Sigefrith awakes

“What’s this? What’s this?” Alred laughed when he came into his study. “Is my King waiting for me?”

“That I am,” Sigefrith said, looking up from the book he was reading at Alred’s table.

“I truly have risen in the world.”

“Indeed, I was just asking myself whether it is I who should be calling you King.”

“As long as you’re sitting behind that table I do feel inclined to call you Duke. But why should you call me King, old man? Let’s hear your joke.”

“No joke. I just took a long ride out over my lands.”

“And?”

“And I found that the farther I was from Nothelm, the farther gone to neglect the fields and farms were.”

“Deprived as they are of the radiant example shed by my stellar peasants, it is only natural.”

“I believe they were deprived of your radiant self.”

“Unlike the Lord, I cannot be everywhere,” he shrugged.

“And then I had a look at my accounts. Care to guess whose elegant handwriting I found on half the pages?”

“And whose little doodles of monkeys?”

“Those too!” Sigefrith laughed. “Truly you are a man of many talents. Only tell me – you didn’t sit on my throne at any time, did you?”

“I should not have dared. But I did take Darius out for a run a few times. He was feeling neglected too.”

“Damn. Was there anyone or anything I didn’t neglect these past months?”

“Leofric.”

“That may be,” Sigefrith sighed. “Now he’s in a huff because I finally am neglecting him. He has the idea that if his wife allows him to come to bed drunk, mine should as well.”

“I don’t believe Sir Leila appreciates it either,” Alred said darkly. “More than once I have thought I should like to have a talk with that man. I believe that girl is afraid of him, and I believe she believes it’s her fault.”

“I suppose that’s the difference between Leila and Maud.”

“I believe there are a few others,” Alred mumbled.

“Well, never mind that. I have made up with my wife, and perhaps I shall now set the example for Leofric. In any case I feel as if I have been asleep for – how long?”

“A year or two,” Alred shrugged. “I don’t know. Since before Margaret was born, anyway. I didn’t put my hands on the reins until Colburga was already quite ill. You will have to ask Cenwulf how things fared before that.”

“I believe I saw your handwriting in my accounts already this time last year.”

“Maybe.” Alred squirmed in his chair.

“Why didn’t you just clobber me over the head?” Sigefrith asked quietly.

“Why? To knock some sense into you?”

“For example.”

“Because you’re bigger than I am?”

“Only in body.”

“More than that. I didn’t fool the people. I’m no king.”

“You did a fine job.”

“You said yourself that the farms and fields are going to ruin over to the east.”

“That shall soon change,” Sigefrith said, rubbing his hands together as he often did when he was making plans. “I tell you, I feel as if I have just awoken from a long sleep. I have so many ideas. What about those castles you’re supposed to be building?”

“What? You know very well you have sent all of the stoneworkers over to Leofric’s!”

“All of them?”

“All of them!”

“Damn. That’s all we have?”

“That’s all we have.”

“Damn. I had better get over there and see how they’re getting along. I want to get started on yours as soon as we can. Have you spoken to Egelric yet?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Don’t you think he has enough to worry about at the moment?”

“I suppose so. Damn, I haven’t been worth much these past months, have I? I feel as if I’ve been away.”

“Welcome home,” Alred said dryly.

“Do you forgive me?”

“Eternally. But now that you’re home, I wish you would do something with Cenwulf. He’s scarcely more help than you’ve been, old man. Although one doesn’t wish to clobber him over the head for it.”

“No,” Sigefrith sighed. “It would probably be enough to finish him.”