1
BEFORE THE DAWN
Seamus hurled himself up, sleep leaving his body in a rush. He panted as he tried to reclaim his breath. Hay rustled under him as he shifted, his shirt sticking to his sweat drenched back.
“Seamus?” Flora called groggily.
She sat up behind him and put a cold, calming hand on his back.
“A nightmare?”
He could only nod as he tried to force the images of his burning village out of his head.
It was confusing, as dreams so often were, for his mother and Campbell to be in the same place at the same time. As far as he knew, she had left before Campbell had started his attack on the Murray lands. He remembered begging to go with her, wanting to travel and see his grandfather, but she had refused and pushed him away. Not to mention the story of his great-grandfather. It was one he had indeed studied as a child, one he had discussed with both of his parents, but the floating toy soldiers acting it all out was much too fantastical for his mind.
And then there was the village. Once the invasion had begun, Seamus had been locked in his room and kept away from thewindows as much as his nanny could manage. He had only seen glimpses, but he certainly hadn't seen the entire village burnt to the ground. That was a sight he had only recently watched when Campbell invaded the Lost Valley.
“Do ye wish to talk about it?” Flora asked, her voice low and gentle.
A night without waking from a dream was an unlikely occurrence between the two of them. She, likely better than anyone, understood the turmoil his mind wrestled with day in and day out.
“Nay,” he croaked, needing water to quench his throat. “It is all a jumbled mess, as though my mind has mixed up all the different pieces. I would nae make any sense even if I tried.”
He felt her nudge closer towards him as her fingers reached through his hair and started to scratch his head.
“I understand that. My thoughts do the same thing every so often.”
Seamus didn't say anything more, rather, he let his eyes drift close, and he leaned into her touch, gleaning whatever comfort she offered to him. Tilting his head back, he sighed as she pressed a kiss to his cheek, once, twice, three times. Forcing his eyes open, he studied her solemn expression that was so filled with love and worry, it reminded him of the way his mother had looked at him. Her dark mass of curls had sprung free from the braid she had tied down her back some hours ago. Even with the lack of light, he could still see her shining gray eyes watching him, studying him. They contrasted the paleness of her moonlit skin. All the ugliness in his mind that haunted his dreams couldn't detract from her unmistakable beauty. He pressed a quick kiss to her soft, full lips and then pushed himself off their makeshift bed.
Stretching to force the stiffness out of his muscles, Seamus glanced around the barn Flora's uncle had put them in. It waswarmer than sleeping outside, as many of the other rebels were doing, but it wasn't nearly as comfortable as the tavern had been. Seamus had been all too happy to give up the bed, however, for Liam and Errik as the others had begun to trickle into the village.
“Seamus, what are ye doing?”
He shoved one foot into a boot while he reached for the other one.
“Getting dressed,” he answered a bit curtly.
“It is far too early for ye to be up now. The tavern will nae be open for another three hours. Ye have hardly gotten any sleep these last few days. Come, lay back down with me.”
He shook his head as he finished straightening his shirt.
“Nay. I want to go over the maps and our plans once more. We dinnae have much time to prepare, with Finn and the rebels from Drummond Castle arriving tomorrow. I want to be sure that we are ready, that we will have answers to all of their questions.”
She sighed and pushed herself up as well.
“Ye can sleep, if that is what ye wish,” he assured her.
“I dinnae wish to sleep alone,” she countered as she dressed quickly, “so I will go with ye. Just ken that I think ye need to rest. It will nae do anyone any good if ye are too tired to fight or think.”
He didn't answer her, instead offering her his hand and a small smile of his own.
Pushing open the barn doors, Seamus breathed in the morning air. It was as she had said; still very early in the morning, with the sun still hidden behind the horizon. Even so, there was a freshness to the dew covered world that pushed away the last remnants of his nightmare.
They walked, hand in hand, through the village and towards the tavern. Rebels on patrol were positioned throughout the town, guarding Aberfeldy Village from any surprise attacks asbest they could. Though the tavern would not be serving any food or drink for another few hours, there were two men posted outside the doorway anyway, who offered them nods as they stepped inside.
As he had expected, the room was quiet and still, with only a single candle burning in a lantern on the counter. He picked it up and led Flora to the back room, not bothering to so much as look at the rest of the tavern.
“It is verra kind that they have allowed us to use the tavern so freely,” Flora commented as she made for the cold, dark hearth. “Being able to leave our things here, having a place for us to meet all while feeding and housing as many rebels as they can manage is a kindness we cannae forget.”
