The Scots

"A little to your left, Flora! Aye, that's right, ya almost got it! Now punch him in the face! Wow, good one! Now hit him harder!"

"You know you're not meant to be tellin' her what to do!" the man to the cheering father's right commented.

"And besides, a girl in battle?" a second man exclaimed in dismay. "It's not right, ya know."

The father of the woman in question sent a furious glare to the one who had dared to say such a thing.

"That's my daughter you're talkin' about, ya filthy, wretched dobber!" he hollered in his face, spittle flying with his words. "That lass is my pride and joy, and could sure as hell beat the living daylights out of you, so why don't ya shut your trap and think before you say something against my family!"

Needless to say, no further comments were made to the girl in training, and it seemed to do her the world of good. Along with her father's encouragement, Flora could focus on the task at hand. She successfully knocked out two competitors in quick succession, despite their huge bulk and towering heights that would have struck fear into many others. Her opponents were not Flora's main worry, however. It was, for the most part, unheard of for a woman to volunteer for a feat of this kind. The battle work was saved for the men, so the fact she would even consider putting herself forward was quite laughable. Despite this, she was determined to prove the doubters wrong. She couldn't describe it, but from an early age something in her knew she was born for this – not staying at home all day twiddling her thumbs – and she wasn't going to give it up for anything.

This training was only the first step into being accepted. She first had to prove her strength by challenging the most powerful men in the clan, but the most important task lay ahead. Flora believed she would make it, and yet a part of her couldn't help being nervous at the looming prospect of it. Even if she did make it through, would she even be accepted? Her gender provided a huge barrier to gaining true respect from an all-male clan, but she would work to change their opinions, regardless of what happened.

The third competitor began to approach her, slowly, sizing her up as he swung his shoulders back and forth as he walked. Suddenly, the ring around them felt very small. Flora could feel the sweat on her forehead building, but she forced herself to ignore it, staring the brute in the eyes. Admittedly, her stomach lurched. He was a big man, a full red beard stretching to his chest, and his build was so large Flora was reminded of a fully grown bull's brawn. She went into her defensive position, sword held up in front of her, her eyes lingering on the large hammer her opponent wielded in his hand like it was a pen.

He came at her in a full swing, but Flora was ready, the hilt of her blade aimed forward. Without fear, she rushed into his swing, a yell erupting from deep inside her. But what she wasn't expecting was a sudden, excruciating pain in the side of her head; and everything going black.

"… all knew she'd fail! You just don't admit when you're wrong!"

"You shut it, numpty! My daughter's stronger than the lot of ye! She… she just took a blow, but she's fine! Hey, see! She's wakin' up, lads! Flora! Y'all right?"

Flora only groaned in response, both from the throbbing pain in her temple, as well as the loud voices in her ears. Her vision slowly came back to her, and she was greeted by the smiling image of her father leaning over her. He looked eager, as if he were waiting to see what amazing thing she would do next, even though she had only just woken.

"Knew you'd be all right! So, who are you gonna fight next?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Dad!" Flora moaned irritably, pushing herself up, but feeling an entire bout of pain go straight to her head in the process. "Ouch," she groaned reluctantly.

"I think she's done, don't you?"

"No, she ain't!" Flora's father replied in outrage. "You're fine, aren't ya, lass?"

"I've hurt me head, Dad! Give me a chance, won't ya?" Flora snapped. It didn't help that she had about a hundred eyes of judgemental men on her at once. "What are you starin' at?" she shouted despite the pain in her head. She received a series of patronizing 'oooh's and whistles in reply.

"Good attitude, Flora! Use that on the next idiot that tries to take you on!"

"No, Dad!" Flora finally insisted, scrambling to her feet and pushing her father out of her way. "I'm done proving myself. Don't you get it's not worth it? Look at the way you all stare at me!"

Murmurs of agreement ran through the crowd, but Flora's father looked at her in disappointment. This wasn't how it was meant to go. His daughter wasn't supposed to just give up. It never ran in the family; all his ancestors had had a keen spirit to carry on, no matter what the circumstances. He knew she had that too, and the bump to her head was only knocking her confidence.

"Don't think like that, lass! I've watched you grow from a tiny bairn, and you've got it in ye! No question about it!"

"No matter what you think she's got, she's not passed the test! Don't give her hope when there ain't any!"

Flora thought that her father would punch the guy's lights out from the expression on his face, but before any of that could happen, a sudden gibberish bellowing distracted them. The clan quickly swung to attention like a group of soldiers to face a small figure with a masked face. He jabbered at them relentlessly, but unlike those who would not understand the ancient Celtish language, the clan understood the commands. More specifically, what the girl was being told.

"He wants you to prove yourself, Flora," her father whispered.

"I know," Flora replied quietly, an uncertain husk in her voice as she knew all too well what that meant for her.

Any protests from the other men were quickly silenced as the Druid impatiently ordered Flora to follow. Minutes later, she found herself facing the strangest opposition of the whole day: a boulder, almost twice her height. At least, it would have seemed strange to any outside her society to face a mere rock, but to her she knew the significance this task carried for her entire image; the way she would be viewed by others. As a woman in a men's group.

Just gotta do it.

She stepped up to the boulder, the anticipating silence surrounding her.

Just do it.

She flexed her big muscles, breathing out through her nose. The pains in her head and body were still difficult to ignore as she remembered the beating she had already taken.

It doesn't matter, just do it!

So, Flora got on with it. The boulder was a heavy weight, but it was in the air in seconds, lifted by her arms. The men watched her in silence as she struggled momentarily to keep her balance, but once she was focused, and she remembered all the self-discipline she had been taught, she forced everything into the throw that sent the boulder a few metres ahead of her, landing with a crash that shook the ground and made her teeth vibrate.

Flora panted as she judged the distance. She was disappointed it hadn't gone as far as she'd wanted, since she knew others had done better in the past. But it still seemed as though she had done enough to gain the respect she desired so much. From what she could gather from the druid's strange words, she had passed the test, and she didn't need to do any more to prove herself. She could hardly believe it when she received pats on the back from most of the clan, and even some cheers amongst them.

"Knew you could do it, Flora," her father exclaimed with pride later on as they left the grounds. Flora was glad to feel his big hand tousle her hair proudly, even at her mature age when she didn't need to be treated like a child. But she knew this was all a sign that she needed more out of her life, and she was desperate to get to it as soon as possible. Her legs felt like they were made for walking the world, and her arms were made for the art of combat.

"Do you think I could make it?"

"Make it where, lass?"

"You know, just… out there in the world, Dad. I'm twenty now and I don't know how much longer I'll be around for."

Despite his bold exterior, Flora could sense a wavering disappointment from her dad at the thought of her leaving. Still, he met her with a proud smile. "Well, you gotta go do what you feel like, Flora. No one's going to stop ya. Especially not me."

"You sure about that?"

"'Course. Not so sure about yer mother though."

Flora snorted in agreement. Perhaps it would take some time to convince her headstrong mother to let her only daughter out of her sight for more than a day. One day, she would hopefully see it was for the best.

"Bet I could carry you all the way home."

"I bet you couldn't because I'm not three anymore. You're not going to try, are you?"

"Are you askin'?"

"No, Dad."