Footsteps in Time (The After Cilmeri Series Book 1)

Footsteps in Time (Chapter Five)

The other boy, who was more than two years older than David as well as bigger and burlier, had a black eye and a swollen nose. It was unlike David to get into a fist fight, but it looked like that was what had happened. Bevyn and the older man spoke calmly to each other. David stood unmoving, staring fixedly ahead with his feet spread and fists clenched. He was doing some of the breathing exercises he'd learned in karate.

Prince Llywelyn, standing straight with his hands clasped behind his back, looked from one boy to the other. He spoke to David, who replied. Prince Llywelyn then put a hand on David's shoulder, leaned down, and looked him in the eye. Whatever he was saying, he enunciated so clearly that had Anna known enough Welsh she could have read his lips. At last, the two boys gripped forearms in sort of a handshake, and the group broke apart.

David spotted Anna leaning against the wall and walked over.

"What happened?" she said.

He half-laughed. "I was in a fight. Can't you tell?"

Anna looked him up and down. "No, I can't. The other guy sure looks like it, though."

"Fychan and I were fighting with wooden swords," David said. "I won fairly. No one has ever defeated him before and he was mad about it, I guess. He shouted at Bevyn that I cheated. I tried talking to him, but he wouldn't listen, so I turned around and walked away. Next thing I knew, he jumped me!"

"Uh oh," Anna said.

"Yeah," David said. "He caught me off-guard and I went down on one knee. His arms were around my shoulders, but I threw him off and turned to face him. I heard someone shout at us to stop, but I was seeing red and I think he was too because he rushed at me. He believed he could overpower me."

"Let me guess," Anna said. "He took a swing at you, you blocked his arm, kicked him in the groin, and when he doubled over you came up into his face with your knee."

"Pretty much," David said. "I was so mad I was ready to hit him on the way down too, but a couple of the guys pulled me off."

"So what did Prince Llywelyn say?" Anna said.

"Fychan was in the wrong," David said, "so there wasn't any question that I had the right to defend myself. But Bevyn was concerned that I let my temper get the better of me and the knee in the face was unnecessary."

"It was," Anna said, "especially since you had people calling you off before the fighting started."

"I know," David said. "Then Prince Llywelyn said that a leader couldn't afford to allow anger to affect his decisions, and that I needed to understand that there was a time for making an example of a man, and a time for showing mercy. He didn't object to the way I'd conducted the fight, but that I'd done it while hot, instead of cold. A leader has to be cold in order to mete out true justice."

"A leader, huh?" Anna said.

"You caught that too, did you? I'm not sure what to make of that."

Anna knew. Her brother was going to succeed in this world even more easily than in the old one. She'd feared that no one would appreciate David's talents, but it seemed that here, stripped of the trappings of modern society and with over seven hundred fewer years of accumulated knowledge, it was impossible not to.

* * * * *

As Anna's misery abated, despite the continued absence of hot showers, she became more aware of the increasing activity in the castle. A martial mentality was in evidence, with men-at-arms moving purposefully through the courtyards and more men peopling the great hall at dinner. David came to her one day to show off his mail armor, though his eyes were hooded with concern. He sat on a bench near one of the tables.