her at all. So, she had stripped out of her tattered dress, and slipped beneath the cleansing icy-cold surface of the river.
And now, this man, this wildling, was starting at her from the other bank. Under his gaze, for a moment, she was frozen, like a bird caught in the sight of a hunter, hoping that stillness would save her.
But then, she realized she was naked. Naked, in front of this man, in the middle of the woods…
In her rush to pull on her dress, she sent it slipping from the edge of the burn into the water. It sank down like a stone, and she pulled it out, letting out a cry of frustration. She could hardly put it on now, she would die of a chill, but she could not stay, barely dressed, in front of this man.
If that was truly what he was. She lifted her gaze to meet his again, her breath stuttering in her throat as he stared her down. He didn’t move a muscle, but her change of position gave her a better look at his face. She could see a sharp jaw, with a dark stubble that matched his hair. In his locks, she could make out threads of silver catching the watery sunlight picking its way through the trees. He stood tall, his shoulders broad, and she could tell from just a glance that he bore strength in his lean body. His hands were callused, and she briefly found herself wondering how they might feel against her body.
“Who are you?” she cried out to him, wrapping her arms around herself, beginning to shiver beneath the once-refreshing cold of the water. “And what are you doing spying on a lady?”
A slight smile curled the corner of his lips. Something about the look on his face made the crimson blood on his skin glow with even more potency. Some part of her longed to clamber from the river and run, regardless of her nakedness, to lose herself into the woods rather than stay another second here withthis man, but another part of her urged her to stand her ground. She had run enough, these last few hours, hadn’t she?
“Ye’re in no place to demand anything, lass.”
She bristled. His heavy brogue spoke to his roots. He clearly came from this place, and knew the land well.
“Were you sent to find me?”
He didn’t answer.Had he been sent by her father? To find her, to bring her back?
“Would ye expect a man to find you out here?” he remarked, his eyes tracing up and down her body. “Is that the reason for yer… state of undress?”
Her eyes widened.
“Of course not!” she protested. “What kind of woman do you think I am?”
Her teeth began to chatter. She wanted to stay defiant, but she knew she needed to get out of the water soon, lest she catch her death of cold.
“You shouldnae be here,” he continued, as he moved towards her. She stood her ground, clamping her arms more rightly around her naked body.
“Then turn your back, so I can get out with my dignity!” she protested. To her surprise, he reached for the cloak that hung around his shoulders, and laid it on the ground next to the edge of the river.
“Here. Take this. Cover yerself up.”
She hesitated. She had little other choice in that moment, but still, the thought of taking a favor from him seemed… dangerous, somehow.
“Turn away!” she ordered him. His eyes flashed with irritation, as though he was not used to be told what to do, but finally, he did as she demanded, turning his back on her.
She clambered from the water quickly, and tossed the robe over her body. It was still warm from where it had laid againsthis skin, and his musk seemed to be wrapped in to the fabric, the scent of it curling around her with ease. She wrung out her dress uselessly, watching as the frigid water fell on to the damp earth below, and let out a sigh. Though at least she was covered for now, she knew it would be a while before she could slide back into her own clothes.
He turned to her again, once he had allowed her a few seconds to cover herself up. Now she was a little closer to him, she could see the heavy weight of blood on him, the spattering of it on his knife, his skin, even a drop that had pooled at the base of his lip. For a moment, she felt a wild urge to reach out and brush it off, but she managed to stop herself in her tracks.
“What’s a Sassenach like you doing out here?” he demanded, his eyes tracing up and down her, as though he wasn’t sure she was actually real. She narrowed her eyes at him.
“What did you call me?”
He chuckled, though she could not hear the mirth in it.
“Listen to yer voice, lass,” he remarked. “You’re not from around these parts, are ye?”
She wanted to protest, but she knew it would have done little good. She could hardly conceal her accent; it was one of the most recognizable things about her.
“No,” she confessed, finally. She could feel the weight of realization hanging heavy on her shoulders. She could not hide, and she’d been foolish to imagine that she could. No matter how much distance she tried to put between herself and what was expected of her, it seemed inevitable that she would stand out like a sore thumb wherever she went.
“Aye,” he remarked. “And you shouldnae be out here alone. It’s not safe.”
