The Guardian by Diana Knightley
Twenty - Kaitlyn
The games wound down, though drinking followed in earnest like at any good wedding, and then continued into the growing darkness.
Kids were, as Beaty said, “Cranking out all over the place,” but James had more festivities planned. He and Quentin and Zach brought out a big leather bag and we followed them out of the gates in a meandering procession, everyone except the few men left guarding the castle.
We went down the causeway to the low grassy beach near the edge of the lock.
James said, “I know you might have seen fireworks before, but these are new and improved, are you ready for some fireworks y’all?”
Hayley got a cheer going up. “Fi-re-works! Fi-re-works!”
We sat in the grass, Isla on my lap, Archie, Magnus, Ben, Emma, and wee Zoe, and all around the women and men of the castle about to have their minds freaking blown by modern pyrotechnics.
Hayley grinned. “This is going to be so freaking cool.”
“True that.”
The show started — thousands of dollars of fireworks. The audience gasped and cheered, the kids covered their ears, and even those of us who had been around fireworks our whole lives cheered and applauded.
Liam and Sean stood beside James, Quentin, and Zach ‘helping’ to light the fuses, setting up the mortars, Magnus and Fraoch having seen it before, ooohed and ahhhed anyway.
They had the fireworks that blew up like giant umbrellas, some looked like daisies popping up in a wide black sky, but the favorites were the ones that made sounds, the spiraling screamers, and the fizzing spots.
It was a lovely, wonderful night.
Fireworks echoed through the valley, messengers having been sent around to all the villagers telling them that lord Magnus Campbell was putting on a show and to enjoy and giving them casks of ale and some chickens for their trouble.
After the show we walked back to the castle following James and Sophie holding hands.
I wrapped my arm through Magnus’s and he kissed my forehead. “Twas a grand night,” he said, “a good wedding day, a proper Fourth of July party.”
“I totally agree.”
* * *
The next day, full of patriotic fervor and a bit of a hangover, Quentin called another vote. “I’m calling it because I think it’s high time. We’ve been here for a few months. The weather is good, we could be training and planning. I want a vote: ‘Nae’ if you want to stay here and do this, live like this. ‘Aye’ if you want to fight for the kingdom and come up with a plan for returning home to Florida. All right?”
I glanced at Magnus, he nodded.
Quentin said, “All those in favor of fighting for the kingdom say, ‘Aye’.”
He, Beaty, and Fraoch said, “Aye.”
He glared at James. “What the hell? No vote?”
James shrugged, “I just got married, I need to stick around.”
Quentin groaned. “All right, everyone else. If you want to stay here, live here, say ‘nae’.”
Zach and Emma, Magnus and I, and Hayley and James said, “Nae.”
Quentin said, “What about you, Hayley, you’re going to split your vote with your husband? Why don’t you come over to our side?”
Hayley said, “Why doesn’t he come over to my side?”
Fraoch laughed, “I daena hae tae. I get tae vote how I want tae vote. I ken how democracy works now Quenny has explained it tae me.”