Bertie has a talk with Malcolm
Bertie and his Da and Osric dismounted in the court of the new castle and walked up to the keep. Torches were lit everywhere, making it seem as if work was meant to continue at the site throughout the night. The only thing lacking was the workmen themselves, for every man that could be mounted had been sent out to find Iylaine.
“Bertie!” Malcolm came running out of the shadow of the keep.
Bertie froze.
“Did you find anything?” Malcolm asked as he ran up.
“What are you doing here?” Bertie grumbled.
“Well, I’m one of the King’s men, aren’t I?”
“We met them coming down the hill. I guess you aren’t one of them now.”
“Well, I’ve been looking for a long time. I’m supposed to take a rest now.”
“Me too,” Bertie said. “My Da says I have to sleep here.”
“Well, I suppose you’re up past your bedtime,” Malcolm laughed.
“I suppose you are too. You’re not that much older than me.”
“Oh, I don’t have a bedtime. The King lets me go to sleep whenever I want.”
“Is that why you’re so crabby?”
“What did you just say?”
“Bertie, I guess you better go in and sleep,” his Da said as he came up to them.
“Aye, that’s what I was just telling him,” Malcolm said.
“I guess you better go in and sleep too, Malcolm,” his Da said.
“I don’t have to,” Malcolm protested.
“If you don’t, you’ll be too tired to look for Baby in the morning. You aren’t doing any good standing around here. But if you don’t care about that…”
“I do care! I was just about to take a nap anyway. Come on, Bertie. I’ll show you where you can sleep.”
He grabbed Bertie’s arm and dragged him around to the gate, pointing out the defensive features of the new keep along the way as if it were his own. Bertie thought he might like to punch him in the mouth, but he couldn’t as long as his Da was following them.
Malcolm led them to the great hall, which was empty still but for a few beds.
His Da added a log to the fire and then turned to embrace him. “You be good and do as you’re told. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I’ll be good,” he promised. His Da gave him a long look that made him suddenly want to cry – but he would not cry in front of stupid Malcolm. And then his Da was gone, and they were alone.
“Well, I guess I’m going to bed,” Bertie said.
“Oh, not yet! Come here,” Malcolm said.
“What?”
“Let’s sit by the fire and talk for a while. I’m not tired.” Malcolm sat and waited.
Bertie hesitated. “I’m not sure you want to talk to me, Malcolm.”
“Why not?”
“‘Cause I don’t think you’ll like what I have to say to you.”
“What do you have to say to me, sprout?” Malcolm laughed. “Get over here, Bertie-boy. Unless you think you’re up past your little bedtime?”
Bertie came and sat next to him.
“Well, what?” Malcolm asked after a moment of silence.
“Well, I don’t know, but I guess maybe Baby ran away because of you. And I just don’t know what I’ll do if she gets hurt or lost because of you.”
“Because of me?”
“I guess that was real mean what you said to her today. You told her nobody wants her, not even her Da. And her ears were ugly. And you made fun of her ’cause she’s an elf.”
“She started it! She said my nose was ugly, and my father sent me away.”
“That’s no reason. ‘Cause you’re bigger than her, for one, and she’s a girl, for two.”
“Aye, but she’s my cousin too. I guess your sister is a little girl too and you call her names and hit her all the time.”
“I don’t hit her anymore.”
“Well, call her names anyway. I don’t hit Baby either. And Wynnie doesn’t mind, and Baby doesn’t either.”
“I think she did mind today, and that’s why she run away.”
“She just wanted to see her Da, I bet. If my father were this close I would ride to see him all the time.”
“But you’re a big boy, and she’s a little girl.”
“Aye, but a bold one, wouldn’t you say?” he said admiringly.
“I still think you hurt her feelings today and you should apologize.”
“Apologize? To my cousin? She knows I don’t mean it. Besides, you stupid sprout – who made Yware eat three live worms ’cause he made fun of the way Baby says ‘I been’ and ‘You was’ sometimes? And who beat up that stupid Anson ’cause he said Baby gave the evil eye to his pig and made it eat its one piglet?”
“I guess you did.”
“You’re right I did. And I would just like to see the boy that would speak ill of my cousin in front of me. I know there’s a pack of them that want a whipping right now, but they don’t have the guts to repeat to me what they’ve been saying. They know! I would even beat up the Prince if he ever did, but he’s smarter than that.”
“Well, I don’t know. I still think you hurt her feelings. I guess you shouldn’t have made fun of her for being an elf. I guess that was real mean.”
“Oh, she knows I don’t mean it!” Malcolm groaned. “I don’t know anyone else who has a cousin that’s an elf, do you?”
“No.”
“So why would I make fun of her for it? I think it’s a fine thing.”
“Why don’t you tell her that, then, instead of telling her no one wants her? I guess she believed it when you said no one did.”
“She’s daft then, if she thought that! Oh, women!”
“Do you think we’ll find her?” Bertie asked after a while.
“I bet we will. She didn’t go far on that little pony.”
“But it’s going to snow tonight, my Da says.”
“I’m more worried about the elves, myself.”
“The elves?” Bertie asked, suddenly sick.
“I just hope they don’t hurt her, ’cause she’s an elf too. I’ll wager they won’t. But if they do… when I get my hands on an elf, watch out!”
“Oh, don’t talk like that, Malcolm,” Bertie said.
“Oh, look at you, white as a mashed turnip! Nobody is going to hurt Baby tonight. She’ll just sleep under a big tree or something. She’s a clever lass enough.”
Bertie tried to believe him, but he hadn’t even thought about the elves. Thankfully the moon was nearly full.
“Are you really going to marry Baby someday?” Bertie asked after a time.
“Jealous, Bertie-boy?” Malcolm laughed. “I suppose I have to, or my brother has to. And I suppose it had better be me, since he doesn’t know her. Somebody has to look out for her, ’cause she’s an elf, and the people are afraid of her. And I shall be a knight someday.”
“So will I.”
“You are jealous! I knew you were in love with her.”
“Oh, shut up, Malcolm. I am not. I’m just saying, you won’t be the only knight in the world. Besides, right now I guess I just want her to get found. Anyway, I don’t think Baby will ever get married anyway. She hates babies.”
“Well, you can have babies even if you aren’t married, you know! So Baby’s in trouble either way!” he smirked.
“You can? How?”
“Stupid sprout!” Malcolm laughed. “You are a little boy, aren’t you? I suppose it’s time for you to get to bed. ‘Night ‘night, little sprout!”
“Shut up, Malcolm,” Bertie grumbled, but he did get up and go to bed.
