Highlander's Trials of Fire

Jonet let out a breath, making her way over to her bed. Her mind was racing so fast that she did not know what to focus on. Her heart continued to pound, the lasting effect of his feverish kiss that made her entire body hot. Her toes had curled when he wrapped his arm around her waist. How he had gripped her hair in such a dominant manner… goodness, she could hardly control herself.

Yet she was happy she stopped it. Jonet was not sure why she did. Her body had wanted him, had needed every inch of him that he was willing to give.

Yet, her heart was still conflicted. When she was with him, it was easy to laugh and to smile and to think positive thoughts regarding this terrible curse, but when she was faced with how much she wanted him, how much she was beginning to like him, it felt as if it only raised the stakes.

She sat there, staring blankly out of her bedroom window while her mind ran wild. At this rate, Jonet knew she would not sleep, and she was not going to try. She needed to clear her head first.

When she was certain sufficient time had passed, Jonet left her bedroom again. She knew Matthew would not be, but she still paused to make sure he was not standing nearby. Once she saw that it was clear, she made her way down the hallway, wanting to go out into the courtyard, thinking the open air would help calm her some.

It didn’t take her long to arrive and to see that she wasn’t alone.

Jonathan was standing in the very center of the courtyard, swinging a broadsword around. She came closer, watching the way the weapon arced through the air before it descended in swift and powerful strokes. She came close enough to see the sweat running down the side of his face, disappearing under the white shirt, though he still had not noticed her.

This should be a decent distraction.

Jonet chose to sit in the bench behind him, taking care to keep her steps silent. She watched as he continued to practice, each swing of the sword growing clumsier and slower until he finally came to a stop, heaving. He wiped at his brow, lowering the sword to his side.

“Perhaps a shorter sword would do ye well?” Jonet spoke up after a few moments.

Jonathan whirled to face her, surprise stark on his face. “Jonet! When did ye get here?”

“I’ve been here for about five minutes now, just watchin’ ye.” She tilted her chin at the sword in his hand. “Ye’re pretty good at that.”

Jonathan looked down on the sword and huffed a laugh. He rubbed the back of his head, the tips of his hair heavy with sweat, as he came to sit next to her. “I’m nothin’ compared to me Uncle, though.”

“Go easy on yerself,” she spoke lightly. “It takes a lot of practice to be as good as the war chieftain, ye ken.”

“Aye,” Jonathan said, sighing. “And yet all these years of practice havenae done me much justice.”

“Ye’re bein’ too negative. How did ye fare against Dougal during yer spar?”

“He won, of course.”

“Of course,” she nodded without hesitation, earning a surprised lifting brow from Jonathan. “But that shouldnae be yer main focus. How long did ye last against him? And what did he say after it was over?”

Jonathan’s eyes slid to the side in thought. “He dinnae say much. He was too excited to spar with Laird MacLagain. But our spar went on for the better part of an hour before it came to an end.”

“The last time I watched ye two spar, he had ye on yer bum in ten minutes,” Jonet pointed out.

Jonathan chuckled deeply. “Ah, right. I get yer point loud and clear.”

“And look at ye.” She pushed him playfully. “Ye are up in the middle of the night trainin’. It takes a lot of dedication to drag yerself out of bed like that. I ken I wouldnae be able to do it.”

“It’s nothin’ like that. To be honest, I just couldnae sleep and so I thought I could train a bit to wear me out.”

“Somethin’ on yer mind?” Jonet asked.

Jonathan leaned back on the bench, taking a deep breath. Slowly, he shook his head. “It isnae anythin’. I’m just thinkin’ about me Maither and the rest of me siblings. I wonder how they’re doin’.”

“Ye havenae gone to visit them?”

“Nae in a while. They’re all havin’ their own families and their own lives that I daenae think they give me much thought. I’d probably be a burden to them if I visited.”

Jonet huffed a laugh and watched as Jonathan looked at her in surprise. “Nonsense,” she dismissed the idea. “I’m sure yer Maither would be happy to see ye. And I’m sure she misses ye too. Ye should go to see her when ye have the time. Besides,” she gave him a mischievous grin, “when she hears that ye plan to have yer own family one day, I’m sure that’ll make her even happier.”

“Me own family?”

“Ye do wish to get married, daenae ye?”