The Spirit Stone - Katharine Kerr [227]
‘Oh hush!’ Branna said, smiling. ‘Look! Here he comes!’
Gerran strode over to them. He’d made a heroic effort to look presentable, Branna decided, considering he’d been riding a long campaign. He was reasonably clean, freshly shaved, his hair trimmed up, and his shirt looked as if it had been dipped in a stream somewhere along the way home to get the worst of the dirt off. Tied around his left arm he wore Solla’s blue scarf. Branna stepped back out of the way and stood watching.
‘It gladdens my heart to see you, Lord Gerran.’ Solla dropped him a curtsey.
‘It gladdens mine to see you, Lady Solla.’ Gerran bowed to her in turn. ‘I have some interesting news. The Falcon clan’s going to have a new dun, down in the Melyn River valley. I’d be honoured thrice beyond my worth if you’d be its lady.’
‘My lord Gerran.’ Her voice softened to a whisper. ‘I’m a warrior’s daughter, and the sister of a gwerbret, but I’ll be the one honoured to be your wife.’
Gerran caught her hands in his. ‘Done, then,’ he said. ‘My lady.’
For a moment their rigid courtesy held; then all of a sudden she laughed, a joyous ring of laughter, and threw her arms around his neck. He caught her by the waist, kissed her, then kissed her again, while all around them the ward rang out with cheers. Branna wiped a few sentimental tears away on her sleeve, then went into the great hall.
At the table of honour Cadryc and Galla had taken their places, and Mirryn, still sulky, sat with them. Branna glanced around for Neb and saw him standing at the honour hearth, talking with Salamander. She hurried over, paused to greet her uncle with a kiss on his bald spot, and joined them.
‘I’ve received a very flattering offer,’ Neb said with a wink in her direction. ‘Prince Daralanteriel wants me to come be his scribe.’
‘We’d live among the Westfolk?’ Branna said. ‘That sounds most interesting.’
Galla caught her breath with a gasp and turned in her chair to glare at Neb and Salamander impartially.
‘Now, my love,’ Cadryc said. ‘I’ve already agreed that if Neb wants to take the offer, he can go. I’ll be the prince’s vassal in a few short months, you know, and so we’ve got to weigh his wishes carefully.’
‘I suppose we must,’ Galla said, ‘but Branni, I’ll worry about you, out there so far from home.’
‘It’s not like I’ll be lonely, Aunt Galla. The prince travels with a huge retinue,’ Branna said. ‘I shall miss you, though.’
‘And I shall miss you, dear. I do hope that you’ll be leaving us that lovely wool-spinner of yours.’ She glanced at Salamander. ‘You must get her to show it to you. The Westfolk women will probably want one, too.’
Salamander smiled and bowed. Doubtless he had no idea of what she meant.
‘Of course I will,’ Branna went on. ‘And you’ve got Adranna and the children here now, and Solla will be staying till Gerran gets his new dun. So you won’t be alone any more.’
‘Well, true spoken.’ Galla sighed heavily. ‘And no doubt the prince will visit us from time to time, and you with him. Neb, have you decided?’
‘I have, my lady. I’m so truly grateful to you for everything you’ve done for me, taking me and Clae in, letting me marry Branna, but to take a prince’s service—what an honour to come my way! Didn’t you tell Branna that one day I might be attached to a great man’s court?’
‘Oh!’ Galla made a sour face at him. ‘Snared with my own wire!’ She paused, thinking. ‘You know, though, I must admit that it’ll be a useful thing, having kinsfolk in our new overlord’s court.’
‘Scheming already, eh?’ Cadryc grinned at her. ‘Now, what am I going to do for a scribe? Curse it all, I just got used to having one.’
‘Solla can read and write,’ Branna put in. ‘It’s going to be a while before the Falcon clan gets its new dun, isn’t it?’
‘A woman for a scribe?’ Cadryc stared at her for a moment, then shrugged. ‘Well, why not, eh? A pen doesn’t weigh all that much. There’s no reason a woman can’t lift one.’
By the time the Westfolk army returned to the pastures around Mandra, the night