Page 75 of Torin and the Princess

“I will sleep soundly knowin’ that I protected Mistress Lexi from the forest fae.”

I returned to the porch and he followed. I said, “But I’m usually alone, you say you like to have conversations in the night?”

“Aye, I am rarely alone. I usually hae a band of men about me — we are on a hunt, journeying from village tae castle, or guarding up on the walls. Some of the men are sullen and rarely speak, such as m’friend Boyd, but Max and I talk a great deal.” He chuckled, “I ken ye are thinkin’, ‘Nae, Torin, ye are talking? I daena believe it!’ But the best thoughts are discovered in the night, good plans are laid, the best discourse happens under the stars.”

The corner of his mouth went up, “I am storytellin’… m’apologies, Mistress Lexi, I think I long for home.”

“I bet this modern world feels really foreign.”

“Aye, ye seem tae hae all the comforts ye could want yet yer bonds with yer family are difficult tae understand… I hae a question for ye, where is yer father and yer uncles and brothers?”

“I lost my parents a few years ago and I don’t like to talk about it.”

“Och nae, I am sorry Mistress Lexi.”

“It’s fine, they left me this house and you know… My favorite uncle, who used to live in the back-shack, got married and moved with his wife to Texas. I’m an only child — basically all the cousins live somewhere else, and so all I have here are Cooper and Jen.”

He nodded, sagely.

I said, “Did that all make sense?”

“Not much of it. Except ye are verra alone in the world.”

I yawned. “I should probably head to bed, it’s getting late — what are you going to do?”

“I will pace yer lands, keepin’ watch. I wish ye had some high walls tae look out over the valley.” He stepped off the porch and looked up at the roof. “Ye need a watch tower up there, tae see yer enemies a’comin’.”

“I don’t generally have enemies.”

“Och, ye are blessed, Mistress Lexi.” The he joked, “In my world, we daena hae much for comfort, but we can count on havin’ many enemies. We must always keep them in our mind, or we might be taken unawares.” He added, “I am always lookin’ for the highest ground. But in lieu of it I will pace. Twill give me a chance tae consider m’problem. Dost ye ken what I was wonderin’? Why do I keep comin’ here, in… what did ye say twas called?”

“North Carolina.”

“Has it always been here? I haena heard of it afore.”

“It was settled, I don’t know, four hundred years ago or so?”

“Aye, tis what ye said...” He counted with his thumb against his fingers. “And we found that I am aulder than the land we are standin’ on.”

He frowned. “Sometimes it hits me that I am verra auld and far out of time.”

“It’s a pretty young country, the United States of America. I wouldn’t let it bother you too much, but yeah, it doesn’t make much sense why a time travel vessel from Scotland would come here — what do we have?”

He shook his head. “Beyond bonny lasses, I daena ken.”

“Well, you haven’t seen much beyond my yard and the hospital... I wish I could show you the waterfall. And I’d love to take you to see New York City. It would be really fun to show a man from the sixteenth century the modern world.”

He said, “I think we will need tae say our farewells though, Mistress Lexi, I must away, there are things that hae tae be done. And I daena want tae cause more trouble for ye.”

“It’s not trouble, not really, I can handle it.”

“It has been verra good meetin’ ye.”

“Yeah, it has been.” I smiled. “And I understand you need to go, but first, breakfast.”

“Aye, at dawn we break fast.”

“At dawn! Dear me, no, we can sleep in and wake at a respectable time, we aren’t barbarians.”

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