Kay hadn’t gone on the hunt. Now of age, he could have, but he didn’t. Not this afternoon. He was dead tired from the festivities the night before. He and the young squires, those about ready to become knights, had fought to lift the testing stones of Glamis. Only Kay and two others had succeeded in lifting the heaviest of the five rocks to their shoulders. Kay’s legs were still stiff from the repeated efforts they had made in admitted attempts to impress the young girls who were also now of age. They had succeeded.
Kay now walked through the halls of Castle Glamis, toward the kitchen. He preferred to get food himself when he could. And the servants had a bit of a day off with the men out to hunt. He didn’t really care to mess with it. He liked most of them.
He paused right outside the main hall. Shouts. It sounded like the servants yelling at each other. He continued on.
“You dare call yourself a stewardess?”
Kay whirled back around and threw open the door of the main hall. It smashed against the wall as he strode in to see his mother backed against a table, a knife to her throat. A man in peasants clothing held the knife. His other hand held one of his mother’s wrists.
“Leave her alone.”
The man stepped away, but kept his knife at her throat, held out arms length. “Do you know what your mother did?”
“Step away, dammit.” Kay moved toward the peasant.
“Back or I cut her throat!”
Kay halted.
The man looked from Ailsa to Kay and back again. “You sent my daughter away to the far reaches of Glamis. All because she took a shine to your boy. And you know what? Do you know what they did there?” The man’s eyes were wet. “They took a shine to her there.” He drew a shaky breath. “She was eleven, Stewardess! Eleven!”
“Things like this happen every day,” said Ailsa. “It was no fault of mine.”
“Leave her alone,” shouted Kay. “I caused the problem.”
The man looked taken aback. “No, no it was your mother. Don’t defend her.”
Kay shook his head. “No, I’m challenging you. Aim the knife at me."
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