The Highlander's Secret (closed)

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Normally it would have been a two day walk from her home to the king’s castle, but it had taken Elaine nearly four to complete the journey due to her being so careful to steer clear of the main pathways for fear that she might run into her brothers along the way. She paused a moment as she approached the makeshift camp that had been formed in the open field outside the castle walls, suddenly wondering if she had made a mistake. She had taken every precaution to disguise her feminine features, but there was still always the chance that she would be discovered.

Underneath her long linen shirt that she wore she had bound her breasts tightly, hiding them from view. The leather vest and the thick folded fabric of the green plaid that she wore wrapped around her waist and draped over her shoulder over this efficiently concealed the rest of her shapely figure. Her long strawberry blonde curls she had carefully pinned up and hidden underneath a helmet which also helped to cover up the majority of her face in case she were to run into her brothers or anyone else that may happen to know her. She hoped that there would be enough men here that she would be able to keep a distance from them, but she didn’t want to take any chances should they happen to run into one another. Despite their disapproval she was determined to join the rest of the able bodied fighters that had been summoned by the king and do her part to protect their land from the invaders.

Growing up the youngest of four and the only girl, she had been raised with her older brothers teaching her all they knew about battles and fighting. After all, in the Highlands where feuds between clans were common even a lass needed to know how to defend herself. Now at the age of eighteen she was certainly just as good a swordsman, and definitely a better archer, than any of them. It wasn’t fair that she get left behind and not allowed to join the fighting just because she was a girl!

A determined gleam in her hazel green eyes, she took a deep breath to steady her nerves and walked towards the camp.

Elaine

 

[silvertongue217]

"Price Kegan!"

The prince himself turned frowning at the over eager male aid rushing over to him and waving. His intention to slide into the village and get a lay of the land and his troops before announcing who he was had been spoiled! Already he could see the men turning and looking at him. Whispers spread like wild fire as they all took in the prince and sized him up.

And there was quite a bit to size up

He was a broad man built more like a mountain than a panther. He had thick reddish brown hair that was tied up in a leather thong to prevent it from falling. He had a equally stellar beard to match his hair and it had the same reddish brown hue. His eyes were piercing and greenish blue taking in every thing and every one with a wealth of knowledge. The armor he wore was non descript showing nothing of the battles and prowess he had already partook in in his short life.

"Well it would seem my efforts to sneak into the village were foiled" Kegan said snorting "Now I am going to have to size you lot up more critically!"

The men jumped at this and then some laughed jostling one another as the Prince smiled. He waved some of them off and turned thrusting the leather rope of his horse into the Paige's waiting hand.

"You ever scream and run at me like that and I will throw an AX your way" The Prince growled locking eyes with the younger Paige.

"I understand sir" The Paige said nervously "it wont happen again!"

"Good" Prince Kegan said nodding in pleasure "Now go take care of my horse!"

The young man nodded and took off leading the horse to the others and the stable hand. Prince Kegan looked around and took it all in once more before he turned moving over to the entrance of the camp to see if there were any late arrivals.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Oops. Ignore this.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Elaine had only just entered the camp and spotted the check-in point for those enlisting when the exchange between Prince Kegan and his Paige had occurred. Though she was quite a ways away from the events and could not hear all that was said, the whispering of the men quickly reached even her and her eyes widened in surprise as she overheard that the large, mountain of a man was the prince himself, come to inspect the troops. She knew nothing of his fighting skills as of yet, but his demeanor and the way in which he carried himself gave her the impression of someone who had experience in battle and was confident in their abilities.

She stood, watching him in fascination as he moved for a moment before realizing in horror that he was moving in her direction! Lowering her gaze, she quickly headed over towards the check-in point and tried to blend in with the rest of the men.

 

[silvertongue217]

"You there!"

Prince Kegan moved to the new comer eyeing them with a critical eye. This man was... slighter than the rest of the crew. Not that there was any thing strictly wrong with that but it was worth notice. It was certainly enough to pique his interest!

"You just arrived to camp correct" Prince Kegan asked his voice not kind but not unkind either. He seemed a professional and polite sort but willing enough to land a hand by helping him grab his stuff.

"You are lucky... Any later and we would have gotten you for being AWOL" Prince Kegan said jokingly.

"What is your name son?"

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

"You there!"

Elaine flinched slightly as she was spotted and slowly turned to face Prince Kegan, half expecting him to call her out as an impostor and kick her out of the camp right then. Instead she was surprised to find him helping her grab her supplies from the check in point as he made a joking remark. She was able to manage a small, albeit nervous, smile in response.

"What is your name son?"

"It's uh..." she started, her voice a little too high before she caught herself and nervously cleared her throat a bit, beginning again and making her tone lower and more masculine sounding, "It's Ewan sir."

 

[silvertongue217]

"Ewan" Kegan said testing out the name before nodding "I like it mate!" He said laughing and thumping him on the back.

"Go ahead and get your gear sorted" Kegan said nodding at the row of tents "Were going to show in an hour and then I will address the men" He said giving him one last friendly pat on the shoulder and turning to the tent in the center of all the other tents.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

"Yes sir," Elaine replied with an eager nod as she was dismissed and inwardly gave a sign of relief at having made it through the interaction with her commander without the man seeming to have any suspicion that anything was amiss. Pleased that her plan seemed to be working so far, she quickly went to do as she was told, choosing a spot on the edge of the camp a little further from the rest of the tents to set up her own. Once the tent had been pitched and she had all of her things in place inside, she returned to the center of camp to await Prince Kegan's address.

 

[silvertongue217]

Every one else began to gather as well talking amongst each other and joking as they moved to the center of the base. For a bunch of men about to go to war they all looked happy elated even. Most talked about the glory of battle bragging about who would land the first kill and who would go home with honor and treasures. There was not a single man who looked worried about the battle to come or the horrors of war. Instead they all gathered in the square happy as happy can be as they waited for their commander and prince to take the small wooden stage erected.

He finally did moments later moving up the stairs quickly and going to the edge of the stage. He eyed them all his eyes giving nothing away as he gave them all a serious appraisal.

"I dont think I have ever seen a lot of meaner bastards" He finally said a large smile filling his face. The others laughed at them and some growled stomping their feet and their axes together. He let them go for a second banging his own feet to match theirs before finally holding his hand out for them to go silent. They did so quitting down until an unnatural hush fell over the camp.

"You keep that drive men that anger and fighting spirit for its the homeland we are defending and I would spill my own blood and every last drop of yours before I let the enemy take our woman and our lands" He said leveling them all with a serious gaze.

"There is much glory to be found in battle but dont ever let it blind you we are here because the enemy wants our land, our woman, and our kingdom and we will stop them even if it means every last one of us dying I as your commander will do every thing possible to prevent that from happening... But make no mistake we will defend our lands with our lifes if need be now get some rest and eat tomorrow we begin training" He told them before turning and moving off of the stage.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Elaine found herself caught up in the jovial mood of the men around her, laughing and stomping her feet right along with the rest of them.

Then suddenly the prince's demeanor turned more serious.

She found herself transfixed by Kegan's words as he spoke of the importance of their cause, the urgency in his tone and the authority with which he spoke commanding her attention. She knew he was right. Their cause was not to be taken lightly. Not all of them would make it out of this. She thought of her brothers out there somewhere among the crowd of men. Would one of them fall on the battlefield? Would she?

Still, just like he'd said, she knew they all must do whatever it took to defend their land and their people from the invaders, and she left the center of camp and headed back to her tent with even more resolve than before to fight in the battles to come and do her part to protect the kingdom.

 

[silvertongue217]

THE NEXT MORNING

The reality of being in the army hit fast

Dawn was just creeping over the horizon when he started the drills.

Kegan was already dressed immaculate in his uniform and groomed. He marched across the lines of the tent banging a pot over and over again with a spoon as he moved all over the camp.

"Get up you sorry lot!" Kegan shouted hollering it out so all could hear "Last one out of their tent spends the morning on a healthy jog!"

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Elaine awoke with a jolt to the sound of banging, her hand instinctively reaching for her sword before she heard Prince Kegan's voice and realized that it was him making all of the racket outside.

"Last one out of their tent spend the morning on a healthy jog!"

Elaine swore. Luckily she'd had the good sense to sleep with her chest still wrapped and bound and her long hair still pinned up, otherwise she'd have been the last for sure. A few rouge curls had broken free while she'd slept, but she repined them as quick as she was able and dawned her clothes before placing the helmet back upon her head to conceal her face and heading outside.

 

[silvertongue217]

Kegan waited on top of the stage his back straight and his arms behind his back as he watched them all file out. His eyes were alight with pleasure and fire and he watched them all file out one after another.

"Hmmmm looks like you lot all got here in enough time" Kegan said grinning at them all "At least none of you were late with each other"

He let them think they had gotten off the hook for several minutes before frowning.

"But wait... I was the first one awake right?" He asked raising an eyebrow "So that means technically you all were late.... Well in that case I guess every one gets to go on a jog today!"

The jog turned out to be ten miles and through a heavily forested area.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Elaine joined in with the men in a groan as Prince Kegan let them think that they were all off the hook before announced that everyone would be taking the jog he had threatened them with.

As the jogging began she could hear more periodic grumblings of complaint, though no one protested too boldly, none of them wanting to look weak in front of the others or in front of their commander.

Elaine probably actually had a much easier time with the task then a lot of the men. She may not be as large bodied and muscled in comparison to the men, but she was strong in her own way and had always been light footed, her long legs and natural grace making her more nimble than others.

 

[silvertongue217]

Sure enough she began to catch up to Kegan even going neck and neck with him some times. Kegan clapped her back at that and shouted encouragement for every one else to try and catch up.

They finally finished there lap and made it back to camp. Panting along with the rest of them Kegan congratulated them all.

"Now lets go ahead and get some breakfast!" He told them pointing at the cooking area set up in the camp "You lot seem like a couple of cooks so go ahead and get on it"

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Elaine was tired, but smiling and in good spirits when the jog ended and everyone arrived back at camp, pleased that she had been able to hold her own with the Prince Kegan as he'd lead them through the woods. While she was a little surprised when the prince announced that the troops would be responsible for cooking their own meal that morning, this was not a set back for her as it probably was for many of the men who were used to a woman doing all of their cooking for them and lacked experience in the matter. Quite the contrary, she'd grown up helping her mother in the kitchen preparing meals for themselves, her father, and her three older brothers, so she had plenty of experience in a kitchen.

Hungry after her run, she wasted no time heading to the cooking area that Kegan had indicated and got to work on her breakfast. She was pleased to see that it was well stocked, and it didn't take her long to prepare a hearty breakfast of sausage, fried eggs, and porridge. She even decided to take pity on the men who may not know how to cook, making an extra large pot of the porridge to share and frying up more of the sausage and eggs in the pan than she knew she would need just for herself.

 

[silvertongue217]

"you men are lucky!"

Kegan moved through the table clapping some of the guys on the back as they eagerly lined up to eat the food she made. He moved behind her and leaned in giving it a curious sniff. He then smiled clapping her on the back and looking at all the troops vying to get some food.

"It seems we have a cook in our midst!" Kegan said thumping Ewan once more on the back. He saw some of the men snicker at that and his eyes narrowed sizing them up.

"Oh I wouldnt laugh men since none of you lot can seem to cook for shite that means your only chance at a decent meal is through the lad! And just you wait a decent warm meal is just what the doctor ordered when your in freezing cold weather!"

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Elaine was surprised to find herself blushing slightly as Prince Kegan leaned in close behind her to inspect her cooking and then clapped her on the back, not once but twice, in praise. When some of the men started to snicker she was surprised to hear him admonish them so sternly on her behalf, grateful for his support.

She was about to thank him when she noticed her brothers join the line of men that had formed to get a portion of the food. Feeling that she'd prepared enough now so that everyone should be able to have a portion and wanting to keep her distance from them for fear that they may recognize her if they got too close even with the helmet she wore, she quickly fixed herself her own plate before excusing herself and moving to an empty place on the outskirts of where the men were eating to have her meal.

 

[silvertongue217]

"Eating alone?"

Kegan came up one hand on his battle ax as he crested the hill she was on. A faint wing was blowing in from the east causing the leather straps of his armor to flutter and dance lazily in the wind. He stopped in front of her eyeing her up and down before taking out his leather flask and handing it to her.

"You did good kid" He told her letting her taste some of his ale as he sat down next to her "You kept up in the jog and even managed to feed the men... Have you had any warrior training?" He asked taking the flask and taking a long pull from it.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

"Thank you Sir," Elaine replied, blushing slightly again at Prince Kegan's words of praise after she'd swallowed the taste of ale that he'd given her. While she enjoyed the Prince's company, his presence made her...nervous in a way that she'd never encountered before around other men.

"I've had some training, though nothing official. Just what I learned from others in my family," she continued before taking another bite of her food.

 

[silvertongue217]

"Sounds like your a young lad who knows what he is doing" Kegan replied happily as he handed her the flask once more.

"Thats good" He told her his voice honest as he nudged her with his shoulder "Keep this up and you will go far in this unit"

He rose stretching and nodding his head at the group "Lets get back lad next is combat training and I look forward to seeing how you wield your steel"

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Elaine found herself blushing slightly again at Kegan's praise. It truly meant a lot to her, and not just because he was her prince and commander. She found herself honestly liking the man and wanting greatly for him to think well of her and her abilities.

"Lets get back lad next is combat training and I look forward to seeing how you wield your steel"

"Yes sir!" she replied eagerly, taking a quick drink of the ale to wash down her food before rising and handing him back his flask, "Thank you sir."

 

[silvertongue217]

"I am counting on it" Kegan said smiling at her "now get a move on soldier!"

The rest of the day was spent doing drills and teaching formations. Kegan was very pinpoint about where and how they moved. The goal was to teach them to move as a unit attacking as one. He spent the next few hours drilling attack formations into them. If any one got it wrong or stepped out of line they would begin again. It was well into sunset before he finally had them stop and get ready for the night.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Elaine let out a sigh of relief when Kegan finally released them for the day, tired after all of the training that they had done that day and ready for a good night's rest. She began the walk back to her tent on the outskirts of camp, rolling her shoulders and working the stiffness out of her muscles as she walked.

---------------------------------------------

A month later, Elaine was taking a walk again, though in a much different manner. Well into the night, she was quietly journeying into the woods and away from the sleeping camp with a bar of soap carefully wrapped up inside a towel that she carried tucked under her arm.

While on one of the troops' morning jogs through the woods that day she had spotted the most beautiful and pristine pool of water she had ever seen in her life, and after a month of sponge baths in her tent she was determined to take a dip, even if it did mean less sleep. The pool was fed by the river and located far enough away from camp that she didn't think any of the men would bother to venture there, but just in case she had waited until the moon was high and the camp had gone silent until she'd snuck away.

Upon arriving at the pool she made a final glance around to make sure that she was indeed alone before quickly disrobing behind a rock formation and letting down her long hair from its pins before making her way down to the water, bringing only the bar of soap with her.

Sliding into the cool waters she released a sigh of pure bliss before beginning to wash herself with the soap, even dunking herself completely for a moment so that she could wet her hair and wash that as well. Once she had thoroughly suds herself up, she set the bar of soap up on a rock and simply swam around for a while to rinse off, the moon reflecting off of the water and lighting up her fair skin and freshly washed strawberry blonde strands as they drifted behind her while she swam.

Pool Picture 1
Pool Picture 2

 

[silvertongue217]

"Ah there it is!"

Kegan moved through the under bush his eyes on the pool. It was just where he had left it looking as pristine and perfect as he had thought during the jog!

"No more showering with the men!" He chuckled moving towards it and pulling his bar of soap out. He was on the far side having taken the long way around to check for any one trying to sneak into the camp. Now that he was here he quickly disrobed pushing his clothing off and dropping it onto the rock before jumping in.

He fell in with a splash laughing in pleasure he ducked under the water and then came up grabbing the soap and beginning to wash himself.