Page 56 (1/2)

"In the forest? What for?"

"Garion," she said almost crossly, "I've been cooped up in this dreary old castle all winter I'd like some fresh air and sunshine -and the smell of trees and wildflowers around o with you? I probably shouldn't really be gone all day"

She gave hi iht come up"

"It can wait," she said frolance, recognized the danger signals, and then replied as ht, dear I don't see any reason e shouldn't have a little outing together We could ask Arell -and maybe Kail- if they'd like to join us"

"No Garion," she said quite firmly

"No?"

"Definitely not"

And so it was that, shortly after breakfast, the Rivan King, hand in hand with his little queen, left the Citadel with a well-stocked basket, crossed the broad ht-dappled shade beneath the evergreens that , snow-capped peaks that formed the spine of the island

Once they entered the woods, all traces of discontent dropped away from Ce'Nedra's face She picked wildflowers as they wandered aarland for herself The h overhead, dappling the ht and blue shadows The resinous sreens was a heady perfu the tall, colureet the sun

After a ti eled andforest pool and where a single, soft-eyed deer stood to drink The deer raised her head fros, looked at them quite unafraid, and then picked her way back into the forest, her hooves clicking on the stones and her tail flicking

"Oh, this is just perfect," Ce'Nedra declared with a soft little san to unlace her shoes

Garion put down the basket and stretched, feeling the cares of the past several weeks slowly draining out of hi coood idea"

"Naturally"' she said "All o that far" Then a thought occurred to hi to ask you soin with an X, don't they? Xera, Xantha -like that"

"It's our custo to work on her shoelaces

"Why doesn't yours, then? Begin with an X, I mean?"

"It does" She pulled off one of her shoes "Tolnedrans just pronounce it a little differently, that's all So they spell it that way Dryads don't read or write very "

"X'Nedra?"

"That's fairly close Make the X a little softer, though"

"You know, I've been wondering about that for the longest time"

"Why didn't you ask, then?"