Page 182 of Long Live the King

“Since the middle of the night.”

“You were worried we wouldn’t make it? That we would end up on some alternate timeline?”

I nodded my head against her cheek. “It crossed m’mind.”

She smoothed my hair back from my head. “We made it.”

“Aye, and all are well. Thank ye for coming so far back in time. I ken tis selfish, but if I hae tae hold this throne I daena want tae be alone.”

“I don’t want you to be alone back here, this is just another place, like all the places before. This will just be where we live now.”

Her eyes drew across to the boulder where the kids were all marching in a circle, laughing.

I smiled at her. And she smiled up at me. “I really liked how you drew the dawn in the book, and here we are.”

“Aye, mo reul-iuil, here we are, a new beginning.”

CHAPTER 80 - KAITLYN

STIRLING CASTLE

Archie and Ben were each on the horses, Mario and Thor, Zoe and Isla were sharing Dràgon. The rest of us were on foot. Haggis bounding and rushing around sniffing the new world. Sean was looking around, taking it all in as Fraoch was talking happily about the landscape, explaining it all. Hayley said, “How long have you been here, my love?”

He chuckled, “I daena ken, we arrived a few days ago,” then he and Magnus said at the same time, “It feels like we hae been here for a long time.”

Magnus said, “I canna remember this park, yet it all feels commonplace, the kind of familiar that means I hae spent many a day ridin’ through it.”

I wore Jack in a sling on my front, my hand held by my husband as he guided us down the path towards his old home, our new home.

Then we came to our first glimpse of the castle up on the rocky crag, towering over the landscape. I remembered it, from my shifting past, the timber walls, the upward slope of the grass and the path to the front gate.

As we climbed, Magnus turned and swept out his arms toward the view. “Allow me tae introduce ye tae our kingdom, Alba.”

Isla kindly said, “Wow, Da, it’s beautiful.”

“Aye, bairn, tis. Archibald, dost ye see the flags upon the walls?”

“Aye, Da, they are ours.”

Magnus smiled. “That they are.”

I glanced up at his face. “How you feeling, highlander?”

He said, “Verra satisfied, ye are here.” He drew my hand up and kissed the back of my fingers. We turned toward the gate as it was being raised.

Magnus’s friend, Cailean, who I had met briefly, somewhere, some time ago, was standing with his arms out, “Welcome!” Armored guardsmen filed out, and lined up along the path, so we would pass between them as we approached the gate.

Sean said, “Och, tis verra grand.”

I said to the kids, “Watch how they bow, it’s like a wave.” As we passed the guards bowed their heads and only lifted them after we had gone by.

Archie whispered, “Cool.”

Jack waved, “Ba-ba!”

Cailean said, when we stood before him, “Och aye, Mag Mòr, here is yer family!”

He clasped my hands in both of his, warmly and fondly, “Queen Kaitlyn, welcome tae Stirling, tis a pleasure, I feel as if I hae met ye before as Mag Mòr speaks of ye so kindly and often.”

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