54. Chapter 54 - Kaitlyn

Istood, bowed, gave my regrets, and rushed after the men as they left the Great Hall. In the gallery I called after Magnus, "Love, I'm going to get the kids, I'll meet you in the courtyard."

I ran to the nursery where all the kids were having a heck of a raucous time.

"Archie?"

A woman there said, "He has gone explorin' with the cousins."

"Great." I picked up Jack and gathered Isla and we went to the courtyard sending a messenger to hunt for Archie but he was already there by the time we arrived. He had a pensive look on his face as he watched his father gather his things, yet again.

Quentin had collected bags of weapons, Magnus had them loaded onto their horses.

We watched as there was a lot of activity and we didn't want to get in the way. But finally they were ready.

Magnus said tae Archie, "Wee man, I am goin' tae help yer uncle rescue his maiden, I will be home in four days."

Archie nodded. "Where are you going, Da?"

"I am goin' tae the thirteenth century, tae a village called Fortingall, tis right there over in that direction, not far away, ye hae been there."

He said, "It's a very old village?"

"Aye, but this is not yer dream, Archibald, I promise — I am not, nor hae I ever been a king in 1296. It inna the same."

To Isla he said, "In four days — can ye count them?"

She said, "Yes, Da, I will keep track."

"I will make sure tae bring ye a good present."

I gave Magnus one long last lingering goodbye hug. He kissed Jack's head.

Lady Mairead rushed across the courtyard from the stair, wavin' a book.

"Magnus, I hae an idea!"

When she approached, Lochie and Fraoch gathered around. She said, "Magnus, if ye run intae any trouble in the thirteenth century, ye will go tae the library at Stirling and find this book!" She had a hand on the top and bottom cover.

"Tis the psalter ye found with the M on it?"

"Aye."

"How will I hae access tae the library in Stirling castle?"

"Ye were once a king there, twas yer castle at one time?—"

Magnus glanced at Archie, who was biting his lip.

Magnus said, "Archibald, I wasna a king in 1296, ever, and though I might hae been a king in 1290, there are a whole six years between the two — tis a long time."

Archie nodded.

Lady Mairead said, "What I mean is, if it comes tae trouble, ye ought tae figure it out. Go tae Stirling, get yer hands on this book. And ye will make a small note upon this page." She gingerly opened the pages to the middle. "Dost ye see this art? And the blank spot here? Ye will write the month and year using yer best pen?—"

Archie's eyes went wide. "Da! Do you have a good pen?"

"Aye, son, I never leave home without at least one." He pulled pens from his sporran and passed one tae each of the other men for their own.

Lady Mairead said, "Ye will write the date here. I will send someone tae get ye."

Fraoch said, "Ye winna tarry?"

"Of course not, someone will come promptly."

Magnus said, "Are ye certain the book is there?"

"Nothing is a certainty, Magnus, but if tis not there ye can bind and publish another, put it on the shelf of the library, and I will find it. But as ye can imagine, that will take a bit longer and will draw more attention tae yer plight and tae time travel."

"If I need ye I will write the date on this page. But look through the entire book, just in case."

She sighed. "Tis a verra auld and fragile book, daena rely on my flipping through all pages, instead, try tae follow directions, and I canna urge this enough, Magnus, ye must write it verra small, this is not a time for making a spectacle."

"Aye, if I am havin' an emergency and need a rescue I will make certain tae not ruin the book."

"It is priceless."

Archie said, "If Da writes in it, we would see it in this one?"

Lady Mairead said, "That is what I suspect."

He had his eyes on it, chewing his lip.

Lady Mairead looked at him, looking at the book. Finally she said, "I suppose ye want it, Archibald?"

He nodded.

She said, "This book is priceless and I will only give it tae ye if ye promise ye will be verra careful. Ye canna fondle it, nor put yer grubby paws upon it. I want ye tae promise tae be clean."

He said, "I will be verra careful."

Magnus said, "I trust him, twill be in good hands."

Lady Mairead thrust the book forward and Archie clutched it to his chest.

Lady Mairead pulled a small book and a pen from her pocket. She opened the book at a ribbon bookmark on a clean page. "What is the exact date ye are going tae?"

"We are goin' tae start at January first of the year and begin tae check from there."

She said, "That is a senseless idea, ye will waste time and energy, ye ken as well as I that the easiest twist of the vessel is tae change the year, keeping the month and day intact. I always assume, unless I hae been given information tae the contrary, that the person will go tae the same date that they hae left. What was the date she was absconded from?"

Magnus looked at me.

I said, "May nineteenth."

Lady Mairead said, "Then I would add three days for the buffer and go on May twenty-third."

I said, "Do they really need the three days?"

"We always need at least the three days, tis sensible."

Magnus said, "Alright, Lady Mairead, I will do as ye suggest."

"If I am wrong ye can begin on January first, but I am never wrong."

Magnus looked at me with a bit of a smile, we just allowed her declaration to stand without argument. Fraoch said, "And with that I will go and say another proper goodbye tae m'wife." He strolled away.

I asked Magnus, "You have everything you need?"

"Aye, we hae been packed, we are ready tae go." He put his arm around me and pressed his lips to my ear. "Be cautious not tae frighten Archie, he is on the edge of overwrought."

"I know, I will. Please promise me you'll come home, highlander."

"I promise, I will be home in four days, ye will barely miss me."

He looked down at Haggis, wagging his tail. "Ye stay with Archibald."

Haggis sat down.

The three men climbed on their horses, Magnus on Dràgon, Fraoch on Thor, and Lochie on Cookie, and turned them toward the gates. Magnus said, "Goodbye, bairns, see ye in four days."

Jack raised a hand, "Ba-ba!"

Magnus smiled. And then their horses thundered away, into the pale dusk of the summer night.

After saying goodbye, we all headed to our rooms.

It took a long time to get out of the fine dress, and to take my hair down to sleep. It was still fairly early, and barely dark, but it had been a long day and I was tired, overwhelmed by Magnus leaving again, and unsettled by the look on Archie's face.

He was terrified.

He was still clutching the book. He had put it down briefly while he undressed for bed, but clutched it again now. He was haunting my room. I had to pointedly ask him to leave so I could pee and change out of my dress, but he waited right outside the door, and came back as soon as I gave him the all clear.

Jack was already asleep on the wee bed by the fire, Isla was looking at a picture book with a flashlight on her bed. She often slept in the nursery these days, but because Archie couldn't let me out of his sight she was going to sleep here too; anxiety was spreading.

We climbed into bed, and Archie held the book on his chest.

I lay on my side, watching his pensive face, not unlike his father's sometimes.

Isla sat up in bed and looked across the room at us, then climbed out of her bed to come toward us. I called, "Bring your pillow, Isla."

She turned and went back for her pillow and drew near, tossed it on the bed, climbed up and over me to sleep against my back.

She had forgotten her book and flashlight so she climbed back over me, went to get them, returned, climbing back over me, and tossed and turned getting comfortable. She opened her book and turned on the light, illuminating her side of the bed.

I teased, "Comfortable?"

She missed my joke. "Yes, are you comfortable, Mammy?"

"Yes."

I was watching Archie when he turned his head and looked at me. "I can't stop it, Mammy, it is going and going."

"The chant?"

He nodded, his face screwed up, a tear spilled out. "They're saying ‘The King is Dead!' That's Da, isn't it Da?"

Isla sat up. "It's not Da, Da is not dead."

"I know that, Isla, that's not what I mean." He huffed.

I brushed his hair off his forehead. "I'm sorry, little man, I'm not sure how to set your mind at ease. Isla is right, though, that is not Da, he's not dead. Nothing is going to happen to him?—"

"How do you know?"

I thought for a moment. "Because he has done really dangerous, death-defying things in his life, and this is just a small thing, I can't believe he would come to harm doing this small thing. Also, he's doing it to help his brother, how unfair would it be if something happened to him when he was trying to help? Those are two reasons why I think nothing will happen. And I know they're not perfect reasons, but if you remind yourself of them they will set your mind at ease, I think."

He nodded.

Isla sat up again. "Archie, want to use my flashlight to look in the book?"

He sat up, his wee shoulders rounded over the book in his lap. He carefully turned to the page and Isla climbed on me, her knobby knee pressing into my side as she peered down in the directed flashlight beam at the page. She whispered, "Is it there?"

"No. Nothing."

I said, "This is good news. I for one hope he doesn't send us a note asking us to help, but if he does, we will know what to do, right?"

Archie said, "We'll go get him."

"Yes. Now I think it's time to go to sleep. Think you can?"

"I'll try."

I leaned up on my elbow and took the book from his lap, closed it, put it under his pillow, and smoothed it down. He curled on his side. I lay back down. Isla turned off her flashlight and put it and her book under her pillow.

Jack called. "Ma-ma!"

I called back, "Jack, coming!"

I climbed from the bed, pitter-pattered into the other room, and lifted him from his bed, cooing, "Did Jackie wake up? Mama is sleeping, want to come sleep in bed with Mama?"

He tucked his head to my shoulder and I climbed us into bed. He squeezed in between me and Archie. I lay down.

And exhaled.

Archie sniffled.

I asked, "You want to twirl my hair?"

He nodded. And looped his fingers in my hair, like he used to when he was really wee, and he began to twirl a lock, a sniffle that sounded suspiciously like crying, until he finally fell asleep.

He woke twice that night. Both times in fear. The second time he cried, "Mammy, they won't be quiet, they say he's dead." I held onto him, soothing him, digging Isla's flashlight from under her pillow, and helping him check the page once more. Before slowly getting him to fall asleep again.

The next day he wouldn't put down the book. He wouldn't leave my side.

Lady Mairead found me in the corridor, just as I was mid-yawn because it had been such a rough night. She whispered, "What are ye going tae do with him?"

I said, "Archie, go stand over there, let me talk to your Grandmother." I asked, "What do you mean?"

"He is fitful and anxious!"

"He's having bad dreams, so is your son, by the way. It's like an echo and it's freaking him out, frankly, both of them, freaking out. Magnus keeps hearing chants of Long Live the King and?—"

Her eyes settled across the room on Archie, "What is happening in yer dream now?"

He said, very quietly, "They are chanting, ‘the king is dead.'"

"I canna hear ye."

He raised his chin, and said it again, "‘The King is Dead.' And I am there, they are yelling it at me."

Lady Mairead said, "Who is saying it?"

"The people, I don't know."

"Archibald, those are just words, spoken by villagers, by the peasants. Ye canna believe a word they say. Tis a turn of phrase, they are welcoming a new king, and braying about the auld king, it could be anyone." She looked at him. "Come closer. Hae ye checked the book?"

He walked over, shaking his head as he pulled the flashlight from his pocket. A momentary look of displeasure crossed Lady Mairead's face, when he opened the book where his finger had been holding the page and shined the light down on it. "No, nothing."

"This is good news, Archibald. And if something appears there, ye come and find me, first thing. I will solve it. I canna abide by such a dour face. Did ye ken, once, I was locked in my room and forced tae endure incredible privations. Did I look dour and sad? Nae, dost ye ken what I did?"

"I don't know."

"I picked myself up and I fought and I won and now I am the mother of a king, the grandmother of a future king. Dost ye think I will allow for anyone in my family tae fail or tae lose? Nae, I winna. And I absolutely will not stand for the peasants tae chant at me. Ye raise yer chin and ye ignore them, they are nothing tae ye. Ye are goin' tae be a king, ye daena hae time for pouting."

She nodded at me. "Dost ye need anything else, Kaitlyn?"

"No, thank you."

She turned on her heel and walked away.

I looked at Archie and gave him a smile. "Feel better?"

He twisted his mouth, "She makes me feel better because she's kind of scary."

I said, "I absolutely agree and I'm always relieved she's on our side."

We walked to the nursery to look for the cousins.