Highland Magic Ch. 13

*~*Hey guys, Luckie here. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been reading HIGHLAND MAGIC and any of my other stories. Your reviews are what keep me writing. I am sorry the chapters have been short, but I try to pack them in with a lot of stuff. I am working on several other stories as well, so if it takes me a while to get another story up, that is why. Thank you all again for your time and for choosing my stories to read. Reviews keep me writing, so please, review away! Thanks! Luckie *~*~*

I paced the room like a caged animal. I knew what animals in the zoo felt like now. Tilda would poke her head in the doorway every once in a while to make sure I was still in my room. Where was I supposed to go? There were two guards at my door and the door was locked from the outside.

I wanted to pull my hair out and scream in frustration at the same time. I watched the door waiting for the next person who came through. They would be my salvation, or else. I could feel my sanity edging over to rage at being caged the way I was, but I knew in all reality there was nothing I could do. Not that I cared. I was going to take it out on who ever came through that door next.

It had been a week and a half. Ten days of being stuck in this room with only Tilda's company at night and the guards at my door. The first few days hadn't bothered me. I learned why Cien put me on lock down, but that hadn't improved my temperament. I knew he wanted to protect me from Alex and who ever else Alex got to help him in his stupid plan.

The mere thought of Alex made me want to punch my fist into a wall or tear someone's head off. I took a few deep breaths trying to control the rage bubbling in my veins, and knew it was going to take more than a few deep breaths. I needed some serious chocolate. Chocolate always made me feel better. Too bad the only people with it were in South America. They hadn't even been discovered yet.

I groaned and threw myself down on the hard straw pallet that made up the bed. I was becoming more and more comfortable in this time. I knew in my heart of hearts that I shouldn't and couldn't marry Cien. What if it screwed up the fabric of time? What if... The what if's were beginning to chew at my mind. I didn't know much about the space-time continue whatever, and what I did know came from movies.

Somehow BACK TO THE FUTURE didn't compare what I was going through. At least Marty McFly wasn't mistaken by a medieval barbarian for a witch. No, he wasn't that lucky at all.

I wished at times I could go home. I just wanted a soft bed with a beautiful view and heat. Electric heat. I sighed. The things I took for granted, it made me sick the more I thought about it. Last week I had to deal with my period. I never wanted to go home more than I did then. I won't say anything, but suffice to say that really helped my foul mood.

I pushed myself up and walked to the window. Staring out at the lands that belonged to Cien, I saw the large loch. I sighed. That had been one of my touristy stops. I wanted to dip my feet in Loch Ness. Maybe I'd see some one faking some pictures of Nessie. Who knew. Now I would never know.

I'd snuck a question about the loch and Nessie to Tilda, and she just looked at me as if I were crazy. I guess that confirms that it is just a modern invention of the mind. She certainly never heard of a creature in the Loch. "Pure foolishness." Her exact words.

I watched the soldiers as they trained and longed to walk the grounds. Cien wasn't among them. I knew that, but it didn't help me from stopping to look if he was. No, he wasn't there. He was still gone. He'd left the morning after he told me I was room bound. After I found out why, I couldn't blame him. I would have done the same thing, but at the same time, I did blame him. He was the one that got me stuck in here.

I scowled as I watched the men train. For a the last few days I had wished I was indeed a witch. I would have been able to escape the room if I was, and Alex would have a reason to hate me. But I wasn't a witch. Hell, I was barely a passable person. I worked constantly, had no real life, and ate take out every night. That was until my take out had been take in and it consisted of Mutton and fruit tarts baked fresh.

I turned around and shoved my back up against the wall. If I wasn't careful I was going to bruise myself, I thought with a pout. I wrapped my arms around me and pushed away from the wall just as the door creaked open slightly. A lock of Tilda's hair slipped into the room a second before the rest of her face.

"Rose your awake," she said sounding happy. "I've brought you some nooning meal."

I shook my head and decided it was now or never. "Look, Tilda," I started. "I need out of this room."

Tilda shook her sadly. "I am truly sorry Rose, but Cien said you canna leave the room. I would let you out if twere up to me. I am sorry Lady Rose."

I shook my head. "Here's the deal. I'm desperate. I'm going to go insane if I'm stuck in here a minute longer. Lets take a few soldiers and go to the Loch. We can have a picnic."

"A picnic?"

I sighed. "Yes, we will take our meal down to the lake and sit on a blanket and eat." Tilda's eyes lit up.

"I do think that would be fine," she thought for a moment. "But Cien did say he didn't want you to leave the room."

"that's the beauty of it. He wants me to be safe, so we can just take some soldiers with us. I am quite sure they would enjoy the picnic as well. What do you think? If Cien can't rely on his own soldiers to keep me safe, then what good are they?"

Tilda seemed to think about that for a minute. "I see the logic in it." She bowed her head for a minute before looking back up at me.

"Aye, a fine idea, Lady Rose."

I grinned. "Great. Go put all that food in a basket and pack enough for you and the soldiers and we will go." Tilda beamed at me. "And I will bring the blanket to sit upon."

Tilda bounded from the room and gave the soldiers at the door their new instructions. The nodded stiffly, and didn't move other wise.

"How many soldiers shall we take, Rose?" Tilda asked from the door way as if she'd been asked by one of the soldiers.

"I don't know. How ever many that you think we need."

Tilda relayed the message to the guard who bowed and walked away. "I will be no more than a moment!" Tilda called as she rushed down the steps. I grinned. I was getting out.