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But he read aloud over h I can’t see you, i your bitter life to coes over and wipedyour pardon, sir"

"I also have shed tears for the king of Thebes," Artos said "My marksman: I have a task for you that I think you will enjoy"

I could feelwith relief I retched with the enforced idleness of the last month

Artos said, "I want you to teach Lleu to hunt"

We took five hounds and rode south The Mercian plain was at this ti and tearing on the distant peaks that rinificant snowfalls, and patches of snow lay unmelted here and there beneath the trees The lake where the fisheries are was covered with a thin scale of ice, and our horses’ hooves sent a few pebbles skidding across the barely solid sheet as we rode by The graveland squealing like metal on stone Lleu, who had scarcely spoken to me since our session with Artos, started at the unearthly sound like a nervous cat

"You’ve nothing to fear, Bright One," I said lightly "I’ to touchat all?"

"No You are"

I thought: You are going to kill,being, and forever you will be accountable for that life As I am for many lives lost, animal and man

I added aloud, "For after all, it’s no little thing to feed yourself, my lord Prince"

Lleu threw me a resentful look and did not answer He knew the purpose of our hunting together

Before long we caet close to it at first, and soon we had lost both deer and hounds We slowed our pace and halted I sounded a long horn call and we heard the far-off yell of the dogs in answer, but Lleu made no move to follow "Do you come?" I said impatiently "Give chase!"

I reached out and pulled at his reins, then tore after hile of dripping trees, then burst into a cloudy brown clearing, silvered over with h the winter bracken "Your bow!" I cried "Now!"

Lleu obediently sent an arrow streaking just between the graceful antlers, harside hi him abruptly to a halt "You do it on purpose," I hissed "That is the trouble, is it not? In practice you can hit a et at twice that distance I told your father I would teach you to hunt, and if weto be petted and praised by the high king till you have killed You have the skill" Lleu’s face was ashen I added with cooldown that stag at the next opportunity, I will s had already disappeared into the trees at the opposite side of the clearing I struck Lleu lightly across the face with his own reins "Now, follow!"

He tore away fro the trees, and we rode together in silence except for the horses’ hooves thundering hollow on da visibly "Now, Bright One," I said "Strike"

Lleu bent his boith reluctant hands Despite his hesitation he took the creature with an arrow in its throat

"Ha!" I drew my horse to a halt "Beautiful!"

But he had not killed it The lean, quick hounds leaped for it like gray flames "No!" Lleu cried He slid fro at the collar of his own "Here, sir! Back!" Clinging to his strain ktoHe sing hound, he shouted wrathfully, "Call off your horrible dogs!"

I called the dogs and dismounted "Better that you finish than that they do," I said, and gave Lleu asped He knelt next to the fallen deer with one hand lightly resting on a short, proud antler, and his hound and Goewin’s whining at his shoulders

"Would you have it die slowly, then?" I said

He held on to the antler and moved the heavy head to stretch out the aniled and uneven I began to say, "If you don’t--"

But he drove the blade to cut deep across the stag’s throat And just as he looked up at h the trees toward us: not chased and so not running, a dark doe, almost black Goewin’s hound darted after it

"Take her, Prince!"

Lleu stood up and shot, elegantly and hed "It’s true; you could have hit every anie little idiot you are" I glanced at his gray, bleak face and said in a gentler voice, "Giveyou will have to kill more than deer, eventually"

"I know," he said

"There is soives us winter e, carries with it a great weight of responsibility"

"I know" Lleu pushed his hair back fro me Only don’t expect me to thank you for this lesson"

"You never do," I said, thinking of another beautiful stag, and the huntsmen buried beneath the hill