The Complete Tawny Man Trilogy Omnibus (70 page)

‘You are, of course, welcome to wait here for his return, Huntswoman.’ His words said one thing, his tone another. I had not heard it done so well since Shrewd was king.

‘Thank you, my prince. But if I may, I think I will seek my own room until I am sent for.’

‘As you wish, Huntswoman.’ He had turned to look out the window.

‘Thank you, my prince.’ She dipped a courtesy to his back. Our eyes met for a fleeting moment as she went to the door, but I read nothing there. When the door had closed behind her, the Prince turned back to me.

‘There. Do you see what I mean, Tom Badgerlock?’

‘She was not unkind to you, my prince.’

He came back to the table and sat down. He made a motion to me to do the same. As I took a chair opposite him, he said, ‘She was not anything to me. She treats me as they all do. “As it please you, my prince.” But in all the Six Duchies, I haven’t a true friend.’

I took a breath then asked, ‘What of your companions? Your friends who ride and hunt with you?’

‘I have far too many of them. I must call each one a friend, and to none of them may I show favour, lest the father of another one feel slighted. And Eda forbid that I should smile at a young woman. At my slightest attempt to form a friendship, she is whisked away, lest my attention be interpreted as courtship. No.’ He came back to the table and dropped into a chair. ‘I am alone, Tom Badgerlock. Forever alone.’ He sighed heavily and looked down at his hands on the table’s edge. It was a bit too dramatic to befit the young man.

I spoke before I thought. ‘Oh, poor deprived lad.’ He lifted his head and glowered at me. I returned his look levelly. Then a slow smile came to his face. ‘Spoken like a true friend,’ he said.

A moment later Lord Golden came through the door. In a flicker of his long fingers, he showed me a bird’s message-tube. In the next instant, it had vanished up his sleeve. Of course. He’d gone to see Starling, to see if we’d received word back from Buckkeep. And we had. No doubt Chade would have all in readiness for our return. In the next moment, his eyes took in the Prince seated at the other end of the table. If he thought it odd to find the Farseer heir sitting at table with me, watching me mend the sleeve of my shirt, he did not show it.

Not even a flick of his eyes betrayed that he had greeted me first. Instead, all his attention seemed fixed on the Prince as he addressed him. ‘Good day, my prince. If it please you, we can ride as soon as we may.’

The Prince drew a long breath. ‘It would please me, Lord Golden.’

Now Lord Golden turned to me, and gave me a smile such as I had not seen on his face for days. ‘You have heard our prince, Tom Badgerlock. Stir yourself to readiness and pack our things. And you can leave off mending that, my good man, at least for now. Never can it be said that I am a niggardly master, even to such a wretched servant as yourself. Put this on, lest you shame us all riding back into Buckkeep.’ He tossed me a bundled packet. It proved to be a shirt of homespun, far sturdier than the tattered garment in my hands. So much for a pocket up my sleeve today.

‘My thanks to you, Lord Golden,’ I replied with humble gratitude. ‘I shall strive to take better care of this one than I did of the last three.’

‘See that you do. Put it on, and then haste to Mistress Laurel, to let her know we’ll be riding soon. And on your way down to the stables to ask that the horses be readied, stop at the kitchens and request that they pack us a luncheon as well. A couple of cold birds and a meat pie, two bottles of wine, and some of the fresh bread I smelled baking as I entered.’

‘As it please you, master,’ I replied.

As I was pulling the new shirt on over my head, I heard the Prince ask sourly, ‘My Lord Golden, is it you who thinks I am an idiot, that you put on this show for me? Or is it the wish of Tom Badgerlock?’

I popped my head out hastily, not wishing to miss the look on Lord Golden’s face. But it was the Fool who greeted me. His grin was nothing short of dazzling, as he swept a wide minstrel’s bow to Dutiful, his non-existent hat brushing his knees. As he straightened, he gave me a look of triumph. It baffled me, but I found myself answering his grin with one of my own as he replied, ‘Good prince, it is neither my wish nor that of Tom Badgerlock, but of Lord Chade. He desires that we practise as much as we may, for poor actors such as
ourselves need many rehearsals if we are to fool even an eye or two.’

‘Lord Chade. I should have known you both belonged to him.’ It pleased me that he did not betray I had already told him that. He was learning some discretion at least. He gave the Fool a piercing look, one with much mistrust in it. The look shifted sideways to include me. ‘But who are you?’ he asked in a low voice. ‘Who are you, the both of you?’

Without thinking, the Fool and I exchanged a look. That we conferred before we answered incensed the Prince. I could tell by the slow spots of colour that rose in his cheeks. Beyond the anger, hidden in the back of his eyes, was the boy’s fear that he had made a fool of himself to me. Had his trust been won by a contrived performance? Did the affection between the Fool and me preclude any friendship I would share with him? I saw his candour begin to close; I could see him retreating behind his regal wall. I reached hastily across the table, and violated every noble protocol that existed by seizing his hand. I let honesty flow through that touch, convincing him with Skill just as Verity had once won his mother’s trust.

‘He is a friend, my prince. The best friend I have ever had, and like to be yours as well.’ My gaze did not leave the Prince’s face as I reached my free hand towards the Fool. I heard him step up beside Dutiful. An instant later, I felt him set his ungloved fingers in mine. I brought his hand to join our clasp, his long fingers closing around both our hands.

‘If you will have me,’ the Fool offered humbly, ‘I will serve you as I served your father, and your grandfather before him.’

As far back as our traditions go, there has been both trade and war between the Six Duchies and the Out Islands. Like the regular ebb and flow of the tides, we have traded and intermarried, and then warred and killed our own kin. What set the Red Ship War apart in that long and bloody tradition is that for the first time, the Outislanders were united under a single war leader. Kebal Rawbread was his name. Accounts of him differ, but by most tellings, he began as a pirate and raider. As both sailor and fighter, he excelled, and the men who followed him prospered. Word of their successes and the richness of the plunder they claimed brought men of like minds to follow him. He soon commanded a fleet of raiding vessels.

Even so, he might have remained no more than a prosperous pirate, raiding wherever the wind took him. Instead, he began to take steps to force all of the Out Islands under his reign. The form of coercion he used was remarkably similar to the Forging that he later employed against the people of the Six Duchies. At about that time, he decreed that all the hulls of his raiding vessels must be painted red, and that the force of his raids would be expended only on the Six Duchies coastline. It is interesting to note that at the same time that these tactical changes were occurring in Kebal Rawbread’s fleet, those in the Six Duchies first began to hear rumours of a Pale Woman at his side.

Fedwren’s
An Account of the Red Ship War

We reached Buckkeep Town as the afternoon faded. We could have made far better time, but the Fool deliberately delayed us. We had stopped overlong on a stretch of sandy riverbank for our late afternoon luncheon. I believe he thought to buy the Prince one more day of quiet before he plunged into the whirl of court again. None of us had mentioned the chaos and gaiety of the betrothal ceremony that the new moon would bring. It had pleased the Prince to join in our charade, so that for the ride home he kept his mount beside Malta, as disdainful of Lord Golden’s coarse servant as any well-born young man might be. He allowed Lord Golden’s aristocratic talk of hunts and balls and exotic travel to amuse him while never compromising his princely demeanour. Laurel rode at Lord Golden’s other stirrup, but was mostly silent. I think the Prince enjoyed his new role. I could sense his relief that we included him now. He was not a wayward boy being dragged home by his elders, but a young man returning from a misadventure, with friends. His desperate loneliness had eased. Nonetheless, I also felt his rising anxiety as we drew nearer and nearer to Buckkeep. It pulsed through the Skill-connection we shared. I wondered again if he were as aware of it as I was.

I think poor Laurel was baffled by the change in the young man. He seemed to have recovered his spirits entirely, and set behind him his misfortune among the Piebalds. I do not know if she heard the brittleness at the edges of his laughter, nor marked how well Lord Golden carried the conversation during the times when the Prince could not seem to keep his mind on it. I did. I was relieved that the boy had latched onto Lord Golden so firmly. So I rode alone until, in the early afternoon, the Huntswoman dropped back to ride beside me, leaving the Prince and Lord Golden to their newfound companionship.

‘He seems a different young man entirely,’ she observed quietly.

‘He does,’ I agreed. I tried to keep any cynicism from my voice. With both Dutiful and Lord Golden occupied, she
deigned to speak to me again. I knew I should not fault her for choosing wisely where to let her attention and fondness come to rest. For Lord Golden to honour her with his attention was no small coup for her. I wondered if she would try to continue their connection when we returned to Buckkeep Castle. She would be the envy of the ladies if she did. I even wondered how deep his affection for her went. Was my friend honestly losing his heart to her? I considered her silent profile as she rode alongside me. He could do far worse. She was healthy and young and a good hunter. I abruptly heard the echo of the wolf’s values in my thoughts. I caught my breath for a moment, and then let the pain pass.

She was more astute than I had realized. ‘I’m sorry.’ She spoke softly, and her words barely reached me. ‘You know I do not have the Old Blood myself. Somehow it passed me, to settle on my brothers and sister instead. Nonetheless, I can guess what you suffer. I saw what my mother went through when her gander died. That bird was forty years old, and had outlived my father … Truth to tell, it is why I think Old Blood as much a curse as a blessing. And I confess, when I consider the risk and the pain, I do not know why you practise this magic. How can anyone let an animal seize his heart so completely, when their lives are so short? What can you gain that is worth all the pain each time your partner dies?’

I had no answer to that. In truth, it was a rock-hard sympathy she gave me.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said again when some little time had passed. ‘You must think me heartless. I know my cousin Deerkin does. But all I can say to him is what I’ve said to you. I do not understand. And I cannot approve. I will always think Old Blood a magic better left alone.’

‘If I had a choice, perhaps I would feel the same,’ I replied. ‘But I am as I was born.’

‘As is the Prince,’ she said after a long moment’s consideration. ‘Eda save us all, and keep his secret safe.’

‘Amen to that,’ I said heavily. ‘And mine as well.’ I gave her a sideways glance.

‘I do not think Lord Golden would betray you. He values you far too highly as a servant,’ she replied. It was a reassurance that she never even considered I might be thinking of her tongue wagging. A moment later, she set my thoughts on a different trail when she delicately added, ‘And may my bloodlines not become common talk.’

I replied as she had. ‘I am certain that as Lord Golden values you, both as a friend and as the Queen’s devoted Huntswoman, he would never breathe a word that might discredit or endanger you.’

She gave me a sidelong glance, then asked shyly, ‘As his friend? Do you think so?’

Something in her eyes and at the corners of her mouth warned me not to answer that question lightly. ‘So it would appear to me,’ I said, somewhat stiffly.

Her shoulders lifted as if I had offered her a gift. ‘And you have known him well and long,’ she embroidered my words. I refused to confirm that speculation. She looked away from me for a time, and after that we did not speak much, but she hummed as she rode. She seemed light of heart. Ahead of me, I marked that the Prince’s voice had faltered to a halt. Lord Golden chatted on, but the Prince rode looking ahead, and silent.

Buckkeep Castle was a dark silhouette on the black stone cliffs against a bank of dark clouds when we reached Buckkeep Town. The Prince had pulled his hood well up over his face and dropped back to ride beside me. Laurel rode by Lord Golden now, and seemed well pleased with the change. Dutiful and I spoke little, each busy with our own thoughts. Our journey back to Buckkeep would take us up the steep path to the lesser-used West Gate. As we had left, so would we enter. We passed once more the scattering of cottages at the bottom of the climb. When I saw the first drape of greenery on a door
lintel, I thought it was but an over-eager celebrant. But then I saw another, and as we rode on, we eventually came to a group of workmen setting up a celebratory arch. Nearby, townsfolk busily plaited ivy with heffelwhite vines, ready to drape the arch. ‘A bit early, aren’t you?’ Lord Golden called to them congenially as we passed.

A guardsman spat and laughed aloud. ‘Early, milord? We’re damn near too late! All thought the storms would delay the betrothal ship, but the Outislanders seem to have used them to fly here with the wind’s own wings. The treaty galleys arrived at noon with the Princess’s honour guard. We’ve heard she’ll make landfall before the sun sets, and all must be ready.’

‘Really?’ Lord Golden enthused. ‘Well, I dare not be late for the festivities.’ He turned his smile on Laurel. ‘My lady, I fear we must ride as swift as we can. You lads may follow at your own pace …’ And with that he set his heels to Malta, and she plunged nimbly forwards. Laurel matched him. The Prince and I followed, but at a more sedate gait. As we trailed them up the winding road to Buckkeep Castle, Lord Golden and Laurel continued up the main road and entered at the gate. But in a thicker patch of woods, I turned Myblack’s head from the path and motioned for the Prince to follow. There was little more than a game trail, but I pushed Myblack through the tangles of brush, along a path I scarce remembered, and Dutiful followed. We followed the keep wall until we came to the place the wolf had shown me so long ago. Thick brambles still covered that old breach in the wall, but I had my suspicions. In the shadow of the keep wall, we dismounted.

‘What is this place?’ he demanded. He pushed his hood back and looked about curiously.

‘A place to wait. I will not chance taking you in either of the gates. Chade will send someone to meet us here, and I am certain he will devise a way for you to re-enter the keep, so it may seem that you have never left. You have seen fit to
spend these days in meditation, and now you will emerge to meet your betrothed. None need be the wiser.’

‘I see,’ he replied bleakly. Overhead the clouds were growing thicker, and the wind began to pick up. ‘What do we now?’ the Prince asked softly.

‘We wait.’

‘Waiting.’ He sighed. ‘If a man can become perfect at something by practising it, I should be perfect at waiting by now.’

He sounded both tired and older than his years.

‘At least, you’re home now,’ I said comfortingly.

‘Yes.’ He did not sound glad. After a moment, he asked, ‘It seems a year since I was last at Buckkeep, and it is not even a full month. I remember lying on my bed and counting the days I still had before the new moon, before I had to face this. Then – for a time I thought I might never have to face it. It seemed strange, all day today, to know I was riding back to my old life, that I would pick up all the threads, all the details, and go on as if I had never left. It was overwhelming. All day, riding back here, I promised myself a quiet day or two. I wanted some time alone, to decide how much I had changed. Now … this very night the delegation arrives from the Out Islands to formalize my betrothal. This night my mother and the Outislander nobles set the course of the rest of my life.’

I tried to smile, but I felt I was delivering him to his execution. I had come near as a knife’s edge to a similar fate once. I found something to say. ‘You must be very excited to meet your bride.’

He gave me a look. ‘Apprehensive is perhaps a better word. There is something rather dreadful about meeting the girl you will marry when you know that your own preferences have absolutely no bearing on the situation.’ He gave a small, sour laugh. ‘Not that I did so well when I thought I was choosing someone for myself.’ He sighed and looked aside from me. ‘She’s eleven. Eleven summers old.’ He looked away from me. ‘What shall I discuss with her? Dolls? Embroidery lessons?’ He
crossed his arms on his chest and leaned against the cold stone wall. ‘I do not think they even teach women to read in the Out Islands. Nor men, for that matter.’

‘Oh.’ I struggled desperately but could think of nothing more to say. To say that fourteen was not that much older than eleven seemed a cruelty. We waited in silence.

With no warning at all, the threatened rain suddenly sluiced down on us. It began abruptly, one of those downpours that soak a man and fills his ears with the sound of falling water. I was almost grateful that it made conversation impossible. We huddled miserably, the water streaming down the horses who stood with their heads hanging.

We were both completely drenched and cold when Chade appeared to escort the Prince back into the castle. He spoke little, a hasty greeting in the cascading downpour and a promise to see me soon, and then they were gone. I grinned sourly to myself as they left me there in the wet. It was as I had expected. The old fox had not closed off this secret back door, but he was not going to show the entrance to me. I drew a deep breath. Well. My errand was done. I’d brought the Prince safely back to Buckkeep Castle in time for his betrothal. I tried on emotions. Triumph. Joy. Elation. No. Wet, tired and hungry. Cold to my bones. Alone.

Empty.

I mounted Myblack and rode through the downpour, leading the Prince’s horse. The light was fading and the horses’ hooves slipped on the layers of wet leaves. I was forced to go slowly. The bushes we pushed through were laden with rain. I had not thought it was possible to get wetter, but I did. Then, as I reached the main road up to the keep, I found the way choked with men and horses and litters. I somehow doubted they were going to make way for me, or allow me to join the betrothal procession. So I sat Myblack in the rain and held the reins of the miserable dun, and watched them go by.

First came the torchbearers, holding their blazing brands
aloft to show the way. They were followed by the Queen’s Guards, in purple and white with the fox badge, riding white horses, very showy and dripping wet. They passed, leading the way, and then came an interesting mix of the Prince’s Guard and the Outislander warriors. The Prince’s Guard wore Buckkeep blue with the Farseer stag badge, and they were afoot, I suppose out of courtesy to the Outislanders. The guardians who had accompanied their narcheska were sailors and fighters, not horsemen. Their furs and leathers dripped, and I suspected the Great Hall would be rich with the stench of wet fur tonight as the warmth dried them. They strode along, rank after rank, with the rolling gait of men who had been long at sea and still expected a deck to rise to greet them at every step. They wore their weapons as their wealth, and their wealth as their weapons. Jewels glittered on swordbelts, and I glimpsed axe-hafts banded with gold. I prayed no fighting would break out among the mingled guard companies tonight. There strode together veterans from both sides of the Red Ship War.

The Outislander nobles came next, riding borrowed horses, and looking singularly uncomfortable on them. I saw an assortment of Six Duchies nobles riding welcome among them. I recognized them more by their badges than by their faces. The Duke of Tilth was younger by far than I had expected him to be. There were two young women wearing Bearns insignia, and though I recognized the stamp of their bloodlines in their faces, I had never seen them before. And still the folk, both grand and martial, paraded past and I stood in the rain and watched them go by.