Chapter 12 Alexandria #2
Torin narrowed his eyes. “Tis not so simple as a coming battle that ye ken I will fight with ye. Ye daena even hae tae ask, tis already known — what is tormenting ye?”
“All night I couldna stop thinking about time travel — the uncles hae assured me I canna, but with the vessel I ken how tae save m’parents... daena I? What if I tried...?”
Torin raised his brow. “Och nae.”
Max nodded quietly.
I asked, “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
Max remained quiet.
Torin said, “Max has figured out that he could go back and kill Rannald long afore he ever thought about time travel, years before he usurped yer parents’ throne—”
Max nodded. “But I wouldna kill Rannald. I would kill his grandfather. Therefore Rannald would never live. Twould solve everything.”
“You mean our parents would be alive, but I thought you said that couldn’t happen?”
“The uncles tried a great many things, but they dinna try this, he wouldna exist, he would never usurp our crown. It has tae work.”
I said, “But… what would that… what would happen?”
Torin watched Max for a moment, then said, “Alexandria, it would mean that all of the events of yer life would be changed. Ye wouldna be a young lass from the New World, ye would likely grow up in a kingdom.”
Max said, “Think of it, Alexandria, if ye could grow up with our parents? As a princess!” He glanced around the kitchen. “In a grand palace!”
I frowned.
He swigged from his beer.
Torin said, directed to Max, “There is a verra great downside tae it.”
Max said, “I am aware.”
I said, “I liked my life, I just… I would never have met Torin? This is the trade off? I get parents back that I never knew, but I lose my childhood? And I never meet Torin, never get married? That is not good.”
Max said, “The uncles wouldna like it either, they hae bairns, wives, full lives. They hae a purpose in fighting this war against Rannald. Twould not be fair tae them.”
Torin said, “Nor tae Alexandria, she daena remember being a princess, tis an unknown. The only person who twould be good for is ye, m’laird.”
“Aye. Therein is the rub.”
I said, “Oh, because…”
Torin nodded. “Max remembers his parents, the kingdom, he still has nightmares about being sent away and worse has always been ashamed of having lost ye—”
Max scowled.
Torin said, “Tis true, ye held the blame of it all. Ye hae carried it with ye, with one cause, tae fight for yer throne, tae find yer sister, tae win and become king. Now ye are so close… and yet... ye find that yer uncles hae been messing around with time and shifting everything and not winning the war.”
Max set his jaw. “They might hae ruined everything.”
Torin nodded. “Och, Max, I can see why ye might want tae try it.”
“I lived in a frigid drafty castle, getting yelled at by auld man Bell-arse, and never got tae eat pizza, not once! I am a prince and I had tae be hungry, m’stomach paining me in the night for lack of food. And och, Torin, ye ken, the bedbugs!” He shook his head.
Torin said, “And ye dinna marry Mary when ye ought tae hae.”
“I dinna think twould be fair tae her tae wed a lowly exiled-prince, without a kingdom tae his name. I am owed a chance tae set this a’right.
I can see a way tae kill his grandfather, he would never ever be born, all of this would be undone.
I would be raised a prince of Riaghalbane, and our parents, Alexandria, would be alive. ”
I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn’t think of what to say but no, please.
But Torin shook his head, Daena.
He clamped his hand on Max’s arm. “All of this is true, m’laird, and tis true that ye are owed, ye hae the bloodline of a king, and ye deserve tae be raised in luxury. The world haena been fair and yer uncles haena fought for ye as well as they ought.”
He nodded. “They hae tried though, but Rannald is a cruel adversary and they lost the vessel.”
“And ye werna there tae help them. Ye hae been training yer whole life for this battle, and ye are late tae the field.”
Max looked at Torin and nodded. “Exactly.”
I noticed Torin’s knee jiggling, as if he was struggling to control himself.
“With a vessel in hand ye are like a god, ye are able tae take a life two generations back. That is a great deal of power tae wield, I can see how ye would struggle tae decide what tae do. Tae kill his grandfather would be easy, it seems, he wouldna see ye coming, whereas the battle the uncles hae planned sounds difficult. There is an unknown. Ye daena ken if ye will win it. What if it is just one more in a line of battles that decide nothing? What if, after it all, ye are still an exiled prince?”
Torin shook his head. “I wouldna want tae hae that much power. Or tae hae tae make this decision. But I will say this, m’laird, growin’ up with ye has been the better part of m’life, tae be the brother-in-arms tae a prince, as bleak as our lives hae been, knowin’ that someday I would fight alongside ye tae win yer throne.
It has been m’honor, and now the battle is nigh.
Ye tell me where tae go and I will raise my sword.
I will do everything in m’power tae win ye yer throne. ”
“What should I do? Fight the battle the uncles want tae wage, or dost I wage m’own fight, kill the grandfather, write it all over?”
Torin said, “Ye canna ask me, Max, I winna be able tae counsel ye fair. Ye hae every right tae want tae live yer life over, if ye decide that way yer life will likely be verra comfortable. The only costs will be borne by others, and they winna remember havin’ paid the price, so tis not a heavy bargain. ”
Max exhaled. “Ye winna counsel me yet ye winna stop talking.”
Torin said, “I will end on this, m’laird, I married yer sister.”
Max jokingly sighed. “Ye are lecturin’ me and then interrupt tae tell me ye married my sister?”
“Aye, I hae married her.”
“Och nae.” Max huffed.
I cocked my head. “Just yesterday you acted as if you would be supportive of the news — not that it matters, I am my own boss and do not care what you think, but you made it sound like you would be okay with it!”
Max laughed. “I still reserve the right tae give Torin a rough time about it. He daena get tae marry a princess and tell her brother, the prince after the fact, while lecturin’,” he raised his voice pretending to be a silly version of Torin, “‘I canna advise ye, but I winna wheesht!’” He finished, “Torin canna expect there tae be nae trouble.”
Torin drank from his beer, a smile tugging at his lips. “I expect the trouble, because ye are always an arse.”
I said, “You both bicker so much.”
Torin said, his eyes leveled on Max, “We daena argue. I tell him what is true, I give him good counsel, and he finds fault in it. He thinks this contradictory behavior is princely, but I find it obstinate.”
Max said, “Ye marry my sister and then insult me?”
“Aye, ye deserve every bit of it.”
Max smiled, “We are truly brothers now? Ye are fortunate I like ye.”
Torin said, “Aye, and wait until ye see me win yer family’s throne of some place I canna remember the name. Ye are goin’ tae like me even more.”
Max said, “Riaghalbane. I canna believe ye are counseling me on how tae win my crown and ye canna even remember the name of the kingdom.”
Torin chuckled, “Aye, the future king of Riaggy, I remember, and now ye are my brother — tis all the more reason for ye tae heed my counsel.”
“Ye haena given me yer opinion on what I ought tae do.”
“I canna, tis not for me tae decide.”
Max nodded, saying under his breath, och nae, then said, “But this is verra good news, I ken I am dispirited over my decision, but I am verra happy for ye, Torin.”
He turned to me. “Are ye gladsome, sister? Ye are pleased with yer match?”
“I am, I adore him.”
“Good.”
“I know it doesn’t help your decision.”
“It actually does, more than ye ken.” He finished off his beer. “Another?”
I got him another.
“Alexandria, what should I do? Fight the battle the uncles want tae wage, or dost I wage m’own fight, kill the grandfather, write it all over?”
I said, “I don’t know what to say, because I can understand why you would want to do it, but…
it sounds to me… like the lesson, the uncles have found out, is that every time you mess around with the timeline, you shift things, sometimes in ways you didn’t expect.
You think that I was moved during one of those shifts — someone lost me.
I just… by doing it you’re taking on a lot of responsibility for other people’s lives.
What happens if the responsibility is too much to bear? ”
He looked at me quietly while I spoke.
Then he said, simply, “I am verra glad I found ye.”
“I’m glad you found me too.”
He looked at Torin. “Thank ye for your counsel, Torin, I hae a lot of thinking tae do.”
I said, “You’re staying here tonight?”
He shook his head. “Nae, if we are goin’ tae join the battle with the uncles I ought not get comfortable.”
I reached out and held Torin’s hand. Max’s eyes rested on our hands, our fingers laced together. He nodded and looked away.