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Torin said, “In a bit I will lead them in song and ye will be much more fond.”
Then he looked at me and said, “Ye ken, tis alright, Alexandria. I am sorry ye are lonely, that ye hae been lonely, but I am yer family now. And ye hae yer brother and yer uncles, ye hae yer friends back home, yer aunt Claray…”
“You know what doesn’t seem fair…?”
“Life inna fair.”
I rolled my eyes. “Please don’t tell me that.”
“Why nae? Tis true!”
“But I am in a mood and as a princess I demand you not say it.”
Torin nodded.
“It’s not fair that my parents ruled over a time travel kingdom, but… I can’t go back in time and rescue them. That’s sucky.”
“Aye, tis verra sucky.”
New cups were delivered along with another bowl of the same food.
“Maybe, just maybe, I’m going to fill up now.” I picked up a spoon and shooed off Dude who was about to use his paw to fish in my bowl. “Remind me, how come I can’t go back in time and rescue them?”
“Tis not how time travel works, ye ken, we live and we die. If we could rescue everyone just afore death, twould be tae make them immortal. We arna immortal.”
“What would happen?”
“I daena ken, but I ken tis not done. Yer uncles hae thought it through.”
“And there are rules…”
“Aye, once ye die on the timeline, ye are long gone. Ye canna come back, tis permanent.”
I narrowed my eyes staring off at the place over the hearth where a piece of pottery stood. “But… this is what I don’t get, maybe I’m a little buzzed, bear with me… If my dad was from… Where was he from?”
“As ye ken, Normond was raised in Kilchurn castle, he had the title Duke of Awe, twas the mid-seventeenth century.”
“Do you remember my mother’s time? Near mine I think, but after, like 2012?”
Torin nodded, “I canna remember but it sounds right.”
“But here’s the thing, Torin, they were in our kingdom, in the year… 2175… I think that was when they died, right?”
He nodded.
I took a bite of bread and chewed, shifting his cup to the left, “This is the 17th century, when Norman was born.”
I put my cup in front of me, “This is the 21st century when my mom was around. Same as me, funny we didn’t meet. But I guess she hadn’t been pregnant with me yet.” I stared off into space. “She never had me yet. And maybe she never brought me to Florida…”
I looked at the two cups, “That might have ruined the whole idea.”
Torin said, “I see where ye are going with it, ye want tae ken if yer parents die here…” He placed two pieces of bread to the right of me, past our cups.
“But if ye could rescue them here.” He pointed at my cup.
“Or here.” He pointed at his cup—
I gestured at the two cups. “Or any of these years all around here, anywhere they were, before they died, maybe I could intervene…?”
