Scotland

Chapter 12

The weeks passed. George had agreed that Angus could become a knight, which delighted the 11-year-old immensely. He got his own room, which was next to Bon's. Since the elder was now a knight himself, he was given the task of training Angus. Angus had to do a lot of strength exercises, carry buckets of water, do push-ups, and more, which he pretty much hated Bon for. He had to learn to ride better and how to behave on court. He failed the most with the last, but Bon was confident that he would still learn it. Meanwhile, Malcolm was busy healing. The suppurating wound healed very slowly and had to be sewn up again and again. He grew stronger, but the pain often made him gasp weakly.

It was a sunny day. Angus once again practiced archery with Bon while Malcolm walked through the castle garden. George loved nature, which is why he was the first Scottish king to have a small garden laid out. Malcolm strolled through the sandy paths while Linda was close to his verses. The two grew closer each day. Linda knew she was in love with the boy, but Malcolm didn't seem to really notice yet. The only thing he noticed was that she sought out a lot of physical contact and liked to hold his hand. Angus and Bon always giggled like idiots when Linda kept giving him hints that Malcolm didn't seem to understand. So the two walked through the garden and sat under an apple tree. Malcolm leaned his head against the tree trunk, sighed and closed his eyes. Linda sat down next to him and smiled a little as she took his hand once again. She put her second hand on his stomach and looked at him. Malcolm opened his eyes.

"What's going on?" He asked, puzzled.

"How are you?" She asked concerned and rubbed his chest a little. Or rather about the white shirt he was wearing.

"Better." He smiled a little at her. "Thank you." She blushed, making Malcolm laugh. He closed his eyes again.

"What do we do now?" Linda asked and looked over at Angus and Bon, who laughed and pulled the arrows out of the target to continue training.

"Sit here and relax." Malcolm murmured, letting some rays of sunshine shine on his face.

"I'll tell you a story." Linda said smiling. Malcolm turned his head and looked at her questioningly. "Just listen. This story has fascinated me since I was little. My grandfather used to always tell me about it."

"What is it about?" Malcolm asked.

"It's about a kingdom. It's not far from us. It's on our eastern border. It is said to have once been a beautiful kingdom. Everyone lived in prosperity, the peasants had enough to eat because their king only asked for as much as he really needed. He had a beautiful young wife. She is said to have been tall and slender and very intelligent. I think her name was Margaret." Malcolm turned his head and looked at her in surprise.

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked softly.

"Shh." She whispered, placing an index finger on his lips. "Just listen to me." Malcolm grinned a little and leaned his head back against the tree trunk.

"They had a beautiful son. But I can't remember his name anymore. When he was very young, his father taught him to ride. It wasn't long before the king and queen had a second son. However, his name was never said in the kingdom because a few days after his birth, his father was murdered." Malcolm opened his eyes and looked at her in amazement.

"Without a reason?" Linda nodded and bit her lip. God, Malcolm was so adorable when he was interested in something.

"Yes. He was murdered for his throne. Actually, his eldest son should become king. But since he was still very small, his killer became king and banished the two boys from the kingdom. This year is said to have been one of the worst winters ever seen. The two were chased out of the kingdom on a horse and were never allowed to come back."