A little Outlander-inspired drabble. It is AU/AH.

My parents always said they hoped I would never have to face a war. How disappointed they would be to know that I was only a mile from the battlefield in the thick of the Highlands.

I brushed my hair away from my face, careful not to wipe the blood on my hand onto my hair. The shack around me was bustling with people tending to the wounded. My lady, Lissa Dragomir, had offered up her knowledge and came to aid of the soldiers. Since I was Lissa's lady's maid, I came with her and helped where I could. I knew the basics, I could preform sutures and help remove things like bullets or debris, but the big stuff I was clueless too.

I did what I could to scrub some of the blood off my hands before going to my next soldier. Lissa made it clear that I should scrub my hands clean before seeing the next person every time, claiming that it was safer for the next. It didn't make sense to me, but I did as she asked.

Rinsing my hands with the whiskey, I shook the excess off and moved to the next person.

"Rose! I need you to take a look at that man over there. He brought in five men and still hasn't been seen," Lissa called out from her spot tending to a man who got clipped by cannon fire. Lissa was a fair lady, the daughter of a Duke. Her skin and hair were fair too, so seeing blood on her skin and apron was always startling. I followed her direction and turned to find a hulk of a man trying to head back out of the room. I recognized him from earlier in the day, bringing in wood to help keep our fires going before the fighting started.

"Hey! Stop, you have to be checked out!" I called out, gripping onto his arm to pull him to a stop. He was tall, having to duck his head down to get out of the door. I managed to make him stop, and my breath caught in my throat when I really looked at him.

Underneath the dirt and grunge, his eyes were a vibrant brown, like the colour of melted chocolate. He was handsome too with sharp features and a slight scar above his left eyebrow. I took a quick look over and noticed that blood on the shoulder I was yanking on.

"Come with me, you need to have that shoulder looked at," I said firmly but kindly as I pulled him towards the only vacant spot in the room. He let me pull him along but grunted when he pulled his frock off, the white of his shirt heavily stained with blood. I didn't think I'd be able to get the shirt up and over his head, so I found a small knife and cut the fabric away, revealing gaping wounds.

"You carried five men in here with this?" I asked incredulously, shaking my head before taking a wet rag to try and clean up his shoulder so I could see.

"It was nothing," he said quietly, his voice thick and grumbled with an accent I hadn't heard before. I nodded and pursed my lips once I got a cleaner look at the wound. He wasn't as fortunate as I would have liked. It was a pelt shot instead of a bullet. This man was in for a while of me digging into his shoulder. I looked around and spotted a table that might be long enough for him to lay on. I told him to stay put and went to the table, moving things out of the way and setting down what I needed.

"You need to come lie down. You were shot with pellets, and I'll need to dig them out," I directed, bundling a towel to put under her head. He didn't seem all that interested in being treated and flicked his eyes to the door.

"Do not think about it. I will jump onto your back and pull you down if I have to," I said firmly pointing my finger at him, "There are many men who need tending, now get over here."

"If there are other men in more need, see to them first," the man said standing up, but I stopped him from leaving.

"My lady directed me to tend to you, now come here."

He sighed with a slight headshake before coming to do as I asked, sitting down on the table before gingerly laying down. The wood creaked under his weight and his legs dangled over the edge because he was so tall.

"What's your name, soldier?" I asked as I cleaned the wound and dipped my instruments into the grok.

"Dimitri, but I'm not really a soldier," he replied.

"Where are you from? I don't recognize your accent," I murmured to him, hoping that the conversation might be enough to help distract him from the pain.

Dimitri grunted and I winced in apology. "You aren't from around here either," he retorted, gritting his teeth.

"My ladyship and I are visiting from the colonies. Lady Dragomir was asked to join the Zeklos family in aiding them during the raids. Lady Dragomir is a skilled healer, much better than Mr. Dunsany," I explained as I extracted one of the pellets, dropping it into the dish next to me. From the look of Dimitri's shoulder, there were five or six of them, only two exiting through the other side. Mr. Dunsany was a doctor that had come to aid the soldiers but was as helpful as a dull blade.

I moved Dimitri's arm to a different position, squeezing his forearm in reassurance when a loud exclaim slipped from his lips.

"I'm sorry. But this one in particular is going to hurt to remove," I said as I pulled the bottle of whiskey towards us. "Take a long drink. It will help," I soothed as I slipped one hand under his head to prop it up and brought the bottle to his lips. He took a ragged breath before taking a drink from the bottle. I counted the seconds that he drank before meeting his eyes, the fever from pain burning brightly in them.

I pulled the bottle away and gently laid his head back down, giving him a small smile. I sat back down on the stool and got to work removing the pellet, trying to be a gentle as possible.

"Russia," he whispered as the whiskey started to lull him.

"Hmm?"

"I'm from Russia. I was taken in by the Zeklos family to watch over their eldest, Ivan. I brought him in earlier," he mustered, extending his other hand out. I followed it and found Lissa on the other end of it, with a man with blonde hair on the table before her. The man that was clipped by the cannon.

"My mother is a Jacobite," I said quietly.

Dimitri turned his head to look at me. "Your mother?"

I nodded my head. "Yes. We're part of the clan Fraser of Lovett. My mother and father were both very close with the Dragomir family, and when they said they were headed for the colonies, they begged them to take me with them. My mother didn't want me to get tied up in the cause. But clearly, I did."

"Yet you don't sound like a Scot."

"No. My father wasn't from Scotland; he is from the Ottoman Empire. Their pairing wasn't accepted here or there, so we stayed in the colonies for most of my childhood."

I looked up from what I was doing to find Dimitri's gaze on me. I raised my brows and pulled the last of the pellets from his shoulder and pressed a cloth over the wound.

"You come from a peculiar family."

"Says you," I snickered as I got my needle and thread ready. "So, Lord Zeklos is your lord?"

"Formally. But we are friends too. Like brothers," Dimitri said slowly, the alcohol starting to seep in. I smiled to myself because I knew what that felt like. To have someone you were supposed to take care of feel like your own family.

"I understand that. Lissa and I met as children and grew close quickly. I couldn't imagine my life without her," I said gently, noticing that his eyes were starting to droop. If he slept it would be easier for him. Plus, he wouldn't be inclined to go and try to bring more wounded back.

It only took a few more moments before he was asleep and I was able to finish suturing him up quicker. I was just finishing my final suture when Lissa came up to me, her eyes slightly downcast.

"Liss?"

Lissa shook her head and sniffed, looking off to the side while she took a shaky breath. I slumped in my seat when I realized what happened.

"Oh, Lissa."

"There wasn't anything else I could do. The internal bleeding was too much."

I frowned and looked to the man barely laying on the table beside me. He was going to be crushed when he came to. Lissa seemed to understand that too and sighed, sinking down beside me. I noticed that she still had blood on her and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"I can tell him when he wakes. Why don't you get cleaned up and finish up? There are only a few people left," I said gently, squeezing her shoulder.

Lissa sniffed again and got up, looking down at me. "Thank you."

I nodded and started to clean up my tools and found a clean rag. I dipped it in clean water and sat on the edge of the table beside Dimitri and dapped at the irritated skin on his shoulder. The more I cleaned the more I noticed grim and blood. I took care and gently wiped his face clean, clearing the dirt and dust away before cleaning his neck.

It felt strangely intimate doing this, but I knew that Dimitri wouldn't take the news of his friend's passing well, so I figured getting him a little cleaned up wouldn't hurt. It wouldn't be something he'd think about when he wakes.

As I cleaned him up, I admired how strong he was. I could see the thick muscles in his neck and shoulders, connecting to the muscles of his chest. Maybe if we were in another time I wouldn't have met him, being that he was from Russian and I originally from here.

I dropped the now grungy rag onto the table and sat down again, resting my head on my hand. It had been such a long day. I shifted on the stool and let my head rest on the table beside his arm and let my eyes close as I waited for him to wake. It wouldn't be long, but when he did there were only a handful of people in the building, most of them asleep. Across the room, I could see Lissa giving someone sutures.

A groan altered me that Dimitri was waking so time later, and my head lifted from the time to find him watching me. I sat up as he tried to sit up on his own, moaning quietly at the soreness of his arm. I leaned forward and helped him sit up, bringing a cup of water to his lips. He looked like he was in agony, and his eyes said his thanks as he drank.

"You need to take it slow. You need to be careful with your arm or you'll pull the sutures," I said softly, moving his hair back from his face. Dimitri nodded and looked around. I felt that sadness return, knowing that I needed to tell him now.

I moved to sit on the table beside him, putting us at a closer height.

"Dimitri," I said gently, biting my lip in hesitation.

Dimitri turned to look at me, taking in my face before his shoulders sagged a little.

"Lord Zeklos didn't make it. The internal bleeding from the blast was too much. Lady Dragomir did the best that she could, but his injuries were too extensive. I'm so sorry," I explained gently, placing my hand on his forearm. It wasn't much for physical comfort, but it was all that I felt was appropriate for not knowing him.

Dimitri's gaze seemed to go blank as the words left my mouth. I waited for him to respond, but it didn't seem like he knew how to. His mouth opened and closed a few times with a trembling lip as he processed everything. When he tried to get off the table I placed my hands on his chest.

"Dimitri, you need to sit down."

Dimitri pushed against my hands, trying to get around me, presumably to look for Ivan, but I moved with him.

"Dimitri, please. I need you to sit down. Your body may still be in shock," I pleaded, eventually having to use force and forced him to sit down. He was shocked by the force I used. I mean, I was a foot shorter than him and easier a hundred pounds less then him. But I wasn't weak by any female standards. He looked up at me and I watched pure agony cross his features.

I frowned and gently rubbed his uninjured shoulder and squeezed his hand, trying to do what I could. I knew that pain. One of my cousins, Mason, died at the hands of a Redcoat while trying to fight for our cause.

Dimitri's hair fell into his face as he bowed his head, his shoulders shaking as the pain of his loss rolled through him. I tucked it away from his face and squeaked when Dimitri wrapped his good arm around me, tucking his face into my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and held him, letting him get everything out while being shielded from the rest of the room.

I rested my cheek on the top of his head and made noises of comfort, biting my lips when a strangled sob spilled from his lips. I looked to the side and found Lissa's gaze on me, her lips turned down in a frown as she watched us. I knew she wanted to comfort him too, but needed to finish with her patient.

"I'm so sorry," I said quietly, knowing that it wouldn't do much, but felt like I needed to say it.

Dimitri nodded slowly against my shoulder, squeezing my waist gently before lifting his head. I tipped my head to the side as I looked at him. Even with tears on his face, there was a part of his that was beautiful.

God, Rose. Not the time to think about that.

"Can I see him?" Dimitri asked thickly, so thickly that I barely understood what he said. I looked over to see what the state of Ivan's body was before responding. I nodded and slipped my arm around his waist so he could lean on me. I directed him over to where Ivan was and stood behind him as Dimitri knelt down beside the cot, taking Ivan's hand and bowing his head.

I tipped my head down and looked at the dirt floor, stifling my own emotions. I knew the pain of losing people, but seeing Dimitri like this made me think of Lissa. I don't know what I would do if I lost her. I placed my hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently before heading towards Lissa.

Lissa was washing her hands and gave me a sad smile.

"I feel horrible for him," Lissa said as she scrubbed her nails.

"I do too."

"He's like you, you know?"

I raised my brows at her. "What do you mean?"

Lissa flicked the water from her hands and dried them on her skirt. "While the Zeklos family hired Dimitri to watch over Ivan, there was an agreement between the Zeklos' and Dimitri's mother. Apparently, his father was abusive, and his mother was trying to keep her children safe by sending the four of her children to live with others until she could get away from their father. Ivan and Dimitri were friends as children," Lissa explained sadly, sighing to herself, "It's terrible. I couldn't imagine losing you."

My breath caught in my throat, and I frowned even more. We were more alike than I had thought. We were both smuggled away to families so that we could be safe. I reached over and slipped my hand into Lissa's, holding it for a minute to comfort myself. Some many lives had been lost or ruined today.

"Who will tell Lord and Lady Zeklos?"

"I will," Lissa said quietly, "I would be best if it came from me."

I nodded and looked back to Dimitri. "I think I'll stay with him; he shouldn't be alone."

Lissa squeezed my hand. "I think that's a good idea."

I let go of her hand and picked up the spool of cloth, walking towards Dimitri. He was speaking so low it was barely a whisper, and it was too quick for me to understand. Not that I could understand Russian, to begin with. I gently touched his maimed shoulder and he looked up at me.

"I just need to bind. It will help with healing," I said holding it up. I expected him to stay where he was and let me work, but I was surprised when he stood up and moved back to the table he was on earlier. I followed him and stepped onto the stool I sat on earlier. I wasn't quite tall enough alone to bind his shoulder.

I started working, carefully cradling his arm against his chest so I could put it at the proper angle and set the band.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"Of course. Can't have you pulling something."

Dimitri turned his head and shook his head. "No. Thank you for…for trying to comfort me. Most people tend to shy away from me."

I tied the band at the top of his shoulder. "Why?"

Dimitri chuckled dryly. "Have you looked at me?"

I stopped and looked at him levelly. "I have. And I still ask why."

"Part of the reason I looked after Ivan was because of my stature. I'm taller than most. Most people are a little scared of me."

I snorted. "I noticed that. And you're bigger than any soldier I've ever seen. But you're a person, and nobody should have to deal with that by themselves. If our places were reversed, I'd want to be comforted," I said wiping my hands on my skirt, "Besides, I can't say a man as handsome as you could be scary. I think it's your height, not what you look like, that deters people.

Dimitri nodded and gave me a ghost of a sad smile. "Like I said. Thank you."

I adjusted the band and nodded my head. "You're welcome. Now, let's get you something to eat. It's important," I said and tried to squash down the flutter in my chest from his smile. It was sad, but a part of me wanted to see it again.

I managed to find some broth and brought it to him. He thanked me and took it, eating it slowly as I instructed. I found myself a piece of bread and nibbled on it. I was famished, but the only things left of decent portions were the broth and bread. He needed it more than I did right now.

"I know that it feels like the world is ending, but the pain goes away," I said quietly.

Dimitri looked up from his bowl and held my gaze. "How do you know?"

"I lost my cousin some weeks back. Even now, the pain is lessening. We were as close as you and Ivan."

Dimitri held my gaze for a moment longer before nodding slightly. "Thank you."

I nodded and watched him for a few moments longer, committing someone like him to memory. It wasn't common to see a man express any genuine emotion these days, aside from excitement. It was refreshing to be reminded of the softer side.

"You still haven't told me your name," he said before scoping the last of his broth into his mouth.

"Rose."

The sides of his lips pulled up. "Rose. Roza. Thank you for saving my life today."

I smiled and brushed it off. It was a shame that after today I would never see him again.

I gnawed at my lip. Three years since the rising and I still felt the pain. The pain of losing my friends, my mother. It felt raw.

While my mother didn't die on the battlefield, she was killed. From what I was told, she held her head high when the time came. My father, well, he didn't take the news as well as I did.

He became a mess. And by then I knew it was time to return to him. Lissa understood and promised me that she would write often and that she would come and see me as soon as she could.

But I doubted she knew where I was. I was surprised where I was.

In the years after Culloden, my father wanted to retreat to Russia. I thought it was ridiculous, considering he was part of the Ottoman Empire and they had been previously at war with each other, but he promised that the friends he had were good. That they would help us start our lives over.

It was difficult for me because I barely understood Russian, but I slowly caught on when I was thrust into the deep of it.

"Kiz, we're almost there," Baba promised as he dismounted his horse. I groaned and dismounted too, shifting my weight. Being on horseback for so long made me stiff and uncomfortable.

"How far?"

"Only a few minutes' walk. I promise. I'm sure Olena will have something warm waiting for us," Baba placated, leading his horse into the small, quant town. I sighed with a sniff and followed. November was blistering cold, and my nose was red and sore from the wind.

I observed the sleepy town around me as we moved deeper. It was run down, but beautiful at the same time. There was something about the colonies that seemed too modern. The look of the homes here was softer, more welcoming.

Baba came to a stop in front of a home so small it looked like it would only fit one of us. I followed as Baba tied his horse to the post and I did the same. Baba came over and pulled my rucksack off the back of my horse before leading me to the front door.

I shifted uncomfortably when he knocked on the door, and I looked around again, noticing the snow starting to fall from the sky.

The door before us opened and a greying-haired woman opened the door. I gave her a tentative smile and nodded at her. Baba spoke to her in Russian before she stepped away from the door, gesturing for us to come in.

"I do apologize, my Rosemarie is not as well versed as I am. English may be best," Baba said as the woman showed up into the sitting area.

"That's okay. When my son came back from Scotland, he spoke more English than Russian. He got used to it. I'm Olena," the woman explained, extending her hand out to me and squeezing mine.

"It's lovely to meet you. Thank you for taking us in."

"Of course. After what your father did for us, this is nothing."

I raised my brows and looked at Baba. "Oh?"

"Randall was a bastard. And he needed to go. I'm glad he is no longer darkening your doorstep," Baba said firmly, giving Olena a tight smile. Olena nodded and bustled through the room, putting water on to boil. The home was bigger inside than I imagined it, but it had the warmth and comfort I craved. There was a smell in the air that struck me. It was familiar; cedar, citrus, and smoke.

"I'm afraid that you two will have to share. My son has returned home to help me through the winter," Olena said nervously, wiping her hands on her skirt. "Unless you'd like to sleep in the den, Rosemarie? It's warm in there, and my youngest used to sleep there. It's smaller but warm."

I wasn't thrilled about the idea of sharing with Baba, so I nodded. "That would lovely. As long as it's warm and I have something soft for a pillow, I'll be fine."

Olena nodded and continued to heat things up, the smell of some kind of meat filling the air. I took a moment to observe the paintings on the mantel. I assumed the small paintings were of Olena's daughters. The three of them were beautiful, and all looked just like Olena.

The door opened behind me and a man's voice called out. The sound of that voice sent a tingle down my spine. I remembered the sound of that voice. I spun around to face a man that had been burned into my brain over the years.

Dimitri hadn't changed really. His hair was a little longer, just brushing his shoulders. But his face was the same, pink from the cold. Dimitri continued to speak before realizing there were others in the room. He paused for a second when his eyes landed on mine, the corners of his lips pulling up.

"Roza?"

I smiled at him. "Hi, Dimitri."