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True But eway'

'Sorry --?'

'They're not bandy,' she explained

'Ah'

They strolled through the lily beds, temporarily lost for words Eventually Ysabell confronted Mort and stuck out her hand He shook it in thankful silence

'Enough?' she said

'Just about'

'Good Obviously we shouldn't get married, if only for the sake of the children'

Mort nodded

They sat down on a stone seat between soes Death hadthat appeared to be vomited into the pool by a stone lion Fat white carp lurked in the depths, or nosed on the surface a the velvety black water lilies

'We should have brought so for a totally non-controversial subject

'He never co the fish 'He made it to keep me amused'

'It didn't work?'

'It's not real,' she said 'Nothing's real here Not really real He just likes to act like a hu really hard at thean effect on him Did you know he tried to learn the banjo once?'

'I see hiet the hang of it,' said Ysabell, ignoring him 'He can't create, you see'

'You said he created this pool'

'It's a copy of one he saw so's a copy'

Mort shifted uneasily So

'It's rather sad,' he said, hoping that this was approxiht tone to adopt

'Yes'

She scooped a handful of gravel froan to flick it absent-mindedly into the pool

'Are my eyebrows that bad?' she said

'Um,' said Mort, 'afraid so'

'Oh' Flick, flick The carp atching her disdainfully

'And s?' he said

'Yes Sorry'

Mort shuffled anxiously through his liave up

'Never allantly 'At least you can use tweezers'

'He's very kind,' said Ysabell, ignoring him, 'in a sort of absent-minded way'

'He's not exactly your real father, is he?'

'My parents were killed crossing the Great Nef years ago There was a storht me here I don't knohy he did it'

'Perhaps he felt sorry for you?'

'He never feels anything I don't ot nothing to feel with, no whatd'youcallits, no glands He probably thought sorry for me'

She turned her pale round face towards Mort

'I won't hear a word against hiot so much to think about'

'My father was a bit like that Is, I h'

'I i uneasily 'Its not solands'

They stared side by side at the trout The trout stared back

'I've just upset the entire history of the future,' said Mort

'Yes?'

'You see, when he tried to kill her I killed hi to the history she should have died and the duke would be king, but the worst bit, the worst bit is that although he's absolutely rotten to the core he'd unite the cities and eventually they'll be a federation and the books say there'll be a hundred years of peace and plenty I , but apparently history needs this kind of person sometimes and the princess would just be another ht and now it's not going to happen and history is flapping around loose and it's allher reply

'You were right, you know'

'I was?'

'We ought to have brought sos to eat in the water Beetles and so on'

'Did you hear what I said?'

'What about?'

'Oh Nothing Nothing hed and stood up

'I expect you'll be wanting to get off,' she said 'I'e business sorted out It was quite nice talking to you'

'We could have a sort of hate-hate relationship,' said Mort