Days of the Dead Book 2: The Beggar's Tomb

Chapter 13: Siri, play "Whiskey in the Jar"

Gideon
Reader, I don't know if you were involved with sports as a child. Or if you were familiar with those sporty parents who volunteered to coach their kid's soccer team or chaperone a sports trip, and then wound up being really nice and supportive and gave their kid nice feed back and they were both super into it and having a really good time? I wasn't in sports, and I didn't have a really nice and supportive parent who volunteered to coach a little league team.
But I did watch Edward III and his Black Prince fight several men at once, and it feels like about the same thing. Edward keeps stopping to just watch his son fence and like encourage him and offer the odd pointer. Just very proud and very attentive and helpful.
Meanwhile, I am having the weirdest day of my life. I and just my two children who are teenagers who have no idea the affect this having on me. And now I'm fighting back to back with them and it's really weird because it's like fighting with me. They both fight exactly like me so it's very trippy because it's like they're just extensions of me it's just so weird. I would think one of them would be more like their mother, but no. I can anticipate every move because it's identical to what my own would be. We're so cohesive it's frightening. Not for them they seem accustomed to me. But I'm not to them so that nearly trips me up.
The pub patrons aren't even like, surprised. They're just saving their drinks and placing bets.  This is just entertainment at this point.
We're not actually trying to kill our assailants. We're more going for maim and wound until they don't to follow us anymore. To that end, we're breaking bones and kneeing crotches, all the while doing our best not to get hit with a sword.
My kids are in half plate and mail armor because of course they've been participating in the tournament. This is terrible. I am realizing now I can't even begin to act concerned about them doing the stupid thing because chances are I've also done the same stupid thing at one point or another. No wonder they said 'don't tell mom' I don't have a leg to stand on.
We make short work of the Templars. I get thrown over the bar at one point, which is pretty fun, and lose my sword and Myrddin just tosses me another one fluidly without actually looking.  In under ten minutes the fight is over and we're all standing there panting being pleased with ourselves and our would-be assailants are lying on the floor of the pub.
Edward goes and apologizes and offers to pay for the damages. No, he's not identifying himself; he's just being nice. Meanwhile, William and I and my kids drag out the bodies, and our Black Prince collects weapons and trails after his father like a puppy.
"Disgusting," Myrddin says, wiping his bloodied hands on his sister's shirt, "Is there any on my face?"
Kat looks directly at her brother who has mud and blood smeared all across his face, "No."
"Come here," I say, getting a cloth from my pocket to scrub his face clean.
"Uncivilized brutes," Myrddin mutters, letting me do it as a matter of form while he continues to clean his hands on his sister's tunic. She does not really react to this.
"Well, that was fun," Edward says, pleasantly, returning to us. He's got a thick arm around his son's neck and is pretending to tug him along. "Let's go home eh? You, new guy, do you have a horse?"
"No," I say.
"He can ride with me," Kat says, tugging her arm away from her brother who was still using her as a dishtowel.
We journey back outside to find our horses. Kat is on a bigger cog, and Myrddin's mount is smaller and lighter, a delicate dapple that it appears only he can ride. The Black Prince has his own thick, fell pony looking mount. He's almost big enough for a horse and probably has one for practice, but for pleasure riding he's on the more self-assured mount that he can control.  Salisbury's horse is the biggest, but he does not volunteer to share and looks mostly resigned to having adopted me to add to an apparently growing pack of strays.
The ride back to Windsor is apparently pretty quick, it was a local enough tournament to tempt the royals as it happens. King and prince spend most of the time rapidly deconstructing the brawl they were just in and the tournament of the day, obviously having a pleasant time of it. King Edward wants his boy's thoughts on it and probes him for his opinions on alternate scenarios. Sailsbury occasionally comments, but is mostly silent.
Myrddin complains about the blood spray on his shirt, which he blames me and his sister for, for a solid ten minutes. Because apparently he thinks we're both skilled enough fighters to take into account not ruining his clothes. I find this amusing and Kat elbows me for that, warning me not to validate.
We reach the edge of Windsor by dusk, which is apparently where we stop, give the horses to grooms, and act vaguely like we didn't go to a tournament all day. King Edward is self assured enough to get away with this. And the grooms who find us don't appear to question it at all, like they're not all surprised for their monarch to show up bloodied, a bit bruised, clearly sporting joust related injuries, with his eldest problem equally disheveled, obviously pleased with himself and the amount of chaos caused today.
"Come in! Have supper with us," King Edward says, clapping my arm.
"I should probably not, my lord, my quest is a bit urgent. Though I thank you for your hospitality," I say. I'm hesitant to even enter the palace. I thought I'd be safe not running into people I knew and I found my two trash children at a goddamn joust. In retrospect, considering everything about me, yes of course I was always going to find them there. However. I hardly need to be seen by all of Edward's court and whoever else he's got here. I'm not meant to be in this time I realize.
"Of course, we're glad to help, my son will see that it's brought to you," Edward says, patting his boy on the back. The boy smiles and nods, amiably.
"I will return the amulet as soon as possible," I say, dipping my head respectfully.
"Take your time, it isn't doing me any good," Edward says, smiling genuinely, "All I ask is a decent tale of what good it did you."
"I'll try to oblige," I say.
"Oh, I know what happens I'll—yeah I'll tell you what he's doing," Kat says.
"I still do not remember this? What, don't look at me like that I just found out last week those are scars and he just doesn't look like that," Myrddin says, poking my cheek. I laugh.
"Excellent, I'll hold you to that," Edward says, clapping his hands, "Now, my wife will be wondering where we are, shall we go remind her how durable we are, Teddy?"
"Yes, father," the boy says, ducking as his father messes up his curls.
"It's been an honor, my lords," I say, bowing deeply.
The royals depart, and we're left to loiter outside the stables.  This apparently isn't an overly uncommon occurrence  for the Windsor staff because they don't look twice at a group of ragged wizards.
"So—," Myrddin says, looking at me generally.
"You can't tell me anything about our future. And I really shouldn't tell you anything. I'm not supposed to be here my amulet took me to 1432 which is now 1439, for me. I thought I'd be safe coming back here because in theory none of us were here," I sigh.
"Sorry," Kat winces.
"I'm not overly sorry, but you understand we're having fun?" Myrddin also winces.
"I'm not mad, why— do I get mad at you?" I ask, drumming my hands against my sides. Do they really fear my wrath?
"No!"
"You tell mom!"
"Which worse!"
"I'm going to tell your mother. I'm sure she only doesn't want you getting killed," I say, a little amused.
"I mean—,"
"Yeah—,"
"But consider—,"
"We don't mind getting killed this way?"
"You are my children, right," I say, stuffing my fist in my mouth as I think. I'm not supposed to be doing this. Are the time police going to finally show up? I feel like at some point someone is going to start telling us not to do this.  "Where'd you get the amulet to come back here?"
"Stole it from you," Myrddin says while Kat hits him.
"We just stole it at random and kept coming back because as you see it's a good time. He'll properly start the 100 years war soon," Kat says, "That will also be a good time."
Rhiannon is going to kill me. She'll blame me for this and it's my fault so that's painful. I know it's my fault.
"Yeah, knock yourselves out. Have fun, you're already back here shouldn't—well we'll deal with it if it affects anything," I sigh.
"You're not mad?" Myrddin says.
"Give me sixteen years," I say, winking.
He grins.
"You'll probably want to become involved," Kat says.
"More than likely," I say, folding my arms and drumming my hands on my elbows, "You both doing all right? Really? Nothing you ah—want to tell me not to do when parenting you?"
"Oh, please don't tell mom we're doing this."
"She'll be disappointed."
"In fact don't tell anyone."
"Yeah we told like ten people including Lowri we weren't—,"
"And we are—,"
"Look, we just want you safe, that's all. I just—recognize being alive isn't worth it if you don't enjoy yourself," I say, shrugging a little, "If you're having fun fine but please look out for each other, I don't—," I don't like leaving you.
"We'll be fine," Myrddin says, "Seriously, dad, we are completely fine."
"And now that you know you'll probably show up in like two hours demanding we take you to the melee tomorrow," Kat says.
"Yeah probably," I say, smiling a little, "Sounds like me."
"We'll be fine, don't worry about it. Go back to your—proper time and consider not telling our mum that we're doing this thing we pretty much directly told her we weren't doing?" Myrddin asks, hopefully.
"Where does she—and I—and everyone else in Wales for that matter, think you are? Like, don't tell me politically what's going on, just where do we all think you are?" I ask, frowning.
"Oh ah—mum thinks we're in Scotland, you think we're in Wales with mum you're currently in England for shenanigans reasons, dad thinks we're in England with you, everyone else thinks we're at school, and Lowri knows we're full of shit but can't prove it," Kat says, pleased with remembering.
"Why did you not tell all of us the same place?" I ask.
"Him," Kat points at Myrddin.
"More complicated, it'll take all of you forever to sort out we're lying, or it would have. Thank you very little, for busting my ass seventeen years in the past," Myrddin says, annoyed.
"That's what you get, seriously, serves you right," I laugh.
"I said we should tell them all the same thing," Kat says.
"I am telling you. They cannot be angry if they're completely confused, it's literally how I survived the tutors," Myrddin says.
"Your tutors getting mad at you for chaos you definitely completely caused?" I ask.
"Yes exactly," Myrddin says, primly, as he tries to pick dust off his shirt.
I smile. I would gladly remain here half the night, watching them argue. A dozen insecurities I didn't know I had. They don't not want anything to do with me. They're not cross with me. They're not afraid of me.  They just want to get into trouble and be kids and they're happy I'm probably going to wind up enabling that. More than that, they're not running from anything. They know they have a safe home waiting at the end of all their adventures. That matters most of all.
Our conversation is interrupted by the return of Sailsbury, who appears to have been deligated to bring me back the amulet.
"When you're finished please return it to any of the staff," Sailsbury says, handing it to me. It's a small cube, about the size of my palm, all grey with a maze of red lines engraved in it.
"Thank you, Will," Kat says.
He nods, and looks at Myrddin, "Still wouldn't go in the dining hall if I were you."
"Really? Wow, way to hold a grudge—don't look at me like that," Myrddin says, as I eye him.
"Thank you, my lord," I say to Sailsbury, bowing a bit and accepting the amulet.
"Best of luck," he nods, and then leaves.
I roll the amulet over in my hands, "Guess it is time for me to go."
"Yeah, good luck! I'll—give them an amended version of what you're doing. I remember this one," Kat says.
"Give it to me as well I don't—are you crying?" Myrddin sighs, a little.
"I'm not good at goodbyes," I say, quietly, "And you won't even know this happened for years and years."
"Give past-us a hug, okay?" Kat asks, coming over and hugging me tightly.
"Yeah, you know where to find us eh?" Myrddin asks, coming and wrapping me in his arms as well. I hug both of them tightly, pressing my face into their dark hair.
"I really, really never thought I'd get to have this," I whisper, as my children both embrace me tightly.
"We've always been here, and we always will be, okay?" Myrddin asks, "You taught me that. We are never alone."
"Thank you," I whisper, tears in my eyes.
"Go home now, everyone's waiting," Kat says, kissing my cheek.
"See you on the other side," Myrddin winks.
"I love you both so much," I say, hands on their shoulders.
"We love you too, Dad," Kat says.
"Now get out of here, and think on not telling mum."
"I'm telling her."
"Damn it."