Page 135 of Long Live the King

Lochinvar said, his eyes still focused on the compound through his binoculars, “I am new around here, how did you become a king back then?”

“A man named Sir Padraig used the Trailblazer tae forge a path verra far back. Ormr and Domnall, who ye remember?—”

“I helped kill them in the arena.”

“Aye, they became kings through time. They were growing in power, I had tae fight them and in doing so I seized the throne and became the Scottish king in the thirteenth century. I lived there for... twas a year or more, I believe. Dost ye think, Fraoch?”

“I canna remember except I was soul weary from the battles tae win yer crown.”

“Och, I remember being on the edge of a field, and the rain comin’ down, Haggis was beside me. Meeting Haggis was the best part of becomin’ king.”

Fraoch said, “Aye. Tis true.””

“I had a tenuous grip on the throne though, time was shiftin’, and James was screwin’ it all up?—”

“How?”

Fraoch and I both said, “Loopin’.”

I said, “This is around the time when we met ye, Lochinvar, we used the Bridge and I wasna listed as a king of Scotland anymore. History was settled as it ought tae be. The memories of my kingdom were all but gone. We wove a new pattern tae history.”

Lochinvar said, “Until now.”

I said, “Aye, now we are rememberin’. Our weaving has been torn.”

Fraoch said, “Asgall has used the Trailblazer tae go back tae the year 1296. This is why the memories hae come back because ye were a king, ithappened.”

I narrowed my eyes. “But we over-wrote it. We made a new weaving, tiswoven.”

“Not anymore, Og Maggy, just because ye keep saying ‘we wove it’ daena make it true. Time was changed, ye forgot what happened. Now ye remember again. If twas a weaving, the weave has been torn asunder by Asgall the Arsewipe.”

“Och nae, so ye think it likely that the timeline has returned tae one where I was the King in 1290?”

“Aye, tis the best, simplest explanation, tis always the simplest explanation that is true.”

Lochinvar asked, “But if that is true, then how did Arsewipe become king? If you were crowned king in 1290, how did he take the crown in 1296? Did he kill ye?”

I chewed my lip.

Fraoch said, “Tis highly unlikely as Og Maggy is sitting right here.”

I said, “Archie is tormented by the chant ‘The king is dead, long live the king!’ His chant is different than mine.”

Fraoch said, “Of course he is tormented, he’s just a young boy, he haena even grown auld enough and haena done anything embarrassing enough tae get his name — he’s a nephew of Fraoch and still gets called Archie? Tis an embarrassment.” Then he put down his binoculars as well. “But, all kiddin’ aside, he looks verra frightened.”

“Aye, he thinks he is a witness tae the death of a king, his father, and that he is bein’ called tae lead a kingdom — och, tis dismayin’, he is only a wee lad.”

“And these both started at the same time?”

“Aye, it started near the same night. Like a time rift, exposin’ us tae an echo.”

“I bet twas when Arsewipe used the Trailblazer, he broke the world.”

Lochinvar said, “But again, I wonder, how did Asgall become king if ye were king in 1290 and ye are still alive and he dinna kill ye?”

I said, “What dost ye mean?”

“Ye are thinking on it like tis a memory, or a rift, like a mistake in time, but perhaps tis a warning, or a message — a sign that ye ought tae be doin’ something. If ye were king in 1290, how is he a king in 1296?”

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