Page 50 of Torin and the Princess

“Och nae, there are many rules in yer world.” He put on his seatbelt.

I pulled the car from the parking lot out onto the road, noting that his fingers tapped on his legs to the music.

He didn’t duck his head at all this time and as I got faster he put his head out the window and let the wind blow through his hair without me needing to tell him to. “Can ye push the carriage tae go even faster, Mistress Lexi?”

“Yep, hold on,” I pulled up to a red light. “We have to wait for the light to turn green.” I started bouncing my head and so he did it too, bouncing our heads like we were raring to go, music on, the best song, I grinned. “You like the music, perfect.”

“Aye, what is he singin’?”

“He’s singing,Crash into me... He means it romantically.”

Then it went green and I said, “Go!” I peeled out, kind of, not really, but he grabbed onto the dashboard to steady himself as we jerked forward. Then he winced and rubbed his shoulder, then put his head out the window again, “Cruachan!!”

I laughed. “What does that mean?”

“Tis the Campbell clan battle cry.”

“Cool.” I yelled, “Cruachan!” Then I asked, “Does that mean your last name is Campbell?”

“Nae, tis Elphinstone, I am a cousin of Lord Elphinstone, dost ye ken him?”

I shook my head.

“Our lands are near the Campbell lands and they are a verra powerful Clan, so m’father pledged loyalty tae their chief. I hae been a member of Clan Campbell m’whole life. Tis why I was raised in Castle Glume.”

“This is very interesting, since I just yelled it, what does Cruachan mean?”

“Ben Cruachan. Dost ye ken the ben?”

“What does ‘ben’ mean in this context?”

“A mountain?”

“Oh, no I don’t know that mountain. Learn something new every day. And do you want to hear something cool? Thesemountains and the Scottish Highlands were once the same mountain range.”

“Nae, tis true? But ye said there is a full ocean between.”

“Yes, the continents were one big land mass, I heard it once, does it look the same?”

“Nae, not at all.” His eyes scanned the land. “But I think if I were tae become familiar with this landscape it might.”

We passed my house. “That’s my house, but we’re going to take this baby up to 55 for a minute.”

We drove down the highway at 55 and Torin acted like it was the greatest thing he had ever done. I rolled down my window and showed him how to put his hand out and wave it up and down in the wind.

Then he leaned forward as if he were on a horse and smacked the outside of the car through the window.

“Are you urging me to go faster?”

“Aye, can ye?”

I got the car up to 65 before we came to the next town and a stoplight.

He exhaled. “Och nae, they shouldna hae these signs, ye ought tae go without havin’ tae stop.”

I laughed. “You have to stop sometimes, so the cars crossing the road have a chance to go.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Butweare more important... I am the cousin of Lord Elphinstone, a warrior for the Earl of Argyll, a member of Clan Campbell, and the loyal hand tae the exiled king, Maximillian. They ought tae bow and wait untilIhae passed.”

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