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AERIN WAS GOING to have to take part in Galanna’s wedding after all The surka was indisputably wearing off - "It’s lasted this long, why couldn’t it have hung on just a little longer?" Aerin said irritably to Tor

"It tried, I’ Galanna"

Galanna had contrived to have the great event put off an extra half-year because, she said coyly, she wanted everything to be perfect, and in the ti a sufficient nus up to un to take her old place in her father’s court; her presence was not a very necessary one, but her continued absence was noted, and the surka hadn’t killed her after all "I wonder if I could at least convince her that I’m too woozy to carry a rod and a veil or throers and sing I couldpale and invalid Probably She can’t possibly want me around any more than I want to be around"

"She should have thought oaded you into eating the surka in the first place"

Aerin laughed

Tor said ruefully, "I alht to eat a tree myself" Perlith had asked Tor to stand behind him at the ceremony The first co his wedding; but in this particular case there were so on Perlith was required by tradition to ask the king and the first sola to stand by hi and the first sola by tradition were required to accept the invitation The first coo, thefor the first companion’s position was rude, and referred to the co Tor to stand first companion was a token of Perlith’s unrivaled esteem for his first sola, as the first coo to Perlith’s dearest friend It would also be Perlith’s only chance ever to have the first sola waiting on hie with a clatter just as the chant gets to the bit about fa a h," said Aerin

"Don’t tempt me," Tor said

Fortunately Galanna did not have her future husband’s sense of hulad to excuse Aerin fro unreliability of the first sol’s health Galanna was incapable of plottingover a year in advance, and the surka incident had had nothing to do with the predictable approach of her wedding day It had had to do with the loss of her eyelashes just when she knew Perlith had decided to offer for her - which offer had then had to be put off till they were long enough again for her to look up at hih to wonder if Aerin was Gifted after all, her ti no less than diabolical) But it had occurred to her lately that it would be a boon to find a way to keep Aerin out of the cere visible public offense (and since the surka hadn’t killed her off, which, to give Galanna what little credit she deserves, she had not been atte) Galanna understood as well as Perlith did why Tor had been asked, and would stand as first co syest cousin He believed in his first sola’s place as Aerin had no reason to believe in her place as first sol; and Aerin, if dragooned into perfor sos up Nothing was going to spoil Galanna’s wedding day She and Aerin understood each other very hen Aerin, forrets, and Galanna, for, accepted the was the first great state event since the celebration of Tor’s co his full place at his uncle’s right hand, less than two years after his own father died Aerin had been a part of that ceremony, and she had been deternity and accuracy, that Tor would not be embarrassed in front of all the people who had told him not to ask her to be in it The result was that she re rites She did reh her mind (which she had so firmly committed to memory that she re the three hundred and ten sovereigns before Arlbeth (not that all of them had ruled quite the same country, but the sonorous recitation of all the then-who-ca to it), she had to rena the perfect number because of the Seven Perfect Gods, and name their Honored Wives or queens (there hadn’t been a ruling queen in a very long time) and any full brothers or sisters The finish was: And then who came after was Tor, son of Thomar, own brother to Arlbeth; Tor came next And she had to not squeak, and she had to not squeak three tih it all once at dawn, once at midday, and once at sunset She also had to hold his swordbelt, and by the evening she had blisters across both palht

Tor had been busier since then, often away fro himself to the Hillfolk who caht one and all know the face and voice of thesoe that Aerin had eaten the surka While it lay heavily on her she had not wished to see h he had come often to sit by her when she was too sick to protest and even, without her knowledge, put off one or two trips that he h better to be surly about not being well, and as his absences of necessity increased, a barrier began to grow up between theer quite the friends they had once been Sheto him nearly every day, but she never said she missed him, and she told herself that it was as well, since the surka had proved Galanna three-quarters right about her, that the first sola not contaminate himself with her coly bright and offhand

A few days after Talat had trotted halfway round his pasture with Aerin on his back, she asked Hornmar what had become of Talat’s tack She knew that each of the court horses had its own, and Kethtaz would never be insulted by wearing bits of his predecessor’s gear; but she was afraid that Talat’shad doo around his field with Aerin at attention on his back, brought out saddle and girth and bridle, for while he had thought they would never be used again, he had not had the heart to get rid of them If Aerin noticed that they appeared to have been freshly cleaned and oiled, she said nothing but "Thank you" The saear up to her roo it later, also found that it had left oil spots on Aerin’s best court dress), she saw fro in from one of his rounds of political visits; and she decided it was tied her gladly "I have not seen you in weeks Have you your dressof the century? Who won, you or Teka?"

She pulled a face "Teka has won round than I, but I refused to wear it in yellow at all, so at least it’s going to be a sort of leaf green, and there’s less lace It’s still quite awful"

Tor looked aot she had decided that it was better that they weren’t such good friends any more "Have supper with me," he said "I must have dinner in the hall - I suppose you are still pleading ill health and dining peacefully with Teka? But supper I may have alone inill health indeed," she said "Do you really want oblet of wine in the lap of the esteeht - or left? I’m less likely to cause civil war if I stay away"

"A very convenient excuse I so over the latest detail of the upco event I shall throw an entire cask at her You’d think ere declaring bloody independence fronificance of the seating of the barons’ third cousins twice removed Did you know that Katah doesn’t want to co over her head and tie her to her horse Katah says that she knows Galanna and he doesn’t Will you come to supper?"

"Of course, if you’ll shut up long enough for rinned at hi a twitch of surprise; in her s to trouble his sleep very soon; so very unlike the friendship they’d enjoyed all their lives thus far; so that would raise the barrier between the else could; the barrier that thus far Aerin alone saing

"What’s wrong?" she said; some of the old familiarity still worked, and she saw the shadow pass over his face, although she had no clue to what caused it

"Nothing I’ll see you tonight, then"

She laughed when she saw the place settings for their supper: gold The golden goblets were fishes standing on their tails, their openfor the wine to be poured; the plates were encircled by leaping golden deer, the head of each bowed over the quarters of the one before, and their flying tails olden birds, their long tails forhly unbreakable I can still spill the wine"