Chapter 11 Alexandria
ALEXANDRIA
Iwent to the window to watch, while Torin went out to see who was coming.
I could see the shoulder of one of my guards, his arm up blocking his face from the wind. I would need to give him combat pay. I would have to pay him extra for all the weird things that he was about to see, because this was definitely a time travel storm: dark, fast, brutal.
I wished I could ask Torin what was happening, but he didn’t have a phone or radio, and I didn’t want to call the guard and bug him.
So I just watched and waited while the storm rose, blustered, and then slacked off.
Finally I went outside to see Torin standing over Max, who was lying on my lawn.
Max was wearing a modern-style military uniform with medals on the chest and epaulets and a short regal cloak on the shoulders, with a gun at his hip.
I rushed up, but then stopped in my tracks when I saw that Torin was glaring down at him. “…ye are a deserter.”
Max said, “I came back, ye arna happy tae see me?”
“Nae, I am not glad tae see ye, Max, ye will get nae greeting from me. I am nae yer brother-in-arms, nae anymore.”
He said, “Och nae, why are ye always an arse?”
“Ye left me here and stole away, and I am the arse? Nae, we are finished. Ye ought tae get up and go.”
Max asked, “Is Alexandria well?”
Torin said, “Aye, I am guardin’ her with m’life, of course she is well.”
Max pulled himself up to sit, his head hanging, looking very worn out. “I hae a great deal tae talk tae ye about.”
Torin scoffed. “Who says I want tae talk tae ye? Ye are a fiend.”
He said, “Och, ye are ornery.”
“Aye, because ye left me! With nae consideration, ye left me without tellin’ me where ye were goin’ and when ye would be back! Ye needed m’sword — how are ye goin’ tae win yer kingdom without m’sword?”
“I came back!”
Torin huffed. “Look at ye with yer medals and honors, ye took all the glory—”
“I came back tae get ye, because I need yer sword. I hae decisions tae make and I need yer counsel and I also must speak with Alexandria, so I returned — och nae, ye canna be such an arse.”
“Ye might hae said, ‘Torin, I am goin’ tae m’kingdom, I will be back on the morrow.’”
Max looked up. “Would ye hae let me go, without demandin’ tae accompany me?”
Torin scowled. “I hae pizza. I am nae goin’ tae share it, I am goin’ tae eat it in front of ye.”
Max asked, “What is pizza?”
“Manna from the Visigoths, but ye canna hae any, I am furious at ye.”
Max said, “Och, ye are always furious at me — whatever I do ye are angry.”
“Tis nae true, I am only furious at ye sometimes, the rest of the time I am savin’ yer life.”
Max put out a hand. “Heave me up.”
Torin heaved him to his feet. Max brushed off his legs and back.
I said, “I know you both have a lot to discuss, maybe we should get off the lawn and go inside.”
Torin joked, “We are just goin’ tae invite the scoundrel in?’
I said, “Of course we are, he’s time traveled, it sucks! And he’s my brother, and you maybe didn’t hear over your outrage, but he came to get you because he needs you.”
Torin jokingly pouted. “I heard it, I am just ignoring it. Usually, hearin’ Max admit he needs me would make me forgive him for everything. But twas so aggrievin’ that he left us and stole away in the night, that I canna forgive him, never ever.”
I said, “Well, my point, we’ve got a lot to work out. We ought to do it in the house.” I began leading them toward the porch.
Max said, “What he’s saying is I have tae win my throne and make amends tae him, my brother-in-arms… or he could just stop being an arse, forgive me, and help me win back the throne.”
Torin sighed, dramatically as we trudged through the dewy grass. “Did I hear ye right, ye haena won yer throne back yet? Ye waited for me?”
“Aye, what did ye think I would do, fight a battle and then send for m’sword?”
“I wondered — ye deserted me, tis a truth. How long were ye there?”
“Since yesterday, I arrived and immediately turned around tae come get ye. The battle is nigh.”
Torin smiled. “Ye came for yer brother Torin, first thing?”
Max said, “Aye.”
I pulled open the front door, nodding at the guard that we were all well, while Torin said, “Well, I feel better about this whole situation, I am forgiving ye for all of it. I will share the pizza.”
We went to sit around the kitchen table.