Macarenna

They had been on the move since early that morning, before the sun had even begun to rise for the day.  Mac kept herself ahead of Brenna, never allowing for more than a foot or so of distance to transpire between them; she did this to avoid taking them through any thick brambles or underbrush that would take the warrioress by surprise and trip her, or worse. 

At the thought of her companion the rogue smiled softly to herself, directing her attention to the woman behind her.  It had been three or four months since they had left their previous home, if one could call a dingy, rundown tavern that.  The dwelling had mysteriously caught fire one night and they had all fled, the two getting separated from their other traveling companions.

They hadn’t seen any of them since.

So they decided to stick together, mostly because neither one of them had any set destination in mind.  They passed the time in silence mostly, constantly on the move.  Some nights they were lucky enough to find an abandoned dwelling or another tavern to camp in, other nights they were forced to camp in the woods.  Sometimes they were fortunate enough to find a kind soul that allowed them to stay for a few days.  Mac had decided to teach Brenna what she knew about the forest, and how to move swiftly and quietly.  In return, Brenna taught Mac how to better defend herself, and how to use both a sword and shield.  Neither one of them was too keen on discussing their pasts, but slowly they found bits and pieces out about one another.

And unintentionally, they were growing closer.

There was not a single thing keeping them together, and yet they remained to stay.

  Mac was brought back to the present, Brenna swearing quietly as the forest around them erupted into a bright light.  The crash that resounded afterward caused both of them to jump slightly, the area lighting up again.

A few moments later, the rain came, along with a premature night.

It came down in torrents, the two getting soaked completely through in a matter of seconds.  Mac felt Brenna’s hand close around the fabric of her shirt, and without thinking she reached around to take her hand, holding on to it tightly.  “Don’t let go, alright?  We’ll lose each other in this if we aren’t careful!” she shouted over the noise.

“I’m not letting go, I promise.” Brenna shouted back, shaking her sopping hair out of her face.  “What should we do?  Go deeper into the forest or keep going along this path?”

Mac blew water out of her face and shook her head.  “We need to find shelter before we either drown or get struck by lightning, that’s pretty much a given.” she sighed and came to a halt in the path, her eyes straining to make out more than just the inky moving shapes around them.  A sheet of lightning lit up the landscape and she looked down the path, a massive shape standing out in the distance at the very end.  “Let’s keep going this way; I think there’s a building of some kind at the end of the path.”

Instead of responding verbally Brenna simply squeezed Mac’s hand and the two took off, splashing through puddles and slipping slightly on the saturated ground.

    “Is everything alright, milady?”

“Do you hear that, Jasper?”

A portly little man stood at the bottom of the grand staircase, a candelabrum held high in his grizzled hand as he looked up at his mistress curiously.  He was as round as he was tall and he was missing his left eye, but despite that single mar in his person he had the kindly look of an old grandpa as he studied the woman before him.  “Are you referring to the raging storm outside, my lady?”

While she was not as old and wizened as her butler, the lady of the house was indeed an elder.  However she had aged elegantly, like a fine wine.  She was tall and soft, her every movement fluid and graceful.  Her silver hair still held faint traces of the deep red that it once was, and her gentle, blue eyes were as bright as ever.  All in all she was a regal sight to behold.

She frowned and shook her head slightly, a small circle of light illuminating the two as she descended the final step, her own candle held high in her hand.  “Not just the storm, no.  It sounds as though someone were banging on the front door.”

“Who in their right mind would be out in this?!” he asked incredulously, directing his sight to one of the high windows, lightning illuminating the room.  “Madam, you are more than likely just hearin-“

“There!  Do you not hear it?”

The two fell silent, a series of steady thumps resonating around them amid the howling wind, crashing thunder, and rain lashing at the building encompassing them.  Without sparing another moment the two rushed for the heavy oak door, Jasper throwing the heavy bolt to the side and undoing the latches, both of them swinging the door open.  “Oh my!  Quick, let’s get the poor dears in before they drown!  Jasper help her, I think her companion has fainted.  Get them in quickly, and go wake Nin, Patsy, and Rose, please.  We need more hands.  Hello, darling, can you hear me?  Can you still walk?  We need to get you and your companion beside the fire.”

In her state of exhaustion and shock, all Mac could do was nod.  Her body was shivering violently, what little energy she had left slowly draining out of her the more she struggled to help them move Brenna further into the house.  She tried to speak, but all she could manage was a gasp.

“Shh, best not to talk, child, save your strength.  All will be well, both the Lady Rosalyn and myself will make sure of it.” 

Before her world went black, Mac managed to nod her head shortly and stutter a weak, “Thank you.”

-o-

“Oh, brilliant Constance.  Way to let your sodding chivalry get the better of you; you should know by now not to stick your nose into places where they don’t belong. Next time you come across the creepy, ominous, silhouette of a mansion in the middle of the night, during the storm of the century, leave it creepy, ominous, and silhouetted.” she huffed as she fiddled with a rather large bow, her neck craned over her shoulder as she attempted to see what it was exactly she was trying to do.  Instead of using the large mirror in the corner of the room, she opted to keep her eyes off of it at all costs, as it would just infuriate her further.  “Deceptive….manipulative….adorable little…..stout…one-eyed…pouter of a man!”  She muttered under her breath, stressing each syllable with a tug on the stubborn ribbon.  The pink garment laced up the back, which she had managed to do herself, but she was determined to keep her back covered as much as possible.  The bow helped, and luckily there was a shawl that went with the dress 

  After stalling for as long as she possibly could, Mac finally exited the small room, fairly positive that she was going to be the last person to show up.  As she walked down the hall towards the staircase, she made a silent vow to herself:  if she made it through tonight in one piece, she was never going to seek shelter during a storm ever again.

  Constance Macayle, was not happy.

  But when you got right down to it, she hadn’t had any other choice.  If they had stayed out in the elements for much longer, they would have surely died. 

  Brenna, would have died.

  That scared her more than the thought of her own demise.

  It had taken them both almost a week to recover from their little adventure in the rain, and an additional week before they were rested up fully.  The two had suffered from severe exhaustion, and luckily that was it; if they had been out in the storm much longer, they could have caught pneumonia, suffered from hypothermia, or worse.  Lady Rosalyn refused to let them leave until they were one hundred and ten percent.

  Mac had a sneaking suspicion that the kindly woman was keeping them around simply for the company, as she appeared to have taken on a strong fondness for the two.

  If Mac were to be honest with herself, she would have to admit that she’d grown rather attached to the Lady as well.  Even if she was a noble.

  Jasper had not made it a secret that he adored the pair, which is why he had begged them to stay an extra night, in honor of the Lady’s birthday.  She would have been heartbroken if they had left before the party was to take place.  The persuasive old goat had even gone as far as sniffing dramatically, explaining how she had no children of her own to celebrate with.

  He had even shed a tear.

  “Bastard.” Mac muttered under her breath as she descended the stairs, trying hard to stop a grin from spreading across her face at the thought of the elderly man.  In truth, she was happy to stay for the party, and she knew Brenna was too, deep down.  They both owed these gracious people their lives and they were respectable enough to admit it, even if they grumbled at the very mention of the phrase ‘formal party’.

    As soon as she entered the massive dining hall she was pulled into a soft embrace, her tense body relaxing when she realized who it was.  “Thank you so much for staying, Constance; for both of you staying.  It means the world to me.”

  Mac smiled and squeezed the woman gently, the two parting after a moment.  “There is no need for thanks, my Lady.  We’re the ones that need to be thanking you; I don’t know how we’ll ever be able to-“

  “Think nothing of it, my dear.  And please, just Rosalyn will do.”  Lady Rosalyn smiled softly at the younger woman, nodding to her guests as they passed by and uttered their greetings and well wishes.  “Look at you child, you are absolutely gorgeous!”

  “Thank you.” she said with a blush, shifting slightly on the spot.  Compliments were still something that she was not extremely used to.  Mac scanned the crowd for signs of a familiar face, frowning when she could not find it.  “Have you…?”

  “She said something about needing a drink, and Jasper escorted her to the bar.”

  “Thank you, again.  Happy Birthday Rosalyn!”

  “Do try to enjoy yourself, dear.”

  Mac clutched the shawl tighter around her shoulders as she wound her way through the various bodies scattered around the room, her brown eyes constantly on the search for that familiar mane of blonde.  She finally spotted her at the back of the room, the warrioress leaning against the wall, a foaming tankard in hand.  She frowned at the sight of the beverage, but that soon disappeared once she took the blonde woman’s appearance in fully.

  The rogue stopped in her tracks, her mouth going dry and her heart fluttering slightly in her chest.  The purple gown that Brenna was in was simply stunning, the garment hugging her figure in all of the right places.  It was simple, but elegant.

  The entire room disappeared as she kept her gaze locked onto Brenna.

    Brenna huffed and grumbled to herself slightly, choosing to keep herself out of the crowd when she could not find Mac.  True, she had been happy when both Lady Rosalyn and Jasper had greeted her, but that soon disappeared when she was unable to locate her redheaded companion.

  And so she chose to extricate herself from the festivities and find the strongest brew that could be found.

  She sighed as she raised the tankard from her lips, her eyes snapping up in surprise when a hand covered the top and pushed the mug down.  The incredulous comment she was about to utter died on her lips when she saw who her mystery companion was, the ale in her hand completely forgotten.

  “You look…..”

  “So do you.”  Mac smiled softly, gently tugging on the forgotten tankard Brenna’s hand.  “You don’t need this.  Not tonight.”

  Brenna let the shorter woman take it from her, breath catching in her throat as Mac leaned closer, placing the mug on an empty table next to them.  She swallowed thickly as the redhead backed away a step and took her hand.  “Shall we dance?”

  She studied her for a moment, her eyes flickering to the shawl draped over Mac’s shoulders.  “On one condition.”

  “Yes? Wa-wait, what are you….” Mac shook her head, a slight frown creasing her brow as Brenna tugged on the garment.  She put a restraining hand on Brenna’s arm and tried to back away, but was unable to when the woman curled her arm around her waist, tugging her back.  “Don’t.  Please.”

  “I will dance with you, if you agree to rid yourself of this infernal thing.”  Brenna said levelly, her arm still wrapped around Mac’s waist.  The stern glint in her eyes softened as she continued to hold Mac in her arms, the look of complete unease and discomfort in the other woman’s eyes taking her off guard. 

  Mac was always a woman that was very certain of herself.  She kept her emotions checked, and remained to be a pillar of strength for the benefit of those around her.  She was strong, and stubborn.

  To see her like this, so vulnerable and unsure, was very unsettling, and caused Brenna’s heart to break.  Of course Brenna knew why Mac was resisting, even if she didn’t know the entire cause behind it.

  She smiled slightly and took Mac’s face in her hands, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her thumb stroking her cheek softly.  “You are beautiful Constance, in every way.  A few scars on your back do not change that fact one little bit, and if someone chooses to pass judgment on you because of that then they do not deserve to even be in your presence.  They do not make you who you are; you make you.”

  Mac chewed on her bottom lip slowly, blinking back tears that had threatened to break loose as Brenna’s words seeped in to her.  After a moment she hesitantly raised her hand and placed it over the blonde’s, the uncertainty dying on her features as her head nodded slightly.  When Brenna tugged on the shawl again, she did nothing to stop her.  “You don’t need this.  Not tonight.” she whispered.

  The redhead watched as Brenna folded the garment carefully in her hands, an eyebrow arching as she finally noticed that her companion was not wearing any shoes.  “Really?  Barefooted?”

  “I agreed to wear this dress, but I was not about to put those infernal things on my feet.”

  Mac laughed slightly and shook her head, once again taking Brenna by the hand.  “Shall we?”

  Brenna squeezed the other woman’s hand and nodded.  “Let’s.”

  -o-

  Mac stood in front of the full-length mirror, staring at her reflection in the dying candlelight.  After a moment she slowly turned around and reached for the bow, untying the ribbon and letting it flutter to the ground before she worked on the laces.

  How she had managed to lace this thing up by herself she would never know.

  She held the loosened garment to her chest and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath before she looked over her shoulder, her eyes glued to the reflection of her naked back.  It was completely scarred up, some of them long and shallow, others deep and jagged in varying degrees and angles.  There was a shiny brand on the back of her left shoulder, it the deepest of the burn marks that could be discerned amid the gashes.

  This was the first time she had looked at herself in over four years.

    Before she could think on things much further and allow the past to consume her mind, the door to her room opened and closed softly, Brenna’s reflection the only thing Mac could focus on.  They watched each other for a moment, the blonde settling her gaze onto the scarred flesh of her companion’s back.  On their travels together she had seen glimpses of them here and there, but had no idea how extensive they were until now.

  She reached a hand out and gently placed it on the center of Mac’s back, stopping when the woman flinched slightly.  She only moved closer when the redhead’s body relaxed, placing her other hand on Mac’s right hip.  Slowly she traced the planes, ridges, and mars with her fingers, feeling her heart break the deeper the scars ran.

  Mac stood there silently, keeping her eyes fixated on the floor as she allowed Brenna to continue her explorations.  A jumble of emotions were running through her mind, leaving her to be utterly confused and unsure of what to really feel.  A small tear ran down the center of her back and she let out the breath she had been unaware of holding, her body shuddering slightly as she felt a small kiss being placed to her shoulder.

  “What happened?” Brenna asked after a lengthy silence.

  Mac chewed on her bottom lip once more, her hands still holding the loosened dress to her person.  She finally turned around and faced Brenna, raising a hand to swipe the dewy track off of her cheek.  “I will be ready to tell you the story,” Mac said slowly, cupping the blonde’s chin in her hand to tilt the woman’s face towards her own, their eyes locking.  “When you are ready to tell me why it is that you have to drink so much.”

  Brenna searched the brown orbs with her own, an unspoken understanding passing between the two.  She nodded her head slightly and, without thinking, closed the distance between them to place her lips upon Macs.  An arm curled around her neck as she wrapped her own around the shorter woman’s waist, pulling their bodies flush up against one another, the kiss deepening. 

  The need for air finally arose and Brenna rest her forehead against Mac’s, her fingers running through the auburn locks.