Page 166 of Long Live the King

“Og Lochie is a man-child without sense. He only agreed with me because he kens I am his better. Nae, twas all me! I am the hero! Ye are crowned king of Scotland with my help.”

“We walked in through the front door.”

He chuckled. “Ye ken it took a great many battles tae gain it.”

“I ken. It might take a few tae keep it. We shall see.”

I finished m’plate of food and pushed it away. “In the meantime, I daena like bein’ without Kaitlyn and the bairns, if I am tae remain here, holdin’ the kingdom, we need tae bring our family.”

“Ye are assumin’ that I am goin’ tae live here as well?”

“Ye would leave me here in the thirteenth century tae hold a kingdom on m’own?”

“Of course I winna leave ye, but ye ought tae ask.”

“Fraoch would ye stay here as m’hand?”

“Och nae, I canna believe ye think ye hae tae ask! What kind of brother dost ye take me for?”

“The kind who needs an arse whoopin’, as James would say.”

Fraoch laughed.

I opened the bag and pulled out the book and the pens, passin’ one tae Fraoch.

“What’s this for?”

“We are goin’ tae send a message tae Archie, tae set his mind at ease and askin’ him tae come.”

Fraoch pushed his plate away.

I turned the book so it was open between us. “Ye draw on that page and I will draw upon this one.”

I uncapped the pen and wrote beside an illumination of a man walkin’ upon the flourish of an A:

All is well.

Under it I wrote the date.

June 15, 1291

Under that I wrote:

Please come.

Then I signed it:

Magnus

Fraoch began tae draw on the edge of the facing page. He wrote:

Fraoch is here.

Under it he drew a man holding a fishing pole.

“What is that for?”

“So Hayley will ken tae bring m’fishing pole.”

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