“What’s that?”
“Mud! For cannon balls!” Before she could respond, he’d scooped up a handful of soft earth from the flower bed and was shaping it into small spheres.
“Codie, I daenae think that’s right.”
“Look, they’re perfect!” He held up his muddy creations with obvious pride. “Now Thunder can really fight the enemy ships!”
He lobbed one of his “cannonballs” toward the pond, but his aim was off. Instead of hitting the water, it splattered against the side of the stone fountain, sending mud flying in all directions.
“Oops,” he said with a giggle.
“Codie. Perhaps it would be best if we stop.”
But Codie, fueled by childish excitement, ignored her. And soon, another mud ball flew through the air, this one landing with asatisfying plop in the center of the pond. “Did ye see that? Direct hit!”
“Aye, I saw it, but ye should stop.”
“Here, ye try!” Before she could protest, he’d pressed a mud ball into her hand. “Aim for that lily pad there!”
Iris looked down at the muddy sphere in her palm then at Codie’s expectant face. He was practically bouncing with excitement, more animated than she’d ever seen him. How could she refuse?
“Well, if ye insist...” She took careful aim and let the mud ball fly. It landed just short of the lily pad, sending up a small splash.
“Good try! But watch this!” Codie scooped up another handful of mud, but instead of aiming for the pond, he turned and hurled it directly at her.
The mud hit her square in the shoulder, splattering across her brown dress and leaving a distinctly hand-shaped print.
“Codie!” She stared down at herself in shock. “What are ye doin’?”
“Mud war!” he declared with delight, already reaching for more ammunition.
“Nay, lad, we’re nae havin’ a mud war.” Another mud ball caught her in the arm. Then another hit her skirt.
“Stop throwin’ mud this instant,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm and authoritative. But watching his joy, seeing how his whole body seemed to vibrate with happiness, she found it impossible to be truly angry.
“Cannae catch me!” He darted around the fountain, leaving muddy handprints on everything he touched.
“Codie, ye need to stop this right now,” She ducked as another mud ball sailed over her head. “This isnae how we play.”
But she was fighting a losing battle against her own smile. There was something infectious about his laughter, something pure and joyful that she hadn’t experienced in years. When was the last time she’d played like this? When was the last time she’d been allowed to be anything other than proper and contained?
“Just one,” she muttered to herself, scooping up her own handful of mud. “But then we stop.”
Her aim was better than his. The mud ball caught him right in the chest, and he squealed with delight.
“Ye got me! Ye got me!” He stumbled backward dramatically, clutching his chest like he’d been mortally wounded then he popped back up with a grin. “But I’m nae dead yet!”
What followed was absolute chaos. Mud flew in every direction as they chased each other around the garden. Codie’s laughter rang through the air like music, and despite her better judgment, Iris found herself laughing too. When was the last time she’d felt so free, so unconstrained by expectations and propriety?
“Truce!” she called out finally, holding up muddy hands. “I surrender!”
“I win!” Codie crowed, doing a little victory dance that involved a great deal of jumping and arm waving. “I beat Lady Iris at mud war!”
They were both completely filthy, mud in their hair, streaked across their faces, coating their clothes. Iris looked like she’d been wrestling with a pig, and Codie looked even worse. But his smile was so bright it could have lit the entire castle.
“Aye, ye won,” she conceded, trying to wipe mud from her cheek and only succeeding in spreading it around. “But ye ken we’ll have to clean all this up, do ye nae?”
“That’s the best part!” he said happily. “We can splash in the fountain to wash off!”
