“I knew I could count on you,’ she said. She rose to her feet.
‘if that’s all we have, gentlemen, I have an appointment with my
dressmaker.’ She looked around. ‘Coming, Sparhawk?’
‘In a moment,’ he replied. “I want to have a word with Platime.’
She nodded and moved toward the door.
‘What’s on your mind, Sparhawk?’ Platime asked.
“I saw Naween last night when I rode into town. She’s working the streets.’ ‘Naween?
That’s ridiculous! Half the time she even forgets to take the money.’
‘That’s what I told her. She and Shanda had a falling out, and she was
standing on a street corner near the east gate. I sent her to an inn to
get her out of the weather. Can we make some kind of arrangement for her?’
“I’ll see what I can do,’ Platime promised. Ehlana had not yet left the
room, and Sparhawk sometimes forgot how sharp her ears were. ‘Who’s this
Naween?’ she asked from the doorway with a slight edge to her voice.
‘She’s a whore,’ Platime shrugged, ‘a special friend of Sparhawk’s. ‘
‘Platime.” SParhawk gasPed. ”
‘isn’t she?’
“Well, I suppose so, but when you say it that way -‘ Sparhawk groped for
the right words.
‘Oh. I didn’t mean it that way, Ehlana. So far as I know, your husband’s
completely faithful to you. Naween’s a whore. That’s her occupation, but it
doesn’t have anything to do with her friendship – not that she didn’t make
Sparhawk some offers ‘- but she makes those offers to everybody. She’s a
very generous girl.’
‘Please, Platime,” Sparhawk groaned, ‘don’t be on my
side any more.’
‘Naween’s a good girl,’ Platime continued to explain to
Ehlana. ‘She works hard, she takes good care of her customers and she pays
her taxes.’
‘Taxes?’ Ehlana exclaimed. ‘Are you telling me that my
government encourages that sort of thing? Legitimises it by taxing it?’
‘Have you been living on the moon, Ehlana? Of course she pays taxes. We
all do. Lenda sees to that. Naween helped Sparhawk once while you were
sick. He was looking for that Krager fellow, and she helped him. Like I
said, she offered him other services as well, but he turned her down ‘
politely. She’s always been a bit disappointed in him about that.’
‘You and I are going to have a long talk about this, Sparhawk,’ ehlana said
ominously.
‘As your Majesty wishes,’ he sighed as she swept coolly from
the room.
‘She doesn’t know very much about the real world, does she, Sparhawk?’
“It’s her sheltered upbringing.’
“I thought you were the one who brought her up.
‘That’s right.’
‘Then you’ve only got yourself to blame. I’ll have Naween stop by and
explain it all to her.’
‘Are you out of your mind?’
Talen came in from Demos the next day, and he rode into the courtyard with
Sir Berit. Sparhawk and Khalad met them at the stable door. The prince
consort was making some effort to be inconspicuous until such time as the
queen’s curiosity about Naween diminished. Talen’s nose was red, and his
eyes looked puffy. “I thought you were going to stay at ,the farm until
you got over that cold,’ Sparhawk said to him.
“I couldn’t stand all that mothering,’ Talen said, slipping down from his
saddle. ‘One mother is bad enough, but my brothers and I have two now. I
don’t think I’ll ever be able to look another bowl of chicken soup in the
face again. Hello, Khalad.’
‘Talen,’ Sparhawk’s burly young squire grunted. He looked
critically at his half-brother. ‘Your eyes look terrible.’
‘You ought to see them from in here.’
Talen was about fifteen now, and he was going
through one of those ‘stages. Sparhawk was fairly certain that the young
thief had grown three inches in the past month and a half. A goodly amount
of forearm and wrist stuck out of the sleeves of his doublet. ‘Do you
think the cooks might have something to eat?’ the boy asked. As a result
of his rapid growth, Talen ate almost constantly now. ‘i’ve got some
papers for you to sign, Sparhawk,’ Berit said. “It’s nothing very urgent,
but I thought I’d ride in with Talen.’ Berit wore a mail shirt, and he had
a broadsword belted at his waist. His weapon of choice, however, was still
the heavy war-axe slung to his saddle. ‘Are you going back to the
chapterhouse?’ Khalad asked him.
‘Unless Sparhawk has something he wants me
for here.’
‘I’ll ride along with you then. Sir Clart wants to give us more
instruction with the lance this afternoon.’
“Why don’t you just unhorse him a few times?’ Berit suggested. ‘Then he’ll
leave you alone. ‘You could do it, you know. You’re already better than he
is.’
Khalad shrugged. ‘it’d hurt his feelings.’
‘Not to mention his ribs, shoulders and back,’ Berit laughed.
“It’s a bit ostentatious to outperform your instructors,’ Khalad
said. ‘The other novices are already a little sulky about the way my
brothers and I have outstripped them. We’ve tried to explain, but they’re
sensitive about the fact that we’re peasants. You know how that goes.’ He
looked inquiringly at Sparhawk. ‘Are you going to need e for anything this
afternoon, my Lord?’
‘No. Go ahead on out and dent Sir clart’s armour a
bit. He’s got an exaggerated notion of his own skill. Give him some
instruction in the virtue of humility.’
‘i’m really hungry, Sparhawk,’ Talen complained.
‘All right. Let’s go to the kitchen.’ Sparhawk looked
critically at his young friend. ‘Then I guess we’ll have to send for the
tailor again,’ he added. ‘You’re growing like a weed.’
“It’s not my idea.’
Khalad started to saddle his horse, and Sparhawk and Talen went into the
palace in search of food. It was about an hour later when the two of them
entered the royal apartment to find Ehlana, Mirtai and Danae sitting by
the fire. Ehlana was leafing through some documents. Danae was playing
with rollo, and Mirtai was sharpening one of her daggers. ‘Well,’ Ehlana
said, looking up from the documents, “if it isn’t my noble prince consort
and my wandering page.’
Talen bowed. Then he sniffed loudly. ‘Use your
handkerchief,’ Mirtai told him.
‘Yes, ma’am.’
> [fold] [
‘How are your mothers?’ hlana asked the young man. Everyone, perhaps
> [fold] ]
unconsciously, used that phrasing when speaking to Talen and his
half-brothers. In a very real sense, though, the usage reflected reality.
Aslade and Elys mothered Kurik’s five sons excessively and impartially.
‘Meddlesome, my Queen,’ Talen replied. “It’s not
really a good idea to get sick in that house. In the last week I think
I’ve been dosed with every cold remedy known to man.’ A peculiar, squeaky
noise came from somewhere in the general vicinity of the young man’s
midsection.
‘is that your stomach?’ Mirtai asked him. ‘Are you hungry again?’
‘No. I just ate. I probably won’t get hungry again for ‘ at least
fifteen minutes.’ Talen put one hand to the front of his doublet. ‘The
little beast was being so quiet I almost forgot it was there.’ He went
over to Danae, who was tying the strings of a little bonnet under the chin
of her stuffed toy. ‘i’ve brought a present for you, Princess,’ he said.
Her eyes brightened. She’ set Rollo aside and sat waiting expectantly.
‘But no kissing,’ he added. ‘Just a “thank you” will do..i’ve got a cold,
and you don’t want to catch it.’
‘What did you bring me?’ she asked eagerly.
‘Oh, just a little something I found under a bush out on the
road. It’s a little wet and muddy, but you can dry it out and brush it
off, I suppose. It’s not much, but I thought you might like it – ju’st a
little.’ Talen was underplaying it for all he was worth.
‘Could I see it, please?’ she begged.
‘Oh, I suppose so.’ He reached inside his doublet,
took out a rather bedraggled grey kitten and sat it on the floor in front
of her. The kitten had mackerel stripes, a spiky tail, large ears and an
intently curious look in its blue eyes. It took a tentative step toward
its new mistress. Danae squealed with delight, picked up the kitten and
hugged it to her cheek. “I love it!!’ she exclaimed.
‘There go the draperies,’ Mirtai’ said with resignation. ‘Kittens always
want to climb the drapes.’
Talen skilfully fended off Sparhawk’s exuberant little
daughter. ‘The cold, Danae,’ the boy warned. ‘i’ve got a cold, remember?’
Sparhawk was certain that his daughter would grow more skilled with the
passage of time and that it wouldn’t be very long until Talen would no
longer be able to evade her affection. The kitten had been no more than a
gesture, Sparhawk was certain some spur-of-the-moment impulse to which
Talen had given no thought whatsoever. It rather effectively sealed the
young man’s fate, however. A few days before, Sparhawk had idly wondered