"Alongside Wallace"
Chapter two- The Beginning
Hidden by the dark of night, but pressing on with the light of the shining silver moon, I left the world I had always known. I knew then and there that my life would change, for better or worse I did not know. All I knew was that this was the first thing that felt so right in a long time. I know longer cared who I fought with; that was petty. My main goal was to get revenge on the bastards that hurt my family, and enter a war in which I knew nothing about. Easy, right? I guess I wasn't thinking clearly, for I thought that once I had my revenge on the local English nobles, the English army wouldn't be a challenge.
I knew Wallace's men would move out in the morning, and following them at a distance would come in useful for getting some real action. I needed the extra hours of a head start, since they all had horses and I but a mere two legs. It was a few hours into my leaving that I started thinking clearly. Of course, I had been thoughtful enough to pack essentials like my dagger, my bow and arrows, and a skinned blanket. And of course I brought all my healing supplies, like the bandages and ointments. Back when I was packing these items, my thoughts wondered to my papa, who had taught me all he knew of healing. I listened intently always, for healing interested me. I thought maybe that I could become a midwife, but after he was killed, my attitude changed, and all that mattered was learning basic soldier skills. I practiced my archery, in which I was always good at; running long distances; and I even borrowed a sword from an elder of the village, and practiced weilding it. To me, the sword was too heavy, and was hard to maneuver, but I soon got the hang of it. All my life was leading up to this moment, and I would not let my family's honor be disgraced.
By morning I was tired and aching, with my eyes closing every two steps. I started leaning left and right, and my vision became unclear. I decided that it was time to stop, and found a place to rest for a while. I did not rest long though, for I soon heard horse's hooves from a distance. My initial thought was that it was Wallace and his band, though I knew they wouldn't have made it this far yet. I stayed behind a tree close to the dirt road, my eyes squinting to see what laid beyond. When I saw the beginning of a agon, I sighed with relief, and got out of my hiding place. I walked out into the road, hoping that maybe this man would take her as far as he could. lucky for me, he stopped his wagon. I noticed that it contained crates of fruits and vegetables from local villages.
The man, about forty years old, with a scar above his right eyebrow, stared at me for a second, then said in a scruffy voice, "Well, what can I do for ye? Your kinda blocking the road here missy."
I smiled as innocent as i could be. "Sorry, sir, but would you be so kind as to take me to wherver it is that your going?"
He bit his lip, then spoke, "You running away from home, little girl?"
I cringed at being reffered to as 'little girl' but kept it to myself. This guy could be my ticket to not walking 100 miles. I simply shook my head.
"Well then, hop in." He extended his arm, and I took it gratefully. He even let me sit beside him, while most drivers made hitch hikers sit in the back with the stock. This man was mysterious, considering his gruff voice but obviously kind heart. He spoke little, and, being the talker that I am, I broke the silence.
"Thanks a lot sir. Not many men would be so kind."
I saw a hint of a smile cross his lips as he pulled the right reign closer as we made a turn in the road. He still said nothing, and I decided to let it go. minutes went by before he spoke, saying, "What's you name?"
I waisted no time, replying, "Maura McColliny, sir. May I ask what your name is?"
"The name's Hudson. Dont got no last name, don't need one," I determined he was a very straight foward man, only speaking when nessecery. I liked Hudson, for all his simplicity. During the long ride, he asked a few questions here and there, but made a point not to ask anything personal, like why I, a lone girl, had asked for his assistance to travel wherever he went. That night he let me sleep in the wagon, and in turn I bagged a bird to cook. We spoke little, but a sense of safeness took over me when I was with him.
The next morning he pointed out that the nearest village was only a few hours away. He told me about how they had sent for food and supplies since a forest fire had destoyed all their crops. Hudson said no more, and for a while I pondered how this man could stand such a silenced life. We were but a few minutes from the village, when a group of English soldiers riding white mares rode up alongside us. I had a sudden urge to take my dagger and stab them all, but knew that would accomplish nothing. I would wait.
Hudson replied in his loud, gruff voice, "What's the meaning of this?"
One soldier, a man no older than 25, answered in a superior voice, "My lord Baldagram wishes it best for you to send this food and supplies directly to him and his men. We are to accompany you past the village people. You never know when those savages will try to steal whats rightly the English." He ended that last sentence with more spite, as if Scottish people were the ultimate slime. My old hate had not gone away, and right then and there I vowed he would be the one of the first English men I would kill. It wasn't that I was so into murdering people, but slimeballs like him did not deserve to live.
His last point made me so angry, I cried out, "This food is for those savages you speak of! They are starving, and you have NO right to take this away from them!"
At once three spears were pointing at me, with the soldier that had spoken grinning visciously. "A feisty wench indeed. Take her to Lord Baldagram, I'm sure he'd know what to do with such insolence."
It was then that I realized I had said the wrong thing. What good was trying to save your people if you speak out, at the cost of your life? I didn't want to be put in the hands of his lord, for I knew what would happen. First, he would rape me, then kill me. I immediately started struggling as the guards grabbed my arms and hoisted me out of the wagon.
Hudson tried to protest, but the guards held spears to him. I knew I had to do something fast, for my life and all I had hoped to do depended on it. All the training I had taken on, came on in this moment. Before it could be taken from me, I grabbed my dagger and sliced the hands of the men that bound me. They cried out and agony, and dropped me.
This moment of suprise was all I needed to kick the spears out of two men that tried to get to me. One guard came at me with his sword, and I ducked out of the way just in time as its blade came crashing down. I immediately punched him in the face while his sword was down, and he fell to the floor. Another came at me with his spear, and I somersaulted underneath his legs and jumped back up on my feet. He spun around just as I landed a blow to his stomach, then his cheek. He got out of the way as the guards that I had sliced the hands of both charged me. I held my dagger out to them, and swung with it violently. They both jumped out of the way, but I tried again. I was in a rage.
One man went right at me and I swiftly held out my dagger as his chest collided with it. I quickly lashed it out of his body, and cut the eye of another that came at me with his sword. By now one was dead, and two were still lying on the ground, wounded. That left only the soldier that had started it all, and three more guards. My eyes ventured from person to person, and they came at me in a circle. I knew I couldn't take them all on at once, but I would die trying. I was about to swing at the nearest one when Hudson bounded behind one of them and bashed his head with the front of Hudson's axe. I watched as the old man came at the other two waving his weapon as a warrior would, and it was then that I realized that Hudson was no ordinary man. I was about to turn and take on the fourth when the side of a blade hit to back of my head- a cowards blow; but all my muscles gave in and I fell to the ground. My head hurt so bad, and my eyes were beginning to blur. I looked up and stared into the eyes of the soldier that had called me a wench. He smirked.
"I'm not letting you escape, bitch." Though I was still awake, I continued to lie there without moving, and he picked up my body and swung it over his head. I picked my head up just in time to see horses riding forward, with Wallace at the head. It was then that darkness surrounded me, and I closed my eyes.
~~~
I awoke to the smell of meat and wine, and slowly I opened my eyes; I was in a village hut, laying on a cot, with a cloth of cold water over my forehead. A midwife was hovering over me. She was only about seventeen, two years older than me, with long brown hair that was thick and shiny. She glanced down and saw that I was awake. She smiled, and called to someone outside.
Immediately William Wallace, still bearing that same warrior like face, approached my cot. I was too embarrassed to look at him, and turned my head to face away from him. Why is he visiting me? I had just proved my unworthiness, and now maybe he had come to spite me. Yes, that was it. I had just proved how incompetent a girl could be. I was ashamed of myself.
He finally spoke, though I couldn't see his face. "So the little one tries to take on the whole English army by herself, since the big, mean Wallace didn't let her join his band of ruffians." I could hear the mocking tone on his voice, and cringed. Here comes the lecture. "Look at my, youngin."
I obeyed, and turned my body back to face him. His eyes sparkled with a sense of humor. he went on, "Well, your friend Hudson here told us what happened, and I can honestly say I pegged you all wrong. I'm sorry."
William Wallace...apoligizing to me. I couldn't contain it, I asked, "What do you mean, sir?"
"What did I say about that 'sir' business? Hudson told us how bravely you fought, as if you didn't care whther you lived or died. To take on nine English bastards while bound is not something even I am sure I could do. You got guts, youngin. I didn't realize before that our children could be so passionate about fighting, too."
I couldn't believe my ears. Firts he apoligizes, then goes on to say how brave I fought and how he might not have taken on that bad a odds. This was almost too much. Here I was thinking he would give me an 'I told you so' speech. I was bewildered, and to speechless to utter a word. But somehow I managed to squeak out, "Thank you, sir." He gave me a stern look for calling him 'sir' again.
He changed the subject. "How's your head doing? You got a nasty blow."
At the mention of my head, I suddenlu felt a pain shoot through it. I cringed, but said, "Not bad." From the amusement in his eyes, I knew that he thought I was lying. "Um...what happened to the soldier that held me after I was...unconscious?" I hated to say that word, for I felt so foolish at being knocked out.
"Oh, the pretty one? We got him tied up outside. I thought I'd give the men a toy to practice their weapons' skills with." At this I laughed, but soon turned serious.
"Is there any way I...could see him?" I had no intention to just 'see' him. I had vowed to take his life, and I would kep it. But I doubted that Wallace would let me kill in cold blood. Even I didn't want to do that, but how could I not keep my vow? I think William sensed something, but said nothing about it.
"After that head of yours is well. You may have a concussion you know, so no getting up for a day or two," with that he went to the edge of the tent, but thn turned around. "Welcome to the clan." He stepped out, without looking to see my expression. He already knew.
I was flabbergasted, but a sense of joy overtook me. I had proved myself, and was now a member of his band of outlaws to take down a ruthless king and kill anyone that stopped us. and I was a girl.
Chapter two- The Beginning
Hidden by the dark of night, but pressing on with the light of the shining silver moon, I left the world I had always known. I knew then and there that my life would change, for better or worse I did not know. All I knew was that this was the first thing that felt so right in a long time. I know longer cared who I fought with; that was petty. My main goal was to get revenge on the bastards that hurt my family, and enter a war in which I knew nothing about. Easy, right? I guess I wasn't thinking clearly, for I thought that once I had my revenge on the local English nobles, the English army wouldn't be a challenge.
I knew Wallace's men would move out in the morning, and following them at a distance would come in useful for getting some real action. I needed the extra hours of a head start, since they all had horses and I but a mere two legs. It was a few hours into my leaving that I started thinking clearly. Of course, I had been thoughtful enough to pack essentials like my dagger, my bow and arrows, and a skinned blanket. And of course I brought all my healing supplies, like the bandages and ointments. Back when I was packing these items, my thoughts wondered to my papa, who had taught me all he knew of healing. I listened intently always, for healing interested me. I thought maybe that I could become a midwife, but after he was killed, my attitude changed, and all that mattered was learning basic soldier skills. I practiced my archery, in which I was always good at; running long distances; and I even borrowed a sword from an elder of the village, and practiced weilding it. To me, the sword was too heavy, and was hard to maneuver, but I soon got the hang of it. All my life was leading up to this moment, and I would not let my family's honor be disgraced.
By morning I was tired and aching, with my eyes closing every two steps. I started leaning left and right, and my vision became unclear. I decided that it was time to stop, and found a place to rest for a while. I did not rest long though, for I soon heard horse's hooves from a distance. My initial thought was that it was Wallace and his band, though I knew they wouldn't have made it this far yet. I stayed behind a tree close to the dirt road, my eyes squinting to see what laid beyond. When I saw the beginning of a agon, I sighed with relief, and got out of my hiding place. I walked out into the road, hoping that maybe this man would take her as far as he could. lucky for me, he stopped his wagon. I noticed that it contained crates of fruits and vegetables from local villages.
The man, about forty years old, with a scar above his right eyebrow, stared at me for a second, then said in a scruffy voice, "Well, what can I do for ye? Your kinda blocking the road here missy."
I smiled as innocent as i could be. "Sorry, sir, but would you be so kind as to take me to wherver it is that your going?"
He bit his lip, then spoke, "You running away from home, little girl?"
I cringed at being reffered to as 'little girl' but kept it to myself. This guy could be my ticket to not walking 100 miles. I simply shook my head.
"Well then, hop in." He extended his arm, and I took it gratefully. He even let me sit beside him, while most drivers made hitch hikers sit in the back with the stock. This man was mysterious, considering his gruff voice but obviously kind heart. He spoke little, and, being the talker that I am, I broke the silence.
"Thanks a lot sir. Not many men would be so kind."
I saw a hint of a smile cross his lips as he pulled the right reign closer as we made a turn in the road. He still said nothing, and I decided to let it go. minutes went by before he spoke, saying, "What's you name?"
I waisted no time, replying, "Maura McColliny, sir. May I ask what your name is?"
"The name's Hudson. Dont got no last name, don't need one," I determined he was a very straight foward man, only speaking when nessecery. I liked Hudson, for all his simplicity. During the long ride, he asked a few questions here and there, but made a point not to ask anything personal, like why I, a lone girl, had asked for his assistance to travel wherever he went. That night he let me sleep in the wagon, and in turn I bagged a bird to cook. We spoke little, but a sense of safeness took over me when I was with him.
The next morning he pointed out that the nearest village was only a few hours away. He told me about how they had sent for food and supplies since a forest fire had destoyed all their crops. Hudson said no more, and for a while I pondered how this man could stand such a silenced life. We were but a few minutes from the village, when a group of English soldiers riding white mares rode up alongside us. I had a sudden urge to take my dagger and stab them all, but knew that would accomplish nothing. I would wait.
Hudson replied in his loud, gruff voice, "What's the meaning of this?"
One soldier, a man no older than 25, answered in a superior voice, "My lord Baldagram wishes it best for you to send this food and supplies directly to him and his men. We are to accompany you past the village people. You never know when those savages will try to steal whats rightly the English." He ended that last sentence with more spite, as if Scottish people were the ultimate slime. My old hate had not gone away, and right then and there I vowed he would be the one of the first English men I would kill. It wasn't that I was so into murdering people, but slimeballs like him did not deserve to live.
His last point made me so angry, I cried out, "This food is for those savages you speak of! They are starving, and you have NO right to take this away from them!"
At once three spears were pointing at me, with the soldier that had spoken grinning visciously. "A feisty wench indeed. Take her to Lord Baldagram, I'm sure he'd know what to do with such insolence."
It was then that I realized I had said the wrong thing. What good was trying to save your people if you speak out, at the cost of your life? I didn't want to be put in the hands of his lord, for I knew what would happen. First, he would rape me, then kill me. I immediately started struggling as the guards grabbed my arms and hoisted me out of the wagon.
Hudson tried to protest, but the guards held spears to him. I knew I had to do something fast, for my life and all I had hoped to do depended on it. All the training I had taken on, came on in this moment. Before it could be taken from me, I grabbed my dagger and sliced the hands of the men that bound me. They cried out and agony, and dropped me.
This moment of suprise was all I needed to kick the spears out of two men that tried to get to me. One guard came at me with his sword, and I ducked out of the way just in time as its blade came crashing down. I immediately punched him in the face while his sword was down, and he fell to the floor. Another came at me with his spear, and I somersaulted underneath his legs and jumped back up on my feet. He spun around just as I landed a blow to his stomach, then his cheek. He got out of the way as the guards that I had sliced the hands of both charged me. I held my dagger out to them, and swung with it violently. They both jumped out of the way, but I tried again. I was in a rage.
One man went right at me and I swiftly held out my dagger as his chest collided with it. I quickly lashed it out of his body, and cut the eye of another that came at me with his sword. By now one was dead, and two were still lying on the ground, wounded. That left only the soldier that had started it all, and three more guards. My eyes ventured from person to person, and they came at me in a circle. I knew I couldn't take them all on at once, but I would die trying. I was about to swing at the nearest one when Hudson bounded behind one of them and bashed his head with the front of Hudson's axe. I watched as the old man came at the other two waving his weapon as a warrior would, and it was then that I realized that Hudson was no ordinary man. I was about to turn and take on the fourth when the side of a blade hit to back of my head- a cowards blow; but all my muscles gave in and I fell to the ground. My head hurt so bad, and my eyes were beginning to blur. I looked up and stared into the eyes of the soldier that had called me a wench. He smirked.
"I'm not letting you escape, bitch." Though I was still awake, I continued to lie there without moving, and he picked up my body and swung it over his head. I picked my head up just in time to see horses riding forward, with Wallace at the head. It was then that darkness surrounded me, and I closed my eyes.
~~~
I awoke to the smell of meat and wine, and slowly I opened my eyes; I was in a village hut, laying on a cot, with a cloth of cold water over my forehead. A midwife was hovering over me. She was only about seventeen, two years older than me, with long brown hair that was thick and shiny. She glanced down and saw that I was awake. She smiled, and called to someone outside.
Immediately William Wallace, still bearing that same warrior like face, approached my cot. I was too embarrassed to look at him, and turned my head to face away from him. Why is he visiting me? I had just proved my unworthiness, and now maybe he had come to spite me. Yes, that was it. I had just proved how incompetent a girl could be. I was ashamed of myself.
He finally spoke, though I couldn't see his face. "So the little one tries to take on the whole English army by herself, since the big, mean Wallace didn't let her join his band of ruffians." I could hear the mocking tone on his voice, and cringed. Here comes the lecture. "Look at my, youngin."
I obeyed, and turned my body back to face him. His eyes sparkled with a sense of humor. he went on, "Well, your friend Hudson here told us what happened, and I can honestly say I pegged you all wrong. I'm sorry."
William Wallace...apoligizing to me. I couldn't contain it, I asked, "What do you mean, sir?"
"What did I say about that 'sir' business? Hudson told us how bravely you fought, as if you didn't care whther you lived or died. To take on nine English bastards while bound is not something even I am sure I could do. You got guts, youngin. I didn't realize before that our children could be so passionate about fighting, too."
I couldn't believe my ears. Firts he apoligizes, then goes on to say how brave I fought and how he might not have taken on that bad a odds. This was almost too much. Here I was thinking he would give me an 'I told you so' speech. I was bewildered, and to speechless to utter a word. But somehow I managed to squeak out, "Thank you, sir." He gave me a stern look for calling him 'sir' again.
He changed the subject. "How's your head doing? You got a nasty blow."
At the mention of my head, I suddenlu felt a pain shoot through it. I cringed, but said, "Not bad." From the amusement in his eyes, I knew that he thought I was lying. "Um...what happened to the soldier that held me after I was...unconscious?" I hated to say that word, for I felt so foolish at being knocked out.
"Oh, the pretty one? We got him tied up outside. I thought I'd give the men a toy to practice their weapons' skills with." At this I laughed, but soon turned serious.
"Is there any way I...could see him?" I had no intention to just 'see' him. I had vowed to take his life, and I would kep it. But I doubted that Wallace would let me kill in cold blood. Even I didn't want to do that, but how could I not keep my vow? I think William sensed something, but said nothing about it.
"After that head of yours is well. You may have a concussion you know, so no getting up for a day or two," with that he went to the edge of the tent, but thn turned around. "Welcome to the clan." He stepped out, without looking to see my expression. He already knew.
I was flabbergasted, but a sense of joy overtook me. I had proved myself, and was now a member of his band of outlaws to take down a ruthless king and kill anyone that stopped us. and I was a girl.