The weeks passed. George had agreed that Angus could become a knight, which delighted the 11-year-old immensely. He got his own room, which was next to Bon's. Since the elder was now a knight himself, he was given the task of training Angus. Angus had to do a lot of strength exercises, carry buckets of water, do push-ups, and more, which he pretty much hated Bon for. He had to learn to ride better and how to behave on court. He failed the most with the last, but Bon was confident that he would still learn it. Meanwhile, Malcolm was busy healing. The suppurating wound healed very slowly and had to be sewn up again and again. He grew stronger, but the pain often made him gasp weakly.

It was a sunny day. Angus once again practiced archery with Bon while Malcolm walked through the castle garden. George loved nature, which is why he was the first Scottish king to have a small garden laid out. Malcolm strolled through the sandy paths while Linda was close to his verses. The two grew closer each day. Linda knew she was in love with the boy, but Malcolm didn't seem to really notice yet. The only thing he noticed was that she sought out a lot of physical contact and liked to hold his hand. Angus and Bon always giggled like idiots when Linda kept giving him hints that Malcolm didn't seem to understand. So the two walked through the garden and sat under an apple tree. Malcolm leaned his head against the tree trunk, sighed and closed his eyes. Linda sat down next to him and smiled a little as she took his hand once again. She put her second hand on his stomach and looked at him. Malcolm opened his eyes.

"What's going on?" He asked, puzzled.

"How are you?" She asked concerned and rubbed his chest a little. Or rather about the white shirt he was wearing.

"Better." He smiled a little at her. "Thank you." She blushed, making Malcolm laugh. He closed his eyes again.

"What do we do now?" Linda asked and looked over at Angus and Bon, who laughed and pulled the arrows out of the target to continue training.

"Sit here and relax." Malcolm murmured, letting some rays of sunshine shine on his face.

"I'll tell you a story." Linda said smiling. Malcolm turned his head and looked at her questioningly. "Just listen. This story has fascinated me since I was little. My grandfather used to always tell me about it."

"What is it about?" Malcolm asked.

"It's about a kingdom. It's not far from us. It's on our eastern border. It is said to have once been a beautiful kingdom. Everyone lived in prosperity, the peasants had enough to eat because their king only asked for as much as he really needed. He had a beautiful young wife. She is said to have been tall and slender and very intelligent. I think her name was Margaret." Malcolm turned his head and looked at her in surprise.

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked softly.

"Shh." She whispered, placing an index finger on his lips. "Just listen to me." Malcolm grinned a little and leaned his head back against the tree trunk.

"They had a beautiful son. But I can't remember his name anymore. When he was very young, his father taught him to ride. It wasn't long before the king and queen had a second son. However, his name was never said in the kingdom because a few days after his birth, his father was murdered." Malcolm opened his eyes and looked at her in amazement.

"Without a reason?" Linda nodded and bit her lip. God, Malcolm was so adorable when he was interested in something.

"Yes. He was murdered for his throne. Actually, his eldest son should become king. But since he was still very small, his killer became king and banished the two boys from the kingdom. This year is said to have been one of the worst winters ever seen. The two were chased out of the kingdom on a horse and were never allowed to come back."

"What happened to those two?" Malcolm asked, looking her straight in the eye.

"Nobody knows." Linda sighed. "It is said that they probably died in the cold. However, a legend says, that the older of the brothers will return and free his people from tyranny. The people there now live a terrible life. They hardly have anything to eat, freeze in winter and starve. The old queen is said to be still waiting for her sons to return, but the grief must have driven her insane." Linda bowed her head a little. "I can't imagine what it would be like to have to let your young son and a baby ride into a terrible winter." Malcolm nodded a little but remained silent as so often. "Do you think the boys survived?"

"Nah. I guess they died. It's not possible to survive in such a winter as a toddler and a baby." Malcolm muttered.

"Did your parents tell you this story too?" Linda asked interested. Malcolm shook his head.

"No. I have no parents." Linda started to laugh.

"Malcolm! Everyone has parents. Otherwise we wouldn't be here." Malcolm smiled at her a little sadly.

"I think my parents died when I was very young. I can't remember anything. The only thing I remember is that Angus and I were always together. I always took care of him and taught him almost everything. Our house was owned by an old woman who helped me with Angus but then died."

"I'm sorry for that. She sure was like a mother to you." Linda said softly and looked at him sadly. Malcolm sighed.

"I can hardly remember her. It's all a long time ago."

"I'm sorry." She said quietly. "So nobody ever hugged you when you were sad?" She asked. Malcolm chuckled a little.

"I wasn't allowed to be sad." Malcolm sighed and looked over at Angus. "I had to take care of him. I didn't have time to think about myself." Linda gently placed two fingers under his chin and lifted it a little.

"But maybe you should." Malcolm gave her a crooked smile.

"No worries. You don't have to worry about me." Malcolm stood up slowly and leaned on the trunk of the apple tree.

"Where are you going?" She asked worried as she got up as well.

"To Angus." The two set off. Angus missed again and the arrow hit the ground.

"Damn." The younger curly head cursed. Bon chuckled a little and took the bow from him.

"You're doing it wrong, Ang." Malcolm laughed. Angus glared at him and pulled the bow out of Bon's hand before shoving it into Malcolm's hand.

"Then show me how it's done, "Mr.-I-know-everything"!" He yelled angrily. Malcolm nodded. He took an arrow from the bucket where the arrows were kept and stood up. He put the arrow in the bow and slowly raised it before tightening the bowstring. He closed one eye and breathed calmly. It was dead quiet in the courtyard. Malcolm held his breath and released the string. The dart flew through the air and hit the black dot on the target. Malcolm lowered the bow again and gave his younger brother a reproachful look. Bon stared at Malcolm.

"What? Do you think Angus and I would have gotten this old if he hunted?" Malcolm laughed, handing the bow back to him.

"Wait! Once again! Do that again! And I'll buy you a beer at the pub next time we're in town if you can split the arrow." So Malcolm lifted the bow again and breathed evenly, even though his injury still hurt.

George watched from a safe distance. Nobody knew he was standing there. He looked at Malcolm with interest. He had rarely seen the older of the brothers since the brothers were at his castle. Most of the time he only dealt with Angus and since Bon had begged him, he had allowed Angus to be trained. Even if he saw the whole thing as fun, since a farm boy hardly had a chance to complete the training. This Malcolm, however, amazed him. How he spoke, how he moved, how he...how he could handle the bow. Something about him told George he had to be more than just a farm boy.

Malcolm took a deep breath, held it, and let the arrow fly. He hit the first arrow squarely, splitting it in half. Angus gasped and stared at the target in shock. Bon laughed and slapped Malcolm proudly on the shoulder and Linda stood there wide-eyed, looking at Malcolm in amazement and awe. The silence was broken when George started clapping. He slowly walked down the stairs to the courtyard and approached Malcolm. Malcolm immediately bowed his head in front of him.

"Malcolm? Right?" Asked George.

"Yes. My king." Malcolm nodded. George laughed.

"Stop messing around. You don't have to call me that. What... what would you think if you were trained to become a knight too? I think you have great talent." He said firmly. Malcolm lifted his head and looked at him with wide eyes. Angus started clapping and jumping around excitedly.

"Say yes, Mal!" He cried. Malcolm chuckled a little.

"I don't know if I can accept this offer." He said looking up at George.

"Of course you can." Bon interjected. "Uncle, I will train him with Angus." George smiled.

"I look forward to having two eager warriors. But Malcolm." George looked at him seriously. "Not until you're healthy again." Malcolm smiled a little. George left the courtyard and went back inside.

"Oh my god!" Linda and Angus screeched excitedly and jumped on top of the young man with the straight dark hair, screaming.