Man From Mundania (36 page)

This is part of your responsibility as Princess and a Sor-

ceress. You know that."

Ivy sighed. She did know it. She had been carried away

by her emotion of the moment, and pretended that the

somber realities of her position did not exist, but they did.

"But I can't tell Grey no, after I asked him!"

"You may not need to, once he understands the com-

plete picture."

"Because he will break it off himself," she said.

"Yes. He seems to be a man of integrity and con-

science."

"Yes he is!" she flared. "That's why I love him!"

"I understand how you feel. But you know it isn't

enough."

Ivy nodded soberly. She knew.

King Dor left. But Ivy hardly had time to get cleaned

and changed before her mother showed up. Again there

was the embrace. Then they sat down on the bed for se-

rious woman talk.

"How did it happen?" Irene asked.

"You know how. Mother! First I saw he was decent;

then I saw that he liked me only for myself. You know

how rare that is, here in Xanth!"

"I know, dear. I marked your father for marriage when

I was a child, because of his position. If he hadn't been

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165

slated to be king some day, neither I nor your Grandma

Iris would have given him a second thought. Then it was

a challenge to land him, of course, but that was excellent

sport."

"I guess it worked out," Ivy said. "But I sort of wanted

to marry for love."

"Oh, there was love. I have always loved your father,

and he loved me, though we sometimes had strange ways

of showing it. But it was his position that enabled it."

"But for me there was no Magician, and anyone else—

well, I just wanted romance, and that's what I found."

"I do understand, dear. But you know it cannot be."

"There has to be a way!" Ivy said, not really believing

it. "Somehow, some way!"

Her mother merely smiled sadly, and left.

Ivy tried to rest, but could not, so she went to Nada's

room. Nada greeted her with a fierce giriish hug. Then

they talked.

"It is an irony," Nada remarked. "I don't love your

brother, but will marry him. You do love Grey, but can't

marry him. If only we could exchange emotions!''

"That wouldn't work," Ivy pointed out. "Grey and

Electra would be left over.''

"And Grey's not a prince," Nada agreed. For Electra

had to marry a prince or die.

"Why do we get into such picklements?" Ivy asked

rhetorically.

"It may be the nature of princesses."

Ivy had to laugh. Nada was just about the best thing

that had happened to her in recent years, because she was

indeed a princess, and Ivy's age, with a perfect under-

standing of all her concerns.

"How did it happen?" Nada inquired after a moment.

"I was stuck there in Mundania, and it was so drear,

and Grey was so nice. I sort of encouraged him, because

I wanted his help, but the more I got to know him the

better I liked him. Then when he helped me return to

Xanth, and he didn't believe in magic or that I was a

princess but still liked me, I just kept liking him more. I

knew it was foolish, but I didn't want to give him up. One

166 Man from Mundania Man from Mundania 167

thing led to another." She shrugged. "I guess it sort of

sneaked up on me. Not very romantic, after all."

"It will do," Nada said with a sigh. "My betrothal was

not romantic at all." For it had been a political liaison.

"But I do love him," Ivy said. "And I know my folks

won't let me marry him. Oh, Nada, what am I to do?"

"Elope?" Nada asked.

Ivy stared at her. "Do you think it's possible?"

"Possible, yes. The question is whether it's desirable."

"It would mean alienating my folks. I would never get

to be king."

"But if you don't—"

"I will lose Grey." Ivy considered the alternatives.

"Oh, Nada, I can't give up either my folks or Grey!"

Nada just looked at her, understanding.

In the evening she met Grey for the formal meal. He

was with Dolph, of course, so she couldn't kiss him. They

were on palace rules. She took his arm, and Dolph hooked

up with Nada. Electra seemed satisfied to walk with Don-

key.

"Your brother is most talented," Grey said as they

walked to the dining room. "He has been showing me his

forms, and we have talked."

Ivy made a wry face. "I hope it wasn't too boring."

"No, it was very interesting. He says there is only one

thing to do."

"Don't say it!" Ivy warned. How like her brother, to

blab about the elopement!

Grey shrugged. "Yes, I told him it was foolish. But he

says tomorrow we must all go to your room and verify it

with the Tapestry.''

"Verify?" This sounded odd. Was her brother already

planning an escape route for her?

"He says Donkey and Electra are hot on it, too. They

actually believe it will work."

"They aren't princesses," Ivy remarked dryly.

He glanced at her curiously. "What does that have to

do with it?"

They were in public, so she couldn't answer. Fortu-

nately they were just arriving at the dining room, so she

didn't have to. "I'll explain later," she said.

But in the evening Nada come to see her. "Oh, Ivy,

Electra told me! They could be right!"

"About eloping? You know that's complicated!"

"No, about finding a talent for Grey!"

"Finding a—you mean that's what Grey was talking

about?"

' 'Yes! Dolph thought of it, and he told Electra, and she

told Donkey. Of course a notion doesn't have to make any

sense to thrill Dolph or Electra, but Donkey's a centaur!

If he thinks it's possible, we'd better take notice. If Grey

had a talent, your folks wouldn't be able to oppose your

marriage, because he'd be just as good as anybody else."

Ivy quelled her hope, knowing it would only hurt her

worse if it flew and crashed. "Grey's a Mundane! They

have no magic."

"Donkey says that all assumptions have to be periodi-

cally questioned. For centuries it was thought that centaurs

had no talents, but when they questioned it, they discov-

ered that they did have magic, if they just accepted it. The

centaurs of Centaur Isle still refuse to believe it, but they

are mistaken. So maybe that is also the case with Mun-

danes."

"I don't think so," Ivy said. "Many Mundanes entered

Xanth when Grandpa Trent assumed the throne, and he

checked thoroughly but couldn't find a single magic talent

in any of them. Their children have talents, but not the

original generation. Later he even had me enhance some

of them to see if that would make their talents manifest,

but it didn't. Mundanesjust don't have magic."

"Well, it won't hurt to check," Nada said.

Ivy didn't argue. But she knew it was a hopeless quest.

In the morning, after breakfast, they all piled into Ivy's

room to view the Tapestry: Grey, Dolph, Donkey, Nada,

and Electra. "See, there are some dis, dis—" Dolph

started.

"Discontinuities," Donkey supplied.

"In the record," Dolph continued, excited. "We can't

168

Man from Mundania

Man from Mundania

169

follow you into the gourd, because the Tapestry doesn't

register dreams. But we can trace your whole trip in Xanth,

if that's okay with you."

"Why not?" Ivy said. "But I really don't see what it

will prove." She suspected that her little brother wanted

to peek at any mushy stuff she might have had with Grey.

"So let's go back to the beginning," Dolph said. "When

you switched places with the giant."

The Tapestry obligingly showed the picture of Girard

Giant, lying with his chin propped on a fist, staring into

the tiny gourd. Then he was gone, and Ivy and Grey stood

where his head had been.

They watched as the two of them made their way out of

the clearing. They saw Grey blunder into the curse bun-s-

and then get rid of them.

"Wasn't that magic?" Dolph demanded. "He nulled

them all! Nobody ever did that before!"

"No such luck," Grey said. "I merely threatened them

with my penknife. If there's any magic, it's in the knife."

The picture on the Tapestry froze, becoming mere col-

ored thread. "A magic knife?" Dolph asked. "We should

look at that."

"How would a Mundane knife be magic?" Donkey

asked.

Grey brought it out. "I pretended it was magic, but that

was a bluff. I didn't believe in magic. See, it is just an

ordinary penknife." He unfolded the little blade.

"We can test it," Dolph said. "Ivy, enhance it."

Ivy took the knife and concentrated on it. Nothing hap-

pened. "I think it's dead," she said. "It's not responding

at all."

"Let me try it," Donkey said. "I have tough hooves,

so have had to use a magic blade to trim them. They've

gotten overgrown since I've been on my own. If this can

cut them, it may be magic."