Chapter 3 It Can't Get Any Worse, Can It?

  Laird Allan Morse had been playing billiards by himself.  When other adult began to approach the game, Laird Allan casually drifted away from it.  Lord Andrew Lionheart noticed.

  "Laird Allan?"

  "Lord Alexander?"

  "Why aren't you talking to the other adults?"

    "Do you see any as interesting as you?"

  "No, not really.  I think I'm the most interesting person here."  This wasn't true, but Alexander felt very important to say so.

  Fortunately Laird Allan seemed to understand little boys.  He didn't scold or call him silly.

  "That is why I'm over here talking to you."  This was most satisfactory to Alexander.

  One would think this would make his brother Henry jealous, who was near enough to hear.  Henry and Alexander are friends as well as brothers.  While neither friends nor brothers would allow such blatant egotism go unpunished, somehow a brother that is a friend could.  Or at least Henry could.  Or at least he could while otherwise occupied.

  And perhaps Henry would not remember these words later.

  The ale was not quite as tasty as he had hoped.  At least no one had tried to stop him.  He'd heard it said that kids who drink ale give themselves their own punishment.  This was good news to all children.  For what child would be foolish enough to give themselves a punishment?  That was the important conversation Henry had with his brother earlier.  Henry said he was going to try it.  Alexander said so too, but there he was yammering with an adult.  Chicken.

  Henry set down his ale.  The room seemed too warm.

  Henry headed outside to get away from the heat.

  Oh me head!  How it throbs.

  When his head stopped hurting it was near dark.  He was uncertain if this had been a short time or a long time.

  As the sun slipped over the horizon, Henry heard something.  He walked over to find the party had spread outside.

  It was the Reeve and one of his sons.  What was his name?  That's right, Alexander said the blond one is Francis and the one with brown hair is Henry.  Imagine that, giving a merchant boy the same name as himself, a noble!  Henry wasn't sure he liked that.  But Henry wasn't out here and he could hardly hold it against Francis for having a brother named Henry.

  Their rustic dance looked fun.  Henry decided to join them.

  Henry had never seen this dance before.  His moves were off.  He usually caught on to things better than this.  Then it happened.

  Francis started snickering.  Then he was howling.  Worse, even the Reeve started laughing.  Henry was so mad.  Gathering what dignity he could, he went back inside.

  Henry looked around.  His father was dancing too.  But not in the way the reeve was dancing.  Forgetting the humiliation of a moment before, Henry danced with his father.

  Soon most everyone was dancing.  Even Francis, who must have followed him in.  Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

  Henry almost didn't notice the drunken sound.  It wasn't too unusual at a party.  But this was a little high pitched.  He turned while he danced until he saw the source of the sound.

  That was Alexander!  Henry felt a twinge of guilt for even thinking his brother is a chicken.  He must have had way more ale than me.  How did he do it?  It didn't matter now.  He needed help.

  "Papa?"

  "Papa, you have to do something about Alexander."

   "Whatever it is Henry, I'm sure you can work things out with your brother.  It's very important for a nobleman to learn."

   Moments after Henry gave up, Richard saw what his son was trying to tell him.  He wasn't the only one.

  Their mother put on a forced smile.

  Henry Frell, the Reeve's son started pointing.

  King Leon laughed, hard.

  Lord Richard folded his hands in prayer.

  He whispered a prayer that Lord Henry Lionheart caught bits of.  "Dear Lord" and "my son" and "heaven help us".

  But Lord Alexander continued running around naked.

  That did it.  Lord Henry turned away from his father and doubled over with laughter.

  The party ended not long after that.

  But not before Henry Frell had his own taste of ale.

  After the guests had gone his parents forcibly caught his naked brother and somehow convinced him to stay in his bed.  It couldn't have been easy.  To Henry it seemed that Alexander had lost his mind.

  Downstairs again his parents gave each other a funny look.  Not the yucky kissy look.  Some other kind he couldn't identify.

  "I still have the papers ready to go."  His papa said.

  Mama nodded.

  Then papa handed mama a scroll.  She placed it in the messenger box.

  Henry guessed the look must have meant boring adult stuff.  In a moment of great wisdom, he sent himself to bed for once.