Kings of the North - Elizabeth Moon [99]
“I understand,” Kieri said. “But it’s a chance for them both.”
“I’ll tell the barracks mistress. When will you send them?”
“When I’ve contrived a way to convince their guardians to let them go. They’re princesses; it must be done legally and with the approval of their guardians.”
“I’m glad you understand that. I was half afraid you’d give them horses and let them gallop off on their own.”
Kieri snorted. “I’ve matured, Knight-Commander. No wild exploits: they will arrive with you and an escort of King’s Squires, and their guardians will have only good tales to tell of their treatment on return.”
“I’m glad you’re using King’s Squires. I wasn’t looking forward to having Countess Settik as my guest at the Hall. How long do you think all this will take? I do have duties back at the Hall, you know.”
“Very soon, I hope,” Kieri said.
A few days later, both princesses quarreled with Kieri in front of their guardians and then with their guardians: they were tired of the confinement—Kieri was too old—their guardians were cruel—it was too hot—the bathing facilities were barbaric—the food turned their stomachs. They yelled, they threw dishes at the Squires, they ripped their clothes. Their guardians yelled back; Elis’s slapped her face; Ganlin’s locked the door on her. Elis’s tantrum had been carefully timed to occur two glasses earlier than Ganlin’s, so that Kieri would not be interrupted as he talked to Elis’s guardians. He explained, coolly, that he did not think he and Elis were well-suited; although she was beautiful and accomplished, she did not like him.
“You could master her,” Lord Settik said. “You are a strong man; she is only a woman.”
“She is a child,” Kieri said. “Even if I turned her over my knee, she would still be a child. No.”
“You are saying you cannot master a child?” Lord Settik said with a sneer that made Kieri want to remove his head and kick it down the hall.
“Marriage is not only about mastery,” he said. “The girl does not want to marry—that is enough for me. But I have a solution that may work for all of us.”
“What is that?” Settik said, sticking out his jaw.
“You surely know her type,” Kieri said. “She loves the outdoors, riding, even swordplay.” Settik said nothing. “Such women,” Kieri said, “sometimes find later that they want to marry, and they make good wives. My first wife was such. Here in Lyonya we have the finest of all training schools for nobly born warriors, Falk’s Hall. You met the Knight-Commander.”
“He runs the School?”
“Yes,” Kieri said. “And he heads the order of Knights, as well. She would be among men and women of high rank—entry to Falk’s Hall is restricted. I will sponsor her there—pay for her training, even. She will learn superior skills and courtly manners—which you must admit she needs—and who knows what might come of it?”
Settik stroked his beard. “Well …”
“If I send her back, that could seem to be an insult, which I do not intend.”
“I do not think our king would approve,” Settik said.
“What if you presented it as something that happened before you knew about it?” Kieri asked. “She refused to return—I arranged this because I did not want to force her to return.”
“And is that not what you are doing?”
“In a way, but I am not doing it without getting your permission,” Kieri said. “From what she screamed at us all just now, she doesn’t want to go home, she doesn’t want to stay here, she wants to run free. We both know girls from palaces cannot run free, not really.”
“Mmmm …” Settik seemed to be thinking about it; he nodded slightly.
“But this is something that might satisfy her and yet do her no harm. Even help her.”
“It might work,” Settik said. He glanced at his wife. “It might indeed …”
“Suppose,” Kieri said, “you have a nice night’s sleep. Perhaps even oversleep in the morning.”
“You have good ale,” Settik said. He licked his lips. “It has been a hard day. Juncis?” His wife nodded. “We