[Druids Bidding 02.0] RenFaire Druids: Dunskey Castle Prequels

by Jane Stain

  Emily ran over to Dall the instant the meeting was dismissed, holding out her program card for him to sign so she would get a spot in his class.

  Dall ignored her program card, ran out to meet her, picked her up, swung her around, put her down, and locked lips with her for five full minutes before the crowd pressing around them with catcalls brought the two of them to their senses.

  Her dad’s voice did that even better, saying, “Hello, Dall. I’m Emily’s father, and this is her mother.”

  Emily was proud of her dad. He didn’t miss a beat when Dall clasped his forearm instead of his hand.

  “Yep,” Emily smiled at her parents. “This is Dall.” She turned to him. “And these are my parents, George and Sandra Shaw.”

  Still clasping her father’s forearm, Dall said, “It is good, at long last, to meet Emily’s kin in person. I am not so comfortable on the phone, you ken.”

  He smiled at her parents and they smiled back.

  Wait, you talked to them on the phone? About what? Why didn’t you talk to me?

  But much to Emily’s delight, Dall kept his left arm firmly around her waist the entire time he signed students up for his class and walked them over to his instruction area, which she recognized as the arena. The gazebo where all the faire people sat and watched was almost done being put back together.

  Emily was vaguely aware of her parents sitting inside a weapons booth nearby and chatting with the owner, but her attention was all for Dall.

  Dall smiled and held out a one-handed Italian sword for her while beckoning her off her straw bale and out into the arena with him.

  “Emily lass. Come help me show everyone a roving stage swordfight such as between Romeo and Tybalt.”

  Emily jumped up and ran out to Dall. She was ecstatic to be stage fighting so soon.

  But how does he know I won’t make a fool of myself? I mean, I won’t, but…

  He handed her the Italian sword and saluted her with his.

  She saluted back.

  And then they were in action, going through several cuts, parries, dodges, and a disarm. It was fun. It was helping people learn.

  It was drama.

  It felt so right.

  At the same time, it seemed to Emily that she was the only one who wondered how on Earth Dall had guessed she knew stage fighting so well. Sure, he had taught her how to use a dagger and they had sort of performed together at the last faire, but they hadn’t done anything near this complex. Yet he had casually called her up to do it without even discussing it beforehand.

  So risky.

  Ian and Siobhan stood outside the arena chatting with tea-dye Aiden—whom Emily had learned at the morning meeting was the director of the entire faire.

  This felt almost like a secret audition for Emily. No, it felt exactly like a secret audition.

  But for what?

  Emily glanced over where her parents were sitting. Could the weapons booth owner have set this all up to get hawkers for his booth? It didn’t seem likely.

  Oh well.

  This was the most fun she’d ever had.

  And curiously, I’m not even getting tired.

  Aware that Dall was watching—along with everyone else—Emily did two more demonstrations: daggers with Ian and a cat fight with Siobhan. Ian was no problem, but Emily was afraid of Siobhan. Especially when she had to privately reveal her two-week-old wound to the woman and ask that she please avoid aggravating it.

  But Siobhan just nodded and said, “Of course,” in a very businesslike way.

  And then the two of them went out into the arena and started to perform. After the usual insults to give them reason to fight, the two women faced each other with their chests heaving in false outrage.

  Emily ran toward Siobhan and grabbed her hair, pausing as if for effect while she shouted more insults.

  Siobhan used the pause correctly. She grabbed Emily’s wrists to secure the two of them firmly together without really pulling her hair out. And then Siobhan began to move as if Emily were shaking her.

  Emily went with the new move, changing the rhythm of her insults to match, as if she really were shaking Siobhan.

  Siobhan used the cover of this apparent shake to make it look like she kicked Emily, but she really only tapped where she supposedly kicked and then kicked near her.

  Right on cue, Emily yelled, “Ouch.” She turned their fight into a comedy by grabbing the kicked leg and hopping up and down on the other leg.

  It worked nicely. Everyone laughed.

  Emily took Siobhan’s hand and led her into a bow, and everyone clapped.

  “Good job,” Siobhan told her with a pat on the back and an odd smile.

  Confused, Emily did her best to smile back before she sat back down on her straw bale.

  Emily was certain this was a secret audition after all the demonstrations and the group instruction time. Dall divided the class by experience levels and gave each level to one of his assistants. He had her stay with him and help give the beginners the one-on-one attention they needed. She had even more fun while teaching stage fighting than she had demonstrating it.

  And again, Aiden, Ian, Siobhan, and the weapons booth owner and other important-looking people stood off watching her. They kept their eyes on her and said things to each other. And now they nodded a lot.

  When stage-fighting class was over for the day, Emily left Dall’s side for a few minutes so he could discuss with his assistants who might make the cut and who might get the bad news the next day, after the test. Dall had already invited her and Vange and her parents to have lunch with him afterward. She wasn’t surprised to see Aiden’s group join Dall and his assistants after she left.

  Emily went over to the weapons booth where her parents were once again talking with the owner, Murray. Vange had joined them, and she did a funny impersonation of Emily clinging to Dall’s side. Emily laughed in spite of herself and then hugged her friend.

  Murray was saying, “Oh no, some of us do this year-round.”

  “You have faire in the winter?” said Emily’s dad.

  “Nope, we do April through September in the US, and then we go down under and put on fairs in Australia from October through March.”

  Emily’s mom asked him, “Isn’t that terribly expensive for you, taking so many people all the way to Australia?”

  Murray got a faraway look in his eyes for a brief moment, and then he recovered himself. “We don’t take everyone, only about forty people: the richest booth owners, the directors, and the professors. Most of the people you see here today are locals who we train during these rehearsal weekends. We get regulars who come back year after year, so it works out.”

  Emily’s dad said, “Yeah, you appear to be doing well for yourself. Is that your truck they’re unloading your weapons from?”

  Murray smiled huge. “Yep, and let me show you pictures of my RVs. I have three here in the US and three in Australia.”

  “Excuse me,” said Emily’s mom, leaving to walk over toward Dall.

  Emily looked. Dall’s meeting didn’t appear to be over yet.

  “Mom.” she started to try and stop her mom from interrupting, but Vange held her back. When Emily looked at Vange, her eyes were smiling and she shook her head fast.

  “What?”

  Vange said, “I bet your mom can get them to let Dall come out with us tonight.”

  Emily gasped. “That would rock.”

  They both watched her mom talk to the ruling group of faire people, who were stubborn at first, but whom she wore down and apparently impressed.

  In the end, they all nodded yes.

  Emily felt Dall’s arm sliding around her waist. She turned to smile at him, and they were kissing again, a tender kiss this time. It made her heart soar. It made her forget her parents were there.

  Until her mom said, “Where should we eat our boxed lunches? Watching you all exercise made me really hungry.”

  Over boxed lunches at the picnic tables, Dall convin
ced Emily to switch out of ‘songs of the period’ and into ‘beginning jousting’.

  Emily said, “But jousting is a stupid event to have at a renaissance faire. It isn’t period.”

  “Och, lass, if we ainly portrayed what was period, nay one would hae any fun at all, ye ken?” He looked at her as if she would know, as if she had been to his time.

  She did her best to convey her confusion in her eyes.

  Dall kind of shook himself, and then he nodded. “Aye, wull jousting gives one practice on horse, and that is verra period.” He gave her a look that said, “I rest my case.”

  “But I hate horseback riding,” Emily said.

  “Ooh. Not me,” said Vange, “and I signed up already. You should take it with me, Em. It’s going to be fun.”

  While everyone’s attention was on Vange, Dall hugged Emily close and stealthily whispered in her ear, “You need to be able to ride a horse, lass. Just take it easy on the wounded arm.”

  So that was settled.

  Emily and Vange learned how to get on and off horses by themselves and how to ride a bit while Dall and her parents watched. Every time Emily looked over, they were all talking, and they seemed really into their conversation. It made her feel a little left out.

  At a brief meeting that closed rehearsals for the day, Emily found out Ian would accompany Dall to their hotel that evening.

  It figures.

  But at least Dall would be with her.

  And then her dad put the third seat down and Dall was climbing into an automobile for the first time. Guessing that he was probably nervous but too manly and oath-bound to let on, Emily pretended to be in her faire character for his benefit.

  “Oh. It be one of the new horseless carriages. I hear they give much more comfortable rides than horse-drawn carriages.”

  Ian played along. “Yes. I hear they have shrunken musicians and singers hidden inside, and they serenade you while you ride.”

  Even Vange joined in. “And it’s a much faster ride. They go seventy miles per hour. I never would have believed it unless I saw it for myself.”

  Dall sat next to Emily in the back. He started to cuddle up to her as he would on the sofa in Siobhan’s trailer, but she helped him with his seatbelt. That kept them far enough apart that they couldn’t kiss, darn it. He jumped a little when the engine started, and then he squeezed her hand.

  Emily squeezed back in a way she hoped was reassuring.

  Likely realizing they were too spread out in the car for conversation, Emily’s mom turned on the radio to some oldies station.

  “Wow,” Emily whispered to Dall, “are we finally getting a chance to talk in private?”

  But Vange turned in her seat and grinned at her. “Did you get your phone back yet, Em?”

  So much for that idea.

  Mom chatted at them while they walked down the hall and took the elevator up to the tenth floor and walked to their rooms. She and her husband seemed oblivious to Dall’s rapt fascination with the modern accoutrements of their hotel, let alone its size and the general extent of civilization present in her time period.

  Vange kept giggling about it. Thankfully, she seemed to think Dall was acting.

  Ian played off Dall in order to add to that impression.

  Amid stares at their costumes and appreciative looks from other women at Dall and Ian’s kilts, it was decided they would first change for dinner, and an hour after that, for a swim and a soak in the Jacuzzi.

  “You men can change in the swim lounge,” said Mrs. Shaw. “Emily, why don’t you and Vange show them where it is.”

  Ian spoke up. “That’s OK, Mrs. Shaw. We didn’t bring any change of clothes, so we’ll just wait out here in the hallway. We’ll have to go to dinner as we are, if it’s alright with you and Mr. Shaw.”

  “We’ll eat poolside then. Emily, you and Vange show the guys where the hotel swimsuits and terrycloth robes and towels are, and where they can shower and change, and then we’ll meet them up there in an hour.” Her mom smiled at everyone and waited for her orders to be obeyed.

  Ian and Vange were along, so it wasn’t as fun as it might have been, showing Dall the swimsuits and imagining him wearing one. But the view from up there was spectacular in the daylight, right into the trees of the forest.

  And then Dall was kissing Emily goodbye before they would be apart for just an hour. As usual, she melted into his kiss and let the world disappear.

  “Come on, Emily. Hahahaha.” Vange pulled Emily away, and they went down to their room and took turns showering and changing into their own hotel swimsuits and terry-cloth robes. All the while, Emily imagined Dall marveling at all the modern conveniences, and wishing she were the one showing them to him, instead of Ian.

  What are we going to eat by the side of the pool, anyway?

  When they all emerged from the stairwell in their swimsuits and robes, an umbrella table was set for six and two waiters stood by, just like in a movie.

  It scared Emily a little, honestly.

  Why are they going to all this trouble? It isn’t even my birthday.

  And then Dall came out of the men’s locker room, freshly showered and wearing only swim trunks, and she forgot about everything else and drank him in with her eyes. Only gradually was she aware that his eyes were feasting on her in her hotel bikini.

  She felt herself grinning at the idea that she was the first woman he’d ever seen in one.

  He threw his arm around her and walked her to the table, where he pulled out her chair and then scooted it in for her after she sat down.

  “This is our treat,” her dad said once everyone was seated and they all had menus, “so get whatever you want. Mr. Simmons says steaks are their specialty.”

  “Ooh, that sounds good,” said her mom, “with a baked potato.”

  Knowing Dall had no idea how any of this worked, Emily was proud of how he sat back, watched, and learned without revealing how mystified he was. They all ordered steaks with various accompaniments, and then the conversation started.

  “So is Mr. Simmons your kin, then?” Dall asked her dad with a smile.

  Her dad smiled back. “Not family, no, but part of the circle of friends Sandra and I have accumulated over the years. Emily has known them all since she was a baby, so they are much like family.”

  “If not kin, they are clan.” Dall nodded and offered this as a toast.

  Everyone toasted.

  “Clan.”

  Dall said, “It is good to have clan about, watching over you.” He caressed Emily’s back while he said it.

  They all spent the meal and the obligatory hour afterward in pleasant conversation about family and clan and how much support they got from both, and then they all went for a swim in the pool and enjoyed the warm July evening. Well, Emily kept her robe on to hide her wound and just sat on the edge with her feet in the water.

  And then Emily’s mother pulled Dall over to Emily’s edge of the pool and said to them, “Why don’t the two of you go into the Jacuzzi alone for a while. I’m sure you have things you would like to say in private.”

  Emily met Vange’s eyes, and her friend gave her a goofy grin and a thumbs up.

  With a small portion of her mind, Emily marveled at the way her mom kept Ian occupied with games in the pool and gave him no good excuse to interrupt her and Dall. But the vast majority of her mind was dancing with anticipation at what Dall would say to her now that he finally had the chance.

  Emily rested her wounded arm outside the Jacuzzi on the side away from everyone. It was fun watching Dall get into the hot bubbling water, and then they both sighed as they eased back against the jets and let the hot water massage away their sore muscles.

  And then Dall spoke so forthrightly, Emily actually pinched herself to make sure it wasn’t a dream.

  “Lass, I have much to tell you, but I will start with this. I want you to be my wife. I have already asked your father for your hand, and he has already consented.” Dall’s gaze was sincer
e, and as he spoke, he moved away from his jet to embrace her there in the water.

  This was when Emily pinched herself on the leg under the water. It hurt.

  “Oh Dall, I want to marry you too. I have since I first saw you, and that desire has only grown every minute since then—”

  Dall was kissing her then, and if she hadn’t been so aware of her wounded arm needing to rest outside the hot water, she thought she might have crawled into his lap and let things get out of hand.

  But her wound reminded her of all the questions she had for him.

  Also, that old sense of the imminent loss of him came back and nagged at her, saying this might be her only chance to ask him. That he might disappear forever at any moment. And that gave her even more questions to ask.

  He spoke first though, holding up his hand to ask that she listen.

  “Och, I must tell you so much first, Drusilla. Do not prevent me, or I do have the fear we will not ever be married.”

  “Did you just call me Drusilla?”

  Emily edged away from him slightly so that she could see his face, but they remained in an embrace in the hot waters of the Jacuzzi.

  “Aye, and I have before, many times, but you do not remember it, lass…”

  He went on to tell her a fairy tale of how she had traveled back in time with him.

  How he hadn’t remembered being here in her time, just as she didn’t now remember being in his time.

  How she had impressed and intrigued him by teaching Dog and his crew to wield swords…

  How much his kin already loved her, including his children.

  How something she had said there had inspired him to bring back a bunch of antique weapons, which he had sold to Murray for a pile of money.

  He talked for a good twenty minutes, and without the mysterious knife wound on her arm, Emily knew she wouldn’t have believed him.

  But Dall showed her a birthmark that resembled standing stones around his ankle, and he reiterated the disturbing part in what he’d told her.

  “Aye, so we are both cursed by the druids. I must travel in time to serve them, and you… they threaten that once you marry me, you will be stuck in whichever time that happens.”