Unconventional

“I still can’t believe the cat’s name was KITTY!” Chase screamed.

Sixty-Nine

MADISON

It took us the better part of two days to research and catalog everything we’d found. To clear out the cavity behind the wall, and make sure we hadn’t missed anything.

After that… things moved pretty fast.

With some guidance from Jonathan, we declared the Westgate Castle treasure horde to Midlothian County, where it instantly became the temporary property of the Treasure Trove Unit of the Scottish National Archives. They were to determine which pieces would go straight to museums, and which — if any — we could keep. Potential rewards would be paid out by a special allocation panel, based upon the perceived value of the horde. All of this meant we’d end up getting a small fraction of cash in exchange for our vast treasure... eventually.

“Piss on that,” Julian had grunted.

Of course, knowing all this beforehand helped us determine exactly what the ‘horde’ finally consisted of. And by the time we turned it over, it was at least two-thirds to three-quarters smaller. Naturally.

“Between them digging it up and hiding it a second time,” shrugged Noah, “I guess a lot of it was spent.”

“Shit happens,” agreed Chase.

Noah’s connections back home enabled us to fence a few quick coins for a very tidy sum. This made us liquid enough to hire whatever lawyers we needed, while Julian expertly walled up the rest of our findings — in three different parts of the castle — for a rainy day.

As for the artifacts and relics, we turned most of those over, with Jonathan facilitating the process. Although none of his information had contributed to us finding the treasure, we kept up our end of the bargain and took very good care of him. When he mentioned suspecting our findings were much greater than we were actually letting on, we slid him a few choice pieces under the table that would more than ensure his silence. So much so, that he ended up physically hugging us, one after another.

Edgar was well taken care of too, to round things out. Noah and Chase had protested that part, but I kept insisting it was good karma. We sent him over to Nolan’s with a heartfelt apology, and to inform the old man that any future rent on his stables was already paid… for the rest of his life.

As for what we kept and hid, we’d be spending it for decades, not years. Drip-feeding certain coins and bars into circulation as we saw fit, using Jonathan’s connections with different dealers, collectors, and other third-party buyers as we went. If we did it smartly, we’d never get caught. No one would suspect we’d kept a thing, and not one of us would have to worry about money… ever again.

And then of course, on top of all that — our eventual cash reward.

In the weeks that followed, our castle became significantly more famous. The ‘Westgate Treasure Horde’ made international news, and attracted flocks of historians and history buffs to Edinburgh and the surrounding countryside. For a while we gave the United Kingdom’s premiere archaeologists free reign over the property and castle grounds, including most of the keep itself. It was an intrusive yet necessary step to finishing all proper paperwork, and to ensure — at least as far as the county was concerned — we weren’t keeping anything from anyone.

As for me, I slept like a baby in my king-sized bed, surrounded by warm skin and hard muscle. Just behind my headboard, a thousand gold Nobles and silver Ryals lay stacked neatly past the newly-mortared stones. They gave me some very pleasant dreams, and I can’t say the guys didn’t enjoy them being there either.

It was at least a month and a half before we were really and truly alone. The few remaining reporters had left. The final few digs and excavations had been closed out. As the last of the equipment was cleared out and hauled away, we were given our privacy back. And I, my castle.

And yes, it was officially mine now — as long as I kept it in its present historic state. The official paperwork showed up just as the place was ours again, leaving Julian, Noah and Chase all to myself… and me, to them.

“I’m glad this is over, finally,” said Noah, as we stood atop the highest point on the castle’s battlements. The sun was dying a spectacular death on one of the first days of autumn, leaving a trail of orange and red streaking across the horizon.

“But is it ever really over?” asked Chase with a chuckle.

We scanned the horizon together, enjoying the crispness in the air. It would get cold soon enough. Snow would start to fall…

And not one of us needed to be anywhere, or do a single damned thing.

“What now?” I asked, with a wistful sigh.

There was a long pause before anyone answered. “For us?” Chase finally asked.

I nodded slowly. “For everything.”

It was the one question we hadn’t answered. The question we’d somewhat avoided in the chaos of our discovery, its documentation, and everything that followed.

“Well Noah and I still don’t have a place,” said Chase.

“You could though,” I pointed out, albeit hesitantly. “You could take even a small portion of your share and buy the house of your dreams.”

Noah nodded. “We could buy an entire estate if we wanted to,” he agreed. “Build a whole block. House after house…”