Page 102 of The Empire and the Wolf King

Hayley pulled my arm. “Honey, we have been down here for hours and it’s been a lot today, can we go upstairs?”

“Aye! Wallace and I will speak on the coming battle in the morn. Bairns, are ye goin’ up?”

Chef Zach and the kids all got up tae go tae their rooms.

Hayley and I followed them up.

At the top of the stairs Chef Zach said, “Come in the room, we all wanted to say goodnight. It seems important.”

We entered their room and everyone sat around on the floor again.

Emma had eaten in her room, her empty plate was on the side table. She said, “I’m glad you all came, I had something I wanted to say. Can we hold hands?”

Ben groaned. We all put our hands out and sat in a circle. I bowed my head.

She said, “It means a great deal to me that you all were so selfless today. I have been thinking about how I could ever make it up to you that you let your rescuer go and opted for another. I can’t think of a thing except, I love you.”

We said, “I love ye,” back.

“I don’t know how this is going to work. But I want you all to go to bed with full hearts and stomachs and to you bairns, please know, that all the aunts and uncles in the room and in this castle did everything we could to fill them, and keep them safe. I hope when you fall asleep tonight that gives you strength for what comes. And maybe we bow our heads. Who would like to lead us in prayer?”

Jack said, “I would.” We folded our hands and waited for a moment. He began, “God, please watch over Archie as he fixes all the wrong things, and guide him back so that he and Ben can fight the English and he can help me build the raft we were goin’ tae build, and show him how tae rescue us all, because I daena understand it, but I think Archie will ken, and… watch over him as he smites our enemies?—”

Ben added, “Draw them here and I will help him.”

Jack said, “Aye, me too. And bring him safely back here so we can fight Edward and win freedom for Scotland and the throne for our Da. Amen.”

We all said, “Amen.”

Emma said, “That was perfect.”

Hayley and I hugged and kissed everyone good night and left for our room.

We got ready for bed and climbed in.

I said, “Och, I did a little more drinkin’ than I ought tae.”

She laughed.

I added, “And more prayin’ than I meant tae when I drank more than I ought tae.”

She put her head on m’shoulder and asked in the cool darkness of our castle bedroom,“We’re going to be okay?”

I lay there for a moment thinking of all the souls we had tae take care of, how we had let Archie leave without any assurance that he would be all right, and that we were now waiting for help tae come. All we could do was pray that it would work out.

She said, “I love you, honey, but when I ask, ‘We’re going to be okay?’ I kinda need you to say ‘yes,’ not think it through.”

I chuckled. “Tis not so much ‘thinkin’ it through’ as takin’ an inventory of?—”

She raised up and looked down on me. “It is very much the same thing. Are we going to be okay?”

“Aye.”

She lay back down. “You’re just saying that because I made you.”

“Honestly, m’bean ghlan, tis the first time I truly think we will be. Everything changed with the storm this morning. Dost ye feel it? We are rollin’.”

“It does seem like… maybe something changed.”

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