“Good, ye feel it. The other place ye will feel it is when ye are up on the walls lookin’ out over the lands, ye look out and yer back will be straight and strong, nae matter the weight. And whatever comes ye will be ready.”
“That sounds good, Da, on the walls and on Mario I’ll practice.”
“But that is not all... another way tae strengthen yer resolve is tae enjoy yerself, tae hae fun with yer friends, tae love a fine lass, tae eat a good meal — when ye lean back in a chair and laugh as ye look around at yer family and friends, ye will also strengthen yer?—”
“Because your family and friends are kind of like your horizon.”
“Och aye! That was well said!”
We rode for a moment, in quiet, looking out over the landscape, watching Haggis run off after something that moved in the brush and loping back without anything at all as if he had forgotten why he left.
Archibald broke the silence. “... isn’t it strange that I have to have a straight, strong back, but everyone else bows?”
I said, “Archibald, as Chef Zach would say, ‘Ye hae exploded m’brain.’”
Archibald laughed. “I don’t think you said that right.”
“Probably nae, but tis part of m’charm.”
We rode through the wide green fields and then turned tae go on the easy path around the perimeter of it. “And, about the bowin’, I am ‘not a fan’ as yer Aunt Hayley would say. I would make a rule that they canna bow, but I tell ye, Archibald, sometimes, ye want them tae bow so they will quiet or they all will be talkin’ at once. Tis necessary tae follow tradition and keep order — tis crucial. Our subjects are many, they might decide someday tae remove a tyrant king from the throne — in America, the story goes that they fought a bloody revolution tae free themselves from a king and his taxes... so a king ought not be a tyrant, but a king also canna allow his subjects tae get a high idea in their head, or the king might be overthrown.”
“Emma read to us about the revolution, I guess... I never thought that you’re like the king in the story.”
I laughed, “Och nae, Archibald, I am not like thatEnglishking! I think, after bein’ a Scottish King and livin’ in Florida for so many years that I would side with the rebels.”
“Good, me too.”
I teased, “Unless the rebels are tryin’ tae overthrowmythrone, then I will side with m’self. I promised my descendants a throne, I mean tae deliver it.”
He nodded and from the corner of my eye I saw him straighten his back.
I said, “Tis not all terrible though, Archibald, ye will hae fine breakfasts and ye will sleep in a lavish bedroom, ye will hae heavy responsibilities but ye will also be surrounded by friends and family. Ye will live in Grace from God, and will be wise and just, and laugh from yer belly when ye are havin’ fun, and ye winna hae tae worry about rebels overthrowin’ ye, because ye will be fair, and yer subjects will join yer army when ye make the call. That is the best measure of a king, ye ken. The downside, alas, is I daena sleep much. Ye will see, one day ye will be as weary as I, with the same wrinkles.” I smiled tae crinkle the wrinkles around m’eyes.
He laughed. “You make it sound fun.”
I laughed too. “It seems like hard work most days, but has become vastly more fun now that ye and yer mother and sister and wee Jack are here.”
We watched Haggis scamper off and return.
I asked, “Did ye notice the carvin’ of the wolf on the wall of the castle?”
He shook his head, then said, “You mean the one on the Great Hall?”
“That’s the one.”
“Ben and I thought it was a carving of Haggis.”
Haggis looked up at Archie and barked.
Archie said, “I’m talking about you, did you hear me talking about you, good boy?”
Haggis frolicked, his tail wagging.
I said, “He is a funny dog, tis hard tae see him as a descendent of wolves.”
Archie laughed. “So it’s a carving of a wolf?”
“Aye, the story goes that wolves once lived in caves on the cliffs of Castle Hill and on one fateful night, the men who lived here long ago were fast asleep when Vikings attacked?—”
