Highlander's Trials of Fire

Jonathan nodded slowly. “It is a wish of mine, yes.”

That surprised her. Not because he wanted to get married, but because she had not expected him to answer her so honestly. In all the time she had known Jonathan, she knew that he was not a very forthcoming person. He was rather tame when compared to the boisterous nature of Dougal and Laird MacLagain, with very neutral expressions only breaking for a smile now and again. At first, she thought he was rather boring. After that, she figured he was only taciturn. Now, she wondered if she had him wrong all this time.

“Yer handsome,” she told him when she realized she had paused for too long. “And yer kind and strong. I daenae think ye’ll have any issue finding yerself a wife. Why, I wouldnae be surprised if there was a maid in this very Castle who fancied ye.”

“Now ye’re the one spouting nonsense,” Jonathan chuckled. Jonet laughed along. He looked at her, his smile slipping a bit as he asked, “And what about ye? What’s been botherin’ ye?”

“What makes ye say that?”

“It’s very obvious that ye have somethin’ on yer mind. Tell me what it is. Maybe I’ll be able to help.”

Jonet hesitated. She was not very keen on expressing her indecisiveness to someone she was not very closed to. If it had been Christal, her mother, or even Freya, Jonet would not have hesitated. Yet perhaps Jonathan, as another man, would be able to help sort through her thoughts.

She sighed softly. “Well, I ken ye are aware that I’ve been courtin’ Matthew. But, I daenae ken if I should consider marriage to him.”

“Ah… I see.” Suddenly, she was eager to hear what he would say. She watched as he folded his fingers before him, his hands resting on the flat part of his sword. “I’m surprised this has been botherin’ ye, actually. Ye’ve always been so headstrong in yer decisions so I never expected ye to be givin’ this so much thought.”

“Is headstrong only a bonnie way of sayin’ I’m stubborn?” she wondered aloud.

Jonathan grinned. “Take it how ye will. But I think the answer is clear.”

Jonet held her breath. “Which is?”

“Do what yer heart tells ye to.”

And let it go. “That isnae as easy as ye think it is.”

“Nay, it isnae,” Jonathan said with a nod. “But if ye keep that in the back of yer mind, then yer decisions will be made clearer. Are ye worried about Matthew?”

Not knowing how else to answer that question, which would require a far more complicated response than a yes or a no, she simply nodded. Jonathan nodded as well, as if she had confirmed his suspicions.

“If yer instincts daenae trust him then ye should listen to it. They’ve never been wrong before, have they?”

“They’ve never been particularly right either,” she murmure

d.

“Still, yer heart always ken when someone is right for ye. A person who muddles yer mind and makes ye worried may nae be the right one. Ye should marry someone ye can turn to, someone ye can talk to at ease.”

Jonet sighed, staring down at the ground before them. He could be right, she knew. Having someone that kept her up at nights the way Matthew did may be a sign that he was not the one for her. There was also the arrow that had been shot at him… she could not get it out of her head no matter how much she tried. Her mind nagged her that the curse was real.

She gave him a curious look. “Ye ken… I never noticed how thoughtful ye are. And good at advice too.”

“Keep peelin’ back the layers, Jonet, and ye might see somethin’ ye daenae like.”

Jonet blinked. Jonathan stared back at her, his face straight, before it broke into an awkward smile. “I’m jestin’.”

She breathed a laugh, uncertain. “Ye are? Ye said that so intensely, I couldnae tell.”

He’s so different from Matthew. Matthew has always managed to make me laugh. Goodness, I should stop thinkin’ about him.

“Ah, well, jokes have never been me strong suit.”

“It’s sweet of ye to try anyway. I feel a little better.” With a sigh, Jonet rose to her feet. “Thank ye, Jonathan. Ye’ve really cleared a lot of things up for me.”

He stood with her. “I’m happy to help, Jonet. Ye just call me whenever ye need advice again. I’m learnin’ I’m very good at those too.”

She chuckled. “So confident all of a sudden, are we?”