Page 43 of Highlander’s Evil Side

Chapter Eighteen

Beitris

Three days passed since meeting with Scott, and Beitris had made it her mission to help the villagers as best as she could. The soldiers had spent the first day of the villager’s arrival providing them with the means to make accommodations outside the castle walls while many servants offered their rooms and cottages. Unfortunately, there was not enough space, and many were forced to reside in tents bordering the walls. Usually, four soldiers circled the camps borders; however, this day was different. There were only three, and Beitris only recognized one. Her gaze lingered on the pair on the other side of the camp, her eyes narrowing on the way they leered at the women caring for their children.

Beitris tried to shake the eerie feeling creeping through her, tugging at her insides. She clutched the basket to her, filled with food, and strode through the lines of tents. A smile took hold of her lips as the children perked up and ran towards her.

“Lady!” they shouted while reaching for her with dirt-stained hands and excited faces. “Lady!”

The children gathered around her. Their hands reached for the food inside as they smiled up at her brightly. “Have ye brought us something tasty to eat?” one asked.

“Have ye brought a story?” asked another.

“I want something sweet!” shouted a little boy while reaching inside Beitris’s basket.

“Now, now,” Beitris said warmly while wrenching the basket from their hands. “Wait yer turn. Everyone in a line.”

A plump little girl pushed to the front while several boys filed behind her. “May I have a dolly? Please,” the little girl asked, holding out ‘please’ as long as she could muster.

Beitris covered her mouth with a hand, trying in vain to hide her chuckle while shaking her head. “I’m afraid not, my sweet.” Beitris frowned at her basket, rummaging inside until she was able to produce a very small jar of honey. “But I do have something tasty for ye. Could ye help me break the bread so everyone may have a try?”

The little girl bobbed her head up and down, her red hair following the sharp movements. She moved to sit next to Beitris in the grass and proceeded to take the bread, breaking it into smaller pieces and handing it out to the smaller boys and girls.

Beitris smiled at her apprentice while she took each and every piece, swiping a small bit of honey on each and handing them out to the children. They stuffed their faces, chewing frantically. It ached Beitris’s heart, knowing the little ones were so hungry. She was happy just to sit with them these past few days, reading them old tales of romance and adventure while they snacked on their treats. Beitris hoped she was able to bring them a little bit of joy to fill their days.

It must be so difficult not seeing their fathers everyday, she thought while she watched the children, clutching her basket closer. The little dears must miss them so. And losing their homes as they did. Beitris lowered her gaze, wiping the tears already forming in her eyes. She didn’t want to cry in front of them. She knew it would look unseemly.

“My lady,” said a little boy sitting at her feet. “Can ye please finish the story?”

“Oh, please,” said the plump little girl at her side. “I would love to know what happens.”

“Please, please, please,” came the excited chants of the other children.

Beitris searched through her basket, rifling through jars of herbs and blocks of cheeses and meats wrapped in red cloth. She smiled when she found her book. The old spine was worn, no longer displaying the title, but she knew it held the adventures of Fionn MacCumhaill. They were stories her father once read to her when she was a little girl. She read them so frequently she could nearly recite the words.

“Yer quite skilled with children, my lady,” came a gravelly voice from behind.

Beitris lifted her head, smiling up at Hamish, the castle healer. He stroked his long white beard while he regarded her with grey eyes. “I only do what I can,” she said, her face heating with embarrassment.

“Aye, I suppose that’s true for all of us.”

“Do ye need my aid, Hamish?” Beitris said while returning her book inside the basket. She slowly rose from her place on the grass, pausing for a moment when the little girl grabbed her skirts.

“Please, don’t go, my lady,” she whined. “Please, stay.”

“Please, stay,” the children around her chanted, their big bright eyes staring up at her, making her heart swell.

“Nae.” Hamish chuckled while looking at the children, patting one boy on his head. “Stay with the children. They have need of ye more than I.”

“It’s nae trouble,” Beitris said quickly, stepping forward and nearly stumbling into the healer due to the little girl’s strong grip on her leg. She turned towards the girl, about to admonish her, but looking down into her tear-stained eyes made Beitris swallow her words. “Well, I suppose I could stay and read a chapter or two.”

Beitris grabbed her skirts, moving to the ground, but she stopped, the hair on the back of her neck rising as she heard a woman’s petrified shriek. She turned sharply, her eyes widening on a woman running through the field. Her brown hair blew in the wind. Her hands clutched at her brown dress. As the woman drew closer, Beitris noticed tears streaming down her cheeks. The woman screamed again. This time Beitris could make out the words.

“Help! Someone please!”

Beitris gasped as the woman tripped over one of the ropes holding a tent up. She landed hard on her knees. A woman standing nearby reached for her, helping her stand while Beitris strode towards her.

“Someone, please help,” the woman gasped while wiping the dirt and tears from her face.