A Dragon's Ascension - Ed Greenwood [137]
He gestured to the windows as gracefully as any dancer, and said, "As a bard, I came here to Aglirta because I wanted to see and hear the greatest bard of all, Stormharp-who turned out to be one of the men you'll serve this night: Baron Ezendor Blackgult, the Golden Griffon. I stayed because I heard such grand tales, and saw folk fighting so valiantly, the Band of Four-one of whom was just buried, yonder-in particular. But we do them reverence now-all Darsar should bow before them now-because they have saved all our lives. The Serpent is dead, who would have conquered us all-yes, even in far Varandaur-and that fell beast was slain by their hands and valor. We should praise them forever, though I know that even with grand ballads folk all too soon forget.
"It was my honor to fight by their sides, and do what I could-in a small and fumbling way-and I would gladly be a slave to any one of them, for the rest of my life."
It was not just Faerla who stared back at him with wide, awed eyes as he bowed to them, smiled, and took his modest leave. Orele's gaze was as shocked as that of her youngest and least-well-behaved maid.
It was Lameira who grew indignant. "A-a Delcamper bowing to an Aglirtan? To be as a slave? To think that I should hear that!"
Lady Orele gave her a stern look. "Mind your tongue, girl. If a Lord Delcamper chooses to kneel before anyone, you can be sure that they are worth kneeling before! I shall expect to see you doing so this night, when they come up to chambers!"
Lameira looked at her. "Will you kneel?"
"Of course-and be happy to do anything else they ask of me right smartly, Lameira-anything, mind."
Lameira looked scandalized. "If I ever thought that a…"
Orele was staring serenely at her, and under that calm gaze she ran out of fire and things to say all at once.
"That's better, girl," the senior Lady of Chambers said quietly. "You'll be surprised, in life, at what befalls that you've never thought of. And your memories will be the richer for it, too, perhaps enough to keep you warm on lonely nights."
She turned away, took a step that told the watching maids just how much her reverence to Flaeros had cost her old bones, and then turned around again, leaning on her cane, and added, "If it comforts you, Lameira, I've heard from no less than three folk-one of them this new king of theirs, and the other two palace servants like us, and so to be trusted-that our Lord Flaeros tongue-lashed every last baron and tersept in this kingdom not long ago! The whole glaring line of them, threatening them with his displeasure if they misbehaved, when they stood battle-angry and over thirty to his one! Told them off like children, laid down their duty and their morals for them like old Galuster does to us, when he shows how to lay a place at table-and they took it, too! And these folk we're serving tonight stood with him, and did not think it so strange that a Delcamper should tell nobles of Aglirta their business!"
The awed look was back in their eyes again, and she turned away in slow satisfaction and took another three steps before turning again, and adding sharply, "Mind: this does not give any of us license to hold ourselves above these poor folk of Aglirta, and look down prideful noses or speak slightingly. I've met courtiers here who do all those things-just as I've met ill-taught servants in Ragalar who do the same… and it looks no more pretty from them as it would from you! Hold your certainty of your own peerless worth to yourself, as I do, and smile at all the world as you do it service!"
Her departure was real this time, and when Lameira made a face at where her back had been and muttered, " As I do,' " with incredulity, Faerla struck her sharply with a duster, and snapped, "That's enough, Lameira! I won't have that woman mocked! Where would we be-Three heed me, where would the Delcampers be-without her?"
Lameira shot her a burning look, but then her gaze fell, and she said, "That's so. Flaeros-the Lord Flaeros-did say he was taking