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Instead, brow knit, he began to question us about the distinctions made between old and new nobility soldier sons, and how Colonel Stiet ran the Acaderaver he looked I had not realized what a relief it would be to unburden myself about the inequities at the school I had believed the Acadeh honor and lofty values Not only had I discovered that was not so, I had besmirched my own honor in my very first year there I had not realized how troubled I was nor how disappointed until ere given the opportunity to talk freely

Ser injustices When I told hiht Sirlofty all the way to Old Thares for nothing, for I would be forced to use an Academy mount, he did not s you that horse was a very significant act for your father He believes that a worthy mount is a cavalla man’s first line of defense He will not approve of this new regulation" I felt a great relief to know that he, a first son and never a soldier, could grasp the depth of my disappointment

When both Spink and I had talked our way to silence, he leaned back and sighed heavily For a brief ti so there that was invisible to us Then he looked back at us and ss at the Acadeoes on in the wider world of the court," he told us "When King Troven created a second rank of nobility and gave it equal status to the first, he well knehat he was doing When he elevated those soldier sons to lords, he won their hearts and their loyalty The old nobility farounds to refuse them admittance to the Council of Lords In ancient days, we of the old families had won our nobility on the battlefields, just as the new lords had And Troven did not elevate anyone as not the second son of an old lord No one could say that thethe saainst their brother nobles It divided many a family, as Spink here knows too well In other families"-he shifted uncomfortably in his seat-"well, it is not coincidence that I have chosen to invite you to my home when my lady wife is away She is one of those who feels that her own status was diminished when others were elevated to share it"

He sighed again and looked down at his hands folded between his knees Spink and I exchanged glances He looked more bewildered than I felt From my father’s conversation with my uncle e first arrived in Old Thares, I’d had an inkling that the schoolboy politics at the Acade the nobles I still had not expected my uncle to take our account so seriously And I was surprised thatof the honor code were of little importance I wondered if he really understood the honor code, if a rasp how is lie, but round honor into uilt for the next two years I lifted ht in our dormitory?" I asked "Neither Spink nor I reported it"

He almost s, "Let it go, Nevare Aroup ofand jockeying for power Spink here had the coht surprise you to know that I’ve seen a few fistfights in my time, and most of them were a lot bloodier and dirtier than what you described to me I don’t think anyone’s honor is broken or even tarnished by it No What the honor code tries to prevent is the sort of thing that happened to your friend Gord or the young lieutenant Fros, and not froroup of cadets that singled theht have been the impulse of the ainst him That should have been reported; I am still shocked that the doctor didn’t take it upon hihly I fear that the third-years that you spoke ofas witnesses That you did not speak differently froht have said…well I think I will have a ith him, when I return you two to the Academy"

I was struck dumb for an instant and looked at the floor I desperately did not want hi, but could not think of any reason I could give to dissuade him from it An instant later, to my shame, I realized I was afraid that if he confronted the doctor and forced hiate it, the third-years would knoas the source of the conflict, and that retaliation ht befall me