Deepest Betrayal

An Unexpected Delay

     Blair slowly opened her eyes and peeked over at Duncan. Sometime during the night he had rolled away from her and now lay on his back, his legs spread slightly apart and one arm extended above his head. She studied him for a few minutes, taking in the curve of his jaw, the red hue of his plump lips,  and the slight the slight curl of his hair. She rested her head on his chest and listened to the steady and strong beating of his heart. A sound intermittently interrupted by the soft sound of him snoring.  A sound she found oddly comforting and annoying at the same time. The sun was just beginning to rise and she could hear the sounds of the people beginning to stir from their beds. The horses were snorting and stamping at the ground, eager to get today's journey underway. Children could be heard laughing and shouting as they were herded together and ushered towards the small stream for a good wash. women were humming and pots were heard clanging about as they packed them back into the carriages and respectful wagons. Suddenly the flap of the tent was opened and the sunlight shone directly in Blair's eyes. She groaned and tried to pull the covers over her head. She heard a tiny tsking sound come from above her. 

      " Now, now lassie, we won't be having none of that, the children have been scrubbed and I suggest ye get to the stream with the other women unless ye want to bathe with the men, or do ye intend to arrive at Sanctuary looking like fifty miles of bad road?," Camilla chided. 

      Blair blanched. She was not used to having to bathe in front of others. She was quite used to having private bathing quarters, but she had to admit she was not exactly the freshest smelling person right now, she looked around, eager to see what outfit Camilla had prepared for her today. She saw nothing. She was a bit puzzled. 

     " Camilla a bath sounds lovely, but I don't see any clothing for me to wear. Have you forgotten to choose some for me today?"

     " No lassie, today the women have prepared your clothing. I suggest ye hurry. They are just besides themselves to get a good look at ye. Don't worry, love, they aren't going to hurt ya none. Come on then."

   Blair slowly got up and stepped  up to Camilla. It was uncharacteristic of her to be so nervous and shy, but these were Duncan's clansmen. The very ones who would have witnessed her barging in with weapon at the ready. Surely, they knew of her previously ill conceived hatred of him and their entire clan. What if they choose to make sure the wedding never happened. Then a thought occurred to her, an even worse thought.

Her and Duncan had shared a bed together last night. What if they thought she had did the unthinkable and gave herself to him? Her face turned red and she hung her head, but dutifully followed Camilla out of the tent and to the stream. Keeping her eyes on the ground she ducked behind the bush and quickly undressed, and then waded into the stream til the water reached her waist. It was not bitingly cold as she had expected. It was oddly warm. She looked around and noticed the water around here had a beautiful turquoise glow to it slightly beneath the surface. Each woman was seen swimming and laughing, playfully splashing each other with the water. She looked around when she heard one calling her name. She recognized her as little Cathy's mother. She covered her breast with her arms and shyly waved back.

The woman called out to the others and Blair was shortly surrounded by women, all smiling and laughing. 

One swam up to her with a vase in her hands and filled it up and dumped it over her head. The others began gently scrubbing her body with beautifully smelling soaps, and chattered among themselves, commenting on the shade of her hair and the smoothest of her skin, and how strong her body felt. Blair remained silent and waited til they led her out of the stream and began drying her on soft linen to speak.

      " Why are you being so nice to me? Surely you know how much I hated each and every one of you at our first meeting?." she asked. 

      Cathy's mother walked up to her and cupped her chin in her hands gently. 

      "Aye, we knew, but it came as no surprise. We heard the vile rumors spread about our Duncan. We both looked forward to and dreaded the day Duncan would come to claim ye for his own. We had no idea the cursed creature that had spread such thing was your own flesh and blood. We want to show ye we aren't blood thirsty deviants. Nay, sister. We have long awaited your arrival in our clan, and don't ye worry your head about tongues wagging about you sharing a bed with our Bonnie prince last night. We know ye to be still as pure as the freshly fallen snow. Come let us get you dressed before we all freeze to death."

     Blair looked back at the water, the beautiful turquoise glow was slowly fading. So it wasn't a magical stream as she thought, no it seemed the magic lay within the women who were just recently bathing in the waters. She wondered just how many had magical powers and why if they had such power they had been quickly ushered into the catacombs with their children to huddle in shadows like scared mice. Surely they would have been more useful upon the field of battle. She asked the woman who stepped in front of her holding up two beautiful gowns for her to choose from, one deep black satin and the other a black calico. she chose the calico and the lady promptly shook her head and began helping her into the satin. 

   " We are helpless against the call of the vampire, they hold over us absolute power. No woman can resist them, no matter how strong. It is best we do not dwell on such unfairness. Why had I been able to fight my darling Lucas would still be breathing this very day." 

   She patted Blair on the shoulder when she saw her hang her head and avoid her eyes. 

     " Don't be blaming yeself, this was not the first time we were caught unawares, but i promise ye it will be our last."

    She gave Blair a fierce hug and stepped back so the next woman could present Blair with two choices. One by one each woman stepped up and offered her choices to her. Each time she chose, they would shake their head, giggle, and give her with the other item. She became quite frustrated by the fifth one.

    " Why do you present me with choices if you're just going to shake your head and give me the other one? What's the point?," she huffed. 

    " Because princess, in each and every choice, you have chosen the inferior product. It is quite obvious you are not used to having finery. We wish to only give you the best, as you deserve," Cathy's mother replied. 

   She hugged her again and held up a looking glass so Blair could see herself. They had dressed her in a dress of the finest black satin, over top of that the had placed a fine red corded belt. Her hair had been braided loosely down her back, fresh wildflowers were woven within the plaits of her hair. Beautiful ruby and gold earrings were now fastened in her ears. A matching necklace was fastened around her neck. Someone had splashed a perfume made of roses and another scent she could not quite identify onto her. she looked rather stunning. Her feet were encased in slippers of the softest leather. One of the ladies had fastened a cloak made of black fur around her and yet another had presented her with a muff of soft white rabbit fur. She felt wonderful. She looked even better. One by one the women stepped forward and formed a circle around her, then bowed. 

        "We bid the fondest of welcome to our new sister!," they said in unison. 

    A low light began to glow and beautiful tiny white flowers began to spring forth from the ground and form a path for which Blair walked out of the woods and to her carriage upon. Duncan was standing there beaming his brightest smile at her. he held out his hand and help her inside. He paused and the doorway and turned towards the women. 

       "Your sister has received your welcome and is now safe in her carriage, you may now proceed to yours."

  They once again bowed and quickly hurried to their carriages, giggling the entire way. Duncan turned to Blair and his face lit up even more.

      " It seems they really took a liking to you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a procession to lead." 

    He walked up to the front of the line and climbed into the saddle of his faithful steed. He gave the signal for the carriages to start moving forward, leaving Blair alone in the carriage and pondering her most unexpected welcome. Deep inside herself she could feel the tiniest blossoming of an unknown warmth begin to thaw her once frigid and steadfast hatred of these people.

    She had been told that they would not be stopping to camp again. No, they would be pushing straight on til they reached Sanctuary. There she was to be presented to the sisters and prepared for her marriage. She found herself wondering if it was as truly horrible as her friend had once described it. She told her that she would be taken to a room light with only a few candles and a very cold bath and scrubbed til her skin bled. Then laid naked upon a hard cold slab and examined for her worthiness in child bearing by her husband's clan's local midwife.  A process she was assured that would be quite painful and humiliating. That her hair would be cut to at least half it's length and presented  as an offering to her husband ensure her obedience, and then she would be forced fed a concoction of ale and raw eggs, til she puked to ensure her submissiveness on her wedding night. She shuddered. If she was going to be made to be ill on the day before her wedding how did they expect her to get through the lengthy ceremony, or properly recite her vows? She leaned against the seat and breathed in the chilly air, silently praying that this too would be proven to be false where her future was concerned. She sighed. Outside the  carriage, snow fell gently upon the ground and the sun shone between the evergreen branches. Little birds flitted to and fro carrying in their beaks twigs for which to build their nests. New life would be coming to the forest. It was a shame she would not be here to marvel at it has she had so oft in her childhood. 

   She placed her hand on her stomach and wondered if she would find herself ripe with new life come the spring. She had often thought of how it would feel having a wee bairn growing inside her. would she know how to care for this new precious life? Would she be a good mother as her mother had been to her? What if she lacked the instincts required to properly raise a child? What if she carried the child all those long months, did everything right and went through the horrible hours of pain and labor only to to be presented with a tiny lifeless body, as her mother had with her last pregnancy? Would she too withdraw into herself and hide away in a darkened room, forever rocking an empty cradle and humming a lullaby to an unseen child, until her husband could no longer bear it and  had her drug to the dungeon where she too would refuse food and water, screaming to be reunited with her child til she starved herself to death? 

    She shook her head.Her mind had taken her down a dark path. She didn't want to remember her mother in her last days. She looked around the carriage. Camilla had chosen to sit upfront with the carriage driver, and Blair found herself wishing she was inside with her. At least she would have someone to talk to. She poked her head out of the curtain to look around. The snow had started to fall even heavier and it was becoming difficult to see the road ahead. This was odd for this time of year. Usually the winter was quite mild and this area very rarely saw heavy snow fall. Duncan rode up beside the carriage and shouted over the howling wind. 

         " It seems we hit a sudden snow storm, do you know of anywhere we can take shelter? If we keep going we might not make it much further!"

      Blair thought and pointed to ahead to her right and shouted, " There's an old castle up that hill, it's been empty for as long as I can remember, no one goes inside it's supposed to be haunted." 

      " Haunted or not, it will have to do.," Duncan said and gave the signal to his men.  

  They quickly turned the carriages up the road and rode hard up the small stretch and into the castles inner ground. They were surprised to find the stable still mostly intact and large enough to house all the horses.  Reluctantly, Blair climbed downed and made her way with the clan towards the doorway of the old castle. Freeze to death in a freak blizzard or spend what she hoped was only a night in a haunted castle. What an unexpected twist her fate had taken. She sighed and sit down upon an old stool awaiting Duncan to come and escort her to her bed chamber. She crossed herself and said a few words of prayer and settled in for a very long night.