The Guardian by Diana Knightley

Seventy-five - Kaitlyn

Zach, rubbing his hands together, said, “I’m hungry too, who else?”

Magnus said, “We are all famished, Chef Zach, but ye canna cook, ye hae gone too far this day.”

“This is true, I’m exhausted. Who wants me to pick something up — drive-through?”

I said, “Oh my god, Zach, are you offering McDonald's? Did that just happen?”

He grinned. “I fucking just offered to go get McDonald’s.” He strode to the kitchen drawer, pulled out a notebook and a pen, and brought them to the living room. “Make a list!”

Fraoch and Beaty began jumping up and down. “Yay!” And they got the kids jumping up and down, though for most of the kids the idea of McDonald’s was a long forgotten concept.

Sophie asked, “Tis like clan McDonald's?”

The list went around, and the page was full by the time it went around twice. Somehow Beaty was already changed into a pair of shorts and a tiny shirt, barefoot with her feet resting on Mookie as if he was an ottoman.

Zach ran off to get the food.

While we waited, Emma handed James a pile of clothes: sweatpants and a t-shirt for him, a long skirt, a t-shirt and underwear for Sophie. Emma told her, “You do not have to wear a skirt unless you want to. There is one here if you do. I see that Beaty is already dressed as she likes. Katie is probably going to run up and throw on some sweats and a t-shirt. The truth is we traveled a long way. We get to dress comfortably. James will show you.”

He led Sophie to their room. We could hear her asking, “Ye would allow me tae wear pants? I daena think...”

Emma turned to me. “Wow, imagine being here from the eighteenth century?”

I smiled at Beaty, “Our Madame Beaty came through very easily.”

Beaty said, “I think m’life at home was so mean that when Quenny rescued me twas verra easy tae put it in the past and throw m’arms around the future.” She rubbed her fingers on Mookie’s chin, saying, “Who is the most braw mucag in the world?”

The pig looked just like it was smiling.

We all went to our rooms to get changed. Magnus lay on the bed for a moment, staring up at the light fixture with the ceiling fan spinning the dust around our room. He said, “Tis as dusty as our Kilchurn bedroom.”

I peeled off my future-future clothes, a pantsuit sort of thing, for traveling, by a designer in the kingdom. And took off my expensive jewelry and placed it in the top drawer.

I put on my favorite worn Queen concert shirt that I liked even more now that it was ironic: I was a queen. Then I pulled on a pair of tiny panties and because I knew Magnus was watching wiggled for him.

“Och, I like it when ye do that, but... I am so hungry.”

“You’ll have to prioritize food over me right now, because I’m too hungry too.” I pulled sweatpants up. “Now it’s gone, you won’t be enticed.”

“But now I ken tis under there.”

He was wearing nice slacks and a dress shirt, dignified traveling clothes. He said, “Ye might hae tae come tae the bed. It might be an emergency.”

“Oh really?” I put my hands on my hips and appraised him.

His hand behind his head, a big grin.

I said, “You are looking very cocky.”

“I am, I canna help it. I traveled a long way and there is nae danger tae speak of and my wife is right there.” He reached for me. “Perhaps ye should come tae the bed...”

“After locking the door of course.” I locked the door and strode across the bedroom stripping my pants to the floor while I went so that I arrived undressed from the waist down.

I climbed up on him, and straddled his thighs and unbuttoned his pants and wriggled them down his legs to his knees and said jokingly, “Och, yer kingly splendor.”

His brow went up delighted. “Did I tell ye this day how much I admire ye? Ye are a braw wife.”

“I am, I am literally one of the braw-est.”

“But I am nae a king — in Florida I am simply a man. Tis why it is m’favorite place.”

“Well, then, this is a manly splendor.” I crawled back over him and with no ceremony whatsoever, settled down on him. I was generally a lover of foreplay, a good long time full of kissing and cuddling was always my purpose, but occasionally a bit of ‘quick down to business’ was also fun, especially because he was so grateful, and there was something grand about being brought to excitement after we had already begun. It was like taking it out of order, like eating dessert first. It kind of made it delicious to build up while already connected in this way. On him, I kissed him, deep and long, and though he tried to move me, I held tight, still, and kissed and kissed him while he played with my breasts and then I held his lip between my teeth, lightly tugging and then began to ride... He groaned low and excitedly.

“Do you like that?”

Aye.

Yes.

“A lot?”

“Ye ken.”

I rode him, going faster, building with excitement.

* * *

Dinner was a working dinner. The food was spread across the bar. Kids ran by eating and running and eating some more, but playing the most. James sat beside Sophie, now wearing a long skirt and a t-shirt with a daisy on the front, guiding her through her meal. The use of the straw took three tries, as it kept bumping her face whenever she tried to aim it into her mouth.

We warned her to go slow, and she did, but marveled as the rest of us shoveled it away, and admittedly we were kind of showing off, eating too much, too fast, gluttonously, and Hayley was the first to clutch her stomach. “Uh oh, that is not agreeing with…” She jumped up from the table and spent a long time in the bathroom.

Zach cleaned up the kitchen, happily, loud music playing. Emma organized and I made lists and talked over business things with Magnus. Then we went through the mail.

Hayley and Fraoch unpacked bags, while Quentin helped Beaty get Mookie’s bed settled, and I said, “James, you know, the top deck would be pretty great for Sophie’s telescope.”

She picked up her telescope and clutched it to her chest, “I would be able tae see the stars? There are stars here? ”

James said, “Yes, there are stars, the world is still the same, but sadly it might be hard to see because we have light pollution. If it is hard to see we also have really amazing telescopes. We can get you a newer one.”

She looked down at hers, blinking. Then they began to climb the stairs.

I called after them, “I just remembered, there’s a book on the galaxies up in the office, I’ll get it for you.”

I ran up the stairs behind them and went into the office for the first time since I’d been back. The book cases were full of books. The embroideries by my grandmother hung on the wall, including one I didn’t remember having seen before, a large tree in greens, with a ribbon scroll across it with the name, Campbell. It read: From a tiny seed a family tree grows. There was an initial in the bottom corner, an I. I walked closer and put my hand out and touched the frame, wondering if it was real. A gift from Isla, perhaps, from sometime in the future? It made my breathing calm, to have a message from her — she was going to be okay.

The room felt orderly, responsible, as if it were the kind of place to make plans and hold meetings, and while maybe not as important as the office in Riaghalbane, it still gave the impression of a place where a king might make decisions.

I found the book on the shelf: Earth and Space, and when I turned around my eyes landed on a small stack of envelopes wrapped in a ribbon on the middle of the desk.

Magnus appeared in the doorway, he followed my eyes there.

“I hoped tae remove them afore ye saw.”

“Oh.” I said, somehow I couldn’t take my eyes from them. It looked to be about six, in different sizes, different shades of white, a couple well worn and at least one very new looking. They didn’t look pretty. They looked important and powerful and my stomach sank a little thinking that this bundle of letters had been something my husband had brought home with him, but didn’t want me to see.

It made them ominous.

“What are they?”

“Challenges, mo reul-iuil. Challenges for m’throne, tis time for me tae train tae fight and finally deal with them.”

* * *