Page 23 of Her Highland Prophecy
“What do you want to know?” she asked cautiously.
“Anything! Ye said that Charles the Second becomes king. How? When? Ye told me much about the inventions of the future, but what about the people?”
“Well, Charles will come back in about seven or eight years, I don’t remember exactly, but he will reign for a while and he is considered to have been a good King overall.”
She paused for a moment to get her thoughts in order and decided that maybe it was time for a change of subject.
“Have you heard talk about the colonies? I think King James sent a ship to establish a colony about fifty years ago?”
“Aye, though I dinnae ken much beyond that it is a harsh land and that many dinnae survive past a few months,” he said.
“Yes, well, I guess that is a fit enough description for what is going on there right now. But that will change.”
He looked at her curiously.
“How?”
“Other countries will start establishing the own colonies there too. France, Spain, the Netherlands. Eventually the population will grow so much and so distant from the governors in Europe that they will declare independence from them.”
“They chose their own king?” he asked in surprise.
“Not exactly. They don’t have a king at all. The President rules the country, but he gets elected by the people and changes every four years.”
He looked like he wasn’t sure what to make of that information. She supposed it was understandable. It had to be a rather odd concept for someone who had not grown up with it.
“That sounds strange,” he stated after a few seconds of contemplation. “What happened next?”
“Well, a few more countries abolished the monarchy as well – France being the most important one.”
“France doesnae have a king anymore? What about England? And Scotland?”
“England and Scotland still have a king, but we also have a Prime Minister who is sort of like the President that the colonies have. He works with the King or Queen.”
“And this doesnae cause any trouble? One king is enough to cause a stramash at times, I cannae imagine having two of them, even if one is elected.”
“You’re right, it does sound like it would cause confusion and mayhem, but they have a good system worked out. So far it seems to be working just fine,” she answered.
“If ye say so, Lass,” he said.
Silence reigned for a few minutes, the only sound the gentle lapping of the water against the rocks on the shore and the occasional snort from Taranis. Diana’s eyes were starting to slip closed when Gordain stood, his heavy boot causing a sound like a gunshot as the rocks underneath his foot shifted against each other.
He reached out a hand to her and helped her up and back onto the horse. She gritted her teeth against the pain but was determined to endure. It was only two days; she could do it.
“Diana?” Gordain asked when they had been riding for a while. “Will ye tell me more about the colonies? Have ye ever been there?”
She nodded, knowing he would feel it where she was lying against his chest.
“I have. My parents took us on holiday there when I was very young, but I only remember a few things. It was…difficult to travel in more recent years.”
“Difficult?”
“There was a war,” she said. “A dreadful thing where many, many countries got involved. And after that…well, not after so much as near the end of it, there was a great plague. Many millions of people died.”
Diana closed her eyes against the painful memories, hoping that he wouldn’t question her further on the subject.
Still, the smell of antiseptic, the sound of her mother coughing incessantly and the desperate plea of a young girl to a God that had never been mercifully flooded her mind. Standing in front of a closed coffin with a blur of faces around her and Grace’s young face buried in her stomach that was wet with her tears came to mind next before she forcefully shut the door on those thoughts.
“I’m sorry,a nighean, that sounds awful,” he said, but did not push her further. She smiled at his thoughtfulness.
