She didn't protest his offer and seemed rather grateful for his help as she leaned into his arms. He lifted her from the seat as gently as he could manage, but she still let out a small groan when her feet hit the ground.
“Do ye have any of that salve Brid taught ye to make?” he asked, rummaging through his bag to search for some.
“Aye, it is right here.”
He turned around to see her holding up a small jar in her hand.
“Why? Do ye need some?”
“Nay, but ye do. That will help with yer soreness.”
Her cheeks turned bright red and her eyes darted to the ground.
“It is nothing to be ashamed of. Anyone, lad or lass, would be sore after all the riding we have done if they were nae used to it. Ye tuck behind those bushes and put some on while I see to our food.”
She dashed away to do just that. He watched her only long enough to ensure that she didn't go too far, and then he turned his attention back to finding food.
“Did ye happen to pack anything?” he called out to her, keeping his back turned.
“Aye,” she shouted back. “Check my saddlebags.”
Rummaging through her things felt invasive and odd, but he did it nonetheless. Moving quickly, he pulled out a knotted lump of fabric that felt like it could be food. Peeking inside, he found a few oatcakes, an apple, and a handful of slices of dried meat. He thought about looking some more, but he knew that this was all she had packed. She was only ever planning to feed one person, and it wouldn't take her longer than a day to get there so there was no reason to bring more.
Making the most of it, he pulled a spare blanket from his saddle and stretched it out. Then he set about dividing the bundle of food. It wasn't much, but he was determined to let her take the majority of it.
“I am sorry I did nae bring more. I only took what I thought would go unnoticed. I thought it would be enough for me.”
“Ye dinnae have to apologize. Ye were nae expecting me.”
He turned to see her walking a little easier already. The rest of their ride tonight would turn out to be difficult for her, but at least she wasn't so stiff and sore now.
Iona sat beside him and stretched out. She rubbed at her calves through her skirts while he gnawed on a piece of the meat.Two piles of food sat in between them, one significantly bigger than the other. When Iona noticed the difference, she looked at him with a furrowed brow.
“Finn, why do I have so much more food than ye do?”
He shrugged and turned his eyes to study the treeline.
“I ate most of mine already.”
They both knew it was a lie, but Iona didn't question him on it. But he couldn't stop questioning himself. This newfound need to protect her grew stronger and stronger the more time he spent around her. At first, he had wanted nothing to do with her. She only reminded him of Seamus. Somehow, however, she had managed to get under his skin. She noticed the things about him, the expressions he wore, the emotions he tried to hide, that everyone else had missed. More than that, she seemed so innocent, so undefiled by the evils of this war. Of course, she had her own demons, but she had somehow been able to overcome them, never truly letting them interfere with her life. He adored her for it.
“Tell me what it was like,” she prompted, chewing on the apple slowly, “growing up in the Lost Valley. I have only heard legendary tales about it, but it must have been amazing.”
Finn laid back on his arms and looked up at the sky. With the sun overhead, he made out that it was already midday. He and Iona both were expected to attend a planning meeting with Seamus and the others. No doubt they would have noticed their absence. He wondered if he was able to stall long enough that perhaps some of Seamus' men, maybe Connor and Brid or even Seamus himself, would come after them and find them.
“Depends on what ye consider 'amazing'. It was a bonny place, there was nay doubt about that. Plenty of space to run and roam and be a lad discovering the world. But it was also filled with grief and heartache that soaked into the walls and peppered every conversation.”
“How do ye mean?”
“The only reason any of us were there was because of Campbell. Everyone living in the Lost Valley had lost their homes or their families, or both, during the invasion. They had nothing to go back to, so they followed Chief Rolland. He was the only one who had been able to make sense of it all. He bonded us all together.”
“Sounds like he was something to behold,” she complimented.
“He was everything a leader ought to be. Wise, strong, thoughtful. He was willing to make the hard decisions, even when nay one liked him for it. I always felt so lucky to have grown up with him. I cannae say if it was better than living with my parents, but Chief Rolland had something about him. He trained me, ye ken. He taught me everything I ken.”
“Then he must have been a verra great man.”
Finn looked over at Iona, trying to figure out if she meant what he thought she was implying. He wanted to know if she thought he was a great man too. She gave him a smile that said more than any words ever could, and that part of him settled.
