We started toward the castle gates. I walked immediately next to him, just barely not touching him. Fortunately he was silent and let me concentrate. When we reached the drawbridge I had a sudden panic, picturing myself dropping him into the moat, and with my wavering in concentration he started to slip. I found the words just in time to set him down as gently as he had been lifted up.
We walked together across the bridge and under the portcullis. Dominic was waiting for us just inside. “That was extremely enjoyable,” said the king. “Could you teach me to do that myself? Not today, but soon?”
This earned him an odd look from Dominic, who had no idea what we were talking about. “I’ve never taught anyone,” I said honestly, “but I could try.”
Back in my chambers, I spent the rest of the afternoon practicing lifting things.
V
After two days of loving my kingdom, I woke up the next morning hating it. Bells awakened me again. When I lifted my head I could hear hard rain on the cobblestones outside. The windows were streaked with water. My door handle rattled and didn’t open, since I had remembered to lock it last night, but there was immediately a loud and persistent knocking.
When I opened the door, the servant maid stood there, trying without great success to shield both herself and a tray with an umbrella. I took the tray and half pulled her inside. “You’re going to get soaked!” I said.
Her umbrella streamed water on my clean flagstone floor. My tea seemed to have been diluted with rain, and the napkin on the basket was damp. When I pulled back the napkin, I found not crullers but cake donuts, which I don’t like nearly as well. They weren’t even warm.