And now he lay dying, this mountain of a man, and Erec knew there would be huge shoes to fill. He did not know if he, or anyone, was capable of filling them.
“Father,” Erec said, his heart breaking as he stepped forward and stopped by his father’s bedside.
The King opened his eyes slightly, then at the sight of Erec, opened them more widely. He leaned his head forward, just a little, looked at Erec, and reached out a frail hand.
Erec clasped it and kissed his father’s hand. It was wrinkly and old and cold to the touch. It felt like death.
“My son,” he said, longing in his voice.
Erec admired his father as a king and as a soldier; but he had mixed feelings about him as a father. After all, his father had shipped him off at a very young age, had sent him away from everything he knew and loved. He knew his father did it for his benefit, but nonetheless, a part of Erec felt as if his father did not want him here. Or was more interested in being a king than a father.
A part of Erec, he couldn’t deny, would have liked to stay here, to be close, to spend his life with his father and his family; a part of Erec, he had to admit, resented his father for this forced exile, for choosing his life for him.
“You have reached me before my death,” his father said.
Erec nodded, his eyes glistening at the sound of his father’s weak voice. It did not seem fitting that such a great warrior should be reduced to this.
“Perhaps you shall not die, Father,” he said.
His father shook his head.
“Every healer here has seen me twice. I was supposed to die months ago. I have hung on,” he said, breaking into a fit of coughing, “to see you.”
Erec could see his father’s eyes glistening, and he could see that his father did indeed care about him. It struck his heart deeply. Despite himself, Erec felt a tear form. He quickly wiped it away.
“You probably believe I did not care about you, having sent you away all these years. But it is because I did care about you. I knew that a life with the MacGils would gain you fame and reputation and rank beyond what you could ever have achieved here, on our small islands. As a boy, you were the finest warrior I had ever seen. Dare I say, I saw myself in you. It is true, I did not want to deprive the MacGils of your skills; but between you and I, I will tell you, it was also that I did not want to deprive you of the power you could achieve there.”
Erec nodded, touched, beginning to understand, to look at his father in a whole new light.
“I understand, Father.”
His father broke into another fit of coughing, and when he stopped, he looked up and saw Alistair. He waved her over.
“Your bride,” he said. “I want to see her.”
Erec turned and nodded and Alistair stepped forward tentatively, then kneeled beside Erec, reached out, and kissed his father’s hand.
“My liege,” she said softly.
He looked her up and down, carefully, for a long time, then finally nodded with satisfaction.
“You are far more than just a beautiful woman,” he said. “I can see it in your eyes. You are a warrior, too. Erec has chosen well.”
Alistair nodded back, seeming to be touched.
“Treat him well,” the King added. “You will be Queen here one day soon. A Queen must be more than a devoted wife. Treat my people well, too. People need a King—but they also need a Queen. Do not forget that.”
Alistair nodded.
“Yes, my liege.”
“I must talk to you now,” he said to Erec.
Erec nodded to Alistair, and she bowed and quickly turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.
“All of you, leave us,” the King called out.
One by one his flock of attendants hurried from the room, closing the door.
Erec and his father were left alone, and the silence felt heavier. Erec clutched his father’s hand, freely allowing a tear to roll down his face.
“I do not want you to die, Father,” he said, holding back tears.
“I know, my son. Yet my time has come to an end on this earth. Few things matter to me now. What matters to me now, most of all, is you.”
He coughed for a long time, then leaned forward.
“Listen to me,” he commanded, his voice suddenly firm, bearing the strength Erec remembered as a child. He looked up and saw a glimmer of the fierce determination in his father’s face that he recalled. “There’s much you must understand, and not much time to learn it. My people—our people— they are more complex than you think. Never forget our roots. Hundreds of years ago, our islands were a mere colony for prisoners, outcasts, exiles, slaves—all the people that the Ring did not want. They shipped them here to die.
“But we surprised them all, and we survived. We became a people in our own right. And over centuries, we have evolved. We have become self-sufficient, and the greatest warriors anywhere in the Empire. We have become adept sailors, fishermen, farmers, even in these rugged cliffs. Now, centuries later, we have gone from outcasts to a crown jewel, a nation of bounty and warriors.
“Our relationship with the MacGils mended over the years to the point where we sent them our warriors to apprentice and they sent us theirs. The MacGils want our warriors. There’s always been an unspoken alliance between us. In times of great trouble or danger, they expect us to come to their aid. But what you must understand is that our people are divided. Some consider us indebted to them, and will remain loyal to the death. But a good deal of us are isolationists. They resent the Ring, and do not want to help.”
He looked at Erec meaningfully.
“You must understand your people. If you try to rally them all to the defense of the Ring, you may have a civil war on your hands. They are proud, and stubborn. Try to lead them all, and you will lead none of them. You must lead carefully. Do you understand? It is you as King who must decide.”
His father broke into a prolonged fit of coughing, and Erec sat there, trying to process it all. He was beginning to realize that his people and their politics were much more complex than he’d thought.
“But Father, the MacGil family took me in as one of theirs. The Ring is my second home. I have sworn to come to their aid if ever they needed it—and I always keep my vows.”
His father nodded.
“And now you will come to realize what it means to be a King. It is easy to give your word—and to keep it—as a warrior; it is much harder to keep it as a ruler. If your people will not follow you, who exactly are you ruling?”