The Escape - From Fairy Tale to Reality - Closed for DanFS

Keesha (Click here for picture link)


Keesha’s chest heaved. Every breath burned, yet she could not risk slowing her pace now. Hands on her skirts as she attempted to hold them free of the undergrowth, she shut her mind to the pain the uneven surface wrought on her feet. Not for the first time, she berated herself for her late decision to flee. She had been locked in fearful indecision until it was almost too late and then she had fled for her life!

She strained her ears to try to identify the sounds which she was sure were pursuing her, but she could not tell whether horse or hound or feet followed, much less make out what numbers she might be attempting to evade. A hasty glance behind reassured her that no one and nothing was in sight, but that action was to prove her downfall.

What she hit, or what snared her dress, Keesha could not tell, all she knew was that she went hurtling forward her sharp cry seemingly absorbed within the density of the trees around her and seemed to fly through the air to until coming to earth with a thud, the impact hard enough to knock the breath and consciousness from her temporarily. Only as her senses began to clear, did Keesha become aware of the pain shooting through her body … and the fact that she was no longer alone ….

Captain Dan Smyth was on patrol with his platoon, following the lead of Major Simmonds, the Unit commander.
The exercise had become quite boring, with little going on to keep him and his men alert; and the tedium increased when the weather closed in and the storm threatened heavy rain, instead of the light drizzle that had started to fall.

The smell of the woodland permeated his senses, his clothing, everything, but it was a smell he never tired of. That sort of moist, damp, earthy smell, which seemed comforting, and familiar.

His radio crackled in his earpiece.
He knelt down, and raised a hand, pushing it downward, signalling his platoon to stop their advance, and crouch in cover.

He had been ordered to send his Machine Gun group to support his Commander's flank.
Dan looked over at his Machine gun section, probably the best in the Company. He hated cutting them loose to support Major Simmonds, but orders were orders….
That would leave him with a light rifle section, just ten men, and they knew the opposing force for this exercise played by the Territorial Army were out there, somewhere to his front.

Dan responded, telling his Commander that his Gun group was moving, and he could expect them in ten minutes.
He pointed to Rob Willis, the Gun Group Sergeant, and beckoned him over.
As he crouched beside Dan he relayed the Major's command.
Rob didn't look too happy about it, but as a soldier, he knew he had to go with his men, even if it meant leaving Dan without heavy support.
Rob scurried back to his men and after a quick whispered conversation, they silently moved out and within a minute had vanished from sight, with their camouflage working well in their surroundings.

Dan cursed this light rain, which persisted, but at least it was warm!

He gestured to his men and they got to their feet and slowly made their way towards the edge of the forest.
His two scouts were alert and able, having both seen combat and knew what they were doing.

After a few minutes of slow progress through the forest, one of the scouts, Tim, clenched his fist and raised it in the air, as he crouched, looking at something on the ground.
He tapped his shoulder three times, and patted his head, to indicate he wanted Dan to go to him.
Dan left the three men he was with and moved forward, in a crouch, as fast as he could.
"What's up, Tim?" He asked.
Tim pointed to some tracks in the soft earth.
"Looks like British Army boots, and moving across our bearing. All our guys are moving that way." He said, pointing at right-angles to the tracks he had spotted.
They did look fresh, and the grass was wet underneath so they weren't that old, given it had only been raining for an hour.

So, it seemed the opposing force were trying to ambush them from the rear – he could accommodate them.

He moved half his team off the track they had been walking on, and positioned them in the tree-line and sent the other half further into the forest, positioned to come out again 200 metres back down the track, behind their pursuers.

As they all lay in wait, with weapons ready, and the scouts with their ghillie suits, completely merging them with the surrounding foliage, it was a matter of time now, waiting for the trap to be sprung.

An hour passed and nothing.
He looked across at Nick Henly, his Sergeant, crouching in cover five metres away, who had been his right hand man in Afghanistan last year, and raised his eyebrows, as if to say 'I wish they'd hurry up. I want a cup of tea!' Nick grinned back at him, knowing full well what he was thinking, because he was thinking exactly the same thing!

Suddenly there was a deafening clap of thunder and a bright flash right next to where they were hiding. There also seemed to be the last vestiges of a keening cry on the air.

Nick was knocked off his feet by the blast and cursed loudly, holding his broken & bleeding nose, and as their eyesight returned, both Nick and Dan were aware they now had an extra person in their midst.

There was a beautiful blonde woman, aged about twenty, maybe twenty-five, sprawled on the grass, on her back, unconscious, or at the very least, stunned.
She certainly hadn't been there before the thunder & lightning hit.
Her cream/beige full length dress was torn in several places, but what struck both men the most, was the fact she was barefoot.
Her feet were bare!
What was she doing out here, with no shoes on?...and on M.O.D. property?

All the other men were a short distance away, which was just as well, as the sight of several men in camouflage, with guns, would have been overwhelming to anyone, but this poor….girl – as she stirred and sat up, seemed to be wild eyed and disorientated, and in distress.

Dan had slung his rifle across his chest now, and leant towards her.
"Are you OK, Miss? Are you hurt?"
He asked her, puzzled as to how she just appeared there, but his medic's instincts taking over.

Keesha opened her eyes slowly and tried to recall what had happened. Her dress had become caught, or she had tripped she remembered, but whatever the cause her body had fallen forward. But then there was that noise, so loud and so close and instead of hitting the ground as she had expected, Keesha had found herself falling and flailing as if dropping down inside the earth and the landing after such a long fall seemed to have done some damage. Slowly she lifted her head from the damp ground. She lifted a hand tentatively to her face as her head seemed to spin, her surroundings going out of focus and then back to clarity as a face, a masculine face swam nearer. With a cry of fright, Keesha attempted to pull herself away to put distance between her and this bizarrely dressed stranger, but instead she found herself articulating a sharp cry and falling forward towards him almost half fainting at the searing pain in her ankle.

"Are you OK, Miss? Are you hurt?"

The voice was kind, but who else could this man be but one of her betrothed's men sent after to bring her back so that she could keep her promise to wed their Lord.

”Hurt?”

She intended to be defiant, but the word came out as a sob.

”Aye, but I would rather die than return to wed your Master.”

With effort she pulled herself upright and saw the man glance to the side and following his gaze her eyes widened as she realised that a second man, dressed in the same way as the first stood to the other side of her! She was trapped and unable to move her ankle, much less stand or attempt escape. She had run out of options and as the two advanced on her, she dropped her hand to the bodice of her gown and from nowhere it seemed produced a blade she had procured during her flight.

”No!”

She cried out desperately brandishing the compact blade pointing it first at one, then the other of her prospective captors.

”One more step and you’ll take nothing more back than a bridal corpse.”

She threatened turning the knife on herself and holding it to her heart. Even at the tender age of 21, Keesha knew that death would be better than submitting to such a marriage as fate had decreed she make.

Dan was puzzled. Okay, they had all received a jolt when the lightning hit, but this slip of a girl was not there a moment ago!

Then he noticed how she spoke.
Although he understood her, she wasn't, as they say, from 'round here.
It was Nick lapsing back in to his native cockney accent, who mentioned it though.
"I might be wrong Sir, but she ain't from round 'ere, is she?"

Dan smiled, and replied "No, she most definitely isn't from 'round here', as you say, Nick."

Aware that the young woman held a knife, albeit a small one, and seemed intent on harming herself, Dan took a half step back, and was glad to see Nick follow his lead, before turning his attention back to the girl.

"No-one's going to hurt you Miss. And, I don't have a Master."

He paused and watched for a reaction in her face, before continuing.

"What's your name, Miss and where are you from?"
(He thought it better not to mention the fact she was trespassing on private land, for now, as that information would not help the current situation)

His eyes stayed focussed on the knife, as she held it to her heart, willing her to at least lower the knife.
Couldn't she see no-one meant her any ill will? He thought.

Dan reached into a belt pouch and pulled out a small field dressing, which he tossed across to Nick.
"Here you go, Nick. Hold that in place for a few minutes to stop the bleeding."

Nick did as he was told, and smiled sheepishly, as he held the gauze in place below his obviously broken nose.

Turning back again to the girl, Dan could see beyond her, and that the rest of the men were still down, seemingly stunned, as he couldn't discern any broken bones, or obvious burns or other wounds upon any of them, so, for now, he would try and establish a rapport with the young woman.

"I might be wrong Sir, but she ain't from round 'ere, is she?"

The second man spoke, his voice stranger sounding than the first.

"No, she most definitely isn't from 'round here', as you say, Nick."

Their words mystified her, but at least they stepped back from her giving her a glimmer of hope that somehow she might get out of here alive.

"No-one's going to hurt you Miss. And, I don't have a Master."

Her eyes widened at his words. No man-at-arms then? She concluded he must be a bounty hunter of some sort. No wonder he was intent on no harm coming to her!

"What's your name, Miss and where are you from?"

It had to be a pretence. But, as she looked around briefly she noticed that her surroundings were not as she remembered them, in fact a light rain was falling and all around was well dampened suggesting that she must have been unconscious for longer than she thought ...

The first man made a move and as his hand dipped into his garment she tensed sure that he was about to call her bluff. Instead the object he withdrew was thrown to the second man, a white cloth-like square which he used to stanch blood she finally noticed came from his nose.

"How much are you promised for my capture?"

She persisted once more.

"What worth does my Lord Kairnford put upon my maidenhead, Sir?"

Her voice shook contrary to her intention to appear defiant.

Her head span and her ankle throbbed, yet she could not give in now for who knew what consequences she would suffer at her fiance's hand if she let herself be taken...

When she demanded to know what price she would fetch if captured, and the strange way she asked the question, Dan began to wonder.
It all seemed to be like a scene from a bad mediaeval play; yet this beauty was no work of fiction, she was definitely alive and wielding a wickedly sharp looking small blade.

When then asked "What worth does my Lord Kairnford put upon my maidenhead, Sir?"Dan noticed her voice shook contrary to her intention to appear defiant.

Of course she was nervous, they had collided on this woodland path, and she had been stunned.
His mind kept going back to the point that she was barefoot.
Dan remembered a history lesson at school, where the teacher had explained the origins of the name of the town of Maidenhead.
He remembered fondly, how one of the class spent a hour after school every night that week, for saying quite loudly:
"Fancy naming your town after 'virginity'. Unless you run a string of sex clubs, you'd think of using a catchier name wouldn't you?"
The teacher had definitely not been amused, but the class was in uproar, hence the reason for his classmate's detention.

Dan unconsciously smiled at the memory, before he decided to try and speak to her in her own style, to see if that would elicit a response.
"Milady, we are soldiers in the Queen's Army, and we do not know of a Lord Kairnford."

Dan slowly pointed to her ankle, as she seemed to be favouring it.
"We mean you no harm - I am a medic, is your ankle hurting you?"

This was getting them nowhere, and he couldn't afford to wait much longer, They still had the RV point to make, before the opposing force could outflank them.

He knelt down and took his pack off his back, and unzipped it, unpacking a small inflatable splint, and some medicated wipes, and plasters.

"Put the knife down Miss, and let me help you." Dan said to her, putting on his best 'Team Commander' voice.

He gestured for her to come closer, aware that it wasn't the brightest thing he'd done all day, but he was a combat medic, and he had sworn to protect life, and alleviate suffering.

He took his helmet off, and laid it on the floor, in an attempt to look less threatening.

"Milady, we are soldiers in the Queen's Army, and we do not know of a Lord Kairnford."

Solidiers to a Queen? That did not seem possible. But the uniforms and accent were strange so perhaps it could be that she had covered more ground than she had realised. Either way, perhaps these men were not a threat or less of a threat than she had previously thought.

"We mean you no harm - I am a medic, is your ankle hurting you?"

He seemed to have spotted the problem and there was little point in denying it so she nodded briefly which brought him closer to her decanting a myriad of strange items, his manner efficient and controlled.

"Put the knife down Miss, and let me help you."

Despite herself she did not put the knife down, but she did turn it aside, letting it rest in her right hand should she need it.

"My ankle ... I cannot move it ... "

She told him unable to move closer even if she had wanted to.

"I fell ... from a great height I think ... and landed heavily ... "

She did not tell him of the knock to her head, not wanting him to assume she was completely helpless.

Dan noticed she would not relinquish the knife, nor could he blame her.
She was but one woman amongst several men.
At least she turned it away, so it was quite so threatening.
He cautiously moved towards her and placed a foam pad from his pack next to her feet.
"Sit on this, Miss, whilst I look at your ankle. I can see it hurts you. I need to know how badly damaged it is, so I can treat you."
He realised after he had spoken, he had told her, not asked her, as he was used to doing with his men, as they wanted to be treated.

Not a very good example of bedside manner! His instructor at the teaching hospital in London, Doctor Wheeler, would have been mortified!

He looked through the array of equipment he had pulled out of his pack, and laid out upon the clean clear plastic sheet on the graass in front of him:
Antiseptic wipes, gauze bandages of various sizes, elastic bandages, surgical tape, gauze pads for cushioning, a safety pin, surgical scissors & a velcro torsion strap.

He looked up at her again, and smiled
"Come now, if I was going to try and hurt you, I would have done it by now!"

He paused and then said:
"My name is Dan. What is your name?"

"Sit on this, Miss, whilst I look at your ankle. I can see it hurts you. I need to know how badly damaged it is, so I can treat you."

His manner was curt and business-like. He did seem to have little interest in her and seemed more concerned with tending to her injuries.

" ...a medic...?"

She questioned using the term he had used.

"You are a ... healer...?"

She queried watching as an array of items was laid out before her.
And still she had not moved as he encouraged.

"Come now, if I was going to try and hurt you, I would have done it by now!"

She knew this was true, yet she doubted she could move far. In fact when she did attempt to manoeuvre herself into the position he had indicated a gasp of pain escaped her.

"My name is Dan. What is your name?"

She considered whether he truly did not know who she was before offering in reply.

"Keesha ... soon to have been Lady of Kairnford ... had I stayed around enough to be churched ... "

The knife had slackened in her grasp and indeed she lay it beside her freeing her hands to reach below the skirts of her wedding dress and ease them higher as she tried to turn and check out her ankle, drawing another groan of pain.

"If you can indeed cure this pain, then I can be my way."

She suggested.

"... though the loan of a horse, night be helpful?"

She knew she was pushing her luck, but as soldiers there was bound to be a surplus of horse flesh and she would take the most docile and weakest of mounts if it saved her many miles of walking on foot ...

"Please to meet you, Keesha." Dan said with a smile, holding out a hand for her to shake, or if she didn't shake; for him to kiss, perhaps?

He didn't know where 'Kairnford' was, and told her so.
It certainly didn't sound familiar.
Looking across at Nick, who had stayed silent, as he swabbed his nose, he also seemed non-plussed, as he shook his head, swayed and shrugged.

Dan smiled when Keesha called him a healer.
"I am a healer, of sorts." He admitted to her, before he knelt at her side, as she seemed unable or unwilling to sit.
He gingerly felt her ankle, and could see why it looked so swollen. She had a nasty sprain, which would need a couple of days' rest to heal, at least.
He reached into his pack and withdrew a freeze spray.

Dan explained to Keesha:
"This will feel very cold, but it will help with the swelling on your ankle, and it won't hurt quite as much."
He sprayed quite liberally, the astringent smell apparent in the air around them.
She jumped a little, and studied his every move, as he then started to wrap a bandage around it to give the joint support.

Dan was becoming aware that the problem may not just be that Keesha didn't come from 'round here' as much as she didn't come from 'now' either.
Asking for a horse, confirmed that she was either a country girl, or disorientated more than he thought.

Certainly, her reactions to several things seemed primitive, as if she hadn't encountered these things before.

"A horse? We don't have horses, Keesha. We use vehicles to get around."

Nick was starting to look quite pale, and upon examining him, it was apparent he had a case of concussion. Nick eyes were spinning like tops, and he said he felt sick.
Dan laid him down and got on the radio.

He gave his ID, grid reference, and requested a casevac, to get Nick checked out. As the rest of the unit had gone on ahead, he was to be alone with Keesha.
He then keyed the mic again, and said he would be hitching a ride to Hospital with Nick.

After thinking for a while, he radioed his Commander, and apologised, saying that Nick had sustained a head injury and he would be accompanying him to Hospital.

In a real war-zone, this wouldn't be an option, but on an exercise, as the senior medic, even commanders were bound by his decisions regarding the company's health & welfare.

Dan then turned to Keesha to explain.
"Nick isn't well, and needs to go to Hospital for a head X-Ray, to rule out a fractured skull, as he has concussion. I need to figure out how we can get you back to where you want to go, but that place isn't here. I have called for a helicopter to take us somewhere safer than here."

As he watched her for any reaction, it occurred to him that:
a) She might not have seen a helicopter before.
b) She might freak out at all he had just said.
c) She was obviously not Military Personnel, so he had to disguise her to avoid suspicion.

Question was – would Keesha let him disguise her and then go with him, so he could try and sort thins out?

"Please to meet you, Keesha."

She took his hand as it seemed he expected it, feeling his large one close and move before releasing hers again. A greeting she assumed wondering not for the first time just how much ground she had managed to cover after all.

"I am a healer, of sorts."

It wasn’t the most reassuring of comments, but what choice did she have? His touch at least was light and his examination swift. She watched as he drew out a strange object curious at his words.

"This will feel very cold, but it will help with the swelling on your ankle, and it won't hurt quite as much."

Despite the warning, the first application made her jump and cry out in shock. She eased back warily though her foot was still in his grasp. Again and again, moving that strange object around her foot, she could only assume that he cast a spell to freeze the pain to allow her time to heal. She remained passive as he wrapped a strip of fabric around the joint, realising that this man must be a wizard of some type, using magic to heal rather than the treatment of herbs and humors she was used to.

"A horse? We don't have horses, Keesha. We use vehicles to get around."

She nodded mutely at the news. She had no idea what the term vehicle meant, but assumed that the term was connected with magic or wizardry and as such of no use to her.

Her ankle being secure, Keesha eased herself back putting a distance between her and the wizard who called himself Dan, but his attention now seemed to be focused upon the other man, who seemed to have grown still more unwell, but without any additional cause. A noise drew her attention back to the man Dan. He had a strange object in his hand and was speaking into it. The words made no sense to her and the fact that voices seemed to respond coming out of nowhere made her suspect that he was conjuring spirits! The spell concluded he turned his attention on her once more.

"Nick isn't well, and needs to go to Hospital for a head X-Ray, to rule out a fractured skull, as he has concussion. I need to figure out how we can get you back to where you want to go, but that place isn't here. I have called for a helicopter to take us somewhere safer than here."

She shook her head making no sense of his words.

”You must tend to your comrade. I have no further need of your magic.”

She told him eager to be on her way and distance herself from this man who seemed to possess such powers.

”If you could assist me to some shelter, I will rest awhile before going on my way.”

She looked around. There had to be some dense undergrowth or a cave or a tree’s shelter that would afford her some protection from the elements and also afford her camouflage from being found if she were indeed still being pursued.

”I thank you for assisting me,”

She told him politely, ensuring that he could take no offence at her words …

Dan could see he hadn't chosen the best of phrases to reassure Keesha of his ability to help her.
When he applied the freeze spray and she jumped and cried out, he saw fear in her eyes. Not what he wanted, at all!

Even though he had told her they used vehicles, he wondered if she understood what he meant. Something about her, hinted at a life without any technology at all, she seemed polite and confident enough, but innocent, in a 'country life' olde-worlde kind of way.

He realised his suspicions were correct when she mentioned his 'magic', when he tended to her ankle & nick's head injury.
She had asked for shelter, something a country girl would do, being more self-sufficient than a town girl. She seemed to be trying to distance herself from him, but Dan didn't want to leave her to her fate alone, which he could forsee would doubtless be full of trouble, as she seemed unprepared for life here.

”I thank you for assisting me,” She had said. Implying she wanted to be left to go on her way.

Dan looked up sharply, and explained.
"Keesha - I don't want to force you to come with me, but this land you are on is private and belongs to Her Majesty The Queen. Were you to be found here, it is likely you would be arrested and sent to prison, for trespass, even in my company, as one of her soldiers."
He paused to let this sink in, aware that the concept may be familiar, but the cause of her predicament was still a mystery to them all.

"Please, accompany me to our camp, and I will figure out how to return you to your homeland.
In order to do this, I need to disguise you as one of my men, with clothing like this. Do you agree?"
He indicated the uniforms he and Nick wore, and stood, offering her his hand, both as an aid for her to walk, and as a token of friendship.

She had intended no offence and though he did not change in his treatment of her, it did not appear that Keesha would get her wish to continue on alone.

"Keesha - I don't want to force you to come with me, but this land you are on is private and belongs to Her Majesty The Queen."

Again he spoke of a Queen and it seemed that somehow she had strayed onto Royal land.

"Were you to be found here, it is likely you would be arrested and sent to prison, for trespass, even in my company, as one of her soldiers."

Alarm filled her features. Arrest and prison were threats that were all too familiar to the girl!

"Please, accompany me to our camp, and I will figure out how to return you to your homeland. In order to do this, I need to disguise you as one of my men, with clothing like this. Do you agree?"

And yet it seemed that this man would help her face the consequences of her trespass. Why he would do so she did not question, she was only grateful for his kindness.

"Disguise?"

She echoed uncertainly surveying the strange garments. Nothing made sense to her and she could only trust to this man Dan to get her out of this unexpected crisis.

"I agree..."

She told him softly.

"Only ... I do not wish to return to my homeland, but to journey onwards."

She suspected belatedly that he made about as much sense of her as she of him.

"Prison would be a blessing compared the fate that would await me should I ever be forced to return to my Homeland once more ... "

She told him adding.

".. and in truth, it will be a pleasure to shed my Wedding attire ..."

She told him as she took his hand, the rose somewhat unsteadily in an attempt to walk.

"It lacks ... practicality ... "

A chuckle escaped her, dire though her situation was, it was a relief for her to allow this young man who called himself soldier and healer to assist her.

Dan could see the alarm written all over her face when he mentioned arrest & prison.

"Don't worry –you will be fine if you stay with me. Dressed as one of us, people will accept you belong, and won't question it. If they suspect anything, they will have to deal with me."
He understood that as she had been fleeing her pursuers, she had no wish to return to whence she came.
As she seemed keen to be rid of her dress, he thought he could pad out his backpack with it. Her chuckle confirmed that, in his mind. He also resolved to secrete her knife in his pack too. No point in her harming anyone with it.
"Keesha – please change into these and I will hide your dress in my bag, in their place."

He rummaged through his backpack, and as she was roughly the same height as him, thought she would be able to wear his spare set of fatigues. He placed the tightly folded items on the ground in front of her, so she could swap clothes.
He turned his back, to give her some semblance of privacy, whilst she changed into the camouflage uniform.
Nick wasn't a problem in that sense as he was lying on his side, eyes closed, having succumbed to the painkillers Dan had given him for his head injury.

To overcome her slightly smaller feet, he gave her two pairs of socks and helped her to put them, and the boots on.
He then gently reached out and swept the loose locks of her hair onto her head, and wrapped an elastic band before placing a camouflage cap on top.
He stepped back and nodded, satisfied that she would 'pass muster'.

He had a fleeting thought, out of nowhere, which seemed unconnected:
Had she been wearing underwear?
As he cast his gaze over her, he realised she looked pretty good in fatigues. He hadn't really allowed himself to appreciate her beauty before, but she was stunning!
He had always had a 'thing' for a woman in uniform, and essentially, with Nick in semi-slumber, they were alone, as the rest of the platoon had gone off to reinforce the rest of the company as requested.

Dan weighed his next question carefully. He didn't want to scare her off, or seem overly forward, but he had been single a long time, and she obviously needed someone to help her. She didn't want to go home, as she said she wanted to journey onwards. Where was onwards?
"Keesha – where do you wish to go? Would you accept my help to travel there?"

In the distance, he could hear the Helicopter on its approach.

He pulled a smoke grenade from his pack, and showed her, whilst explaining.
"This makes smoke, so the Helicopter pilot can see where to land."
He popped the ring pull in the top, and threw it underarm, around twenty metres into the clearing.
After a few seconds the helicopter came into view, and his radio crackled into life, as he had removed the earpiece, seeing that they had no further need for stealth.
"Ground Medic, this is Sabre Two-One, Casevac. I see white smoke at my eleven o'clock. Is that your landing marker, over?"
Dan replied:
"Roger, Sabre Two-One; this is Dagger Five - that is your LZ, over. We are twenty metres due West of the smoke, in the tree-line. Will move as you land, over?"
"Understood Dagger Five. We will land and await your casualties into the left side door. How many? Over."
"Sabre Two-One, Two casualties, one with head injury and one with ankle injury and myself, Dagger Five out."

There was no more conversation, until the chopper had touched down, and a crewman had jumped out, ducking under the rotors, as he ran to help with Nick, who had already stood, and draped his arm around Dan's shoulder, and draped his other arm around the crewman, as they half dragged him into the chopper.
Dan looked over his shoulder to motion Keesha forward, onto his other arm, so he could help support her, as it would look odd if she stayed back.

Once they were safely on-board and the pilot turned and gave a thumbs-up, which Dan returned. The pilot shouted:
"We're heading for Claro Barracks in Yorkshire, Sir. They have a Medical Centre, and extra accommodation, OK?"
Dan nodded and gave another thumbs up, as the helicopter lifted off.
He turned his attention back to Keesha. She seemed a little perturbed, which he supposed was natural, if you've never flown before.
"Are you alright, Keesha?" Dan asked her.

"Don't worry –you will be fine if you stay with me. Dressed as one of us, people will accept you belong, and won't question it. If they suspect anything, they will have to deal with me."

He reassured her before asking her to change. She took the strange looking clothes he gave her but responded.

”The dress is unimportant. It has no worth, monetary or otherwise …

She saw him turn his back and noted that the other man was as good as unconscious and realised she had no other choice but to pull the now tattered garment free of her body and attempt to pull on the ‘disguise’. Though more awkward than usual, Keesha made reasonably quick work of the task keeping only her fine underwear on underneath, for to her mind the silk chemise and bloomers could be easily concealed.

”Ready…”

She told him once all was in place and then managing not to wince too much, she let him help her don a thick type of short stocking and put heavy boots upon her feet. She looked across at him feeling strangely vulnerable now she felt stripped of everything she knew. She watched him observe her closely, allowed him to secure and hide her hair and saw that he seemed to approve of her changed appearance.

"Keesha – where do you wish to go? Would you accept my help to travel there?"

She considered his question.

”I have nowhere to go, but must find another place, another life. If you can help me, then I’d be grateful, Sir.”

She told him, breaking off in terror as she heard a strange rumbling-type noise which seemed to come from the sky.

"This makes smoke, so the Helicopter pilot can see where to land."

He prepared her for the smoke grenade, but not the helicopter. He did not seem to notice that she backed up to a tree as it came into view. Again Dan spoke into the magical communicator, but all her attention was upon the great object that seemed to hang suspended above them. Yet if she were fearful then, she was filled with terror when the object descended, the noise becoming louder and louder. If she had not been injured, her natural instinct would have been to run, but she was way past that now. And so, when Dan waved her forward towards the great flying ‘monster’ she stepped numbly towards him and found herself bundled into its interior, the sight of which was no less unfamiliar to her. Her hands clenched into fists, the knuckles white as they left the ground, the pace rapid, the ground far beneath them. Inside she felt like screaming, like running like … doing anything to avoid being here, but she couldn’t move. It was as if she was paralysed by fear.

"Are you alright, Keesha?"

She could hear his voice as if it came from far away and she wanted to tell him that no she wasn’t alright and that everything here was wrong and that she could barely move, let alone breathe, such was the fear that seemed to be mounting with every new discovery … but all she managed to do was give a brief shake of her head ...

Dan suddenly realised as Keesha mutely shook her head, that she was absolutely terrified, and she had probably only followed him onto the chopper, as that was better than being left alone in the wilderness.

He felt stupid and insensitive, not having considered she may not have seen a helicopter before. He then thought, though – he didn't even know where she came from (or when, come to that, as her style of speech seemed pretty archaic).

Dan didn't know what else to do, so he reached over and took her smaller hand in his own, and smiled, hoping the gesture would reassure her that everything was normal.

He gave her hand a little squeeze, then looked away embarrassed, and made a show of watching the other medic on the chopper tend to Nick.
She had hooked up a blood pressure cuff to his arm, and a portable meter, and was taking readings. She had also just placed a digital thermometer in his ear, to check his temperature.

"How is he?" Dan asked her.
"Seems pretty normal, although he took a good whack to the face." She indicated the broken nose, and associated bruising.
Dan nodded in reply.
She then asked – "How did it happen?"
Dan looked briefly at Keesha, and smiling again, before looking back at the medic, and replying "Walking under a tree, and a branch fell off and hit him in the face. Good job he wasn't six inches further forward, or he would have had it in the top of his head. God knows what damage that may have done!"
The female medic winced, and looked at Nick's face again.
"Other than complaining about nausea, did he make any other complaints? If not, he was very lucky!" She commented, before grabbing his wrist and checking his pulse, and tapping the reading into a tablet computer, along with the other readings she had taken.

Dan confirmed that, no Nick had said he felt sick, but other than that he was just feeling battered.

Dan then shifted closer to Keesha, and looked her in the eye, before leaning in closer, and saying into her ear, to allow himself to be heard over the noise of the chopper:
"How does your ankle feel, Keesha?"

She hadn’t spoken, but somehow Dan seemed to understand. His smile as he took her hand, all be it all too briefly, gave her some reassurance and helped her try to steady her nerve as around her there were conversations she couldn’t even begin to follow. Around her they seemed to be busy with the other man who she realised seemed to be badly injured. And all the while no one paid her any attention which she supposed was a good thing given that she’d been trespassing on royal land.

She looked up as Dan moved closer to her, his voice close to her ear as he asked.

"How does your ankle feel, Keesha?"

Somehow in her terror, her ankle had taken on less significance. Experimentally she flexed it and gave a grimace.

”’Tis fine… unless I move or walk … “

She told him briefly unaware of the increase of swelling now that her foot had been levered into a boot.

”Your comrade, he will not die?”

She nodded towards the injured man. It was clear that Dan was much concerned about this man’s welfare.

”This journey … will soon be over?”

She asked him finally. Her head was throbbing and she felt light-headed. She had thought it to be a result of the constant movement, noise and vibration, or perhaps the lack of food and drink, rather than the knock on the head she’d had when she fell.

”Could I have some water…?”

She asked him finally hoping that would make her feel better…

Dan nodded at Keesha, as she mentioned that her ankle didn't hurt, as long as she didn't move it, which made perfect sense to him.

When she asked him about Nick, and would he die, he had to suppress a wry smile, as he knew she had asked the question sincerely. It was becoming apparent that she was unused to many of the features of modern life. He had assumed she came from a quiet country village, but that nagging thought was back – nudging him, to believe maybe, just maybe, she was from another time.

Certainly her reaction to the helicopter was explained by that, and also her being so jumpy when he treated her ankle with the freeze spray. Her speech could also be explained by it, but that sort of thing couldn't happen, could it?

His mind drifted back to her question:
”Your comrade, he will not die?”

Dan shook his head.
"No, I expect him to be fine in a few days. The Base Hospital at Claro Barracks will scan his head, just in case, to eliminate any really nasty injuries, but apart from his broken nose, he should be OK. I've seen him take worse than that before."

Once he had cleared that up, she then asked:
”This journey … will soon be over?”
"In about an hour. Best thing to do is try and rest until then." He answered her.
Dan rolled up a sleeping bag, and offered it to her, to rest her head upon, if she wanted to sleep.
He still hadn't released her fingers, from within his own hand, and as he laid his head back against his rucksack, he gently squeezed her fingers, and closed his eyes, welcoming the sleep which was beckoning to him.

What seemed a short while later, but was actually just over an hour, the other medic gently shook Dan awake.
He looked over at Keesha, but couldn't immediately determine if she was asleep or awake.
The medic pointed out of the left side window, and cupping her hand over his ear, said "Claro Barracks, Sir. Medics are awaiting our arrival with an Ambulance to transfer the casualty to the Hospital."

Dan simply nodded, and gave a thumbs up, to show he had understood. The engines seemed much louder now.
If Keesha was sleeping, he didn’t see much sense in waking her, until absolutely necessary. She also needed rest, and he still had to figure out what he was going to do with her, when he got her back to his own quarters, back in Harrogate, where his unit are usually based.

As the helicopter flared and descended for landing, Dan gently touched Keesha's knee, nearest him, to rouse her.
He pointed out of the window and then leant across and said:
"We are here. Just follow me and everything will be OK."

She was relieved to know that the man would not die, but it seemed there was no water to be had and so she decided that she would try to rest as he directed. She moved towards the soft fabric that Dan offered her and tried to settle down.

The throb and vibration seemed eternal and felt as if it were coming from within her head, not just all around her. She felt sick and dizzy and even more disorientated than when she had first fallen.

She wanted to free her head to check where she had banged it, but she knew that the disguise was important. Beside her Dan seemed to sleep and all round her she was surrounded by strangers. She closed her eyes momentarily and found that she felt as if she was sinking down and down, her body heavy, smothered, but blissfully noiseless.

She didn’t feel Dan nudge her knee as the helicopter descended.
Didn’t hear his words.
It wasn’t just sleep that had overtaken her … she wasn’t conscious …

Dan took a few seconds to realise that Keesha hadn't heard him.
He tapped her knee again, and then began to worry. She had been very quiet since they boarded the chopper.
He had put it don to the shock of flying, if she hadn't before.

He reached across and shook her shoulder, to awaken her, and when this didn't work, he took off her helmet, and laid her down on the deck of the chopper, to examine her.
The other medic, the woman, looked over, and saw Dan's concern etched into his face, as he ran his hands over her head, stopping when he felt an ugly bump at the back just above the join with her neck.

Dan used a thumb, to lift each of Keesha's eyelids in turn and noted that her eyes had rolled up into her head.

The other medic shuffled over, and seeing the same thing Dan did, rolled up Keesha's sleeve, and attached a blood pressure cuff to Keesha's arm.

After a few seconds, she nodded.
"It seems that she has also sustained a head injury, although she didn't complain of any pain did she?"
Dan replied – "Only her ankle, nothing about getting hit in the head!"
The medic reached into a small box with a drop-down lid, and produced a small pouch and a bandage.
As she tossed the pouch to Dan he realised it was a cold bag, so he bent the bag in half, and was relieved to hear the rustle of the crystals and the cool feeling as the reaction between the two types of chemicals released waves of cold, quickly cooling his skin.
The other medic held out a hand, and taking the pouch from him, wrapped it several times in the bandage before bandaging it to her head, over the nasty bump at the base of her skull.
"Hopefully, the cold compress will relieve the swelling, and she'll be able to rest & relax, although she'll have a headache, nothing more. If she vomits, get her to the Infirmary straight away, OK?"
"Thank you. I'll get her to her quarters and get one of the other girls to check on her every now and again."

With that, the chopper touched down, and the medic escorted Nick, with another crew member, to the waiting trolley, which would go to the Base Hospital.
Dan waved over to another orderly.
"Have you got another trolley? I need to get her to quarters to rest. She took a bump on the head, but should be OK."
As the pilots ran through their post-flight checks, the orderly ran off and shortly returned with another trolley.
"I'd been told you had another casualty, so we have an extra room set up, in the next building to the Hospital. I'll show you there."

Together Dan, and Alan, as the orderly was called, transported Keesha to the room, in the adjacent building, which apparently was used for recuperation from surgery usually. It was empty, so Alan had arranged for a large room, with two single beds, at opposite sides, with all the usual Hospital furniture in the middle.

There was a TV, as well as an adjoining Bathroom, with shower & bath, a sideboard with coffee & tea making facilities, and a map on the wall showing the way to the Refectory, NAAFI shop, various Officers', NCOs' and enlisted men's Messes.

As they settled Keesha into bed, still dressed, as Dan didn't want to undress her and be accused of impropriety, so they made her as comfortable as they could, before Alan bid Dan farewell, as he was supposed to be working in the Hospital, but said he shouldn't hesitate to call if there was a problem. (And gave Dan a hastily scribbled note of his extension number, and left it by the 'phone in the room).

Dan settled down into a chair to watch over Keesha and wait for her to wake.

It was a bad dream, a nightmare. Her head swam with a confusion of images. People and places seemed jumbled and she struggled to make sense of it all.
And then there was that throbbing, that vibration. Being carried though the air, but that didn't make sense. And then it was people and movement and voices and bright lights and then finally all was still again...

Time had no meaning for her. For Keesha it stood still.
Her eyes finally fluttered open, blinking against the stark whiteness of her surroundings and for long moments she tried to work out where she was.
Slowly she eased herself upright wincing at the throb of her head and finding a pain shooting from her ankle as she tried to sit up drawing a sharp gasp from her.

It was then she saw him. The man's face was familiar as was his voice.
But somehow his appearance was all wrong. She blinked recalling her dream, which it turned out was more real than she had realised.

"Dan..?"

She tried out the name that came to mind, surprised that she had recalled it.

"Where...?"

She looked around the unfamiliar room and where she had been laid.
There was nothing she recognised.

"Oh my God ... I didn't dream it..."

Realisation seemed to throw her.

"I don't belong here ... "

She murmured.

Dan expected Keesha to be out cold for a while.
He felt tired, having been on exercise for over two days with about five hours sleep in total.
He took off his boots and stripped off, right down to just his boxer shorts, as the room was quite warm. He thought to set his bleeper for an hour, but he just wanted to rest a little. It was unlikely that Keesha would need him during that time.

He laid down upon the smooth, stark white sheets and was asleep in seconds.

Dan couldn't help dreaming of Keesha. She was beautiful, and he had been single for a long time, devoting himself to his career, gaining promotion quickly along with the respect of his men.

In his dream, they were in the Forest, crouched behind some fallen trees, awaiting orders, and she was dressed in combats, just like him. She had placed a finger to her lips, and silencing him, started to unbutton her camoflaged blouse. His eyes were locked on her, and occasionally looked up at her face, to see the sultry smile sat there, and the mischievious twinkle in her eye.

As his gaze dropped again to her fingers, unbuttoning the blouse, she slowly, teasingly opened it to his gaze, revealing her pert breasts beneath. He gasped, and smiled as she ran a finger into the shallow valley between them, and down to her navel.
She looked at his face, seeing his attention fixed on her finger, before taking it into her mouth and sucking it suggestively. Dan moaned. This little vixen really knew how to tease him!
She then took her hands and cupped her breasts together, enhancing her cleavage, and asked teasingly:
"Do you like what you see?"

Suddenly Dan became aware of another voice…far away but coming closer.

"Dan..?"

She tried out the name that came to mind, surprised that she had recalled it.

"Where...?"

She looked around the unfamiliar room and where she had been laid.
There was nothing she recognised.

"Oh my God ... I didn't dream it..."

Realisation seemed to throw her.

"I don't belong here ... "

Dan had come back to full consciousness quickly, his concern for Keesha uppermost in his mind.

As her words sank into his mind, he sprang nimbly off the bed, and crossed the room to her, to comfort her.

Only when he reached her side did he remember he was clad only in his boxer shorts, and still with evidence of a subsiding erection within them.

"Keesha – It's OK, I'm here. You're in a Hospital. You banged your head, and it made you sleep. Your ankle is hurt a little too. Just rest, OK?"

He tried surrepititiously to step closer to the bed, to hide his fading erection, and then felt his cock nudge against her lower leg, hoping she didn't notice it.
"Oh God!" he thought. "She'll think I'm a pervert!" He could feel the heat riding on his face.
"Sorry - I feel asleep too." He stated sheepishly.

He couldn't help it if he found her attractive. After all, she was naturally beautiful, not a blemish upon the smooth flawless skin of her face.

"How do you feel?" He asked her; keen to draw any attention back to her, and her condition.

"Where do you belong?" He thought, deciding just to ask her, after all.
"Where do you come from, Keesha – which Town or Village?"

"Keesha – It's OK, I'm here. You're in a Hospital. You banged your head, and it made you sleep. Your ankle is hurt a little too. Just rest, OK?"

The place hospital told her nothing, but his words reminded her that she had fallen and indeed when she reached up her head did hurt and when she moved her feet one did in fact pain her. She looked across at him and remembered how he had helped her after she'd found herself on that woodland floor, but before then ... recollection hit her.

"How do you feel?"

He seemed to be looking at her with concern.

"Where do you come from, Keesha – which Town or Village?"

She thought it a strange question. Surely he was testing her memory?

"Didn't I tell you? Kairnford in the land of Haskil..."

She told him. Her recollection of her last minute flight to avoid the marriage she had been forced to was clear, but after that, things did become hazy ...

"I didn't think I'd travelled beyond our borders, but ... to find myself so lost ... and then I fell ... "

She remembered Dan helping her after that and what he had said about serving his Queen and his seeming lack of knowledge of her intended bride groom. But then she had seen so many strange things, or at least thought she had seen them!

"... you are a healer ... ?"

She recalled.

" ... my head ... it is this which is giving me strange visions?"

It was the only thing which made sense.

"Even now ... "

Her eyes moved fearfully beyond Dan to take in the strange surroundings.
It seemed the hallucinations would not cease.

"... you must tell me ... such an ailment of the brain ... 'tis serious? ...
I will not ... ?"

She could not bring herself to ask if her condition was fatal, but it was clear she feared the worse ...

Dan felt a fool as he realised that Keesha was indeed from another land.

The fact she spoke (olde) English was an interesting coincidence, but one his mind refused to dwell upon. He was too taken by this damsel to worry!

He had never heard of Haskil, but would Google it later, but it didn't ring any bells. All that was secondary right now. She needed reassurance.
He took her smaller hand in his and looked into her eyes, hoping that this was appropriate behaviour where she came from.

"Keesha, you banged your head, and yes, hurt your brain a little. You are getting better; the proof is that you can talk to me now."

After a short pause, he asked her:
"Do you feel as if you are going to be sick?"
He reached across the bedside table for a kidney bowl, just in case.

He then explained to her:
"This place is called a 'Hospital'. It is where the sick come to be made better. Other people like me, 'healers', or 'Doctors' or 'Nurses', as we call them, work hard to make people better."

Just lying there, he was taken at how vulnerable, but beautiful she looked.
She had the combat trousers, and an olive green T shirt on, which showed just enough of the outline of the swell of her small breasts beneath. Her blonde tresses scattered around her face, like a golden halo.

His earlier concern was now replaced with the awareness that once more, he was growing another erection, and he was only wearing boxer shorts.
He needed to distract himself and hide his growing arousal, so he lifted the chart from the end of her bed and looked it over, to see if Keesha had been given any medication.

She hadn't, but he was interested to see she had been named 'Unknown Female' by someone. He could only guess someone on the Nursing staff had been in whilst they both slept, and not finding dog tags on her person, did all they could to identify her.

Dan gently reached for her hand and turned it over, looking for evidence to suggest she had been fingerprinted, but her hands were still dusted with a little dried mud, and nothing more. No ink smudges to speak of.
Then a thought hit him. Digital Fingerprint readers. Did they have those here?
He decided to keep quiet, as Keesha was disorientated and unsettled enough as it was.
He patted her hand and laid it back upon the bed, returning his gaze to her face, looking for any clues to what was going on inside her head.

He had been thinking beforehand, about what to do with her.
He wanted to help her to get where she wanted to go, but she didn't seem to know where she was either, so travelling anywhere would be a challenge.
Then a thought hit him again, which nagged him from before:
'What if she couldn't get home?'
He could shelter her for a while, but explaining her presence to his colleagues would be a challenge. She would have no history within any of the many databases the Government operated.
Maybe he could say he had met her in Afghanistan, and that she was a Farrier or something, which would explain her lack of modern experience, and her wanting to be around horses, and other non-technological things.
His mind was in a whirl, then.
'Where could she be from? She spoke old style English – in a confident style.' He thought.
Other thoughts followed:
Perhaps she had been a victim of an artillery attack, and the concussion blast had left her with amnesia?
Interpol would have no trace of her fingerprints, and there would be no mention of her on any computers anywhere.
How was he going to explain her staying with him? (If she wanted to)

For now he was content to help her recover, and then they would need to figure out their next move.

"Keesha, you banged your head, and yes, hurt your brain a little.
You are getting better; the proof is that you can talk to me now."

His hand held hers comfortingly, his words reducing her panic for the time being…

"Do you feel as if you are going to be sick?"

She shook her head slowly.

”No … I felt dizzy and sleepy earlier, but now … I feel much better…”

She told him realising that her head no longer felt fuzzy even though nothing around her was familiar and she really did not know where she was.
He reached across the bedside table for a kidney bowl, just in case.

"This place is called a 'Hospital'. It is where the sick come to be made better. Other people like me, 'healers', or 'Doctors' or 'Nurses', as we call them, work hard to make people better."

As if understanding her confusion, Dan at least reassured her that she wasn’t seeing things. The ‘hospital’ was curious in appearance and the healers he had described seemed busy and even brusque, so unlike the familiarity of the healers in her own village. But then it had been a while since she had even been in her own home. She had been told that she had found favour that she was privileged to have caught the eye of Lord Kairnford, but Keesha had always wanted to choose her life partner herself, believed that marriage should be for love. It was her mother who had convinced her she couldn’t afford to have such sensibilities and her father who had instilled in her a sense of duty. Her acceptance of his Lordship’s proposal had been made in the interests of the villagers. She knew such a man would be far from pleased at being left at the altar, but surely pride would prevent him from taking revenge upon the innocent?

”When can I get out of here?”

Her question broke through the silence between them.

”I do feel better … “

She attempted to convince him as she sat upright.
” … and I would prefer to be free of this place … “

She moved towards his side of the bed and eased her legs experimentally over its edge wincing slightly as she moved the ankle she had damaged earlier.

” … I think this better… “

She commented tentatively.

” … and on horseback this would barely be a hindrance… “

It wasn’t that straightforward, she realised that, but somehow she trusted Dan and knew that he would help her if he could.

”I don’t like it in here … It’s so bright, so … strange … “

She murmured, her eyes entreating him.

”… I would feel better somewhere … quieter … more … familiar … “

Surely this land could not be totally different from her own country?

”… could we perhaps find something to eat …? I can cook … “

She offered by way of persuasion as she realised that it was many hours since she had actually had any kind of food.