#the fiery cross

[themusicsweetly]

“I have lived through war and lost much. I know what's worth the fight, and what is not. Honor and courage are matters of the bone, and what a man will kill for he will sometimes die for, too... For the sake of love alone I would walk through fire again.”

—The Fiery Cross

[gotham-ruaidh]

“You didn‘t ask what I want done with my body.”

I‘d meant it at least half in jest, to lighten his mood, but his fingers curled so abruptly over mine that I gasped.

“No,” he said softly. “And I never will.” He wasn‘t looking at me but at the whiteness before us. “I canna think of ye dead, Claire. Anything else—but not that. I can‘t.”

-- An Echo In The Bone

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I was so happy to see this small scene come to life in 7x03.

And it got me thinking.

Why can't Jamie bear to think of Claire dead?

Besides the obvious - that she's his heart, a part of him, the pain of it could very well kill him...

I think it comes down to the fact that he saw how his mother's death absolutely crushed - in many ways destroyed - his father.

Brian Fraser obviously lived for many years after he lost Ellen MacKenzie Fraser - but of course he wasn't the same man.

Jamie was old enough when his mother died to see this, and to remember it.

It's why he says to Claire in The Fiery Cross:

“To see the years touch ye gives me joy, Sassenach,” he whispered, “—for it means that ye live.”

[fraserstanclub]

“I have lived through war and lost much. I know what's worth the fight and what is not. Honor and courage are matters of the bone. And what a man will kill for, he'll sometimes die for, too. A man's life springs from a woman's bones, and in her life is his honor Christened. For the sake of love alone would I walk through fire again.”

[brian-in-finance]

Outlander Watch S05E06 Better To Marry Than Burn

Connecting The 🟡 Dots

🟡 ⚜️👑 Season Five to One to Seven

The Show

The soldier looks to see that the Dragoon Lieutenant is heading back to his horse. As Morna walks back to the carriage, her SHOE gets stuck in the MUD.

The soldier bends down to help her -- as he does, he spies something STRAPPED UNDERNEATH THE CARRIAGE: a WOODEN BOX….

He’s slid the box out from its fastenings and has opened it to reveal BARS OF GOLD. He holds one up, engraved with a FLEUR DE LIS.

Official Script S05E6 Better To Marry Than Burn

Gifs: @lochiels

The Book

It was a company of English soldiers, Cumberland’s men. Arriving too late to join in the victory at Culloden, they were inflamed by news of it—but frustrated at not sharing in the battle, and only too ready to wreak what vengeance they could on fleeing Highlanders.

Always a quick thinker, Hector had sunk back in the corner of the coach at sight of them, his head bent and a shawl pulled over it, pretending to be an aged crone, sunk in sleep. Following his hissed instructions, Jocasta had leaned out of the window, prepared to pose as a respectable lady traveling with her daughter and mother.

The soldiers had not waited to hear her speech. One yanked open the door of the coach, and dragged her out. Morna, panicked, had leapt out after her, trying to pull her mother away from the soldier. Another man had grabbed the girl, and dragged her back, so that he stood between Jocasta and the coach.

“Another minute, and they meant to have ‘Grannie’ out on the ground as well—and then they would find the gold, and it would be all up wi’ all of us.”

A pistol shot startled all of them into momentary immobility. Leaning from the coach’s open door, Hector had fired at the soldier holding Morna—but it was dusk and the light was poor; perhaps the horses had moved, jostling the coach. The shot struck Morna in the head.

“I ran to her,” Jocasta said. Her voice was hoarse, her throat gone dry and thick. “I ran to her, but Hector jumped out and seized me. The soldiers were all standing, staring with the shock. He dragged me back, into the coach, and shouted to the groom to drive, drive on!”

She licked her lips and swallowed, once.“‘She is dead,’ he said to me. Over and over, ‘She is dead, you cannot help,’ he said, and held me tight when I would have thrown myself from the coach in my despair.”

The Fiery Cross, Chapter 53

🟡 ⚜️ 👑

The Show

My father was a Fraser. A younger half-brother to the present master... Colum and Dougal... my mother was Ellen, the elder sister of Colum and Dougal. Colum wished my mother to marry Malcolm Grant. — Jamie Fraser

Transcript S01E07 The Wedding

Instagram S01E07 The Wedding

The Book

“Oh, aye. Ellen was the eldest o’ the six MacKenzie bairns—a year or two older than Colum, and the apple of auld Jacob’s eye. That’s why she’d gone so long unwed; wouldna ha’ aught to do wi’ John Cameron or Malcolm Grant, or any of the others she might have gone to, and her father wouldna force her against her will.”

When old Jacob died, though, Colum had less patience with his sister’s foibles. Struggling desperately to consolidate his shaky hold on the clan, he had sought an alliance with Munro to the north, or Grant to the south. Both clans had young chieftains, who would make useful brothers-in-law. Young Jocasta, only fifteen, had obligingly accepted the suit of John Cameron, and gone north. Ellen, on the verge of spinsterhood at twenty-two, had been a good deal less cooperative. — Old Alec

Outlander/Cross Stitch, Chapter 24

🟡 ⚜️ 👑

The Show

There were three of us when the gold came ashore from France. Dougal MacKenzie took one-third and Hector Cameron another. I was the third man, tacksman to Malcolm Grant, who sent me… But it came too late to make a difference to the cause. So Grant used it for the good of the clan. I dinna know what Dougal did with his, but Hector Cameron, he fled. He was a traitor. And his wife wi' him. I only had to set eyes on River Run to see where the gold had been spent. But not all of it. — Arch Bug

Transcript S07E03 Death Be Not Proud

IMDb S07E03 Death Be Not Proud

The Book

“Ye were the third man, were ye not?” Jamie asked, disregarding this. “When the gold was brought ashore from France. Dougal MacKenzie took one-third, and Hector Cameron another. I couldna say what Dougal did with his—gave it to Charles Stuart, most likely, and may God have mercy on his soul for that. You were tacksman to Malcolm Grant; he sent ye, did he not? You took one-third of the gold on his behalf. Did ye give it to him?”

Arch nodded, slowly.

“It was given in trust,” he said, and his voice cracked. He cleared his throat and spat, the mucus tinged with black. “To me, and then to the Grant—who should have given it in turn to the King’s son.”

“Did he?” Jamie asked, interested. “Or did he think, like Hector Cameron, that it was too late?”

It had been; the cause was already lost at that point—no gold could have made a difference. Arch’s lips pressed so tightly together as almost to be invisible.

“He did what he did,” he said shortly. “What he thought right. That money was spent for the welfare of the clan. But Hector Cameron was a traitor, and his wife with him.”

A Breath Of Snow And Ashes, Chapter 124

🟡 ⚜️ 👑

Remember Ellen Fraser’s connection to the third man?

[smdesserts]

claire is so unserious💀 “oh, really?” has got to be the FUNNIEST way to respond to someone telling you they want to die LMAO

[ursulanoodles]

“I like ye fat, Sassenach,” he said softly. “Fat and juicy as a plump wee hen. I like it fine.”

-Diana Gabaldon, The Fiery Cross

[inlovewithquotes]

When the day shall come, that we do part, if my last words are not I love you ye'll know it was because I didna have time.

-Jamie Fraser

[first--lines]

I woke to the patter of rain on canvas, with the feel of my first husband's kiss on my lips. I blinked, disoriented, and by reflex put my fingers to my mouth. To keep the feeling, or to hide it? I wondered, even as I did so.

  —  The Fiery Cross (Diana Gabaldon)

[sassunachs]

What follows is my number one favorite passage from the entire #Outlander bookseries. It's not really a spoiler but if you have not read #TheFieryCross yet, and don't want to read ahead, please feel free to scroll past this. This sweet little passage is about Jamie giving a bouquet (which has poison ivy in it) to Claire. He isn't aware of the poison ivy. She naturally is. "Welcome home," he said, and held out the small bouquet of leaves and twigs. "Oh," she said. She looked at the bits of leaf and stick again, and then at him, and the corners of her mouth trembled, as though she might laugh or cry, but wasn't sure which. She reached then, and took the plants from him, her fingers small and cold as they brushed his hand. "Oh, Jamie - they're wonderful." She came up on her toes and kissed him. He felt pleasantly foolish, and foolishly pleased with himself. The taste of her was still on his mouth. "Sorcha", he whispered and realized that he had called her so a moment before. Now, that was odd; no wonder she had been surprised. It was her name in Gaelic, but he never called her by it. He liked the strangeness of her, the Englishness. She was his Claire, his Sassenach. And yet in the moment when she passed him, she was Sorcha. Not only "Claire", it meant -- but light. He breathed deep, contented. ~ The Fiery Cross, #DianaGabaldon 📷Engels Ronny

[catmint1]

"When the day shall come, that we do part," he said softly, and turned to look at me, "if my last words are not 'I love you'—ye'll ken it was because I didna have time."

—Diana Gabaldon, The Fiery Cross

[buffysummers]

Just finished the 5th outlander book (the fiery cross) and tbh I really loved it? I wasn’t expecting to like it that much bc I have often heard people say it’s their least favorite (or one of their least favorite) books out of the 9 books. People either say it’s boring or they say they quit reading the series during it. I think that the 5th season of the show leaves out a lot of really good stuff but I also do respect some of the changes they made.

I seriously can’t wait to start the next book! I heard particularly good things about it (and book 8!)

[gotham-ruaidh]

I was chatting yesterday with the lovely @lady-o-ren about this post, where I talk about Jamie's violent inner self and how his love for Claire redeems him from that violence. Saves him from sin. Absolves him in the eyes of God.

@lady-o-ren pointed out that Jamie is quite self-aware of his inner violent self - a self that only Claire's love for him (and his love for Claire) keeps in check. He fears this inner self - he knows it is nothing but destructive.

And, Jamie himself says this to Claire several times in the Books - which is something I hadn't remembered! Producing the quotes here:

In Voyager Ch 54 where Jamie sorta talks about it. It's after Claire's been stitched up by Yi Tien Cho and he's telling her about Culloden and Murtagh dying. "I could feel it there, a hot red thing in my chest and belly, and … I gave myself to it,” he ended simply."

In Fiery Cross Ch 17 is where Jamie talks about being in a mob. “I didn’t think you would. Can’t see you as part of a mob.” He kissed her ear, not to reply directly. He could see himself as part of a mob, all too easily. That was what frightened him. He knew much too well the strength of it. And then as the scene goes on he says - “Nothing will harm ye while there is breath in my body, a nighean donn. Nothing.” “I know. "

Thank you, @lady-o-ren, for such astute observations! xo

[for-my-reading-pleasure]

Fucking Roger and your over familiarity with people who don’t know they are your great great… grand mother. Don’t kiss people who aren’t yours to kiss and don’t want your kiss. What the hell is your problem?!?

[iliketoread]

Most Popular Books Published in 2001 [That I've Read] | GoodReads

2 | The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd 17 | The Fiery Cross - Diana Gabaldon 19 | Choke - Chuck Palahniuk 20 | Year of Wonders - Geralding Brooks

[fieriframes]

[To hell with all these idiot CEOs.]

[incorrect-outlander-quotes]

Claire: Brianna, sweetheart, I appreciate your thoughts on the matter, in fact I encourage you to always challenge me when you feel it's appropriate; you should never be cowed by authority. Except, of course, in this instance, when I am clearly right and you are clearly wrong. Brianna: