The Isle of Skye by Skye Jeppson (best value ebook reader .txt) 📕

As I started down the rode I looked back one more time at my little cottage in the little clearing and sighed, not knowing if I would ever see it again. With my eyes a bit down cast I didn't notice as Blai'r almost tripped on our sheep dog, Lennox. He had a creamy coat and tan fur that ran down his chest kind of like a lion's, and I bushy tail that always wacked me when he came over to get his morning treat, which was a piece of fatty mutton. I told him to go home and that the neighbors would take care of him, but he just darted between Blai'r's legs until Blai'r finally had had enough and bolted down the dirt road. I hadn't expected the motion and almost fell off as I tried to get a hold of his silky mane. Lennox was right behind us. He was, in fact, very fast. I slowed Blai'r back down to a walk and quickly plaited my hair, so I wouldn't look like a complete rag muffin when I reached the Isle of Skye. I met a traveler on the way down the road and I asked him if anything interesting had happened in the Isle of Skye, latley. He said, " Well except the war, and the princess being held hostage-" I cut him off, " Wait, the Princess is being held hostage?" I asked in wonder. When had this happened? He gave me a funny look, " You don't hear much do you? Well the princess is what started this whole mess, on the way back from the treaty the Queen and King were surrounded in the night, and while their men were fending off the attack, the princess was kidnapped. And so the MacAlalaster's started a war with us, the McLeod's." My mind started reeling, how had I not even known how the war had even started? Was I really that blunt minded? But then again I lived quite a ways from the main part of Isle of the Skye, the huge castle the Clan leader's, or as most put them, the King and Queen, live in. I thanked him for telling me this, and went on my way toward Isle of Skye.

I was sitting on the cold, damp floor of my prison thinking about what might happen to me and my kingdom. I knew that when my parents got the letter from Si'oltach, they would not obey his wishes, because even though they loved me, they couldn't give away all their money and be left powerless and starving, then Si'oltach would probably cheet them anyways and the kingdom would have a princess but no food or supplies, and therefore it is useless to comply to the letter from Si'oltach.

These dark walls were always pressing in on me, and if I hadn't found a peice of charcoal stuck in the mortar, to draw on the walls, I probably would have gone crazy. I was drawing my huge mare, U'na when a key rattled at the lock of the door and light poured in, I squinted through the light and saw Si'oltach's vague features. There were two men behind him, and he gestured for them to haul me to my feet.

They walked me along the dark corridors of the dungeon and halted at a massive door with spikes jutting out of it. I gulped when I saw blood on some of the tips. My already weak legs began to weaken even more, and when Si'oltach opened the door, the men had to practically carry me into the room. What was in the room made my lip quiver with fear. There was a bed with straps that held you down on a cushion of rusty iron nails, which tips were covered in dry blood. Then at the far end of the room, there were three beams of wood that made you hang my your arms in a painful position, so your feet couldn't touch the floor and releive the stress that shot through your arms, and leaning against on of the wooden beams, there was a whip, with thorns and glass on it leering menacingly at me. There were other contraptions of torture too, but the one I found most menacing, was the pool of ice cold water, with straps to hold you down in the ice cold water, while they dump a small container of leeches, in the water with you. I'm shaking so bad, that one of the men swears under his breath, because I accidently hit him in the gut with my shaking elbow. It suddenly feels like I can't breathe because Si'oltach points to the one with the pool of cold water, and thats when my legs give out in unbelief.

I could see the huge castle in the distance and it's mass took my breath away. I had heard about it's massive structure, but seeing it in real life was even more breathtaking. I took out an apple from my satchel and munched on it's red juicy flesh. I was deep in thought about what exactly I would do when I reached the castle, that I didn't notice the group of five soldiers until one of them spoke.

"Aye mate," the soilder turned to one of his fellow mates, and said, " Do ya think this one is of resemblance?" The one he had spoken to looked me up and down and said, " Aye, we'll bring her back with us and see if she passes the king's inspection." That's when I turned beet red and said with a little veminence," whatcha all up to talking about me like that, I'm not a display case and your lot will not be taking the likes of me anywhere." My voice rose to a little at the end. The soldier that had spoken first, said, "Aye, what's this, a spirited lit'le gal?"  as he was speaking I didn't notice the others surronding me, and when one shouted, "Ai'ken! Put her on your horse!." I panicked and wheeled Blai'r around but there was no way out of the ring of soilders surrounding us. Blai'r whinnied a high pitched whinny, and the soldier called Ai'ken, paused for a moment and then kept advancing toward us. Bla'ir reared up as he tried to take hold of his mane. Ai'ken jumped back and told, I was guessing the commander of the group, that the animal I was on was a spirited fellow. I smirked with pleasure and pride that they were scared of my calm, sweet, little Blair. Lennox was making a growling sound at the pit of his throat and baring his teeth at all of the men and their horses.

The man, quickly this time sped up to Bla'ir's flank and grabbed my waist. I screamed and recklessy flung my arms and legs about, and mananged to elbow him in the gut. He grunted but held on and pulled me off Bla'ir and put my arms behind my back, even as Bla'ir lashed out with a hind hoof. One of the men flipped a rope over Blai'r's head, and Blai'r started his little heart out with anoyance to the rope for he hated ropes unless I put them on, though even then he disliked them. The soldier, though looking frightened held on tight to his end of the rope. The man holding me gagged me and tied my hands behind my back, then with muscles heavily built from carrying a sword and fighting over the years, lifted me up effortlessly onto his saddle. He swung up behind me, as I wiggled around in my bonds, thinking murderous thoughts about him and his group.

Lennox was barking and biting at their horses ankles, but the horses were well trained and ignored him mostly except when he landed a particularly mean bite, and lashed out at him with their hoofs. He gracefully dodged every hoof and continued to pester them. He had bit the man who had put me on his saddle, but the man must have had skin like rock, because he hadn't even cried out. Then my thoughts returned to why they were doing this, I hadn't done anything wrong! But then again they took my mother and she hadn't done anything wrong either. But they had had an explanation! They hadn't even told me anything about anything where we were going except something about the king's inspection, which must not be good. I sighed deeply through my gag as we rode along the dusty dirt rode ever closer to The Isle of Skye.

I wake up to my usual chamber though now after my torture in the chamber I felt weak and my mind was sluggish, there was a nasty taste in my mouth and I almost gagged at the sight of the little inscisions the leeches had left in my arms and legs. The cold water had been unbearable, and when I had gone unconscious from the loss of blood I had had a last thought, and it had been, I am going to die. Suddenly my head was