each day, but I knew it would take a while longer before I was fully healed. Morag was a diligent and careful nurse, but I wouldn’t miss the bitter teas and the salted broths she forced me to drink.
As I walked down the stairs I held the wall for support, not quite trusting my legs after being in bed for so long. The stone wall was cold against my hand, and my fingers bumped against the interlocking stones as I descended. At the bottom I heard laughter, yelling, and a clash of metal. Curious, I walked to a large, wooden-planked door and opened it slightly.
The sun was bright and I winced as it momentarily blinded me. After my eyes adjusted, I saw the reason for the noise. Two men with leather armor were fighting in the center of the courtyard. With agile movements they thrust and parried, trying to defeat their opponent. A circle of men and a few women gathered at the edge and cheered them on. The men would occasionally laugh at each other during their fight, telling me it was all in good fun or practice. No one looked familiar, but I hadn’t really expected them to; only hoped.
The fight ended when a man pressed the tip of his sword into the other man’s chest and backed away immediately. He threw his hands into the air and the crowd clapped. The defeated man shook his head and then went forward to congratulate the victor.
The crowd dispersed and I closed the door, heading down the hall toward the smell of baking bread.
The castle had very small windows that only let in a slight amount of light, so my eyes took a moment to adjust. The hallway was short and ended in what looked like a dining room. Large wooden tables were scattered and benches surrounded them. A hearth boasted a fire in the middle of the wall, and a few women were sweeping the floor.
I waited for the women to finish their work, and then entered. My hands brushed the tops of the rough-hewn tables made smooth by years of use. The fire crackled and popped, and I heard the clanging of kettles and muted voices from the kitchen. I took a fortifying breath and entered. The bustling activity was unaffected by my entrance, but one woman stirring an open kettle over a fire glanced up upon my arrival. With a grin, she beckoned me to come forward.
“Ach, ye are up an’ about? ‘Tis good ta see ye, lass. Gave us all quite a scare!”
At her words a few others glanced up from their work and gave me welcoming smiles.
“‘Tis good to be up an’ about.” I said.
“I would think so. Ye never were one ta sit abed for any reason. The walls must have been a closin’ in on ye.”
I nodded. She spoke the truth.
“The laird spoke about ye sufferin’ from lack o’ memories, with the fever an’ all. Must be frightenin’. Donna worry though. We’ll take good care o’ ye. I’m Madge. An’ over there is Arig an’ Annabelle. Ye’ve known us for a long while.”
Everyone kept saying that, as if I didn’t already know. It was frustrating! Everyone knew who I was, but I hadn’t a clue about myself. I suppressed the urge to groan at her words but offered her a polite smile instead.
“I thank ye.” At least my brogue was becoming second nature, yet my thoughts were accented differently in my head. Just another mystery.
“Are ye hungry, lass?” Madge asked me with a caring smile. I nodded and she grinned wider. The spoon she was holding dipped further into the pot, and she pulled up a mixture of meat and vegetables and poured it into a cup.
“Now, donna ye go an’ tell on us, that we gave ye a taste. We’ll have a line from here ta the gate, if ye do so. “ She shook her spoon at me. “That’s a good lass. Now go over ta Arig an’ get a bannock.”
“Thank ye.”
“‘Tis nothin’ a’ tall.”
Madge went back to stirring her pot and adding some crushed herbs to it. I turned to where Arig waited with a piece of dark bread. I spoke my thanks and went out to sit at a table.
“Ye forgot yer cutty,” Madge spoke and handed me a rough
As I walked down the stairs I held the wall for support, not quite trusting my legs after being in bed for so long. The stone wall was cold against my hand, and my fingers bumped against the interlocking stones as I descended. At the bottom I heard laughter, yelling, and a clash of metal. Curious, I walked to a large, wooden-planked door and opened it slightly.
The sun was bright and I winced as it momentarily blinded me. After my eyes adjusted, I saw the reason for the noise. Two men with leather armor were fighting in the center of the courtyard. With agile movements they thrust and parried, trying to defeat their opponent. A circle of men and a few women gathered at the edge and cheered them on. The men would occasionally laugh at each other during their fight, telling me it was all in good fun or practice. No one looked familiar, but I hadn’t really expected them to; only hoped.
The fight ended when a man pressed the tip of his sword into the other man’s chest and backed away immediately. He threw his hands into the air and the crowd clapped. The defeated man shook his head and then went forward to congratulate the victor.
The crowd dispersed and I closed the door, heading down the hall toward the smell of baking bread.
The castle had very small windows that only let in a slight amount of light, so my eyes took a moment to adjust. The hallway was short and ended in what looked like a dining room. Large wooden tables were scattered and benches surrounded them. A hearth boasted a fire in the middle of the wall, and a few women were sweeping the floor.
I waited for the women to finish their work, and then entered. My hands brushed the tops of the rough-hewn tables made smooth by years of use. The fire crackled and popped, and I heard the clanging of kettles and muted voices from the kitchen. I took a fortifying breath and entered. The bustling activity was unaffected by my entrance, but one woman stirring an open kettle over a fire glanced up upon my arrival. With a grin, she beckoned me to come forward.
“Ach, ye are up an’ about? ‘Tis good ta see ye, lass. Gave us all quite a scare!”
At her words a few others glanced up from their work and gave me welcoming smiles.
“‘Tis good to be up an’ about.” I said.
“I would think so. Ye never were one ta sit abed for any reason. The walls must have been a closin’ in on ye.”
I nodded. She spoke the truth.
“The laird spoke about ye sufferin’ from lack o’ memories, with the fever an’ all. Must be frightenin’. Donna worry though. We’ll take good care o’ ye. I’m Madge. An’ over there is Arig an’ Annabelle. Ye’ve known us for a long while.”
Everyone kept saying that, as if I didn’t already know. It was frustrating! Everyone knew who I was, but I hadn’t a clue about myself. I suppressed the urge to groan at her words but offered her a polite smile instead.
“I thank ye.” At least my brogue was becoming second nature, yet my thoughts were accented differently in my head. Just another mystery.
“Are ye hungry, lass?” Madge asked me with a caring smile. I nodded and she grinned wider. The spoon she was holding dipped further into the pot, and she pulled up a mixture of meat and vegetables and poured it into a cup.
“Now, donna ye go an’ tell on us, that we gave ye a taste. We’ll have a line from here ta the gate, if ye do so. “ She shook her spoon at me. “That’s a good lass. Now go over ta Arig an’ get a bannock.”
“Thank ye.”
“‘Tis nothin’ a’ tall.”
Madge went back to stirring her pot and adding some crushed herbs to it. I turned to where Arig waited with a piece of dark bread. I spoke my thanks and went out to sit at a table.
“Ye forgot yer cutty,” Madge spoke and handed me a rough
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