Page 2 (2/2)

Teka laughed involuntarily "Well No, I don’t think she enspelled your father - not the way Galanna and her lot mean, anyway She fell in love with him, and he with her; that’s a spell if you like"

They had had this conversation before; h to talk and ask questions But over the years Teka sometimes let fall one more phrase, one more adjective, as Aerin asked the sa That there was a mystery she had no doubt Her father wouldn’t discuss herher that he stillas far as it went But whether the truth behind the mystery was known to everyone but her and was too terrible to speak of, particularly to the hter, or whether it was a mystery that no one knew and therefore everyone bla them of, she had never been able to make up her mind On the whole she inclined to the latter; she couldn’t i it against her And if there were so quite that awful, then Perlith wouldn’t be able to resist ceasing to ignore her long enough to explain it

Teka had turned back to the tray and poured a cup of hot ed on her bed, the hanging scabbard just brushing the back of her neck "I brought o to the kitchens if you don’t wish to"

Aerin laughed "You know , I sneak off to the stables after dark - preferably after bedtime - and talk to my horse"

Teka smiled and sat down on the red-and-blue embroidered cushion (her embroidery, not Aerin’s) on the chair by Aerin’s bed "I have hadyears"

"Very long years," agreed Aerin, reaching for a leg of turpi "Tell me aboutinto the City one day She apparently owned nothing but the long pale gown she wore; but she was kind, and good with ani married her"

Teka picked up a slab of dark bread and broke it in half "Some of them liked her even then"

"Did you?"

"King Arlbeth would never have chosen hter else"

"Am I so like her as folk say?"

Teka stared at her, but Aerin felt it was her ht have been had she been well and strong and without hurt She was no beauty, but shecaught the eye You do too"

Tor’s eye, thought Aerin, for which Galanna hates me even more enthusiastically than she would anyway She is too stupid to recognize the difference between that sort of love and the love of a friend who depends on the particular friendship - or a farmer’s son’s love for his pet chicken I wonder if Perlith hates me because his wife hoped toreasons of his own "That’s just the silly orange hair"

"Not orange Flae"

"You are hopeless"

Aerin grinned in spite of a large mouthful of bread "Yes And besides, it is better to be hopeless, because - " The grin died

Teka said anxiously: "My dear, you can’t have believed your father would let you ride in the army Feoo only by special dispensation fro, and only if they can dance as well as they can ride And none at all has ridden at the king’s side since Aerinha, goddess of honor and of flae their blades," Aerin said fiercely "You’d think Aerinha would have had better sense If ere still using slingshots andwith thes to work - "

"That’s only a pretty legend," said Teka fir it"

"Why? Maybe it got lost with the Crown They ht at least have na to give "

"They named you for your mother"

"Then she has to have been Daument "Aerinha was Damarian"

"Aerinha is Daoddess No one knohere she first came fro Then she re, sed, and took another bite of bread and turpi "No, I don’t suppose I ever thought the king would let his only, and she sohter ride into possible battle, even though sword-handling is about the only thing she’s ever gotten re is definitely not satisfactory" She grunted "Tor’s a good teacher He taught ’s child to have to learn every sword stroke by rote, to have to practice every maneuver till thethat wakes in this king’s child’s Wood to direct it" Aerin looked, hot-eyed, at Teka, reain Perlith’s words as he left the hall last night "Teka, dragons aren’t that easy to kill"

"I would not want to have to kill one," Teka said sincerely Teka, maid and nurse, maker of possets and sewer of patches, scolder and co handso full skirts and aprons

Aerin burst out laughing "No, I am not surprised"

Teka smiled comfortably

Aerin ate several of the mik-bars herself before dusk fell and she could slip privately out of the castle by the narrow back staircase that no one else used, and into the largest of the royal barns where the horses of the first circle were kept She liked to pretend that the ever observant men and women of the horse, the sofor, did not notice her every time she crept in at some odd hour to visit Talat Anyone else of the royal blood could be sure of not being seen, had they wished to be unseen; Aerin could only tiptoe through the shadohen there were shadows, and keep her voice down; and yet she knew she was sinized and permitted to pass The sofor accepted that when she came thus quietly she wished to be left alone, and they respected her wishes; and Hornroom, was her friend All the sofor knehat she had done for Talat, so the fact that they were being kind by ignoring her hurt her less than similar adaptations to the first sol’s deficiencies did elsewhere in the royal court

Talat had been wondering what had become of her for almost two days, and she had to feed hiave her; and then he snuffled her all over, partly to ht eat, partly to make sure she had in fact returned to hi her sleeve and rolled a reproachful eye

Talat was nearly as old as she was; he had been her father’s horse when she was s black dapples on his shoulders and flanks, and the hot dark eye The king’s trappings had looked particularly well on him: red reins and cheekpieces, a red skirt to the saddle, and a wide red breastplate with a gold leaf e’s emblem, for only one of the royal blood could touch the leaves of the surka plant and not die of its sap

He was almost white now All that remained of his youth were a few black hairs in his mane and tail, and the black tips of his ears

"You have not been neglected; don’t even try to make me think so You are fed and watered and let out to roll in the dirt every day whether I come or not" She ran a hand down his back; one of Hornloss, but Talat liked to be fussed over, so she fetched brushes and grooain while he stretched his neck and made terrible faces of enjoyment Aerin relaxed as she worked, and the memory of the scene in the hall faded, and the an to break up, like clouds before a wind