Chapter 8
After two days of recovery, I hobbled around long enough to venture outside the tent. They buried Pierce along with the rest of the dead men in the same field, one I never want to visit again. Seeing hundreds of bodies all piled on top of one another, the families checking each one to find out if it was a brother or father; it all caused my stomach to ache hard, and I shook viciously. Out of all the hundreds of men we had in our little army, only 58 remained. Fifty-eight. The English suffered more numbers, but it didn't matter. They had ripped through our hearts and bodies, yet had failed in any attempts to weaken our spirits in hope of freedom from their persecution. In fact, as I listened to most of the men talk about regaining their strength and fighting the sons of bitches off, I realized that the English had only succeeded in uniting us even more.
We stayed by Falkirk for more than two weeks, allowing the wounded to heal their bodies, as well as letting everyone heal their minds. We mourned, we prayed; we grieved. It was all so depressing that I decided to shun this memory from me completely, though I know it is not always like that. Memories both good and horrific stay in your mind throughout your life, and there is nothing you can do to utterly fend them off. It was our last day in camp when I found out what Wallace did to the nobles that had betrayed us; how he had ridden into their homes and murdered them. I did not condemn him, and neither did anyone else.
I was glad to learn that good o' Hudson had escaped the battle with no wounds at all, and I playfully teased him about not having a battle scar like the rest of us. He only replied, "And I thank God every day for that."
Everyone wanted to know where we would go next, what we would do. It was clear that we needed more people to help, for fifty eight soldiers is not exactly the greatest odds for an army. Our orders came in the morning we started off again. Recruitment. We would return to Scotland, and recruit more men. It was happening all over again, and it seemed nothing had been gained. Of course, no one disobeyed, and no one backed out. It was loyalty to the death.
My total healing process took awhile, and I had to rest every few hours because my leg would once again feel that burning sensation. Jeremy, Owen, and Douglas stuck with me all the way. We were inseparable; nothing we did was ever by ourselves. Maybe it was for comfort, maybe it was just to make sure we would stay in this thing together alive, I don't know. But I welcomed whatever security I could. I was now sixteen and a half, and a couple inches taller. My blonde hair had turned darker now that the days only consisted of gray clouds, with little sunshine to highlight it. In time my agility with my legs came back to me, and I could outrun all my friends.
After the battle, rare were smiles and laughs. The weather was atrocious, with hailing rain shooting down from the sky every hour. We all slept little, and everyone was in a grumpy mood. I tried to keep my spirits up, but with so much negativity floating around, it was hard to do so. About a week after we left Falkirk, we got to the border of Scotland and England. What a welcome sight that was. I thought I would never see my home country again, and that was exactly what we were fighting to save. The familiar fall breeze with the damp aroma filled my lungs, and I almost cried for joy. When we neared the first village, not controlled by the English, boys younger than thirteen were admitted to help us, and almost all the men, too. It was a grand sight to see, but also one of sorrow. Here the whole half of the village was being taken away, and who would help the women? These reflections shook from my head, and I laughed out loud. Here I was, a girl in Wallace's army, saying that the women would be incompetent without their men folk.
My eyes deceived me when we got to my own village, who had built new huts and tents, but still lacked food. Young children were wasting away to skin and bones. Some of the elders whom I had for most of my life admired had died, and what remained was a village on the verge of extinction. Still, the familiar faces of my girl friends surpassed those of gloom, and I had a lot of catching up to do.
"Cara! Maddy, Elsa!" I cried when I saw three dirty, but ultra pretty girls carrying baskets. They turned and dropped their baskets, too surprised by my presence to notice.
"Maura!" they cried in unison. I laughed, for they used to do that a lot. They and I shared a special bond from birth, and we learned everything together. Then I became a tomboy, wanting to learn only of swords and archery, but they still stuck by me.
"I can't believe its you!" Cara exclaimed. She was short for her age, and looked to be about two years younger. But her tanned skin, flowing brown hair and piercing brown eyes still made her the most envied girl I know.
"I can't believe you left without telling us!" Maddy said, her arms flagging to her sides. She and Elsa were twins, rare in Scotland. Both were blonde beauties, with blue eyes, very tall, and very elegant looking.
I blushed. "Sorry about that. I guess I kind of just went without thinking."
"As you do everything.." Cara mumbled. We all laughed. It was then that I noticed three guy friends standing about ten feet behind me, trying to look away. They played with their hands, whistled, and stroked their hair. I wanted to burst out laughing at their attempts to look manly.
"How silly of me. Girls, these are the guys." I pointed to the sad looking bunch of men, although the girls started to blush and giggle. I rolled my eyes.
Owen gave Cara a wink, and Douglas eyed the twins in delight. Only Jeremy didn't look interested, and that confused me. All he and Owen and Douglas ever talked about was finding girls, settle down and raise a family. I let them all talk for a while, and that night we stayed up long into the night swapping stories.
"And then Maura, being the stubborn, imaginative girl she is, flew off the roof of our hut, thinking the ground wasn't that far, and ended up breaking her arm!" Elsa wailed with delight at telling the guys my embarrassing tales. The focus of the chat consisted of crazy stuff I've done, and I am demoralized and humiliated, but I take it light heartedly. Laughter broke out. Owen had his arms wrapped around Cara's waist, and I smiled within. Leave it to him to make such a quick move, and Cara to follow it up willingly. The twins adored Douglas, and I could tell that he, though not realizing which was which, was having fun with both. Player. Jeremy sat next to me, and he and I were the only ones that remained silent.
"I hate to break it to you ladies, but I am in deep need of sleep, after all, fighting off the bad guys takes a lot out of a MAN!" Owen exclaimed. He is truly full of it.
"Yeah, me too," Douglas agreed with a yawn. Jeremy nodded, and soon our little party broke up.
Cara, the twins and I had a sleepover in Cara's hut. They made me spill everything about my journey, from the fighting to my scars, to even the boys. This made them giddy with delight.
"What's up with you and Jeremy, ay?" Elsa asked with a wink. The other girls giggled.
"What about him?" I wondered honestly.
"Well, I don't know, it seems you two were so quiet, and from the way you described him, it sounds like that was weird for both of you."
I shook my head. "He's my best friend. Nothing more, guys. Honestly, do all you ever think about is love?"
"MMhmm…she got it bad," Maddy countered.
"What do you think of Owen?" Cara dreamily asked.
"He's a clown head, alright. The only things he thinks about are food, jokes, and women. Perfect for you, Cara." Maddy and Elsa laughed, but Cara gave me a fake glare.
"Do you think he likes me?"
"Girl, if his hands grabbing your butt don't mean something, I'll smack him across the face." After the laughter died down, we all finally went to sleep. It felt so good to be home, among my old friends, and I didn't want to leave. I only wished it could stay like that forever.
A band of English troops came riding into the village today, but were surprised to find the whole of Wallace's men camped there. The capture of his majesties soldiers took but a few minutes, and I didn't help them. I spent the day with the girls, teaching them a few body lock techniques to use in case some Englishmen tried to grab them. Finally they all got the hang of it, and I made them test it out on the guys. They had a lot of fun with that, especially Cara and Owen.
After he got in his position to strangle her, Cara kicked him in the shin, elbowed his back, and then flipped him over her body. The whole thing was quite humiliating for him, but I think it made Cara like him more. Wallace had demanded us to move out that night, before any more soldiers could come our way.
It was hard to leave my friends again, for we had too much to talk about still. I worried that more soldiers would come and seize the village, but Maddy assured me no one would get through them. I watched as Cara and Owen shared their first kiss, and I almost cried in spite of myself. Me, cry? Over lovey stuff? Horrifying.
A total of 47 days we spent recruiting people of all ages. Time was running by so quick, for we moved so fast it was hard to keep track of where we were. I kept my mind to my practice. I rarely got sore now, for I was used to every ache and pain possible in the body. My hatred, again, subsided. One day, the sun came out again, a sight I hadn't seen for months. We rejoiced, and by that time everyone was rejuvenated with happiness and determination. Our hour of mourning was over, and it was time to begin anew. I welcomed the change with open arms.
We now had a total of 517 men, and growing each day. It's amazing how the numbers grew, but not really, considering Wallace's reputation has grown monumental, and not a single child hasn't heard the story of him. It seemed I, too, had gotten a reputation among the villages. I didn't know it would spread and be such a big deal that I was the only girl. It seemed so menial to the guys now. But when we came to different villages, everyone wanted to know if the stories were true of a girl that fought like a man. What times we live in.
These days I rarely got to talk to Hudson. Since Hamish (Wallace's right hand and best friend) lost his father in the battle of Falkirk, Wallace needed a new elder to step up and become one of his leaders, and my comrade was chosen. He was well equipped for the job, and he told me everything they discussed. It was good to know our plans, for everyday us simple folk had to rely on their judgment blindly to see where we go next.
I can see times are flying by fast, for there is little to tell. Everyday was a routine, with no surprises. I missed the days where everything was fresh and new. It was my one-year anniversary with Wallace's army when Jeremy laid down beside me, and we both looked up into the wondrous array of stars just waiting to be named.
"Maura.." he began. He grinned like the devil at me, and I wondered what was going on. "You know its been a year since you've joined us?"
I knew very well, and I nodded. He continued. "Do you remember the first time we met? You were all bratty with me and demanded to see that prisoner?"
I remembered well, and I laughed to indicate I did. "yeah, and then you challenged me to sword fight with you, though you knew perfectly well how capable you were of defeating me."
He turned to face me. "Nuh uh! YOU challenged me, sweetheart," he sneered. I slapped his stomach playfully.
"You know, you still owe me that rematch."
He rolled his eyes. "What? You think you could actually beat me now that you've learned how to use a sword?"
"Ha, ha. Funny. Though I bet I could!" I boasted. I saw a twinkle in his eye.
"You want to go right now, lass? Cause I'm ready." I groaned and shook my head. It was too late, and I was too tired. The nightly breeze settled in, and I shivered. He saw that, and in turn wrapped his arms around me. This was the first time he had tried to do that since that night before the battle, and that was months ago. And he didn't know he was doing it then. I let him.
"A lot has happened in a year." He conceived. "I honestly never thought that the best years of my life would be in an army, but they are."
I agreed. "I can't imagine life without all this, you know?" He nodded slowly.
"I can't imagine life without you, Maura," he stuttered to say. I was taken aback. Did I just hear right? "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." I did hear correctly. What was I supposed to say? For a moment I said nothing, for fear that what I would say next would change my relationship with my best friend.
Finally, I spoke. "You are too." And I meant it. I truly meant it. Throughout this year I wasn't sure what my feelings of Jeremy were, they were mixed. Never before had he hinted at anything other than friendship, so I went along with it. But deep down, I knew that this would happen. Very deep down, but still there. It just took a while to dig these feelings up to the top, and now I knew that those feelings were true, and I wasn't just daydreaming. This changed everything.
He leaned in close to me, and I think he wanted to kiss, so I decided to just let fate happen. At that very moment Owen decided to stumble up to us. "Hey guys, what are you-" He stopped short. Jeremy and me looked up in surprise and embarrassment. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to disturb you there..." He walked away with a huge grin on his face.
"No, we weren't" Jeremy started to say, then stopped. His cheeks turned a deep red rose, as did mine, I'm sure. He got up and walked away. I was totally confused. What just happened there? Was he just acting on the spur of the moment, or did he really have feelings for me? I couldn't imagine anyone have those kind of thoughts towards me, just because no one ever has. The boys in our village always looked to Maddy, Cara, or Elsa, never me. Had I almost made the biggest mistake in my life? Maybe I didn't truly have feelings for Jeremy, maybe I was just looking for a quick romance right now. Yes, that's it.
I didn't like Jeremy that way. I couldn't. It wouldn't be right. He was joking, or acting on impulse, wasn't he?
After two days of recovery, I hobbled around long enough to venture outside the tent. They buried Pierce along with the rest of the dead men in the same field, one I never want to visit again. Seeing hundreds of bodies all piled on top of one another, the families checking each one to find out if it was a brother or father; it all caused my stomach to ache hard, and I shook viciously. Out of all the hundreds of men we had in our little army, only 58 remained. Fifty-eight. The English suffered more numbers, but it didn't matter. They had ripped through our hearts and bodies, yet had failed in any attempts to weaken our spirits in hope of freedom from their persecution. In fact, as I listened to most of the men talk about regaining their strength and fighting the sons of bitches off, I realized that the English had only succeeded in uniting us even more.
We stayed by Falkirk for more than two weeks, allowing the wounded to heal their bodies, as well as letting everyone heal their minds. We mourned, we prayed; we grieved. It was all so depressing that I decided to shun this memory from me completely, though I know it is not always like that. Memories both good and horrific stay in your mind throughout your life, and there is nothing you can do to utterly fend them off. It was our last day in camp when I found out what Wallace did to the nobles that had betrayed us; how he had ridden into their homes and murdered them. I did not condemn him, and neither did anyone else.
I was glad to learn that good o' Hudson had escaped the battle with no wounds at all, and I playfully teased him about not having a battle scar like the rest of us. He only replied, "And I thank God every day for that."
Everyone wanted to know where we would go next, what we would do. It was clear that we needed more people to help, for fifty eight soldiers is not exactly the greatest odds for an army. Our orders came in the morning we started off again. Recruitment. We would return to Scotland, and recruit more men. It was happening all over again, and it seemed nothing had been gained. Of course, no one disobeyed, and no one backed out. It was loyalty to the death.
My total healing process took awhile, and I had to rest every few hours because my leg would once again feel that burning sensation. Jeremy, Owen, and Douglas stuck with me all the way. We were inseparable; nothing we did was ever by ourselves. Maybe it was for comfort, maybe it was just to make sure we would stay in this thing together alive, I don't know. But I welcomed whatever security I could. I was now sixteen and a half, and a couple inches taller. My blonde hair had turned darker now that the days only consisted of gray clouds, with little sunshine to highlight it. In time my agility with my legs came back to me, and I could outrun all my friends.
After the battle, rare were smiles and laughs. The weather was atrocious, with hailing rain shooting down from the sky every hour. We all slept little, and everyone was in a grumpy mood. I tried to keep my spirits up, but with so much negativity floating around, it was hard to do so. About a week after we left Falkirk, we got to the border of Scotland and England. What a welcome sight that was. I thought I would never see my home country again, and that was exactly what we were fighting to save. The familiar fall breeze with the damp aroma filled my lungs, and I almost cried for joy. When we neared the first village, not controlled by the English, boys younger than thirteen were admitted to help us, and almost all the men, too. It was a grand sight to see, but also one of sorrow. Here the whole half of the village was being taken away, and who would help the women? These reflections shook from my head, and I laughed out loud. Here I was, a girl in Wallace's army, saying that the women would be incompetent without their men folk.
My eyes deceived me when we got to my own village, who had built new huts and tents, but still lacked food. Young children were wasting away to skin and bones. Some of the elders whom I had for most of my life admired had died, and what remained was a village on the verge of extinction. Still, the familiar faces of my girl friends surpassed those of gloom, and I had a lot of catching up to do.
"Cara! Maddy, Elsa!" I cried when I saw three dirty, but ultra pretty girls carrying baskets. They turned and dropped their baskets, too surprised by my presence to notice.
"Maura!" they cried in unison. I laughed, for they used to do that a lot. They and I shared a special bond from birth, and we learned everything together. Then I became a tomboy, wanting to learn only of swords and archery, but they still stuck by me.
"I can't believe its you!" Cara exclaimed. She was short for her age, and looked to be about two years younger. But her tanned skin, flowing brown hair and piercing brown eyes still made her the most envied girl I know.
"I can't believe you left without telling us!" Maddy said, her arms flagging to her sides. She and Elsa were twins, rare in Scotland. Both were blonde beauties, with blue eyes, very tall, and very elegant looking.
I blushed. "Sorry about that. I guess I kind of just went without thinking."
"As you do everything.." Cara mumbled. We all laughed. It was then that I noticed three guy friends standing about ten feet behind me, trying to look away. They played with their hands, whistled, and stroked their hair. I wanted to burst out laughing at their attempts to look manly.
"How silly of me. Girls, these are the guys." I pointed to the sad looking bunch of men, although the girls started to blush and giggle. I rolled my eyes.
Owen gave Cara a wink, and Douglas eyed the twins in delight. Only Jeremy didn't look interested, and that confused me. All he and Owen and Douglas ever talked about was finding girls, settle down and raise a family. I let them all talk for a while, and that night we stayed up long into the night swapping stories.
"And then Maura, being the stubborn, imaginative girl she is, flew off the roof of our hut, thinking the ground wasn't that far, and ended up breaking her arm!" Elsa wailed with delight at telling the guys my embarrassing tales. The focus of the chat consisted of crazy stuff I've done, and I am demoralized and humiliated, but I take it light heartedly. Laughter broke out. Owen had his arms wrapped around Cara's waist, and I smiled within. Leave it to him to make such a quick move, and Cara to follow it up willingly. The twins adored Douglas, and I could tell that he, though not realizing which was which, was having fun with both. Player. Jeremy sat next to me, and he and I were the only ones that remained silent.
"I hate to break it to you ladies, but I am in deep need of sleep, after all, fighting off the bad guys takes a lot out of a MAN!" Owen exclaimed. He is truly full of it.
"Yeah, me too," Douglas agreed with a yawn. Jeremy nodded, and soon our little party broke up.
Cara, the twins and I had a sleepover in Cara's hut. They made me spill everything about my journey, from the fighting to my scars, to even the boys. This made them giddy with delight.
"What's up with you and Jeremy, ay?" Elsa asked with a wink. The other girls giggled.
"What about him?" I wondered honestly.
"Well, I don't know, it seems you two were so quiet, and from the way you described him, it sounds like that was weird for both of you."
I shook my head. "He's my best friend. Nothing more, guys. Honestly, do all you ever think about is love?"
"MMhmm…she got it bad," Maddy countered.
"What do you think of Owen?" Cara dreamily asked.
"He's a clown head, alright. The only things he thinks about are food, jokes, and women. Perfect for you, Cara." Maddy and Elsa laughed, but Cara gave me a fake glare.
"Do you think he likes me?"
"Girl, if his hands grabbing your butt don't mean something, I'll smack him across the face." After the laughter died down, we all finally went to sleep. It felt so good to be home, among my old friends, and I didn't want to leave. I only wished it could stay like that forever.
A band of English troops came riding into the village today, but were surprised to find the whole of Wallace's men camped there. The capture of his majesties soldiers took but a few minutes, and I didn't help them. I spent the day with the girls, teaching them a few body lock techniques to use in case some Englishmen tried to grab them. Finally they all got the hang of it, and I made them test it out on the guys. They had a lot of fun with that, especially Cara and Owen.
After he got in his position to strangle her, Cara kicked him in the shin, elbowed his back, and then flipped him over her body. The whole thing was quite humiliating for him, but I think it made Cara like him more. Wallace had demanded us to move out that night, before any more soldiers could come our way.
It was hard to leave my friends again, for we had too much to talk about still. I worried that more soldiers would come and seize the village, but Maddy assured me no one would get through them. I watched as Cara and Owen shared their first kiss, and I almost cried in spite of myself. Me, cry? Over lovey stuff? Horrifying.
A total of 47 days we spent recruiting people of all ages. Time was running by so quick, for we moved so fast it was hard to keep track of where we were. I kept my mind to my practice. I rarely got sore now, for I was used to every ache and pain possible in the body. My hatred, again, subsided. One day, the sun came out again, a sight I hadn't seen for months. We rejoiced, and by that time everyone was rejuvenated with happiness and determination. Our hour of mourning was over, and it was time to begin anew. I welcomed the change with open arms.
We now had a total of 517 men, and growing each day. It's amazing how the numbers grew, but not really, considering Wallace's reputation has grown monumental, and not a single child hasn't heard the story of him. It seemed I, too, had gotten a reputation among the villages. I didn't know it would spread and be such a big deal that I was the only girl. It seemed so menial to the guys now. But when we came to different villages, everyone wanted to know if the stories were true of a girl that fought like a man. What times we live in.
These days I rarely got to talk to Hudson. Since Hamish (Wallace's right hand and best friend) lost his father in the battle of Falkirk, Wallace needed a new elder to step up and become one of his leaders, and my comrade was chosen. He was well equipped for the job, and he told me everything they discussed. It was good to know our plans, for everyday us simple folk had to rely on their judgment blindly to see where we go next.
I can see times are flying by fast, for there is little to tell. Everyday was a routine, with no surprises. I missed the days where everything was fresh and new. It was my one-year anniversary with Wallace's army when Jeremy laid down beside me, and we both looked up into the wondrous array of stars just waiting to be named.
"Maura.." he began. He grinned like the devil at me, and I wondered what was going on. "You know its been a year since you've joined us?"
I knew very well, and I nodded. He continued. "Do you remember the first time we met? You were all bratty with me and demanded to see that prisoner?"
I remembered well, and I laughed to indicate I did. "yeah, and then you challenged me to sword fight with you, though you knew perfectly well how capable you were of defeating me."
He turned to face me. "Nuh uh! YOU challenged me, sweetheart," he sneered. I slapped his stomach playfully.
"You know, you still owe me that rematch."
He rolled his eyes. "What? You think you could actually beat me now that you've learned how to use a sword?"
"Ha, ha. Funny. Though I bet I could!" I boasted. I saw a twinkle in his eye.
"You want to go right now, lass? Cause I'm ready." I groaned and shook my head. It was too late, and I was too tired. The nightly breeze settled in, and I shivered. He saw that, and in turn wrapped his arms around me. This was the first time he had tried to do that since that night before the battle, and that was months ago. And he didn't know he was doing it then. I let him.
"A lot has happened in a year." He conceived. "I honestly never thought that the best years of my life would be in an army, but they are."
I agreed. "I can't imagine life without all this, you know?" He nodded slowly.
"I can't imagine life without you, Maura," he stuttered to say. I was taken aback. Did I just hear right? "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." I did hear correctly. What was I supposed to say? For a moment I said nothing, for fear that what I would say next would change my relationship with my best friend.
Finally, I spoke. "You are too." And I meant it. I truly meant it. Throughout this year I wasn't sure what my feelings of Jeremy were, they were mixed. Never before had he hinted at anything other than friendship, so I went along with it. But deep down, I knew that this would happen. Very deep down, but still there. It just took a while to dig these feelings up to the top, and now I knew that those feelings were true, and I wasn't just daydreaming. This changed everything.
He leaned in close to me, and I think he wanted to kiss, so I decided to just let fate happen. At that very moment Owen decided to stumble up to us. "Hey guys, what are you-" He stopped short. Jeremy and me looked up in surprise and embarrassment. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to disturb you there..." He walked away with a huge grin on his face.
"No, we weren't" Jeremy started to say, then stopped. His cheeks turned a deep red rose, as did mine, I'm sure. He got up and walked away. I was totally confused. What just happened there? Was he just acting on the spur of the moment, or did he really have feelings for me? I couldn't imagine anyone have those kind of thoughts towards me, just because no one ever has. The boys in our village always looked to Maddy, Cara, or Elsa, never me. Had I almost made the biggest mistake in my life? Maybe I didn't truly have feelings for Jeremy, maybe I was just looking for a quick romance right now. Yes, that's it.
I didn't like Jeremy that way. I couldn't. It wouldn't be right. He was joking, or acting on impulse, wasn't he?