First Down

by Paula Mabbel

  “Aye, I can fight well when I’m not being held back,” Jamie said.

  “Does your old clan pose any threat to mine?” Sophia’s father asked thoughtfully.

  “I don’t think so. They don’t even know where your settlement is,” Jamie said, and he could hear the truth shining through his tone.

  “Well, I guess I should see to it that our medicine man comes to tend to you.” Sophia’s father said, but his tone sounded distracted, as though it had already moved on to its next order of business. “If you are telling the truth, which I don’t doubt, then you are welcome to stay with our clan after you have healed. My daughter seems quite fond of you and I approve of the matching,” he said and then he walked out of the tent without waiting to see what Jamie had to say.

  Jamie didn’t move. He couldn’t have done even if he had wanted to. He just stayed lying on the bed until another man with a heavy red beard walked into the room carrying what looked like a leather knapsack filled with small glass bottles of goo.

  “You’ve got yourself into one hell of a fight there,” the old man said, as he opened a bottle of something that smelt foul, and started to rub it over Jamie’s bruises.

  “Aye,” Jamie said as he tried not to wince.

  “You know the leader doesn’t trust you,” the man said, as he put the stopper back into the bottle and put it away.

  “I should think that he is wise enough to know better than to trust a stranger,” Jamie said. “I certainly wouldn’t trust someone who just stumbled into my camp,” he added.

  The old man chuckled to himself. “Well, as long as you understand why he might be frosty,” he said, and then he made his way back out of the tent.

  Jamie waited to see whether there was anybody else waiting to come in, but the tent was left undisturbed. He thought about calling out and asking whether Sophia would be visiting him again that night, but he thought better of it. He needed them to think that he wasn’t any danger, and that his clan had left him weak.

  He closed his eyes and for the first time realized just how heavy his lids had become. He had been struggling to keep them open. He could already feel a swirling blackness starting to creep over the bright colors of his inner eyelids. He felt his mouth fall open as a loud yawn arose from him, before his head started to tip to the right side of his body and onto the pillow.

  He was tired and hurt. He needed to sleep and recover, but all he wanted to do was talk to Sophia. She had been so kind in helping him back to her settlement and she hadn’t doubted his story once. He had been able to tell from the moment that he laid eyes on her that she was beautiful, but he could never have known how deep that beauty ran, until now.

  *******

  Sophia walked into the dark tent and listened quietly for a moment. She could hear the gentle breaths being taken by Jamie and she wondered for a moment whether she should leave him to sleep, but she couldn’t. There was a buzzing feeling in her stomach that was too anxious to speak to him to simply walk out and wait until morning.

  “Hey,” she said quietly as she rested her hand on his shoulder to wake him up. “You awake?” she asked a little louder when there was no movement.

  “I think I was,” Jamie said with a tired smile on his face.

  “I’m sorry I was just hoping we could talk,” Sophia said as she squinted in the dark.

  “Aye, what’s on your mind, lass?” Jamie asked, as he slowly pushed himself up so that he was sitting rather than lying down.

  “My father has said that you may join our clan,” Sophia said with a content happiness in her tone. “Do you think that you will?”

  “Aye, I’d like to,” Jamie said quickly. “I was going to make sure that you didn’t mind, of course,” he said a little stiffly, as he tried to stretch out the dull aching in his back.

  “I think it is wonderful news,” Sophia said with excitement glimmering in her eyes. “I told you my father is a good man.”

  “Aye, you did, lass,” Jamie said in agreeance. “He reckons that you have a liking for me, you know,” he added, and then he fixed his eyes on her face so that he could read her reaction. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, as he took in her reddening cheeks and bashful look.

  “I’m sure he does,” Sophia said finally. “It will be because I offered to help you.” She forced her face to look casual.

  “Oh,” Jamie said, letting the disappointment play through his tone. “I was rather hoping that he might be right,” he added quietly.

  “Really?” Sophia asked in surprise.

  “Really,” Jamie laughed. “Did I not already tell you that you’re the most beautiful girl I have ever seen?” he asked with a playful smile on his lips.

  “You did,” Sophia said, and she tried to stop her cheeks growing redder than they already were.

  “Then you should know that I myself carry a torch.”

  “Aye, I suppose so.” Sophia said. “Would it make you happy to know that you’ve been on my mind since the night that we met?” she asked him.

  “Aye, lass, it would,” Jamie said with a small nod of his head.

  “Then you know,” Sophia said with a playful smile.

  “I think you should come and sit beside me,” Jamie suggested, and then patted a space on the bed for Sophia to sit herself down on.

  “I think it might be frowned upon to climb into bed with a stranger,” Sophia said with a little shake of her head.

  “But I’m not stranger to you, Sophia,” Jamie said, his eyes burning intensely into hers.

  “I suppose,” Sophia said with a little nod, and then she sat herself down on the bed.

  The hours seemed to rush by them, as though they were in a hurry to see the morning. Sophia and Jamie spent much of the night talking, and Sophie could feel herself growing more and more attached to him with every word that passed over his lips.

  He was perfect to her. He was handsome, funny and strong. She could tell that he could fight, too, and that meant that he would be able to offer her protection should she need it. He was everything that she had ever hoped to find in a man, and he was nothing like the other men who lived in their clan. Sophia’s clan was full of brutish men who believed that women should be left at home to look after the children. They didn’t seem to understand that laughter and love held just as much weight when it came to romance.

  “Sophia, I want to try something,” Jamie said quietly and thoughtfully.

  “And what’s that?” Sophia asked him with a bright smile, as she looked at his face in the early morning light.

  “This.” Jamie leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers.

  Sophia could feel the heat from his hand on the back of her neck, as his lips pressed firmly against hers. She could taste peppermint on his breath, and a coppery taste that reminded her of blood, but she didn’t mind. In fact, she kissed him harder as a hunger in her stomach started to growl and take control of her movements.

  Jamie pulled his lips away from hers and their eyes met in the mild light for a moment. Sophia could see the same hunger in his eyes that she felt in her own. She could see the way his body was alert to her touch and rising with a rapid intensity as he struggled for air. He moved forward again and this time left a trail of kisses, dancing down her neck.

  Sophia’s whole body had seemed to wake up. Jamie’s every touch was sending sparks of intense tingles down her spine and between her legs. She could feel herself growing impatient of his kisses, as her mind took her to all the places that her anticipation was hoping might exist somewhere in her future.

  She could hear a low grumble escape from her lips, as his teeth grazed against her skin. His every touch was too much. His every look seemed to be weighed down with a thousand promises of what was still to come. She could feel his hand, as it traced soft lines up her legs and under her dress. Her body was stiff as his fingers stopped just before her panties and seemed to hover there for a moment.

  She closed her eyes, as she begged silently for him to lif
t his hands up further. And then he did. His fingers danced against her wetness as she tried to keep the long, deep moans from escaping her throat and spilling over her tongue. She pulled his body closer so that his skin was rubbing against hers, and then she lowered her hands to the sheets, which were covering Jamie’s bottom half.

  She let her hands skirt up his leg for a moment as she listened to the way his breathing changed with her every touch. She lifted her hand up further and felt the rock hard body of the thing she had been most eager to find. She let her hand rub against it so that Jamie’s breathing matched her own, and then she let her eyes meet his.

  “I love you,” she said as she held his eyes. She could feel her body pushing itself up, as she climbed on top of Jamie.

  “I love you,” Jamie whispered into her ear, as he thrust and sent Sophia’s world swirling around her in a mist of pleasure.

  *******

  Jamie looked across at Sophia, who was sleeping peacefully. He couldn’t help but smile as he took in her face. She seemed so at rest and at ease in her sleep. She looked like nothing could ever hurt her, that nothing had ever hurt her. She looked like the picture of innocence, and that only made him feel worse about what he was doing.

  He had meant what he had said to Sophia the night before. He was in love with her. He was convinced, in fact, that he had been in love with her from the moment that he had seen her in the busy crowds of the gathering. He sighed and pushed himself up slowly, so that Sophia wouldn’t stir because of his movements.

  He knew what he had to do. He knew that he couldn’t carry the guilt of deceiving the woman he loved around with him. He knew he had to go back and beg for their lives, or at least that Sophia and her clan might be left alone. He pushed his feet out of the covers and shivered in the cold. His body was still sore from the beating he had received, but the medicine man’s lotion had worked somewhat and it was nowhere near as unbearable as it had been.

  Jamie found his way to his feet and got dressed quickly. He allowed himself one last lingering look at Sophia before he pulled open the tent and walked out into the day that was breaking over the hilltops. He stopped for a moment at the edge of camp as he tried to consider any alternatives that could guarantee Sophia’s safety, but there were none. He had to do this. He had to be brave for Sophia, even if he didn’t feel like being brave for himself.

  He sighed again and then stepped out of the camp and into the open countryside. He knew that the walk to his clan would take him at least the day, and so he hurried on his way. He had thought about leaving a message for Sophia for when she woke up, but he knew that any message left would only open him up to questions he wouldn’t be able to answer, and he figured that it might actually be best to leave her to her worries about him.

  He walked across the country with his attention placed on the sky above him. He wanted to be heading back to Sophia by nightfall, and that meant keeping a good eye on where the sun was in the sky. He stopped, finally, when he heard the quiet chatter of his clan from just over the hilltop. He could feel his heart racing ahead, as his nerves started to kick in. He knew he had to do this, but he also knew there was a good chance he would never walk back out of his clan’s settlement again.

  “Jamie, you’re back,” the leader of the clan said with surprise, as Jamie walked down in between the tents.

  “Aye,” Jamie said.

  “Have you brought us news of their secrets?” his leader asked him curiously.

  “I have brought no secrets with me,” Jamie said, with a shake of his head. “I have only brought with me a request that you leave Sophia and her clan alone. They have asked me to join them and I wish to do so.” Jamie spoke with a steady voice that hid most of the fear that was rattling around in his body.

  The leader of the clan laughed for a moment before his face dropped when he realized that Jamie was being serious. “Is that a genuine request?” the leader asked with bemused eyes.

  “Aye,” Jamie said with a curt nod.

  “You are crazier than even I thought you to be,” the leader said, and then he started to speak loudly, so that the whole clan could hear him. “This man here,” he started, and pointed at Jamie, “has betrayed us. I sent him into an enemy clan so that he might learn secrets that could help us, but instead he has fallen in love with some whore.” The leader continued without looking at Jamie, “This is not acceptable and you must be punished.”

  “All I ask is that you leave us in peace,” Jamie said with pleading eyes. “They have no intention of attacking you. They are a peaceful clan,” he tried to explain.

  The leader laughed again. “The clan is peaceful, or so he says,” he roared out to the group of men who had gathered around to watch Jamie’s punishment. “That means they should be an easy conquest,” he sneered.

  “Do you not have a heart in that cold chest of yours?” Jamie asked the leader of the clan with resentment.

  “Perhaps I don’t,” the leader said with a casual shrug. “I believe that I have a suitable punishment for you, though. You’re going to kill that pretty little girl’s father,” he said with eyes that glimmered with a sick sense of enjoyment.

  *******

  Sophia woke up with a start. The cold wind, which was tearing through the countryside outside of the tent had managed to creep beneath the sheets and was running its icy fingers up her neck. She shivered and slid over, expecting to come into contact with Jamie’s hot body, but there was nothing other than cold and emptiness to be found.

  She opened her eyes in surprise and looked around the room. There was no sign of Jamie, nor any clues about where he might have gone. Sophia listened to the sounds coming from outside. She could already hear the crackling of the fire, as it steadily built up its strength and heat. She could hear the babble of conversation flowing from the other clan members as they all started to wake up and meet in the middle of the settlement, but she couldn’t hear Jamie.

  She strained her ears, so that she could pick out each voice that she could hear floating in, but none of them were Jamie. She could feel a flicker of anxiety growing in strength, as she pushed off the scratchy sheet and allowed the cold air to feel the entirety of her. She stood up quickly, as goose bumps started to form on her skin and she pulled on a robe, which had been laid out beside the bed.

  She walked out into the settlement and scanned the faces of the clan members who were already awake and moving. She knew them all, but none had the face that she was so desperate to see. She frowned as worry started to take a hold of her emotions, and she scanned the crowd for her dad, who she found sitting close to the fire.

  She made her way over to him without a second’s thought, and only stopped when she had taken the seat beside of him.

  “Good morning, father,” she said, as she watched her breath hang in misty clouds in front of her face.

  “Indeed,” her father said brightly.

  “I need to ask you something,” Sophia said quickly.

  The sharpness in her voice attracted her father’s attention, and he turned his face to look at her. “What is it, daughter?” he asked with worry brimming in his eyes.

  “I woke up this morning to find that Jamie had gone,” Sophia said. “I was hoping you might know where?” she asked him hopefully. It was the only thing left that would make sense to her, that her father had somehow spoken to Jamie since the night before and had sent him on some kind of quest or journey to collect something.

  “I’m sorry, Sophia,” her father said with puzzled eyes. “But I don’t know where he has gone. Did he not say anything to you before he left?”

  “If he had then I would surely know about him leaving,” Sophia said a little bitterly.

  “I’m sure all will be well,” her father said with a gentle tone, but Sophia could see the doubt starting to surface in his eyes.

  She had known that her father was yet to trust Jamie. She knew that he had only invited him into their clan because Sophia had placed her faith in him. She could feel t
he anxiety building up and turning her stomach until she was quite sure that she was going to be sick.

  She stood up quickly and walked away from the settlement so that she might have some privacy. She could feel the hot, acidic liquid pushing its way back up through her body and into her throat. She knelt down and opened her mouth. She wretched and her whole body stiffened with the shock of the moment. She could feel hot tears starting to tumble down her cheeks as her throat burned and her nose was filled with the smell of vomit.

  She waited for a while after she had finished so she could be sure, before wiping her mouth on some leaves and standing up, that there was nothing left inside of her. She felt empty, as though a huge void had taken its residence inside of her, but that didn’t help the sickness that she could still feel. She walked slowly back over to the camp and scanned every face to ensure that Jamie hadn’t turned up in the time that she had been away.

  “Sophia, I think we need to talk,” her father said from behind her.

  Sophia jumped at the sound of his voice, and then turned around to face him.

  “You look pale. Are you ill?” her father asked her with concern.

  “I think I’m sick with worry over Jamie,” Sophia answered honestly.

  “I understand,” her father said softly and then he dipped his head with a slight nod. “I need to talk to you though, daughter, about Jamie. He had been spotted on his way back to the settlement,” he said, and then he paused.

  Sophia could feel her worry soften a little at his words. “Really, father? Is he alright?” she asked quickly.

  “Sophia, this isn’t easy for me to say to you,” her father said and then he paused again. His eyes were filled with worry, and Sophia could feel herself growing more anxious than she had felt before the conversation had started. “Jamie was spotted with another clan. It looks as though they are marching here to do battle,” her father finished.

  “That can’t be,” Sophia said instantly. She could feel her head shaking violently over the idea that Jamie could betray her in such a way. “You’re wrong,” she said when her father said nothing. “He told me he loved me.” With that, her voice broke as she started to tremble with tears.