The Black Raven - Katharine Kerr [108]
“Maddo, it’s not worth fighting about,” Branoic said. “It’ll be a pleasant thing, seeing Cerrmor again.”
“If you’re sure?” Maddyn said.
“I am. Come with me, why not?”
“I’ll do that.” Maddyn turned to Owaen. “One of us should go anyway, out of deference to the prince’s lady.”
“You’re right. If you want the duty, take it.”
“I will, then. I take it you’ll have no objection if I choose the men to go with us?”
“None.” Owaen kept his voice flat. “The prince wants you on your way on the morrow.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Branoic said. “It’ll be an honor to bring his lady to her new home.”
Without another word Owaen stomped away. Maddyn set his hands on his hips and glowered until his co-captain was well out of earshot.
“One of these days,” Maddyn said quietly, “I’m going to make such a flyting song about Owaen that he’ll never hold his ugly head up again. I’m beginning to understand why you want out of the troop.”
“I never would have left it before the prince came into his own,” Branoic said. “You do know that, don’t you?”
“I do.” Maddyn hesitated on the verge of speaking, then shrugged. “Ah well. Let’s think about the matter at hand. I say we take Red-haired Trevyr with us, for starters. It’ll do him good.”
“By all means. Let’s take all the men who—” Much to his surprise, Branoic heard his voice catch. “Who rode under Caradoc.”
“Good idea. You tell them. I’ll hunt up Slimy Oggo and get some supplies out of him.”
Getting the honor guard ready for the journey kept Branoic so busy that he had no time to speak to Lilli that day. In the morning, though, when the silver daggers were assembling in the main ward, she came down to say farewell. She was wearing a pair of green dresses, and her hair, once so short, was long enough to frame her face and lift in the early-morning breeze. When she laid a soft hand on his arm he felt like the luckiest man in the world.
“Take good care of our princess for me,” Lilli said.
“I will. And you take good care of yourself. You’re my princess.”
She smiled with such pleasure that he leaned down and kissed her, just a chaste brush of his mouth on hers, there in front of the troop. All at once he saw the Wildfolk, popping into manifestation, flapping their skinny little hands at him as if to warn him of some danger. Startled he looked up to see Prince Maryn striding over, accompanied by pages and his two councillors. Lilli went decidedly white about the mouth. With a murmured farewell she walked off fast, heading for nowhere, it seemed, disappearing among the confusion of walls and towers.
“Branno, ‘ware,” Maddyn whispered. “I think me the prince has some interest in your lady himself.”
Branoic felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach, but he managed a decent bow. When he started to kneel, Maryn stopped him, smiling a little, but his eyes had gone as hard as steel.
“My thanks, silver daggers,” Maryn said. “I’ll charge you to bring my lady and her women back with all possible speed.”
“Then so we shall, Your Highness,” Maddyn said. “Nevyn, do you have letters for the princess?”
“I do.” Nevyn handed the bard a pair of silver message tubes. “And may your journey be a pleasant one.”
With the usual shouting of orders and the confusion of horses, the troop mounted up and rode out. Behind them creaked a slab-sided cart, filled with supplies for the journey. As they filed out of the dun, Branoic rode up and down the line, chivvying everyone into a decent marching order. He said a few cheery words to the pair of men stuck behind the cart in the dusty rear guard, then trotted back to fall in beside Maddyn. The troop rode clear of the final wall around the fortress and headed through the ruined city for the south gates.
“What was that again, Maddo lad?” Branoic said. “About the prince?”
Maddyn glanced back, judging the distance between them and the first pair of riders.
“I can’t be sure,” Maddyn said. “But I’ll wager that the prince envies you your lady. I didn