Lizbeth applauded and cheered. Hayley called a time out to catch her breath. I panted heavily.
Lizbeth joked, “Ye are battling your friends, ye might want tae save your energy for your enemies.”
I panted hard, grimacing. “Hoowhee, not easy killing this friend, she’s slippery.”
Hayley pulled the front of her bodice for air. “I have all my appendages still, I call it a win.”
I asked Lizbeth, “Where have you been?”
“In the chapel, praying for a peaceful victory.”
“Oh,” I glanced around the room. “Is that where all the women are? Now I feel like a really terrible Campbell wife.”
Lizbeth shook her head, “Ye arna just a Campbell wife, ye are Magnus’s wife. Your time might be better served practicing combat, since battles seem tae follow him home.”
“That is true.” I looked down at my wooden sword. “Like this one.”
Hayley said, “Make sure if you’re fighting for your life you’re better armed.”
“Hell yeah.”
Lizbeth said, “Sean, Black Mac, and Master James are headed out, we should find a safe place tae watch.”
Fifteen - Magnus
First we waited for the drones tae come, bringing their demands that we should surrender. But hour after hour they dinna move toward us.
Finally we sent our four ambassadors: Quentin, Sean, James, and the young man carrying the Earl’s flag. They carried minimal weapons because we couldn’t spare them. They would ride horses because we only had the two ATVs and we decided tae keep them hidden, so our enemies wouldna ken of them.
Quentin joked, “In case we need the element of surprise with our big guns.”
Twas nae truly funny.
I saw them off at the gates and returned tae the walls.
Fraoch and I watched as the four men on horseback thundered across the fields in the direction of the woods, the Earl’s flag waving above them.
Fraoch asked, “Dost ye think they will survive the day?”
“Och, I daena ken. M’brother should nae die because of a war from m’own kingdom. Quentin is too good a soldier tae die because he is nae armed well enough. I swore an oath tae protect the men that fought alongside me. The trade of their lives must always be for good cause, and they need tae be armed so our battles aren’t in vain. Twas a simple oath, but here we are, nae in m’kingdom, hundreds of years in the past, and one of my commanders, my close friend, is outgunned.”
Fraoch chuckled. “Ye should be better than this.”
“Aye, tis what I am tellin’ m’self.”
He gave me a sly look, “And what of your man, James?”
“Och, our friendship is complicated, but he is m’master builder, I daena want him tae die either.”
Fraoch asked, “Who dost ye think is doin’ it?”
"I believe tis a man named Roderick. I hae been fightin’ him for many long years and I became distracted for a time by Reyes, ye ken, ye remember, he had me captured in St Augustine.”
“I remember, ye killed him in Greece.”
“He was formidable though, defeatin’ him took a great deal of effort and while I was concentratin’ on him I hae allowed Roderick tae grow in power. He has a claim tae the throne.”
I leaned back on the wall. “Are ye hungry? I hae a bite tae eat.” I pulled a small hunk of bread from my sporran.
He said, “I hae some food as well.” Grinning mischievously he pulled a jar of coffee from his sporran, and a large salami.
“Och, Hayley is feedin’ ye well.”
“She is a bonnie lass and she does ken how tae feed me verra well.”
He drew a dirk, longer than mine, sliced the end of the salami, and passed it tae me. “Tis like when I saved your life in Florida.”
“Aye, just like, speakin’ on savin’ a life, are ye takin’ your vitamins?”
I am, they hae me full of energy.”
“Good we will need ye at fightin’ strength.”
He gave me a drink of his coffee. I smacked m’lips. When I was away I missed coffee a great deal.
“I want tae thank ye Fraoch, for livin’ nearby, for watchin’ over m’family. Ye hae been a verra good friend tae me.”
“Ye as well, Og Maggy, your family has become as m’own. I daena think on nae belongin’ anymore.”
“Good, I am glad ye are comfortable.”
“We daena need tae speak on it. We are like brothers. I hae kicked yer arse. I hae married yer wife’s... what dost they call it?”
I chuckled. “Her be-ef-ef. I daena ken what it means, but I believe Kaitlyn thinks on ye as family because of it.” I delivered a slice of salami tae m’teeth from the blade of my dirk.
He watched the forest. “Och, ye are in a mess, Og Maggy.”
“I am, I told ye.” I nodded. “I find m’self in a situation where I hae too many enemies. I canna be sure who I am fightin’.”
“Ye will ken, soon enough.”
“Aye.” I checked my walk-n-talk tae make sure twas on. “Soon enough I will ken which member of m’family I must kill next. Tis always an uncle or a cousin, even a brother.”
“Ye told me of the arena battles.”
“At least now I ken m’enemies. Then I was commanded: here is a man, your brother, kill him for the sport of it and twas m’father, the man’s father, commanding it.”
“Tis the plight of kings that ye are competin’ amongst family for the throne.”
“A throne I never wanted.”
We were quiet for a time, then he said, “Dost ye hae more brothers? Are there cousins ye haena met yet?”
“There aren’t any in the records, but so far I hae met Tanrick, Samuel, Roderick. I ken Donnan had an older brother and a sister. I believe he is somewhere in Scotland. I daena ken where she is; if she has born children they might appear someday. Kaitlyn has tried tae account for all the vessels, but there are some we daena ken the location of. There may be people waitin’ for me tae let down m’guard. I canna ken.”
“All ye can do, Og Maggy, is think on what is afore ye. This is a moment tae deal with an enemy. I will fight alongside ye, yer men Quentin and James, even yer man Chef Zach will fight with ye...” He chuckled.
I said, “I am glad he is on m’side. He makes an excellent ice cream sundae, Fraoch, I would lay down m’life for him.”
Fraoch laughed, “Let us nae speak on layin’ down our lives. We should be thinking on surviving this day, and vanquishin’ your enemy.”
“You sound like Kaitlyn.”
“She is wise. She taught me that I should eat m’vitamins, and because of it I haena lost another tooth.”
“I am grateful for that, any more teeth and ye might come unbalanced in a fight.”
We both laughed.
“But you are right, I canna think on the men that might come, just this one man, the army afore me. I hae tae survive this battle and prepare for the next. And as I prepare I must get stronger and wiser and account for all the vessels so I winna be surprised anymore.”
Fraoch chewed his lip, but nodded.
I sized him up tryin’ tae understand his reaction, but then I dismissed it as simply being his manner. “And now we hae discussed thoroughly, all the troubles I hae, and given me the ‘shoulds’ I must accomplish. I hae somethin’ tae speak tae ye on.”