It wasn't entirely a lie.The chamber felt stifling, thick with the scent of lavender water and the constant chatter of women who spoke of her wedding as if it were a celebration rather than a sentence.
"Perhaps a walk outside?"Kenna suggested, looking concerned.
"Yes," Fiona said quickly."Just a short walk.I'll return within the hour."
She threw on her simplest gown and fled the chamber before anyone could object.The keep was bustling with activity as servants cleaned and decorated, men carried supplies marking the unmistakable energy of a place preparing for an important event.
Thinking nothing of a brief escape for fresh air, Fiona made her way to her traveling chest in a quiet alcove and retrieved the small leather satchel she always kept hidden.Inside were men's clothing, breeches, a tunic, and a hooded cloak that had belonged to a young cousin.She'd taken to carrying them wherever she went, a secret escape when the world of propriety became too much to bear.
Dressed in male garments with her hair braided and tucked under a hood, she easily avoided her father and Horas’s notice.With the keep servants running about making preparations for the wedding, it was easy enough to slip past them and make her way beyond the keep's walls to the edge of the forest.
Once hidden among the trees, suddenly she could move freely, breathe deeply, think clearly.This was where she belonged, among the wild things, not trapped in a keep preparing for a marriage that felt more like a burial.
Fiona walked deeper into the forest, following deer paths and random trails.The morning mist clung to the trees, making everything seem otherworldly and peaceful.For the first time since arriving at MacNeil Keep, she felt like herself again.
It was nearly an hour later when she spotted it, a large Rowan tree standing alone in the middle of the forest.It’s presence seemed to calm her even more so she trudged towards it and sat underneath it’s large branches.From her vantage point she stared up at the blue sky above with a clear view and began to untangle her troublesome thoughts.
Time passed by so quickly as she contemplated her life that when she decided she better return, the sky had darkened and the mist began to thicken around her.Fiona stood and turned in the direction she came only to discover a thick, impenetrable fog on all sides.She couldn't see her own hands stretched out in front of her, let alone the trail she'd been following.The silence was complete and eerie, broken only by the sound of her own breathing and the occasional drip of moisture from unseen branches.
"Dinnae panic," she whispered to herself, though her heart was already racing."The mist will clear."
But as she stood there, uncertain which direction she'd come from, the first drops of rain began to fall.Within minutes, it had become a steady downpour, soaking through her cloak and making the ground treacherous beneath her feet.
Fiona picked a direction and began to walk for what seemed like an eternity, feeling her way carefully through the fog.Her foot caught on something, and she stumbled forward, nearly falling.As she steadied herself, her hands encountered rough stone walls.
A building.Some kind of shelter.
Working her way around the structure by touch, she found a wooden door.The smell that wafted out was musty but not unpleasant, old wood and cold stone, but no scent of decay or animal habitation.An abandoned bothy, most likely used by hunters in better days.
The rain was falling harder now, and Fiona was thoroughly soaked.She pushed through the door and felt around in the darkness until her fingers found what felt like an old wooden table.There was a stone hearth along one wall, and to her relief, a small pile of dry wood still stacked beside it.
Working by feel, Fiona managed to get a small fire started with the flint and steel she always carried in her pocket.The light revealed a simple one-room dwelling with basic furnishings, the table, a rough wooden stool, and what might have been a sleeping alcove built into the far wall.
The rain continued to pound against the roof, and the fog showed no signs of lifting.Fiona secured the door and did what she could to stop the cold draft entering the building then settled in to wait, drying her damp cloak near the fire.
As evening approached and her stomach began to growl, she ventured just outside the door—staying close enough to see the firelight, and managed to forage some wild onions, mushrooms, and edible roots.With rain water and a small but clean pot she found inside the bothy, she made a simple but nourishing broth.
"Well," she said aloud to break the eerie silence, "I suppose I've been in worse situations."
***
THE NIGHT PASSED SLOWLY.Fiona dozed fitfully on the hard floor near the fire, wrapped in her cloak and using her leather satchel as a pillow.Every time she woke, she hoped to see moonlight or stars through the small window, but there was nothing but impenetrable darkness.
When dawn finally came, it brought little relief.The rain had stopped but the fog remained as thick as ever, and panic began to set in as the full implications of her situation became clear.Today was her wedding day.The ceremony was to take place in mid morning, and she was lost in the forest with no way to find her way back.
"Think, Fiona," she muttered, pacing the small space."There has to be something."
She ventured outside again, moving carefully around the bothy until she heard the sound of running water.A small stream, clear and cold, bubbled over moss-covered stones directly behind the building.At least she could wash and try to make herself presentable.
The water was shockingly cold, but Fiona managed a quick wash, scrubbing away the dirt and smoke from the previous night.She then wrapped her cloak about her, carried her clothes in one hand and returned to the cottage.Drying herself by the fire, she braided her hair as neatly as possible, dressed then wrapped the cleanest blanket she could find around herself while her cloak hung close to the hearth.
But as she sat by the fire, counting down the hours, the reality of her situation crashed over her.The mist showed no signs of clearing, and with each passing hour, the wedding drew closer.
She was going to miss her own wedding.
The thought should have brought relief, but instead, Fiona felt only growing dread.Her father would be furious.The MacNeils would see it as an insult.The carefully negotiated peace between their clans would crumble, and it would all be her fault.
All because she'd wanted a few hours of freedom in the forest.
