Note: I was dreaming when I wrote this, so sue me if it goes too fast.
Chapter Three:
Dagda help us.
"I'm sorry if I've upset you, Princess Deidre," said Christine. There was a heavy silence that had attached itself to the princess as the two of them began making their way around the castle.
"Why would say a thing like that?" the princess said, her fingers gripping around the crossbow.
"Well, to be frank, you seem pissed about something," said Christine. "I just assumed it was something I had said back there in the throne room."
Deidre stopped walking and looked as though she were struggling with her words. "Look, it's not…it's not often there is someone who comes to this castle and claims they've seen into the lives of every single individual. In a way, it's a violation of privacy so excuse me if I am a little tense." She turned on her heel in a small huff.
"Like I said, Princess Deidre," said Christine, following. "The show was too soft to be anything but childish. There was nothing scandalous about it. But, I understand why you value your privacy so much. I know. If I were a woman living in this time period, I would hate being considered weak because I wasn't a man. I would fight but I probably wouldn't be as good as you are with that crossbow."
Deidre stopped again. This time, there was a hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth. "I never for one second thought I was weak."
Christine hesitated. "Can I just make a comment?"
Deidre crossed her arms. "Sure."
"Those boots are awesome."
The princess looked down at her feet and seemed to notice her knee-high boots for the first time. "Thanks," she said. "Uh, I've never actually had anyone say they were…well, I hope what you said was good."
"I know you're not weak, princess," said Christine, now that she had caught Deidre's full attention. "If it weren't for your sass n' frass, I probably wouldn't have felt so confident at school. Those kids were mean and whether you like or not, the show about you and your friends saved my sensibility. Weird, eh?" They both laughed.
"Yes, it is most definitely weird," said Deidre. "Uh, I apologize for not being the perfect host. I'm just," she stopped herself, hesitant to say what she wanted to say in front of a stranger.
Christine rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm just trying to be as open as possible. Truth be told, I'm a nervous wreck. I still think I'm stuck within my own mind because I'm afraid to believe that what I'm seeing is real. So, here I am, bleeding my heart out on my sleeve because in a world of fear and darkness, I was lucky enough to find people, who I had once believed in as a child. There's a part of me that wants to believe everything I'm seeing is real but there's an even larger part of myself that is afraid that I will lose my sanity to this. I just want to be sure. We all want to be sure. For the first time in my life, I don't know who I am and it's very unnerving but I think if I can say something about it right here and now it will save me the trouble later on of cracking under the pressure. I know; this is weird for all of us. I wish I could say something that would make it all better but I'm afraid I don't know what that is. I hope you understand."
Deidre had been listening to Christine with an open-mind. Her features had softened as she saw that this young woman, no older than she, was giving up all that she had in order to earn the princess's trust. She nodded. "Of course I understand. And Kells welcomes you with open arms, as do I. Here, you will be safe until we find a way to get you back home."
Christine smiled sadly. "I thank you for your understanding; however, I don't think I will be able to get back home."
"Well, we'll have to wait for the boys to come back with their news, won't we?"
"King Fin Varra doesn't have all the answers all of the time," said Christine.
"Ye never know," she said, leading the two of them down an adjourning corridor. "He always has something up his sleeve."
"Besides gold?" asked Christine.
Deidre nodded. "Exactly."
Angus grumbled as he climbed the hill to meet up with two Kells guardsmen. "What's the complaint?" he asked.
One guardsman spoke, "The villagers want to know why their sheep are missing. Said they've been seeing ghosts coming in and swiping their livestock right under their noses."
"Really?" Angus said, crossing his arms. "This is quite a quandary." He thought of Christine as he said that. He didn't know why. She was just like any other woman he was temporarily infatuated with. He shook his head. "Uh, what else have ye got?"
"Nothing," said the other guardsman, "Except this bit of cloth." He handed Angus a thick strip of blue-dyed wool. "It was found in one of the fields where the sheep were."
"Hmm," he mused. "That's it, huh?" He sighed. "Well, good work boys. I'll be sure to give ye a shout when I need ye." He took the cloth and made his way down the other side of the hill towards a small farm.
There was an older man with a kerchief in his hand, pressing against the back of his neck.
"Hello, there!" said Angus.
The old man waved his hand. "Good day to you, sir," he said.
'Sir,' thought Angus. 'I like that.' "And what news of you of this pestering spirit?" he asked.
" 'Twas no spirit, I saw and don't ye be lettin' them boys up the hill tell ye otherwise. Tha's just what they wantin' you to believe, itn't it? Ah," he said, snapping his arm as though to swat a fly.
"Word is these livestock are disappearing and no one has seen who's done it," said Angus. "Have you got an answer to this mystery?"
"Aye, that I have, that I have," he said. He leaned back against the wooden gates. "You will pardon an old man. I've just been tilling the fields for this season's harvest. The crop's may be renewed but me back sure isn't. Ye wait, son," he said. "Once ye've lived as long as I, it don't matter if a few sheep go missin' until the wife notices, that is," he added with a sly grin. "Then, it might be right to tend to the flock. Speakin' of which, ye must 'ave been sent by the king, then?"
"Aye," said Angus.
The old man sighed. "Yep. They're some sheep missin' from these fields. Some horses, I'll bet, too."
Angus frowned. "Why is that?"
"Oh, well, there 'ave been all manner of poachin' goin' on since ol' Maeve's been banished, what an' with her sloppy soldiers saunterin' around the villages. They're just lookin' for trouble to cause since they've got no orders of their own. I suppose ye might wanna inform the good king that he's got more'n just spirits roamin' his villages. Ye tell him that Seamus, the broken down, old man hasn't been mindin' the fields all that well on account of his stiff back."
"I'll tell him you've been doing yer job and that a bunch of mindless Temrans have been scaring the villagers," said Angus. "There's no need to make yerself the criminal. Trust me on that one," he added with a sly grin of his own.
The old man Seamus nodded and pat Angus's arm. "I thank ye, son. But I'm not as worried about the king as I am the missus." Seamus seemed to shudder. "Well, I suppose I'd better be headin' back to me job 'fore I get a slap on the wrist."
"Ah, it can't be that bad, I'm sure."
"Trust me, son," said Seamus. "It can get that way sometimes…but don't let my foolish rantin' scare ye off from findin' yerself a nice lass. Yer just a guy, after all. Ye can't take care of yerself all yer life." He smiled and several teeth were missing but even so, some part of Angus wished he could be just like that. And then another part of himself pinched him mentally.
"I thank ye for yer help, Seamus," he said.
"Don' mention…least of all to me wife," he added with a laugh.
Angus was still chuckling as he reached the top of the hill. "Kay," he breathed. "Somebody's been dipping a little too much in the mead." Even as he said this, he thought of some future life, living like Seamus, when Draganta had fulfilled his destiny and the kingdom was at last at peace. 'It could happen,' he thought. Then, he gave himself a shrug and continued walking back to the castle.
Ivar placed his hand over Rohan's and a cloud of misty, purple smoke surrounded them. Just as quickly, they appeared at the court of Fin Varra, king of Tir Na Nog, who was busy teaching several faeries the art of story telling. When the knights appeared, he shooed them away and looked up at Rohan and Ivar with a slightly agitated pain in his side. "Yes, yes, what is it?" he asked.
"Yer majesty," said Rohan, "We've encountered a girl who says she's from the future but doesn't know why or how she got here."
"Hmm," mused the fairy king, lightly pulling on his beard. "Well, I wasn't expecting this."
"Ye weren't?" asked Ivar.
"Nope. Can't say that I have," Fin Varra said. "Why? What's the matter? Is she a disturbance?"
"Well, no," said Rohan. He glanced at Ivar, who shrugged. "She's just…she told us we never existed, that we were just made up characters for her world's entertainment."
Fin Varra softened his usual gruff tone when he noticed how desperate Rohan was. The king bit his lip. "That is strange," he said. "But how can ye be so sure she's telling the truth?"
"We can't," said Ivar. "But she has done nothing to prove that she is harmful to us or to the Kells kingdom."
"Yet," said Rohan.
"Where did you find this girl?" asked Fin Varra.
"I found her," Rohan said. "She was being headed off by two Temran soldiers, who were obviously without a company to belong to now since Maeve's been banished. She ran away for a little bit before she stopped and recognized me as Draganta. I asked her how she knew me and that's when she told me about something called a 'television show' that was named after us. Could it be true?" he asked Fin Varra.
The fairy king shook his head. "It could be but I have not heard of anything otherwise. I'm sorry Rohan. I can't help ye this time."
"It's all right, yer majesty."
"Rohan," the king said. "Come back to me when ye have news on this stranger. I am very curious as to how this happened."
"As we all are," said Ivar.
They bowed and exited, leaving the fairy king in utter confusion.
"You're kidding, right?" asked Christine as she walked around the spacious living quarters. "This is just one huge joke on me and any minute, Ashton Kutcher's gonna come jumping out of the closet and tell me I've been punk'd. I know this isn't my room."
Deidre smirked. "You've never been given royal treatment before, I take it?"
"Not lately, no," said Christine. "So, princess…."
"Call me Deidre. I think you've earned the right."
"Okay, then, Deidre," she said. "Now, I know your father said there's no roast but do you think I could sneak into the kitchens right now? I'm kind of famished."
"How long has it been since you've eaten?" said Deidre.
" 'Bout two days. It's no big deal really."
"I'd say ye are famished. C'mon," she inclined her head. "Let us hope Angus hasn't beat ye there."
"And if he has," said Christine, following Deidre out of the room. "He'll wish he'd been stealing from Cathbad."
Deidre sighed. "Well, thus far, I've not met a fair match to beat Angus with his appetite. Ye sure yer up fer the task?"
"I wasn't born like this, princess." They turned a corridor and began descending the stairs. "When I was a kid, my dad said I was much like a garbage disposal: I'd eat anything put in front of me, usually every two hours or so."
"Well that's not a nice thing to say to one's daughter."
" 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,' princess. I got him back for that one, don't you worry," Christine said, reminiscing about her father Henry soaked to the bone in freezing Atlantic Ocean waters in the middle of October. "I may be a bit rusty but I think I can handle the job. It's only food after all."
Angus skipped past the throne room and headed towards the kitchens. As soon as he arrived, however, he heard the distinct sound of womanly giggles. Immediately, he had a smile on his face. As he walked in, he found Deidre sitting a table and talking with Christine. There was a plate of fruits, day-old bread and cheese sitting nearby, barely touched. 'Two of man's three essential needs are about to be met in one sitting,' he thought rubbing his hands together. "Hello, ladies," he said.
Christine jumped. She had her back to him and did not hear him coming. She glanced sidelong at him. "Sneak."
"Thieves are well-practiced at that," said Deidre.
"Ah, that's former thief," he said to Deidre, though he was looking down at Christine.
"So," said Christine, blinking up at him, "Have you finished your errands yet?"
"Yep," he said, grabbing the handle to his mace, which slung over his shoulder. "It seems the reason for the missing livestock is just some…ruffian Temrans out looking for some trouble."
Christine shrugged. "If that's the case, I could probably pick them out in a crowd."
"Why's that?" asked Angus.
"They're probably the same jackasses I saw this morning. They had their helmets on at first but the shorter one took his off."
"Why?" Deidre asked.
"Because he agreed to duel with me without blades or armor. Would've kept his word, too, had Rohan not intervened." Christine took an apple off of the plate and took a bite, munching obliviously.
There was a small grin on Angus's face as he watched Christine talk about fighting with Temran soldiers as though it were an everyday nuisance. He glanced at Deidre, who in turn gave him a shrug. "Ye were going to fight a couple of Temrans?" Christine nodded. "Do ye have any idea how stupid that is?"
Christine's mouth dropped open. "Well, what else was I supposed to do? They each had an eye for me and it was pretty disgusting. I couldn't just let them take me, could I? And for your information, Angus," she said, sitting up in her chair. "Women are not as helpless in my time as you may think. Before I was born, there was a little movement called feminism, in which a tiny capsule called the birth control pill gave women a new liberation, as well as a new libido, I might add," she said to Deidre, "And it empowered those women to rise as equally or higher than men. And in case you haven't noticed, women do have a greater endurance for pain than men do…and the only time we bitch about it is when you're around and that's because we don't want you to forget what bullshit we have to put up with all our lives. I hope you're taking notes on this, Deidre. I'm not just giving Angus a lecture for my health here."
"I'm not going to forget any of this," Deidre said with a cocky grin. "I think this is the first time I've seen Angus being told off by a woman, except fer me. I actually kind of like this," she added, sitting back in her chair.
"I actually kind of like this," Angus mimicked in a high-pitched voice. "Yeah, well, ye would, wouldn't ye, princess?"
"Uh-oh," said Christine. "I think we've hit a nerve."
"I'll say," Angus said. "I was just coming in here fer a bite to eat and I have to get me ear blown off 'fore I do it."
"Well if ye weren't so bloody rude all the time," said Deidre, "Things like this wouldn't happen to ye. Yer just going to have to get used to watching that foul mouth of yers from now on."
"Aw, do I have to?" he mocked.
Christine held up the plate to him and said, "Here. Grab some more cheese to go with that whine."
He narrowed his eyes at her as he picked up a slice of cheese. "I think I will have some…because I'm hungry and not because I'm whining."
Christine put the plate down and crossed her arms over her chest. "I wish Ivar would hurry up and get here. He needs to teach Angus some common sense." The women giggled and Angus sighed as he took a seat on the counter.
"So, is that all you've been doing in here?" he asked. "Talking about how ye each hate men, is that it?"
"Angus, we're just teasing," said Deidre. "Don't take it so seriously."
"Besides, we don't hate men," Christine said. "We just love it when you're confused."
"Oh, well that's a relief," he muttered.
"Yer just a poor, lonely boy, Angus," said Deidre.
"And yer a rich, snotty girl…with a big castle and…and people to boss around," he retorted.
Deidre was taken aback. "Excuse me, thief," she snapped.
"Hey, hey, no random acts of violence, please," said Christine. "Just simmer down. I intended no harm. It's all for sport." She glanced at them both. "Right?"
Angus rolled his eyes.
"Princess Deidre," came a guardsman striding through the kitchen. He sunk to one knee and bowed. "There are some maidens outside that want a word with you."
Deidre sat up. "What for?"
"They said it was urgent…but they weren't specific. They just seemed agitated about…something and they want yer advice."
Deidre shot a look across the table. Christine shook her head. "Maybe they want to admire your boots?"
Angus frowned, confused. The princess nodded. Smiling, she stood up. "All right. Show me where they are," she commanded the soldier.
"Yes, milady," he said, standing up and turning on his heel.
"Should we come…you know, for moral support?" asked Christine.
Deidre thought about it. "Nah, this is a woman's job. And ye can't send a man to do it, neither, can ye?"
Christine rolled her eyes and turned back towards the table. She leaned her head against her hand and stared at the plate.
When the princess had left, Angus watched Christine as she sat idly, gazing out into nothingness. Finally, his curiosity got the best of him and he jumped off the counter to sit across from her. "What are ye thinking?" he asked.
Christine's stomach had been flipping even before the princess had left. She knew she was going to be left alone with Angus and as much as she was excited about it, she feared he would turn into something other than she had always known him to be. What's more, she feared her own mouth would run off and betray her.When he asked her that question, she felt like a schoolgirl as she bit the inside of her cheek and looked down at her fingers, attempting to hide her blush. "Nothing spectacular," she said. Her feet were tapping on the ground.
"Ah, c'mon now," he said, reaching across the table to nudge her shoulder. "Ye don't have to be shy around me. I'm Angus…of Kells."
Christine laughed and to Angus it was something heartfelt and overjoyed. "You always did do that…on the show, I mean."
"Do what?" he asked.
"Give yourself a title. Well, since the others were royalty and you always felt left out, you gave yourself that title to use so others would take you seriously. A very hard thing to do, I might add," she said, looking up at him. Suddenly, she looked away from him, feeling the blood rushing to her cheeks. "I feel so embarrassed."
"Why?" he said, choking back a laugh.
"Well," she sighed. "It's just…hard to explain really."
"Try me," he said.
"Oh, very well, if you insist," she said. Christine tried to think of something better to say than what she was thinking but frankly, honesty was the only way out of this situation. She never could lie, even if it was so simple as a compliment. She knew he read people like they were books, studied body language, and could tell if a person was lying or telling the truth. Which made it that much more difficult to say what she wanted to say. 'Ah, screw it,' she thought. "When I was kid, right," she said, looking at him. Her heart jumped in her throat. "And I watched this show…."
"Yeah," he nodded, not clearly understanding where she was going.
"Well, you were…always my favorite." Quickly, she hid her smile, the fire in her cheeks and the fit of giggles threatening to explode. And without reason, she continued, "You were a wise-ass and a loner and…you had a temper like mine. I guess even as a girl I always knew who I was because all I had to do was look at the people I admired." She bit her lip and darted her eyes from her hands to Angus to her hands again. She nervously laughed. "I can't believe I said that. I'm such a girl," she sighed.
"I've got nothing against that," he said.
Christine looked up at him but this time did not dart her eyes back down. "Really?" she said. "Because I've always had the distinct impression that girly girls bugged the hell out of you."
"No, they don't," he said, straightening. "In fact, I think it's…uh, cute," he said with an added air of righteousness.
"Wow," Christine breathed. "I don't think I've ever heard you say that word before." She scrunched up her nose in disgust. "I don't even think it suits you to use it."
"No?" he asked, wincing in thought. "Yeah, well, yer right. I hate that word. It's…well, it's girly," he sighed.
"Which proves my point about you not liking girly girls," she teased.
"I never said I didn't like them," he said, eyes wide.
Christine suddenly stopped herself. She stared at Angus and without warning, burst into uproarious laughter. "What the hell are we talking about?" she asked.
Angus started laughing, too. "I have no idea…but ye brought it up."
Christine slowed down. "I know. I didn't mean to rush into things, I just…."
"No, no, it's fine with me," he said, leaning towards the table. "I'm always rushing to get things done." He stopped himself. "Oh, I mean, wait, that sounded wrong, didn't it?"
Christine nodded. "I know what you mean."
"Thank Dagda, 'cause no one else does," said Rohan.
Christine whipped her head around. "Hi, Rohan…didn't hear you come in," she swallowed. "How long have you been standing there, anyway?"
