Page 42 of Long Live the King

“Twas difficult.”

“Was it an orphanage situation or like foster homes?”

Once more, without sayin’ castle, I wasna sure how tae answer — I shifted in my seat, and tried tae be vague about the details. “I lived in a big place, with lots of people.”

“Were people mean to you?”

“Aye, but…I daena think we ought tae talk about it.” I meant because twas certain tae catch me up in an unusual story, but she took it another way.

“Oh I’m sorry.” She pouted, as if she were feeling sorry for me.

It bothered me tae hae her feel sorry for me. I wasna pitiful, but I couldna tell her of m’real life, twas verra confusing. “Twas not all awful, I made the best of it, and I gained a good reputation for… I was good at competitions. I like tae win and I was verra good.”

I drank the rest of my beer, feelin’ pleased with my answer.

“Cool, what kind of competitions? Like track? Or I’ve seen those Highland Games on the Discovery Channel — do you mean like that?”

I dinna ken what the Highland Games on the Discovery Channel meant, but I guessed the fights in the castle were similar, I said, “Och aye, tis just like the highland discover channel games.” I ran m’hand through m’hair. I was growin’ confused by her questioning and needin’ tae keep m’answers vague.

She said, “Want another beer?”

“Aye, twould be good.”

She stepped to the refrigerator. “What was your favorite event? I seem to remember that they throw rocks and tree trunks, did you do that?”

She was speaking on the caber toss, we would do that in the courtyard and out in the fields, also we would fight and battle with lances and swords. I assumed if she had seen the caber toss she had seen all of it, even the horrible bloody violent parts, so I smiled and got comfortable. “Och aye, I was good at the caber toss. And when I was young I liked tae spar in combat, I like tae compete and see if I can best a man, and I really like tae win.”

“Spar… like fight, you… how do you mean, like martial arts, hand to hand — like MMA?”

I had seen Mixed Martial Arts on the television before, so though twas far removed from what I meant, I nodded. “Aye, much like MMA.”

Her eyes narrowed, she chuckled, shaking her head. “So what you’re saying is I thought you were safe and chill and you’re actually kind of violent?”

“Nae, not exactly?—”

“But you like to fight, MMA style, and you like to win, you must have a lot of violence running through you, right? Do you ever draw blood?”

I ran my hand through m’hair tryin’ tae think of what tae say.

“Do you ever fight with weapons?”

“Ye mean duel? Aye, I duel some?—”

She scoffed, “Withweapons,likeguns?”

I found m’self leaned forward, my hands clasped between my knees. I said, “Swords.”

“Swords? Wow, that’s wild,swords!” Her face was scrunched up, thinking it all through. “So I thought you were somehow the one in danger with Buck, but you’re the dangerous one?”

“Aye, I ken how tae fight.”

“Yet you didn’t fight him.”

I took a deep breath. “Because a man who kens how tae fight tae the death, ought tae do his best not tae. Tae fight is tae lose control, tis dangerous, and I dinna want tae frighten ye.”

“Oh, to the death, huh?” She crossed her arms, chewing her lip. “I’m a soldier you wouldn’t frighten me,” but she did look frightened.

She added, “Except that you’re in my house.”

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