Fallen Empire

chapter 7

VII.

Alice tosses and turns, trying to make sense of the recent events. Questions plague her endlessly until she surrenders to a waking state. She sits up and begins writing notes on the available parchment and discusses the situation with Seren. They decide that they will need to get a pass from Brutus to visit his prisoner. Alice thinks about the questions she wants to ask the assailant and Seren studies the knife thoughtfully.

They work and plot through the night and into the early hours of the morning. They both jump from a knock on the door, Alice opens it a c***k and sees Brutus in his senatorial robes.

“Good morning.” he says with a smile, “I know it is not customary to visit a lady in her room, may I come in?”

Alice smiles and says, “One moment.” She closes the door calmly and panics after it is closed, “Seren! Get your cloak on quickly!”

Seren dives for the paenula, throws the hood over his head, and stands unobtrusively in the corner.  Alice looks carefully around the room for any signs of their modern life and then opens the door again, “Come in, please.”

He walks into the room, nods at Seren and asks Alice, “I came to see how you fared after last night’s excitement.”

“I am fine, I appreciate your concern. Would you like some wine? I could call the innkeeper.”

Brutus holds up his hands, “I am afraid I do not have time, I would like to request your company tonight. There will be a Varro satire performed at the home of my friend Senator Cassius and I have been invited.”

“That would please me almost as much as seeing you again,” Alice says faking interest.

“Till tonight then?” Brutus leans over and kisses her gently and turns to leave.

“I need a small favor.” Alice says uncomfortably, “I would like to speak to the clumsy assassin today.”

“Why?” Brutus asks curiously, “The gaolers will question him sufficiently, and the gaol is no place for a woman.”

“I believe he was the person who followed me through the city, I need to know if he was sent by my ‘Temple’”

Brutus smiles, “Do your oracular powers not tell you?”

Alice smiles and laughs, “The gods have not chosen to divulge his identity; therefore I must question him privately.”

“Very well,” Brutus concedes, “On the condition that you take your bodyguard with you. I do not trust the prisoner or the gaolers with your safety.” He sees the pen and paper and writes out a pass, “Give this to the head gaoler. He will take you back to the cell. Now, I must leave or I will be late.”

“Thank you,” Alice says, “I will tell you all about it tonight.”

Brutus kisses her again, “Be careful.” After a quick embrace he departs.

Alice waits for Brutus to walk out of sight of the Inn before turning to Seren and saying, “Let’s go.”

Alice and Seren make their way to the gaol, which is situated near the Curia. She asks to see the head gaoler and is taken to a squat, greasy man so puffed up with self-importance he resembles a toad. She gives him the pass with a minimum of physical contact. He peers at the paper in astonishment, then hops off his rickety chair and leads her to the cell corridor.

The hallway, while lit with torches, is still dark an ominous. The dregs of society being held here are soon to be executed or sold into s*****y, either option would be better than remaining here. They shout and murmur excited to see visitors until the gaoler yells at them to be quiet.  Alice knows this is the only place to find the answer she needs yet still feels uneasy about being here.

“This is the cell, my lady,” the gaoler says effusively, “Are you sure you do not want one of my armed guards with you?”

“I am sure …thank you,” Alice says quickly, trying not to breathe. The smell of unwashed bodies is more rancid than the stench of potters’ alley, “Brutus will appreciate your concern.”

The little man almost trembles with excitement, picturing the gold he will receive for his service to Brutus’ mistress. He unlocks a wooden door six inches thick and bows as Alice and Seren pass him. Light from the hallway barely enters the cell and the gaoler starts to follow them in, Seren stops him and ushers him out closing the cell door from the inside. The gaoler’s dignity is slightly bruised, but he is unwilling to argue with the towering bodyguard, and makes his way back to his office.

Alice stands for a moment to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. The entire cell is no bigger than six feet square, just big enough for a scattering of moldy straw, a man shackled to the opposite wall. Nearly choking from the sight and smell of the prison Alice says, “Seren, go ahead and talk to him while I remember how to breathe."

Seren nods and says in Latin “Who are you? Why were you trying to kill Brutus? Are you the one who has been following us? Where did you get this knife?”

The prisoner shakes his head and mumbles something. Seren looks surprised, “He’s speaking an antiquated form of English.” Seren observes curiously.

Alice furrows her brow “Will you be able to understand him?”

“Yes and you probably will, too. It is not so different from the native languages of the Northwest European Provinces.” Seren reluctantly moves closer and repeats his questions in English.

“So they finally send someone I can understand,” the prisoner vehemently responds, “Here I’ve been all nigh’ asking why I’m here an’ getting nothing but gibberish in reply. When that wizard dropped me here, he didnae’ tell me everyone speaks gibberish.”

Seren looks at Alice,  “Maybe I hit him too hard last night.”

“So I have you to thank for this headache,” A wry grin shows through his thick, reddish beard. “Why’d you come here then?”

Alice leans closer to the prisoner and asks,“Who are you?”

“An’ what should I be tellin’ you for, lassie?” He looks her up and down appreciatively.

“We can help you talk to the guards and maybe even get you released.”

The prisoner looks shrewdly towards Alice’s face, “What’s in it for you?”

“I want detailed answers to every question I ask.”

“Well,  I cannae’ see what harm that’ll do.” He looks her over again and nods, “It’s a deal, lass, what would you know?”

“Who are you?”

“Ryland MacFall, son of Angus an’ Lindsay MacFall, bastard get of Alexander MacCrinan III, late king of Scotland.”

Alice looks a Seren, “Where is Scotland?  I have never heard of it.”

Seren frowns as he runs the name through his files, “I cannot locate it within my database. In our history, it never existed.”

Alice’s eyes widen. She looks quickly back at MacFall. He certainly doesn’t look as if he would be acquainted with such sophisticated technology as Time travel. In fact, his ragged garments and long, unkempt red hair suggests that this is not his first experience in a prison.

Alice carefully asks, “How did you come to be in Rome?”

“Is that where I am?” MacFall asks in genuine astonishment, “I always wished to see the Holy City of the Pope, an’ here I am seeing it from the inside of a prison.”

Alice quickly answers, “Those are the consequences of wanting to kill someone.”

“It wasnae’ my will to kill anyone.” MacFall admits in an aggrieved tone, “That wizard said he wouldnae’ ta’e me home unless I killed that man. When it's my life or the life of someone I don’ know, I pick my life ever’ time.”

Alice doubts this severely but tries hard to understand, “…So a ‘wizard’ shows up and says he’ll take you from ‘Scotland’ to Rome if you kill a complete stranger. She shakes her head at him and says, “Start at the beginning. How did you meet this person?”

Macfall takes a deep breath and even though he is chained to the wall tells his story quite animated.

“…Wheel…I suppose this whole mess started when King Alexander of Scotland’ rode up to my granddad’s croft in the Midlands on his way west. He took food, drink, and the oldest girl for a nigh’. When she found herself with child, my grandda quietly married her to an unwitting crofter. Growin’ up he avoided me as much as possible but made sure I worked hard to earn my keep. I never thought I wasnae’ his despite his harsh treatment. My mother bore him two girls an’ a boy before I saw ten summers. When I reached fifteen an’ was ready to start a family of my own, my mother called me in and tol’ me the truth about my parentage. I didnae’ believe her until she gave me a fine dirk with the Royal Seal that the King had given her father in payment for her services. Faced with the reality, I decided to leave home to make my own fortunes.”

“…And that’s when you came to Rome?” Alice asks wanting to expedite his long winded answer.

“Noo I’m getting ta that. A dark time for Scotland it was, King Alexander had died leavin’ his four-year-old granddaughter, Margaret of Norway to ta’e the throne. King Edward of England offered his support to the clan leaders appointed as regents. In gratitude, they agreed to a union between Margaret an’ Edward’s son. On her way to her kingdom four years later, the little-girl-queen caught pneumonia an’ died. Scotland waited while the clan leaders argued o’er the rights of succession.

‘I followed the coast to a small fishing village where I signed on a cargo ship headed for Edinburgh. I took to the seaman’s life an’ signed on for a longer voyage on a merchant vessel. The crew was of mixed nationalities an’ I learned Spanish an’ French fairly quickly, along with wrestling an’ knife figh’ing. We sailed to Portugal, where I decided to stay. A Catholic priest taught me to read an’ write an’ found me a position in the household of a minor Duke. I accomplished a sensitive matter for him an’ as a reward, he recommended me to the guardian of King Denis’ niece, who was pledged to a French nobleman. When she traveled to her new husband’s country, I was one of her well-paid personal guards.

‘When I was in France, I had no desire to return to the dark marshes of Portugal. I rented a room in Paris an’ took on small courier assignments. I continued my studies with another sympathetic priest.

‘Once I had a taste of learning, I wanted more, I read every book he gave me an’ much of my meager salary went to buy more. We discussed history, religion, the conflicting politics of the French court, an’ the state of surrounding countries. It was from this priest that I learne’ of the situation in my homeland.

‘When the little-girl-queen died on her way to Scotland, the clans’ leaders asked Edward to choose a new king from the many claimants. He chose John Balliol over the powerful Robert the Bruce an’ set him on the throne as a puppet king. He kept a close eye on the clan leaders and flattered them with titles an’ land in return for their cooperation.

‘Thinking that Edward’s attention was occupied with Scotland, Phillip of France lay claim to the throne of England an’ planned an invasion. He received the support of John Balliol, who felt secure after holding his throne for three years an’ wanted to be rid of Edward’s intrusion an’ because Phillip couldnae’ afford to keep a standing army, he sent men out to round up all able-bodied men from Paris an’ the surrounding areas. Unfortunately, foreigners were included in this forced enlistment an’ I was hustled off to the coast handed a helmet an’ spear, an’ bundled into a ship along with several hundred others.”

“None of this has anything to do with the ‘Wizard’, Rome or how you got here, that is I what need to know” Alice says

“Who’s telling this story?” Ryland asks rhetorically before continuing. “I wasnae’ as reluctant as most of the infantry. I recognized a chance to see me homeland again. We landed on the beach of Pevensey to find Edward an’ his army waiting for us.

‘I was positioned on the right flank an’ wasnae’ involved in the heavy fighting, that was to say until the French army realized it was outmatched an’ began a mad retreat towards the ships. While trying to detach myself from the rest of the fleeing army, I was caught by surprise an’ my sword arm was cut nearly to the bone.

‘Wrapping my arm in the tunic of a dead Englishman, I crawled to the shelter of a nearby forest an’ rested until nigh’fall. I made my way to a small village where an elderly couple took me in. When my wounds had healed, I thanked them for their help an’ started walking north with the idea of reaching my family’s croft. I had enough of foreign countries an’ kings an’ I was ready to settle down and raise a family.

‘It took several weeks to get to the Midlands. Nothing about the land had changed even though I had been away for six years. My little half-brother was grown and tending flocks in the fields an’ my younger sister was feeding lambs in a pen. They didnae’ recognize me, can you believe that?  My mother did though, she ran out of the house to greet me. She was glad that I returned an’ told me that my other sister had married earlier in the year. My father took me aside to speak man-to-man of the growing unrest among the clans.

‘After defeating the French armies, Edward’s vengeance on Scotland was swift an’ ruthless. John Balliol was removed along with all symbols of Scottish government to the Tower of London. English nobles were installed in family castles to oversee the conduct of ‘those savages’. The clan leaders unwillingly swore allegiance, knowing that rebellion would mean death, but secretly they waited for a strong leader.

‘My father told me of the atrocities that were carried out against our honest, peaceful countrymen, so I decided that the only responsible course of action would be to convince Edward to release his grip on Scotland an’ support me as the true heir of the former king. I knew in my heart that Edward would ne’er let Scotland go, but the weight of my blood heritage was stronger than my self-preservation. Reluctantly, I bid fond farewell to my mother, father, an’ brother-who begged to go with me until his father threatened to whip him.

‘The road to Westminster was an easier one that I had ta’en in many years, well traveled an’ well protected by a number of English soldiers. I joined a party of merchants an’ enjoyed exchangin’ gossip an’ stories on the road, as well as tankards of ale in the roadside inns at nigh’. We parted company outside the city gates where I got directions to King Edward’s current residence.

‘I spoke the palace guard, who called the Steward, who looked down his nose at me an’ asked why I needed to see the King of England. I explained my mission an’ he raised his eyebrows, I didnae’ think he believed me but he took me straight to the audience chamber.

‘Edward was not a tall man, but his bearing left no doubt that he was the supreme lord. He was speakin’ with his advisers and didnae’ look up until the Steward went over to whisper to him. He dismissed his advisers an’ the Steward immediately an’ seated himself in a wooden throne.

‘Where do you get the audacity to make such a claim?’ he asked me.

By my honor, it is the truth, I answered.

‘You speak treason,’ Edward said calmly.

I have proof, I said, ‘If you grant my claim, I will swear to honor you as an overlord.’

‘The throne of Scotland does not easily submit to an overlord. I have had trouble enough with a vassal King and do not wish to make the same mistake again, assuming that you are indeed the true heir.’

‘I swear to serve you, my lord,’ I repeated, an I drew my dirk. ‘Here is my father’s blade bearing the Royal Seal of Scotland’ I said holding the dirk out for Edward. He took it an’ examined it closely an looked down at me thoughtfully.

‘I am satisfied,’ he announced, ‘I will grant you the throne of Scotland if you will take the Oath of Allegiance.’

I immediately dropped to my knees, elated that he was willin’ to support me. ‘Thank you, my lord.’

‘As I bowed my head I saw his face twist sardonically, but I wasnae’ quick enough to avoid the blade, that buried itself into my shoulder I struggled to my feet, Edward called for the guards. They surrounded me an’ attempted to bind me, I stole a sword from one an’ held them off as best I could. I was weak from shock an’ loss of blood an’ they soon subdued me. I was thrown in a cell an’ tol’ that I would be executed the following day. It seemed my luck had run out. That’s when the ‘Wizard’ appeared…”

“Finally…” Seren interjects; Alice shushes him as she slowly has been getting more and more engaged in Macfall’s tale

“The Wizard flooded my cell with a flash of lightning. He was English but I couldnae’ tell that by odd clothing he was wearin’, so different than any nationality I had encountered in my travels, I only knew he was English by his thick accent. The moment he appeared the gaoler ran around the corner an’ stood confused, the Wizard fired a miniature cannon at him, killing him instantly. The Wizard put the cannon back into his clothes an’ asked me if I wanted my dirk returned to me. When I said I did, he placed a friendly hand on my arm an’ instantly lightning surrounded me.

‘When the spots cleared, I saw that I was standin’ in a field beside a huge wall. The Wizard took a black, shiny rock an’ held it over my wounded shoulder. I felt a sting an’ the wound healed. He stepped back an’ touched a bracelet on his wrist. The image of a man appeared as if in smoke. The Wizard tol’ me that if I was to kill this man  he would send me home. He gave me my dirk an’ disappeared in a flash of lightning. As I didnae’ wish to become an assassin, I decided to camp there beside the wall an’ sneak into the city at nigh’ to steal food. As days passed with no sign of the Wizard, I began to reconsider. All that stood between my home an’ me was the life of a man I didnae’ know. Last nigh’ I was in the marketplace to get food an’ I chanced to see the man I was supposed to kill, he was standing outside with you my lady. I am sorry, but do you see I didnae’ have any alternative”