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 throneandmake amends tae him, my brother-in-arms…orhe 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 andthensend 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.
12
ALEXANDRIA
JULY 8TH, 2004 - THE KITCHEN AT LAUREL RIDGE
Torin asked, “If ye haena fought yet, then what is this uniform?”
Max looked down, running a hand through his hair. “I daena ken, really, tis from m’kingdom.” He brushed a hand across the medals. “I daena ken what these are for. I expect tis tae be decorative. Aunt Claray gave it tae me tae put on.”
I said, “Are you hungry, Max, you want pizza?”
He scrubbed his hands up and down on his face, then ran his hands through his shoulder-length brown hair. His face was clean shaven, his jawline chiseled. There was a dark sadness to his eyes. “Nae, I am too tormented tae eat.”
Torin sank into a chair. “Too tormented — what happened?”
“I hae a great deal tae tell ye about, I need yer counsel.”
“Ye said it, outside.”
