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.”
