“Yes, we’re eminently noticeable,” Erren commented.
“Lady Erren, Sir Neil, surrender!” Fastia advised, riding up from behind. “Once mother has made up her mind, it is set, as at least you ought to know, Erren. We’re going to see Aunt Elyoner, and that’s that.”
“Besides,” Elseny chimed in, “I’m tired of that old castle. There’s nothing to do there.” She sighed. “I so miss the court. Prince Cheiso, Aunt Lesbeth’s fiancé, was to have arrived by now, and I wanted to meet him.”
“You’ll meet him soon enough,” the queen soothed.
Neil heard all of that with only one ear; the other he kept pricked for danger. The road they followed passed through mostly open country—pear and apple orchards, fields of wheat and millet. And yet even such terrain offered ample opportunity for ambush. A single well-placed arrow from someone hidden in the branches of a tree, and all was lost.
As Erren said, they made quite a procession. The queen, Erren, Fastia, Elseny, and himself rode in a close clump. Audra and Mere—the maids of Fastia and Elseny respectively— rode a few yards behind, chattering like magpies. Prince Charles trailed farther behind, singing a children’s song as Hound Hat capered along beside him on foot. Today the jester’s red cap was so large it covered him nearly to the knees, and though Neil was sure that the Sefry could by some artifice see, exactly how he couldn’t say, for the hat had no holes in it.
Around the royal party, mounted Craftsmen and the Royal Footguard formed a loose hollow square, ready to tighten at any moment.
That didn’t give Neil much comfort. For all he knew, any or all of those men might turn against him. Still, if that were the case, the queen was right: they could as easily do murder in a keep as in clear light.
“Why so glum, Sir Knight?”
Startled, Neil swung about in the saddle. Concentrating on the middle and far distance, he hadn’t noticed Fastia dropping back to pace him.
“I’m not glum, Archgreffess. Just watchful.”
“You look more than watchful; you look as nervous as a rabbit caught in a fox hunt. Do you really expect danger out here? We’re in Loiyes, after all, not Hansa.”
“And we were in Eslen when your mother was attacked.”
“True. Still, it’s as I said a moment ago—Mother won’t be dissuaded, so you might as well make the best of it.” She smiled, and it was so unexpected on her normally tightly composed face that he couldn’t help but follow suit.
“That’s better,” she said, still smiling.
“I—” He suddenly worried that he had a bug in his teeth or something. “Is something funny, Archgreffess?”
“Turn and look behind you.”
Neil did as he was told. There was Prince Charles and Hound Hat, the maids …
When his gaze touched Audra and Mere they both turned as red as ripe cherries and then burst into giggling. Mortified, Neil turned around quickly.
“They’ve been back there talking about you all morning,” Fastia said. “They really can’t seem to get enough of watching you.”
Neil felt his own face burning and guessed it a good match for the girls. “I didn’t—I mean I haven’t …”
“So much as spoken to them? I know. If you spoke to them, I expect they would fall off of their horses.”
“But why?”
“Sir Neil! Please. You’re a handsome man, and you must know it. There were girls in Liery, weren’t there?”
“Ah—well, there was one.” He was uncomfortable with such talk, especially around the prim Fastia.
“One? In all of the islands?”
“I meant only one who I, ah …”
“You had only one sweetheart?”
“She was never my sweetheart,” Neil said. “She was betrothed, soon after we met.”
“How old were you?”
“Twelve.”
“She was betrothed when you were twelve? And so after that, no young woman has ever pursued you?”
“Some did, I suppose. But my heart was given. I promised her, you see, that as long as she lived I would love no other.”
“A promise given when you were twelve. And she never released you from your vow?”
“She died in childbirth, Princess, a year ago.”
Fastia’s eyes widened and went oddly soft. He had never seen them so soft. “Saint Anne bless her,” she said. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Neil merely nodded.
“But—and forgive me if this sounds cruel—you are released from your vow now.”
“That’s true. But I’ve taken another—to protect your mother.”
“Ah.” Fastia nodded. “You will find, I think, that few men keep vows as you do.” A note of bitterness crept into her voice. “Marriage vows in particular.”
Neil could think of nothing tactful to say to that, and so remained silent.
Fastia brightened, after a moment. “What a bore I can be,” she said. “Anne is right about me.”
“I do not find you boring,” Neil replied. “Of everyone I have met in this court, you have been the kindest and most helpful to me.”
Fastia’s cheeks pinkened. “How kind of you, sir. Your company these past months has been appreciated.”
Neil suddenly feared he had crossed some threshold he should never have approached, and so he needled his gaze around the landscape again. Along the side of the road, stalks of spindly flowers like tiny spiral stairs caught his attention with their vivid orange blossoms.
“Do you know the name of that flower?” he asked, for want of anything better to say. “I have never seen it in Liery.”
“Those are Jeremy towers,” Fastia said. “You know, I once could name every kind of flower on this road.”
“Would you entertain me by doing so, Princess? It would help me stay vigilant. I know it is impolite to look away while conversing, but …”
“I understand completely. I would be happy to entertain you thus, Sir Neil.”
When they stopped to water the horses, Fastia braided necklaces of pharigolds—one for each girl and Charles, and one for Neil. He felt rather silly wearing it, but could think of no polite way of refusing it, either.
While the party reassembled itself, Neil rode to the top of the nearest hill, to get a better view.
The land was rolling and lovely, copsed with trees but mostly pasture dotted with brown-and-white cows. About a league away, he could make out the slender towers of a castle— presumably Glenchest, their destination.
Hoofbeats signaled the arrival of Sir James Cathmayl and Sir Vargus Farre.
“Well, if it isn’t the captain of the queen’s guard,” Cathmayl said. “How do our chances look, Captain? Do you think you can take her?”
“Pardon?”
“You’re a fine tactician, I’ll tell you that. You’ve got the ice princess smiling, up top, which is a good first step to that smile down below.”
“Sir James, I most honestly hope you are not implying what you seem to be.”
“Let imps lie where they may,” Sir James said.
“Crudeness aside,” Vargus interposed, “you do seem to have a way with her.”
“She’s still a girl, under that dress,” James said. “That fool Ossel barely touches her, they say. But I’ve never seen her show an itch till now.”
Neil regarded Sir James seriously. “Princess Fastia, if that’s who you mean, is a perfect and gentle lady,” he said. “Any kindness she shows me is from politeness, I assure you.”
“Well, let’s hope she very politely licks your—”
“Sir, stop there, I warn you!” Neil shouted.
James did, and let a wicked grin spread across his face. Then he chuckled and rode off.
“Sir Neil,” Vargus said, “you are far too easy a target for James to hit. He means no malice, but he loves to see your blood up.”
“He should not talk that way about the archgreffess. It offends honor.”
Vargus shook his head. “You were brought up by Sir Fail. I know for a fact that he taught you that honor has its place. But so does levity, and even a little crudeness.” He swept his hand at the party down the hill. “We’re ready to lay down our lives for any of them, anytime, and Sir James is not the slightest exception. Why begrudge us a little harmless fun? More to the point, the guard isn’t going to like you, if you keep this stiff, standoffish mien. And you need the men to like you, Sir Neil. You are to assemble a staff for the queen’s new bodyguard, yes, and captain it?”