4. Chapter 4 - Kaitlyn

CHAPTER 4 - KAITLYN

THE ROOF OF THE KING’S TOWER - JUNE 16, 1291

I came to a stairwell at the end of the passage and the two guardsmen who were following me, paused as if waiting for me to decide which way to go. I didn’t know if this was the right stairwell, but it also felt awkward, so I just acted like I knew where I was going.

I didn’t want to look like an idiot, so I just started climbing a staircase going who knows where, like an idiot.

I came out on the roof, blinking in the morning sun, relieved to see Magnus standing at the end. He was with Sean and Fraoch, all nodding stoically, listening to Zach tell a story.

Zach had a modern physicality, his head bobbed and his shoulders weaved, his arms waved, with an energetic vibe. As I strode toward them I guessed at the story, it must have involved a... concert?

He started playing air guitar — yep, a concert. The men all laughed.

Magnus was wearing a crown much like mine. He was wearing a pale blue tunic, belted around his waist, with his good boots. His cloak was a woodsy green. It was a good color, dyed from local flora, and matched the hills — he looked like a mountain.

The other men were also wearing tunics, their colors muted, their fabrics less fine.

I had grown used to seeing Zach’s tall lanky body in kilts, but seeing him in a long saffron colored tunic was wild. He was so thin it made him look a little like a pencil, except for the bit of tattoo sticking out of his shirt collar and down his wrists.

Magnus met my eyes and smiled. He put out an arm and kissed me on the head. “Och, ye look beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“Ye found us.”

“I did, wow, this is quite a view.”

Magnus said, “Aye, tis a good view, twould be perfect if I couldna see that the walls are built of timber. We hae been discussin’ finishin’ them in stone, makin’ the castle more formidable.”

“That would be good, is that what you were talking about right now?”

Zach said, “Nope, I was telling them about the last Metallica show I went to — man, it was fucking wild.” He looked around at the horizon, “Not as wild as this, but a good show.”

It was a gorgeous day, the sun rising in the sky, a bit of a breeze, but warm on my face, and my layers cut the chill.

Zach asked, “Where’s Em and the kids?”

“They went to the Great Hall,”

He said, “Cool, good...” As we all looked out at the gorgeous view, he said, “Wait, it’s their first day at the castle — she went down to the Great Hall on her own with all the kids?”

My eyes went wide. “Uh oh, she’s going to be in way over her head.”

He said, “Alright, I’m headed down.”

Magnus said, “Aye, this is a verra different time than she is used tae. Tis time for breakfast, ye ready for food, Sean?”

“Aye.”

Fraoch said, “I am famished, I will grab Hayley and meet ye there.”

He went to the stairwell on the other end. We turned to go down the stairs I had climbed, while Sean talked about building the walls. “I also think ye need a bulwark on the south curtain wall, I spoke tae Ian?—”

“Already?”

“Aye, while ye were sleepin’ like a bairn, without a worry in the world, someone needed tae get tae work. He said we could get stone from the quarry south of here.”

Magnus held my hand. Guards surrounded us as we crossed the courtyard to go eat a meal.

This is the scene that greeted us — a medieval hall crowded with people, a cacophony of laughing, talking, and yelling, as people served from platters and baskets down the middle of a wooden table, and shoveled food into their mouths before rushing off to their pressing duties of the day. It was a little like a buffet in a train station — loud, busy, crowded.

Emma rushed up with Jack. “Thank heavens! I just followed the kids down here and wasn’t paying much attention. I walked in and stopped in my tracks — I don’t know anyone! I couldn’t remember where you guys were. I wasn’t sure what to do. This is intense.”

Zach said, “I’m sorry, babe, I didn’t know you were down here.”

She whispered, grimacing, “It’s Campbell men, but ten times worse.”

I scanned the room. “These are dark-ages Campbell men.”

Magnus said, “And I am their king.”

As the crowd realized Magnus had entered, the busy hall grew quiet and everyone bowed. Then at Magnus’s nod the clamor resumed.

Emma said, “From now on, I will only go everywhere with you, I think.”

I said, “Good idea, we got ‘No traveling alone in the passages,’ added to, ‘Don’t go anywhere without a man with a sword.’”

Hayley and Fraoch walked in. She said, “Holy cannoli, this is a lot of Campbell men.”

“Yep, that’s what we’re saying. And you should have seen it five minutes ago. They’re on their best behavior because Magnus entered, but five minutes ago it was wild, and Emma was in the middle of it with all the babies.”

She said, “I bravely go where no modern woman has ever gone before.”

Zach said, “I fucking love your Star Trek references, babe.”

Magnus spoke to someone and we took our seats at the high end of the table, with plates of food in front of us.

Emma said, “I see that we need Magnus if we want anyone to pay attention to us.”

Magnus said, “Madame Emma ye hae bravely entered a medieval Great Hall on day one without an introduction. Tis tae be admired, but I will give ye a bit of advice, ye daena want three quarters of these people tae pay any attention tae ye.”

Zach asked, “Who runs the place?”

“Cailean runs the kingdom for me. He’s my... what dost ye call it — the large painting?”

Zach said, “Your big picture guy?”

“Aye, he does the big picture of it all. Cailean’s castle, Innis Chonnel?—”

I said, “The ruin on Loch Awe?”

He nodded. “Aye, in this time tis kept in good order, the castle is strong, Cailean and his sons are verra good at management. Sean, when ye are talking about the stone with Ian, bring Cailean in on the conversation. He will oversee the work when ye arna here.”

Sean said, “Good, I will meet with Cailean today.”

“And I will ask Cailean if his son Niall and his wife can come and take over the runnin’ of the household.” He squeezed my hand. “His wife, Mary, speaks English, so there would be nae language barrier, but she must always be acknowledged as the most important person in the castle.”

I laughed. “Great.”

He chuckled. “Tis why I haena invited her tae come yet, she can be a trial. I imagine twill complicate yer relationship, Kaitlyn, as ye are the queen, but as she will be able tae communicate with ye, ye might not mind her pride, and if ye tell her she has done a great deal of good she might be easy enough tae manage.”

I laughed. “I’ve learned to manage a few women like that in my life.”

Hayley said, “Lady Mairead falls under that description, but on steroids.”

The Great Hall had grown quiet as the crowd dwindled. I sighed, “This is going to be a lot to get used to.”

Fraoch said, “Aye, but we are in it taegether.”

Zach shrugged. “Are we? We seem kind of spread out across time: we got a kingdom in the twenty-fourth century, we got James’s newborn baby in the eighteenth century, we got one of our best fighters, besides me of course, in the eighteenth century.” He looked at his watch. “I think right about now we have James and your Colonel in the twenty-first century...”

Magnus nodded. “When ye put it like that, in the light of the day, we appear tae be on our back foot.”

Sean said, “With mostly timber walls.”

Magnus exhaled. “Tis not all timber, some are stone, the corners are stone, there is some wood but?—”

“Och, ye are tryin’ tae justify it, the stone is too short, the south west is timber, the east is too thin. Ye must build properly, Young Magnus, a thick, strong, stone wall first thing. If Lizbeth were here she would never stop laughin’ on it.”

“Och nae, fine, aye, I agree. I daena want any wood on the walls, and the timber side must be done first. And I definitely daena want Lizbeth tae mock me.”

Sean raised his glass and said, “Tae Lizbeth, may she always think kindly upon us.”

Magnus raised his glass and the two brothers drank.

We were eating a meal of warm grains with some pears and cream, there was honey and some eggs, thick bread with a soft cheese to spread on it, and white fish. Fraoch stacked it all on his bread, making a very tall sandwich.

Zach said, “You can’t do that Fraoch, you have cheese on honey on oats, on bread, with fish!” He pretended to gag.

Fraoch tapped the side of his head. “But if I pile it up it looks like more food.”

Zach said, “But it doesn’t taste good.”

Fraoch pressed the top of the sandwich and prepared his hand to grasp the sides to lift it. “I daena care about taste. I only want tae fool m’self intae believin’ m’self well fed.”

Zach said, “If I had known that you didn’t care about taste it would have saved me a lot of trouble.”

Magnus groaned. “Daena listen tae a word he says, Chef Zach, the taste is the point of it all.”

Fraoch opened his mouth very widely, had to go even wider, and struggled to take a bite. He chewed, grimaced, and swallowed. “Och nae, I am talkin’ from m’arse, I hae made a great deal of mistakes in puttin’ this all together — ye might like fish, ye might like honey, and oatmeal is delicious, but ye canna put them all taegether without regret.”