The Runaway Bride

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

There were hands on me. Touching me. Violating me. No matter how hard I tried to remove them, to end the uncomfortable experience, I couldn't. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to escape it all.

It wouldn't end. I struggled to remove my body from the force that kept it down but to no avail. It was impossible. The hands kept moving. And Suddenly it was like there were several pairs of hands on my body. Pulling my hair, ripping my dress. I wanted it to end, I didn't know how much longer I could stand it.

"Stop! Get away!" I began to beg them, beg them to let me go, to relieve me of the violation.

"Leave me alone," I was sobbing. All I wanted was for the hands to be gone.

Another set of hands joined the rest, shaking me.

This was different.

They kept shaking me and then I heard a voice. I couldn't make out what it was saying, but it was there, it was close.

And the hands. They weren't violating, they didn't make me feel uncomfortable. Maybe this set of hands would shove the others away. Maybe they would put an end to this. But they didn't, they just continued to shake me. Why?

I started to try and open my eyes, to see the body that the hands were attached to. Maybe that would answer my question.

"Wake up," And more shaking.

I jerked awake, sobbing at the relief. That experience was something I didn't want to repeat. I began to take in my surroundings, to discover what had caused me to awaken. A body was kneeling before where I was laying, silhouetted by the light of the fire beyond. It was too broad to be Fiona.

"Are ye okay woman?"

Aye, I was correct. That deep voice was definitely not the voice of Fiona. I knew the owner of that voice. He must have been the owner of the hands that were shaking me.

A dream. It was only a dream.

I was breathing hard, trying to calm down. I couldn't bring myself to speak just yet so I merely nodded in response to Aidan's question.

I took in a deep breath and sat up, bringing my knees up to meet my chest.

His silhouette moved to sit next to me. And with him in this position, I could see his face. I was shocked to discover that it was filled with genuine concern for me. Why would he care?

"What did I say?" I didn't know if I said anything out loud. Did he hear what I was saying?

He didn't say anything. Just reached his hand toward me, toward my face.

I flinched. I tried my hardest not to but it was instinct.

His hand was frozen in midair. As if waiting, for permission, for my acceptance.

I stared at him, trying to decide where all this tenderness had appeared from.

He took me not protesting farther as an invitation to continue. He brought his hand to my face and carefully as if I was but a babe swept away a tear that was paused on my cheek. The rough pad of his thumb was surprisingly gentle and soothing as it grazed my skin. I closed my eyes and leaned my head into his touch, savoring the warmth of his touch. At the beginning of my dream, a cold seeped into my bones and it hadn't left even when I woke up. His hand was warm, and I didn't have it in me to break that connection. Not yet. His hand must have been magical, the warmth was spreading, overtaking the cold in my body. Within moments, it was gone.

My body was instead filled with a tingling warmth. It was unnerving, the feeling, but it also made me feel alive. It made me want more.

"Ye were crying out, I was on watch and heard ye," His thumb performed a second sweep on my cheek; soothing, calming. "As soon as I heard ye say stop and get away I kenned it was a bad dream. I had to come and wake ye up."

I sighed. I didn't like to be seen as weak or helpless. It was embarrassing that he had witnessed that weakness. I didn't even know that the attack had affected me to this extent.

"It's ok ye ken? To have a bad dream, to have a flashback of it all. It was a traumatizing event, it's going to affect you at least a little. Don't be so hard on Yourself."

I just stared at him. How did he even expect that I may be feeling ashamed of showing weakness?

"Why I just remember the dreams I had after my first battle. I was merely sixteen winters, not tried at all. I had bad dreams for weeks, I couldn't forget the horrors I had witnessed, even the ones I had done."

His gaze clouded over a bit, as if he was recalling the past memories. When he refocused on me his eyes had a bit of pain hidden in their depths. Some part of me wanted to take that away.

I have no idea where that came from. Why would I care whether or not he had painful memories that still simmer beneath the surface? I just met him.

"I'll be okay. It was just a dream." I wouldn't let this happen again. I wasn't weak, I was a strong independent woman. That tis why I left my faither's house. I wouldn't be tied down to a man. I didn't want to marry. And even if I did want to have a husband, it wouldn't be for some useless political reason. If I did want to marry, if I ever decided to, it would be because I was in love and for no other reason. 

"I ken, I just wanted to tell ye. Odds are that this dream will happen again. Memories have a way of haunting. They don't want to let go."

"I was afraid of that." It was a whisper. A tiny little whisper. I have never felt so small in my life. 

He removed his hand from my face, but only to wrap it around my hand that was resting on my knee. He held on to me as if he was trying to keep me grounded, trying to keep me from being swept away in the memories. 

"You'll make it. You have a strong soul. If it happens again come to me. I donnae care if I am awake or sleeping. Just let me help ye through it."

"Aye, alright." I couldn't help it. 

"Good. Now get some rest, tomorrow we all are due for a talk. We need to ken why ye and Fiona were traveling alone."

I sighed. I kenned that this was coming. But I suppose that if they were taking us home with them they at least deserved to hear. 

"Very well, tomorrow."

"Aye. Now, sleep Catrìona. Ye need it."

Without another word, I laid back down and rolled onto my side. My back to him. 

As I began to drift off, I felt his fingers running through my unbound hair. It was soothing, and I didn't have the willpower to tell him to stop. And so no matter how weak it made me appear, I fell asleep to his soft caresses. 

AN-

Soooooo it's another chapter. It only took me like a whole year but it's ok now lol. I feel like this chapter was all over the place. It's kinda a filler, nothing happened. But I kinda wanted an interaction between Catrìona and Aidan. That happened for sure huh? 

Anywayssss. Please vote and comment. Let me know what you guys think. 

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Luh you guys, Alayna