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"You are coming with us?" Arrats asked incredulously. "Princess, how can you do so at such a time."

"It is not so impossible," Selice sniffed. "I have no duties to attend until I am wed. And I am not allowed to marry until the period of mourning is ended in three weeks."

"You haven't three weeks, insolent girl, you've eighteen days!" Arrats cried. For all her power as Archcardinal and Archmage, she was not used to dealing with a child. Though Selice was not her own, she might as well have been. Such was her love for Arryn, not to mention Dusan.

"And I can do naught in the position of ruler until that time. But I must be wed before I can make any decisions anyway. Let the house rule without me, there will be no difference."

Arrats turned to Inlé. "You can't be serious in allowing her to accompany us!"

He returned her look with his cold gaze. "Would you prefer we take her father?"

"He's dead!"

"Which is exactly why he asked that I take the princess in his stead."

Arrats was about to say something, then paused. "You can speak with the dead now. Typical you should only reveal that after it was useful."

"You would have me tell you every thing I do beforehand, Archcardinal? Remember first that I am not under your leadership and second that I am as displeased if not more so. I do not enjoy traveling in company. It is a hindrance; I would sooner abstain from than entertain such frivolities.

"I have been here for more than a week, and, were I not contracted to this task, would be returned to my own troubles instead of running errands in some pantheon's idle game."

Arrats eyes flared, but again Fernweh beat her to the task she desired. A quick knock to the side of Inlé's head with the bindle-stick, not hard enough to hurt--and Inlé did not so much a flinch at the blow--but hard enough to get the message across.

In a soft voice, the old sage said, "Ye'd best not be mockin' th' gods, Inlé. Ye above all know them f'r what they are, and ye understand th' power that includes. True, ye once were a sight, an' I may have placed bets on yer victory in some cases. That said, as ye told me, respect is given where deserved, an' they do. Ye're not th' one what I remember, but let them all curse me if I'm t' play them wrong in this. Ye need not love them, but ye will show them respect."

"And I do and will, sir," Inlé acceded. "But I hold neither love nor respect for their games. If they wish to make their own rules, well and good. But when I am brought into their game, I will not follow their rules without reason. Whether this helps or hinders me, I care little."

Fernweh laughed. "Fair enough, boy. Ye've stood beside these gods in th' past, so I'll guess ye brook little hatred f'r most o' them. Yer indifference is good enough f'r me."

Arrats was not so satisfied with such open heresy, but she decided to address it another time. Other matters needed attendance. "Still, the princess should not come with us."

"This scroll says otherwise," Selice said with resolve. She held the scroll sent to her father up and showed the triskelion seal to Arrats. "You may have no respect for the princess or Ashkern, but you serve the gods from whom this came. It was directed to the king, and His Majesty saw fit to request I fulfill the command of the goddesses in his stead."

"I still don't like it," Arrats said.

"Nor do I," Inlé agreed. "But no one asked you if you did. It does not matter if you like the task or not. You were not told to 'like' it, you were told to do it. Do not confuse the two, they are further than the breadth of your years."

He gestured to each of the three. "You have each sworn to serve for one reason or another, correct?" They all agreed. "Then what matters is only that you carry out the task given when it comes time to do so, whatever your reasons for doing so."

"I serve for love," Arrats said, "and Fernweh for respect, it seems. The princess likely serves for love or respect, but mostly for her people. You may not care, but we care who we serve and why. For what reason, then, do you serve? I cannot follow you further without knowing."

"Then follow me no further, Archcardinal. My reason is my own."

"I agree with the Archcardinal in this," Selice said. "How can we trust you if we do not know your motives? Why are you here?"

"I am here because I am here, princess. Whether you trust me is your own choice. Know I trust none of you, but I also do not betray those around me. What I say, you may consider true, whether you wish to trust it or not."

"Let th' boy be," Fernweh said. "He serves f'r fear, nothin' more. His distrust's proof enough, t' be sure. 'Those what fear betrayal trust none but death, an' from he they flee at every turn'. He's trustworthy enough until it gets dangerous."

Inlé's eyes flared almost imperceptibly. It was only for an instant, but Arrats saw the glimmer, and she would bet that not only had the old fox also seen it, but had deliberately goaded it out. What a dangerous game he's playing, Arrats thought. He must have good reason to feel safe in saying something like that to Inlé.

Fernweh laughed and patted Inlé's shoulder. "Nothin' t' say in yer defense, eh? Well, we'd best be off, t' be sure. Let's get on, then. Where to?" He turned toward the gate, deliberately putting his back to Inlé. Arrats, who could still see the old wanderer's face, saw him grinning in self-satisfaction. He noticed her look and winked like a boy with a secret.

Description
"You are coming with us?" Arrats asked incredulously. "Princess, how can you do so at such a time."

"It is not so impossible," Selice sniffed. "I have no duties to attend until I am wed. And I am not allowed to marry until the period of mourning is ended in three weeks."

"You haven't three weeks, insolent girl, you've eighteen days!" Arrats cried. For all her power as Archcardinal and Archmage, she was not used to dealing with a child. Though Selice was not her own, she might as well have been. Such was her love for Arryn, not to mention Dusan.

"And I can do naught in the position of ruler until that time. But I must be wed before I can make any decisions anyway. Let the house rule without me, there will be no difference."

Arrats turned to Inlé. "You can't be serious in allowing her to accompany us!"

He returned her look with his cold gaze. "Would you prefer we take her father?"

"He's dead!"

"Which is exactly why he asked that I take the princess in his stead."

Arrats was about to say something, then paused. "You can speak with the dead now. Typical you should only reveal that after it was useful."

"You would have me tell you every thing I do beforehand, Archcardinal? Remember first that I am not under your leadership and second that I am as displeased if not more so. I do not enjoy traveling in company. It is a hindrance; I would sooner abstain from than entertain such frivolities.

"I have been here for more than a week, and, were I not contracted to this task, would be returned to my own troubles instead of running errands in some pantheon's idle game."

Arrats eyes flared, but again Fernweh beat her to the task she desired. A quick knock to the side of Inlé's head with the bindle-stick, not hard enough to hurt--and Inlé did not so much a flinch at the blow--but hard enough to get the message across.

In a soft voice, the old sage said, "Ye'd best not be mockin' th' gods, Inlé. Ye above all know them f'r what they are, and ye understand th' power that includes. True, ye once were a sight, an' I may have placed bets on yer victory in some cases. That said, as ye told me, respect is given where deserved, an' they do. Ye're not th' one what I remember, but let them all curse me if I'm t' play them wrong in this. Ye need not love them, but ye will show them respect."

"And I do and will, sir," Inlé acceded. "But I hold neither love nor respect for their games. If they wish to make their own rules, well and good. But when I am brought into their game, I will not follow their rules without reason. Whether this helps or hinders me, I care little."

Fernweh laughed. "Fair enough, boy. Ye've stood beside these gods in th' past, so I'll guess ye brook little hatred f'r most o' them. Yer indifference is good enough f'r me."

Arrats was not so satisfied with such open heresy, but she decided to address it another time. Other matters needed attendance. "Still, the princess should not come with us."

"This scroll says otherwise," Selice said with resolve. She held the scroll sent to her father up and showed the triskelion seal to Arrats. "You may have no respect for the princess or Ashkern, but you serve the gods from whom this came. It was directed to the king, and His Majesty saw fit to request I fulfill the command of the goddesses in his stead."

"I still don't like it," Arrats said.

"Nor do I," Inlé agreed. "But no one asked you if you did. It does not matter if you like the task or not. You were not told to 'like' it, you were told to do it. Do not confuse the two, they are further than the breadth of your years."

He gestured to each of the three. "You have each sworn to serve for one reason or another, correct?" They all agreed. "Then what matters is only that you carry out the task given when it comes time to do so, whatever your reasons for doing so."

"I serve for love," Arrats said, "and Fernweh for respect, it seems. The princess likely serves for love or respect, but mostly for her people. You may not care, but we care who we serve and why. For what reason, then, do you serve? I cannot follow you further without knowing."

"Then follow me no further, Archcardinal. My reason is my own."

"I agree with the Archcardinal in this," Selice said. "How can we trust you if we do not know your motives? Why are you here?"

"I am here because I am here, princess. Whether you trust me is your own choice. Know I trust none of you, but I also do not betray those around me. What I say, you may consider true, whether you wish to trust it or not."

"Let th' boy be," Fernweh said. "He serves f'r fear, nothin' more. His distrust's proof enough, t' be sure. 'Those what fear betrayal trust none but death, an' from he they flee at every turn'. He's trustworthy enough until it gets dangerous."

Inlé's eyes flared almost imperceptibly. It was only for an instant, but Arrats saw the glimmer, and she would bet that not only had the old fox also seen it, but had deliberately goaded it out. What a dangerous game he's playing, Arrats thought. He must have good reason to feel safe in saying something like that to Inlé.

Fernweh laughed and patted Inlé's shoulder. "Nothin' t' say in yer defense, eh? Well, we'd best be off, t' be sure. Let's get on, then. Where to?" He turned toward the gate, deliberately putting his back to Inlé. Arrats, who could still see the old wanderer's face, saw him grinning in self-satisfaction. He noticed her look and winked like a boy with a secret.