Egelric and Malcolm return

Egelric was allowed to step down into the grassy court nearly unmolested, aside from Yware’s attempt to flip up the hem of his kilt as he ran by, but Malcolm was almost tackled by the Prince and the two young pages of the castle, who swarmed him like a pack of yelping dogs. His twin brother had received similar treatment upon arriving at their father’s house, so it was gratifying to Malcolm to be reminded that there were boys who liked him better.

The King sat in his cloistered court with his family gathered round, as he liked to do on the warm summer evenings. His little Queen sat beside him, of course, and Britamund and Emma were there – the latter up past her bedtime, Malcolm thought – along with his young cousins Sigrid and Synne, who sat in the grass at his feet. Synne grinned up at Malcolm as if she would have liked to have joined the boys in jumping on him, but Sigrid seemed strangely disturbed at their arrival. Malcolm took note of that fact before delivering a few cuffs to the heads that bounced and clamored around him.

“Home already?” Sigefrith cried as he rose to embrace Egelric.

“He brought us home as soon as ever he could,” Malcolm said as he slipped between the boys and jumped down into the court.

“I saw up your skirt!” Yware crowed.

“No, you never did!” Malcolm turned to snarl at him. He knew perfectly well how to leap in a kilt without exposing his legs, but he could have given the brat another smack for pretending the contrary in front of Synne, who was both pink-​​cheeked and giggling now.

Sigefrith grabbed him and kissed the top of his head. “Did the big lout miss me so?” he asked.

“Not you,” Malcolm laughed. “He’s in looooooove!”

“Never!” Sigefrith gasped.

Egelric took advantage of the hand that Eadgith held up to him to be kissed in order to escape the necessity of a reply.

“He’s not denying it,” Malcolm pointed out.

“Did one of your cousins finally strike your fancy?” he asked Egelric.

“What do you think?” Malcolm asked scornfully. “So much for your powers of deduction. He has a girl here – why else would he rush home?”

“Ah! Alred told me you would be amenable to anything when you returned,” Sigefrith said to Egelric, “but I had thought it would be the change of scenery that would have wrought this miracle.”

Egelric was too busy kissing the hands of the King’s young daughters to reply.

“Who is she, Malcolm?”

“I’m not to say, but he has almost run out of ladies’ hands, so you might get a word out of him then.”

“Your turn, Malcolm,” Egelric said with a sly smile, and he held up Synne’s hand, which he had kissed last.

Malcolm immediately began plotting his revenge as he proceeded back up the row of ladies’ hands.

“Your Majesty does not know her,” Egelric said with a slight bow.

“Yet,” Sigefrith said.

Egelric bowed again.

“How did it go for Cubby?” Sigefrith asked wistfully.

“He is a very brave boy,” Malcolm said between kisses to giggling Emma’s fat cheeks. “He knows how to hold his tears.”

“It’s a skill he learned too young,” Sigefrith sighed.

“We were very proud of him,” Egelric said. “He didn’t whine and moan, but accepted his fate and tried to make the best of it. We could all learn a few things from the lad.”

“He got on very well with my brother Lulach,” Malcolm said.

“Will he be happy there?” Sigefrith asked.

“I’m happy here,” Malcolm pointed out.

At any other time, Malcolm thought Sigefrith would have made a deprecating joke, but now he only smiled fondly down on him.

“Malcolm!” Yware interrupted. “What did you bring us?”

“Nails for your tongues and ropes for your ankles! Get off, boy!”

Synne giggled again.

“What news here?” Egelric asked. “The fields look fine.”

“The harvest will more than make up for last year, I think,” Sigefrith said, “though it is small comfort to those who didn’t live to see it. Alred has the men cutting stone to await your pleasure. And Eirik and Estrid went on a voyage last month,” he added quickly, “and Sirs Sigefrith and Brede shortly thereafter.”

Malcolm did not miss how Synne’s bright gaze softened and turned away from him onto her sister, and how Sigrid merely stared down at the turf.

“A voyage with his sister?” Egelric asked.

“Well, it’s a bit complicated,” Sigefrith said awkwardly. “Tryggvason sent for the two of them to come home so that Eirik could marry a cousin of his, but it seems that the young man had already made a promise to Sigrid here, and Sigefrith and Brede went to fetch him back to honor it.”

“I see,” Egelric said thoughtfully and immediately asked, “What about my daughter? Is she well?”

Malcolm easily saw to the heart of that riddle. Women! But the men could be just as bad.

“Malcolm!” Caedwulf whispered meanwhile, tugging on his sleeve.

“What?” Malcolm hissed.

“Come talk with us!”

“Hush up, runt!” Sigefrith said. “Malcolm is surely dying to know how his only-​​a-​​cousin has fared in his absence.”

Without thinking, Malcolm glanced over at Synne – and that was a mistake.

“All right, all right” he muttered, and made his escape by allowing himself to be dragged away by the three boys. “Well, I hope?” he called back to Sigefrith before they were quite gone.

“Very well!” Sigefrith grinned. “I’m not certain whether she noticed you were gone at all.”