3. Chapter 3 - Magnus

Iwoke up with a start. Long live the king! Long live the king! Long live the king! was echoing in my head… a massive crowd chanting... I had been standing on a stage, a crown placed upon m'brow. I had bowed my head, but now I looked up, out over the screaming hordes, at the timber walls, buildings with thatched roofs, flags fluttering above — what flags? I tried tae remember how they had looked against the sky.

But there was a darkness around the edges, the flags fluttering against a high blue sky had crisp edges but unformed centers.

I had forgotten becoming a king. Now, I remembered I had once been a medieval king.

Which came first?

I had acquired the throne, years ago, it had happened before I knew it had happened — a loop, an entanglement.

A long confusing time ago.

I had been a king.

Mag Mòr, crowned in the year 1290.

It had been the most difficult thing in the world tae be a king at two ends of time, tae be stretched by duty and honor well past my limits. With time shifting between.

But now I wasna Mag Mòr. I wasna a king of the past. The shift of time had sloughed me from the line. Or wheel. As my auld friend Cailean had argued.

I had known him back then. How had I forgotten him? What caused me tae remember?

My experience had proven Cailean right, twas a wheel, I felt sure. And I had been thrown from that circuitous rolling. That royal role.

I was a king in the future, no longer king in the past.

It was scarcely even a memory anymore.

More like an echo, though twas inside myself, an echo that got m'heart racing, and filled m'gut with a cold dread.

I had been the ruler of a kingdom. Twas a great demandin' responsibility.

But it wasna real.

It had been real but now twas only an imagined past, echoing around inside m'being.

I had been dreaming. I was certain of it.

But this had seemed somehow new… it unsettled me and made it difficult tae return tae sleep.

I rolled over on m'side and placed a hand on Kaitlyn's stomach, soft and pouchy from bearin' my bairns.

I had forgotten that Jack had come tae sleep with us in the night. He looked over her shoulder at me and said, "Da!"

I chuckled, and pressed my finger tae m'lips. Then I held out my arms. He crawled across Kaitlyn's chest and climbed into my arms. I lifted him, carried him from the room, and down the stairs. We went tae the refrigerator and stood in the light of the open door. I pulled out the carton of milk, took down a mug, poured some milk in and chugged it down, leaving a bit of milk on m'upper lip. Jack giggled and put out his hands. "Me!"

I gave him the mug and he chugged. He gave it back, a grin on his face.

I said, "This is what we do, Jack, we drink from a mug in the light of the refrigerator in the twenty-first century. Next, we hae a verra important task, dost ye ken what tis?"

His face grew serious as if he were thinking this was a consequential thing.

"In every century, if we are up in the night, we ought tae go guard the house. Are ye ready?"

He nodded and sat up straight on m'arm. We walked across the living room, slid open the door, and stepped out on the back deck.

There was a light breeze, rustling the hair on his head. He wrapped his arm around my bicep and shivered.

"Aye, wee bairn, this is the cold of duty. Ye hae tae go out intae it tae keep yer family safe. Dost ye see the guard on the roof?"

We looked up on the roof tae see Sam, who had been with us for years. He raised a hand. Jack and I both raised a hand in return. Then we stood there, takin' in the beach, my eyes sweepin' up and down the sand dunes. Jack tucked his head tae m'shoulder. I stood there for a long time, relishin' the breeze on m'skin, the certainty of the ocean, even as it ebbed and flowed against our beach. Our house was a stronghold, even as the sand beneath it shifted under the foundation.

I breathed in the salt air and felt Jack grow heavy in m'arms, the weight bringing me comfort. A burden was a purpose and there was nae greater burden nor purpose than sons.

And thrones.

A man with burden and purpose wanted safety. Tae ken a certain peace. Life these days seemed tae be a quest for strikin' balance between the purpose and burden and peace, tae hae balance of all.

I had achieved it, yet...

Long live the king, long live the king, long live the king, echoed still.

The shifting sands of time seemed tae be signaling that the balance was becoming dislodged.

I returned Jack tae his bed.

And returned tae m'own.

As I climbed in under the covers, Kaitlyn mumbled, "You're cold."

"Aye, I need yer warmth." I pulled her hips close, and settled m'mouth beside her ear. She woke up kindly, and warmed me mercifully, providin' the release I needed tae return tae sleep, m'arms around her in the darkness of our room. A guard stood on the roof, the bairns slept soundly down the hall. All was well, the balance of burden and purpose and peace achieved.

The following morn I was early in the gym, workin' out.

Fraoch, James, and Quentin came in a bit later, tossin' their towels on the equipment, using dumbbells tae warm up their shoulders. Lochinvar entered, "Everyone here already?"

"Aye."

Quentin sat down on the bench and put on gloves. "Did you guys feel anything weird last night?"

I was curling. I said, "Aye, I had fitful dreams, I was up more than I slept."

Quentin lay back and pressed 225 pounds for a few reps, with Fraoch spotting. Then he re-racked it, sat up, and toweled off his face. "It made me think of using the Trailblazer, same sensation, much vaguer, but still, the same..."

My brow drew down. "Anyone else notice that sensation?"

Lochinvar shook his head, "But what would I know? I slept like a log, woke early for guard duty, dinna feel anythin' but a headache."

Fraoch said, "The headache is part of it."

"Tis? Then I change m'answer, aye, I noticed it."

James said, "I didn't notice anything, but Sophie said the baby was really active, she barely slept."

Fraoch said, "My knees ached."

Lochinvar said, "Because ye are auld."

"Tis not, tis because the weather is changin' and not the normal kind of weather, the weather of time."

James laughed. "That's still because you're old, young people don't feel weather in their knees."

"I am verra certain I am only a few years older than ye, James Cook."

Lochinvar said, "A few centuries beyond that..."

While they argued, a common practice while workin' out, I did more curls, up and down, up and down. Then I put the weights down and moved tae the bench. "I had a dream, where I was a king of an ancient land, and the people were chantin', ‘Long live the king!'"

They all turned tae look at me.

Fraoch slid another plate on the bar. "An ancient land? Dinna that happen once afore?"

I nodded. "Aye, I feel certain of it. I was called Mag Mòr. I was crowned king at Scone."

James shook his head. "Don't remember."

I repped the weight three times.

Fraoch said, "Nice, that was 275, wanna go higher?"

"Aye, let's go tae 315."

He slid more plates on the bar, then said, "I vaguely remember when ye were crowned."

"Because ye were there, ye helped me acquire the throne. There is a shadow of it, a vagueness, but last night I remembered it, and this morn, by the light of day, I recognize it. I battled for the throne, and won it. I was a king of Scotland."

Quentin scowled. "Damn it. When I mentioned it felt like the Trailblazer had been in use, I really hoped you would tell me I was crazy."

I shook my head. "Nae, ye arna crazy, someone is usin' a Trailblazer tae go further back in time than 1557."

James said, "Remind me, how many Trailblazers are there?"

Magnus said, "I hae one in the vault, m'mother has one hidden in secret — we ken of two."

James said, "Dammit, I wanted you to know for certain, there might be more?"

"Aye."

Fraoch said, "We checked the timeline — the trail ended at 1557. What happens if the Trailblazer is used tae open up the trail again — will it dredge up the memories and all that we did?"

I shrugged. "Anything is possible."

Quentin said, "It's all possible, but also, note, we aren't using a Trailblazer."

Lochinvar said, "Och, I daena like the sound of that. Then who is?"

I said, "I will go tae Riaghalbane and see if we can figure it out."

Quentin said, "Who do you want tae come with?"

I said, "Lochinvar and Fraoch will come, ye and James will stay. James has a bairn close, and I took ye last time. Beaty has been givin' me grief for it."

Quentin said, "You afraid of Beaty?"

"Och aye, she is a Scottish lass, tis best not tae upset them."

Our trip tae Riaghalbane was fruitful in many ways, I accomplished much, but there was naething tae discover about the Trailblazer. Lady Mairead and I both had possession of ours — they werna bein' used. If one was in use, twas a mystery: who or how or why?

According tae the history of the world, I had never been king of Scotland.

At least not yet.

Twas a relief, as I dinna care tae be the king, but how else tae explain the dreams? They were comin' verra often now, in the deep night, a thunderin' Long live the king! Causing me tae shudder at the thought of all that would mean.