Chapter Eleven

After natalie did all the self pitying she could think of she finally sucked it up, so what if she was in 1515, I mean she was way smarter then any of these people anyway and most likely a lot stronger then any of the women there. She felt a sense of empowerment, she would make this work for her and she would get to the bottom of Johns past at the same time. So she decided to leave the room since the door was open, she gasped as she headed into the hall, the detail was awe striking and she couldnt help but stare at the candle torches on the wall. Someone really went into an awful lot of detail to get this place to look like this. I mean it definitely wasnt the Hilton but it was pretty damn close even for an ancient place.

She could hear what sounded like a party going on downstairs and she wondered if it was to congratulate the new couple, even the idea made her sick to her stomach, I mean John didnt even look at Cait with love, if anything he seemed annoyed with her..

Natalie tiptoed her way down the hall, the sound of two male voices in a nearby room made her stop, it sounded like John and she couldnt help but listen, he was raising his voice..

"I dinna need ta be married MacNeil" he huffed as he paced the room..

"ye have waited long enough, ye ken that ye are more powerful with a bride at yer side" macneil breathed heavy..natalie wanted to yell at him to shut up, apparently John wasnt ready to be married..

"dinna ye mean once I join tha brotherhood" John said sarcastically.."I dinna need tha brotherhood MacNeil"

"why do ye keep on denying ye faith, tis yer destiny" macneil said seriously..

"Ma destiny is here, protecting ma people" John snapped..

"and ye ken better then anyone what lurks out there" Macneil said with a low yet serious tone..

"Moray will get what is coming to him, ye just see" the anger was apparent in Johns voice..

"Ye ken ye canna face him without tha brotherhood, ye need them as much as they need ye" MacNeil sighed.."ye like a son ta me"

"then ye should ken that I dinna need tha brotherhood, I will kill Moray with ma bare hands" John rumbled..

"Then ye a fool" Macneil said with disappointment..."ye live with too much anger, tis wilna get ye far"

Natalie listened intently, who was this Moray they talked about and why was John denying the brotherhood, she knew that he had eventually became a Master but had he wanted it or had it been forced, maybe that is why he hadnt protected an innocent in so long?

"ye done? I have guests" John said as natalie tried to quickly back up from the door that her head had been pressed to but he pulled the door faster then she could move and he blinked in shock as he looked at her.."ye spying on me?" he seethed at her and she swallowed hard..

"No...I...i wasnt" she began to ramble, she was busted but before he could say anymore the man he had been talking to walked out into the hall and just his mere size made Natalie gasp, this man was huge and very powerful, she could feel his aura from blinked in shock at natalie, he almost looked like he was going to say something but he smiled instead and she swallowed hard, was he a master?

"ye ken what, ye right" MacNeil said surprisingly to him as John looked at him in shock.."ye not ready to wed" the man grinned and then bowed his head at natalie as he walked off, natalie watched as he left, he was a strange fellow but not a dangerous one..

"so ye look to seduce ma friend?" John said at her angrily as she looked quickly at him...

Natalie rolled her eyes dramatically, seriously she didnt know if she was gonna get use to this John..But instead of fighting with him she decided to change the subject.."Is there a party?" she asked hoping that it would distract him..

"Ye canna come" he said with a shake of his head and she huffed now..

"You said I could stay, you cant just keep me locked up" she sighed heavily..

"mayhap I should of said I wilna kill ye, mayhap then ye would stay put and not spy on ma talk" he snapped at her..Natalie blinked in shock as she listened to him, did he just threaten her? Before she could say anything Cait was rushing over..

"Ma' Lord" Cait began as he turned and faced her, now Cait swallowed hard as her face flushed, natalie couldnt help the roll of her eyes, seriously this was ridiculous.."sup is about ta begin" she said quietly..

He looked back at natalie and then sighed as he looked back at Cait.."give the wench something to wear beside them rags" he said with attitude and natalie almost lost her temper, did he just refer to her as a wench?

Before she could say anything Cait was nodding quickly as she walked over to natalie.."M'Lady, ye can follow me"

Natalie huffed as John looked at her.."actually I am quite fond of my rags" she said sarcastically as John blinked in shock..

"ye will change out of tha rags" he said seriously as Cait just stared at her in shock, apparently he wasnt use to getting talked to that way but Natalie didnt care..

The next words left her mouth before she could fully understand the consequences.."make me" she rolled her eyes and within seconds he was in front of her as he grabbed her arm roughly and Cait gasped loudly..

He literally dragged her back into that bedroom as she yelled at him, she didnt even care who could hear her, she couldnt believe he was being this barbaric..

"are you out of your mind!" she yelled at him as he spun her around and before she could react he pulled out his sword and she literally gasped as she went to back up but he kept a grip on her arm.."Ok ok ok, im sorry alright" she said with fear as he put the sword closed to her skin, she honestly thought he was going to cut her..

"Ye wilna play games with me" he said through gritted teeth and she closed her eyes as he moved the sword up, she braced herself to be cut but instead she heard the tearing of her shirt first and then her skirt was next and it was the first thing to hit the floor as her eyes got wide..

"what did you do!" she couldnt help but yell out..and then he was spinning her around as he yanked her shirt off, she was literally standing there in just her bra and panties but instead of being mortified, well she was pissed! He cut her clothes from her.."You are crazy!" she yelled angrily at him as she spun herself around, but she wasnt expecting the look on his face as he looked at her body with wide eyes, before she could say anything Cait rushed in and let out a huge gasp of shock and Natalie now felt a wave of embarassment wash over her as she tried to cover herself with her arms..

John turned from her quick as he shook his head.."Dinna play me Natalie" he said dangerously low as he stalked out of the room, Natalie honestly wanted to cry but she sucked it up as Cait ran over to her..

"M'Lady" Cait said in shock..

"Oh shut up" natalie snapped at her as Cait blinked in shock, she looked like she was trying to find something to say, natalie quickly picked up her shredded clothes and huffed loudly.."he is gonna pay" Natalie seethed..

"Ye shouldna say things like that Ma'Lady, he is the king" Cait said as Natalie yanked the blanket off the bed and quickly wrapped it around herself..

"I dont care if he is the damn pope!" natalie yelled as Cait's eyes got wide..

"He will kill ye if he heard ye say such words" Cait said as natalie rolled her eyes..

"Listen to me Cait, I could take him down with both arms tied behind my back" natalie said sarcastically.. it was pay back time and Natalie didnt know how she was gonna do it but she would and he would pay!

John quickly made his way downstairs, images of her body barely clad was still vibrant in his mind, he had hoped to teach her a lesson, but it seemed as though he was the one who got played, especially by the size of the erection he was sporting under his kilt! He had never had anyone talk to him in such a manner, not a man no less a woman!

He quickly made his way into the large parlor room where friends of his and acquantances sat and drank, he ignored them all as he quickly grabbed a drink from the table.. Who was this woman and why the hell was she affecting him so much? He quickly downed the alcohol as his friend Steele came over, he looked concerned for his friend..

"ye look sick Hawk" Steele said as John looked at him.."I heard ye got a mad lass in ye bed" he smirked some now..

"ye need to be minding ye own business Steele" John said as he began to pour another drink, atleast Steele wasnt completely wrong, the woman was mad and he desperately wanted her in his bed, actually he wanted her just about anyway he could get her..

"tis the mad ones that be tha most fun" Steele laughed as he nudged his friend.."is she english?"

"ye have an awful lot of questions about the lass" John snapped..

"everyone is talking about her, is it true she wears rags" Steeles eyes got wide..

"ye stay away Steele, the lass aint nothing but trouble" John said as he downed another drink..

"aye, ye wanting the lass eh?" Steele smirked..

"i dinna have time fer her, I got ma own problems ta deal wit" John shook his head as he grabbed another drink..

"an a wedding to plan" Steele grinned now..

"I dinna wish to discuss this" John snapped at him as he quickly walked away, he didnt want to marry Cait, hell he didnt want to marry anyone, the only thing he had on his mind was vengence and he would get his and when that happened Moray wouldnt know what hit him!

Natalie couldnt believe she was reduced to wearing this god awful dress, Cait had quickly found a velvet midevil dress which was two sizes too small but apparently it would have to do, otherwise she would be forced to walk around half naked but the damn corset hurt more then anything..

Cait pulled on the strings in the back of the dress as Natalie gasped in pain.."ye need to stay still"

"i cant even breath in this" natalie huffed but that didnt stop cait..

"Twill have to do" Cait said as she pulled on the last string and natalie tried to let out a deep breath she was holding but the damn dress was strangling her, not to mention her breasts were being pushed up high and spilling over the dress..

"I still cant believe he cut my clothes" natalie huffed as Cait checked out on her handy work..

"ye be lucky he didnt cut ye" Cait said seriously..

"trust me im not scared of him" Natalie said with a roll of her eyes..

"ye have a death wish then" Cait said with a shake of her head..

"why are you so scared of him, he is just a guy" natalie said sarcastically..

"He is tha king and ye best be learning that" Cait snapped as she spun from her..

Natalie sighed heavily, she knew that Cait just didnt understand her or her ways.."im just saying that just because he has power doesnt mean he had to be so mean" she said quickly as cait stopped by the door and turned to face natalie..

"the king is kind to all" Cait said defensively..

"Ok I get it, your inlove with him" natalie sighed.."but it doesnt excuse the way he treats people"

"I dinna understand yer ways M'Lady" Cait shook her head in confusion..

Its just different where im from" Natalie said as Cait just looked at her.."nevermind" Natalie shook her head, apparently there was no getting through to this woman and Natalie didnt even know why she was wasting her time..

"sup is ready" Cait finally said as she walked out of the room and natalie breathed deep but then she slowly walked out of the room..

She was stifling hot in that dress as she walked down the long coridoor, this John was definitely not like anything she had ever imagined and to say she was frustrated would have been an understatement.. She got to the stairs when she felt something familiar, it was almost like a cold draft and then a chill came over her, she knew exactlly what that feeling was, something evil was lurking and she stopped at the top of the stairs, her senses working overtime she glanced at another pair of stairs and then she heard a yell as she took off running towards it..

The air became freezing cold as she ran up the long winding staircase, she had to hold up her dress to prevent herself from falling as she got to the top. A gasp left her mouth as she saw a darkened figure hovering over what looked like one of the watch tower guards, his red eyes looked in her direction as he smiled something wicked and for a moment she couldnt move, she was frozen as the entity floated over to her. The hair on her arms were literally standing on edge, this was literally the closest she had been to this kind of evil. Even back in AC she had fought evil on almost a daily basis but this thing, whatever it was, well it was so much stronger...

"Natalie" the thing whispered her name as it grinned and she fought to move some more but she couldnt, she couldnt even scream or yell, her body began to tremble.."soon" he whispered with a devilish grin and then just like that he was gone as she nearly tumbled to her knees as the weight was lifted off of her, she gasped for air..What the hell was that thing? She didnt dwell on it too long because the sound of groaning across from her caught her attention as she saw the guard slowly dying from his wounds..

She moved quick, without thinking as she rushed to his side, he was bleeding bad, he would die, she could feel it.."Help, somebody help!" she yelled out and then looked back at the guy.."your gonna be ok" she said even though she didnt know if he would or not, his chances were slim, she put her hands on the largest of the wounds and she pressed down as he groaned.."i have to stop the bleeding" she said as she could see his life slipping from him.."stay with me damn it!" she yelled out at the man..Within seconds she was surrounded by atleast ten fully armed men.."he needs a doctor" she called out to them as they looked at her.."why are you just standing there, he is going to die" she yelled again but they all quickly backed up, shock on their faces and she just didnt get it, what the hell was their deal.."dont just stand there" she yelled and then a loud gasp made her look as the nearly dead mans eyes shot open and looked right at her, it wasnt until then that she saw the white light coming out of her hands, it completely freaked her and she moved back, falling onto her ass as she did so..She was staring at her hands in shock as she heard a voice call out..

"Back up" John yelled as she spun her head and looked at him, he blinked a bit in shock and then rushed over to the man who was now sitting up..."Ye ok Marcus" he said with concern..

"aye" Marcus shook his head as he glanced down at his soaked tunic, it was literally red with his own blood..He slowly lifted his shirt as the wounds literally healed before their eyes, the guards standing near by gasped in shock.."Ye saved me" marcus pointed at natalie who was now stumbling to her feet, what the hell had just happened, had she made his wounds go away, to say she was reeling would have been an understatement..

John snapped his head at her as she quickly walked backwards, suddenly as if she had taken a powerful blow to the gut she swayed and John jumped up, all she saw before she fainted was his eyes and then she drifted off..

For the second time that day natalie woke up in an unfamiliar bed as her head throbbed something awful, she blinked her eyes some as she tried to open them but images of what had occurred just moments earlier flooded her head as she sat up quick, as her heart raced. What she wasnt expecting to see was John, err hawk in the room as he looked at her..She had passed out, now she remembered..

"what are ye?" he asked, his voice low but full of confusion..Natalie glanced down at her hands, had she imagined it all, had she really healed that man, but how? She never had magical powers before, if anything she was as plain as they come..

She ignored his questioning as she asked.."is he ok?" she was worried about the man, the one who had been dying..

John walked over to her but stopped a few feet from the bed.."how did ye heal him?" his eyes burned into hers..

"I dont know" she said honestly, she was completely confused right now and she honestly felt like she had been hit by a mack truck.."there was someone else there, a man, a dark man" she began with a shake of her head, she could still remember his evil presence and she shivered with the thought..

"Ye a witch" he said with a shake of his head, it wasnt quite accusatory though, more like a statement..

"Listen I dont know what is going on" she said honestly as he came closer now..He went to say something but his door opened first and the man from much earlier, the tall brawny highlander came in quick and he looked at her and then at John..Natalie scooted up on the bed some more, she didnt know what to expect at this moment..

"ye dinna have to be scared lass" the man said as he walked closer.."Ma name is Macneil and ye be Natalie"

"who was that dark man?" she said to him and then she looked at John and gulped as John stepped back..

"ye verra powerful lass" the man said.."and that man was just what you thought he was, evil" his words made her shiver some..

"what arent ye saying Macneil" John said with annoyance.."what is she, a witch?"

"dinna mind him lass, he dinna understand yet" macneil said with a soft smile,a knowing smile..

"dinna play games with me Macneil, I dinna like it" John snapped..

Macneil turned and looked at him now, his gaze hard.."the lass isna a witch, she is verra powerful, like me, like the brotherhood" he began as natalie's eyes got wide..

"Oh, no no no...im not" Natalie began to quickly get to her feet as John looked at her confusingly and then Macneil shook his head..

"ye ken about the brotherhood" he smiled at her, more like a statement then anything else..

"ye telling me that the lass is a warrior?" John said with disbelief..

"get yer head out of yer arse John" Macneil called him by his real name as natalie's eyes got wide, she was feeling faint all over..

"what is going on" Natalie couldnt help but ask, this guy apparently knew more then he lead on to believe..

"dinna play with me Macneil, ye did this, ye did this so I would change ma mind about the brotherhood" John snapped at him..

"ask the lass where she is from, go on ask her" Macneil said with a smile..

"i dinna have time fer this" John snapped..

"You know, dont you" Natalie said in shock to macneil..

He smiled at her knowingly.."aye lass I do"

She gasped in shock as she stood there now.."then you can help me"

"the lass is jus some peasent girl, she said so herself" John snapped..

"He's just a boy now lass, he dinna understand the greatness he has, he dinna want to see it" Macneil shook his head..

"dinna talk like im not in tha room!" John yelled but they both ignored him..

"i dont know whats going on, I dont know how I healed that man" she began..

"tha gods have plans fer ye" Macneil began as her eyes got wide, she couldnt believe this was happening, back in AC all she could was fight,nothing more, she felt dizzy as she grabbed onto the bed.."ye should sit before ye take a spill again" macneil said softly..

"she isna a warrior!" John snapped again, he looked enraged..

"she is and ye should open ye eyes John, this lass is what ye need to get Moray!" Macneil snapped..

Natalie's eyes got wide with realization.."Moray?"

"aye lass, tis the evil ye saw" macneil shook his head..

"enough wit tis!" John snapped as he got in front of Macneil.."ye dinna ken what ye talking about"

"tis true and ye ken it" macneil said honestly.."tha brotherhood needs ye more than ever"

"ye lie, ye planned this, ye used tricks" John snapped and then he quickly stalked across the room..he looked completely perplexed and he was..

"why am I here" Natalie said as she ignored Johns temper tantrum..

"Tis yer destiny Lady natalie" Macneil said with a smile..

"but I dont want it to be, I just want to go home, can you send me home" she said quickly, if this guy really was who he claimed to be then he had the power to leap.."John could be hurt" she said as John spun his head and looked at her..His eyes wide..

"ye is where ye need to be" Macneil said softly..

"i cant do this here" she said softly, she was on the verge of a break down.."Please, help me"

"the lass is mad, tis all" John began to pace the room..

"the lass is yer damn future John!" Macneil snapped as Johns eyes got wide and so did natalies..

"what?" natalie said in shock, she must of heard him wrong..

"I ken what ye doing and ye a liar, now get the out!" John snapped at Macneil who just sighed heavily..

"dinna give up on him jus yet lass" macneil said with a shake of his head..

"I dinna ken this lass, I dinna ken at all, now get out before I make ye!" john snapped angrily as he got up to the large man..

"No...im going with him" natalie said as she went to run to him but john turned and looked at her with ice cold eyes..

"ye dinna move, I am done with yer games!" john snapped..

"tis ok lass, he will see" macneil smiled and then just like that he disappeared and natalie cried out..

"No...no come back, send me back" she cried out as john ran up to her.."get away from me" she yelled at him as she backed up, tears now pricking her eyes, she didnt want to be here anymore, she wanted to go home..

"ye shouldna tried to play me lass, I am king here!" he yelled..

"No, your an ass!" she snapped angrily as his eyes got wide..

"what did ye call me?" he stalked closer to her..

"your an ass John, one huge ass" she couldnt help the tears now..

"dinna call me that!" he snapped, he was visibly shaking.."Ma name is" he began..

"Your name is John" she yelled and then she ran to the bed and fell onto it, burying her head in the pillow as she cried, all she wanted was to go home, not to be here, not to be around him, she hated it here, she hated him! She expected to hear him yell but he didnt, all she heard next was the door slamming shut but she didnt even care to look up, she just laid there and cried.. How the hell was she ever going to get home..