Egelric sees his lord

“All right, which one of you is God and which is My God?” Alred cried as he stormed into the room.

“I’m God and he’s My God,” Colban laughed.

“I like this one!” Malcolm said, turning to Egelric. “Let’s take him with us next time. That Sigefrith is no respectful enough.”

Egelric smiled, but his heart sank when he saw his lord. He knew Sigefrith could exaggerate at times, and so his words had not prepared him for this.

“And here’s My Dog!” Alred said then, embracing him. “You hear that, Egelric? Next time I come too. I already told Sigefrith.”

“Are you the Duke then?” Malcolm asked.

“I am. Don’t believe any of the dreadful things this knave said about me.”

“He’s far more respectful towards you than to your King,” Colban said.

“Egelric, I don’t know whether that’s because you love me more, or love me less,” Alred fretted.

“It’s because you weren’t there to defend yourself,” Egelric smiled. 

Oh, how he had changed! Egelric stepped back and watched him laugh and joke with his cousins. 

They had fallen for Alred immediately. Who wouldn’t, though? He knew how to make men love him… how to make women love him… how to make children love him… even the animals seemed to recognize him as a friend. He was the finest man Egelric had ever known, and he was dying.

He envied Sigefrith, who had known him when he was young and strong. How he would have loved to have gone out to battle with them, instead of marching behind a plough through all the best years of his life! He envied Sigefrith, who could hail him as a brother. But then – no, Sigefrith had known him long; Sigefrith was his brother. Sigefrith would miss him even more than Egelric would. Sigefrith was not to be envied, he told himself.

“Are you coming, Egelric?”

Egelric looked up – they were leaving. He didn’t know where they were going. He hadn’t been paying the slightest attention. But where Alred was going, he would follow.