Assassin's Apprentice

She gave me a sideways glance, fighting the smile from her face as if what I told her were sweetest flattery such as a princess must not believe.

"He is taller than I am, but only by a bit. His hair is very dark, as is his beard, when he lets it grow. His eyes are blacker still, yet when he is enthused, they shine. It is true there is a scattering of gray in his hair now that you would not have found a year ago. True, also, that his work has kept him from the sun and the wind, so his shoulders no longer tear the seams of his shirts. But my uncle is still very much a man, and I believe that when the danger of the Red-Ships has been driven from our shores, he will ride and shout and hunt with his hound once more."

"You give me heart," she muttered, and then straightened herself as if she had admitted some weakness. Looking at me gravely, she asked, "Why does Regal not speak of his brother so? I thought I went to an old man, shaking of hand, too burdened by his duties to see a wife as anything other than another duty."

"Perhaps he ..." I began, and could think of no courtier's way to say that Regal was frequently deceptive if it gained him his goal. For the life of me, I had no idea what goal might be served by making Kettricken so dread Verity.

"Perhaps he has ... been ... unflattering about other things as well," Kettricken suddenly supposed aloud. Something seemed to alarm her. She took a breath and became suddenly franker. "There was an evening, in my chamber, when we had dined, and Regal had, perhaps, drunk a bit too well. He told tales of you then, saying you had once been a sullen, spoiled child, too ambitious for your birth, but that since the King had made you his poisoner, you seemed content with your lot. He said it seemed to suit you, for even as a boy, you had enjoyed eavesdropping and skulking about and other secretive pursuits. Now, I do not tell you this to make a mischief, but only to let you know what I first believed of you. The next day Regal begged me to believe it had been the fancies of the wine rather than the facts he had shared with me. But one thing he had said that night was too icy a fear for me to entirely lay aside. He said that if the King did send you or Lady Thyme, it would be to poison my brother so that I might be the sole heir to the Mountain Kingdom."

"You are speaking too quickly," I chided her gently, and hoped my smile did not look as dizzy and sickly as I suddenly felt. "I did not understand all you said." Desperately I strove to think of what to say. Even as accomplished a liar as I found such a direct confrontation uncomfortable.

"I am sorry. But you speak our language so well, almost like a native. Almost as if you were recalling it, rather than learning it new. I will go more slowly. Some weeks, no, it was over a month ago, Regal came to my chambers. He had asked if he might dine alone with me, that we might get to know one another better, and-"

"Kettricken!" It was Rurisk, calling down the path as he came seeking us. "Regal is asking that you would come and meet the lords and ladies who have come so far to see your marriage.

Jonqui was at his shoulder, hurrying after him, and as the second and unmistakable wave of dizziness hit me, I thought she looked too knowing. And, I asked myself, what step would Chade have taken if someone had sent a poisoner to Shrewd's court to eliminate Verity? All too obvious.

"Perhaps," Jonqui suddenly suggested, "FitzChivalry would like to be shown the Blue Fountains now. Litress has said she would gladly take him."

"Maybe later this afternoon," I managed to say. "I find myself suddenly wearied. I think I shall seek my chamber."

None of them looked surprised. "Shall I have some wine sent to you?" Jonqui asked graciously. "Or perhaps some soup? The others will be summoned to a meal soon. But, if you are tired, it is no trouble to bring food to you."

Years of training came to the fore. I kept my posture straight, despite the sudden fire in my belly. "That would be most kind of you," I managed to say. The brief bow I forced myself to make was sophisticated torture. "I am sure I will rejoin you soon."

And I excused myself, and I did not run, nor curl in a ball and whimper as I wished to. I walked, with obvious enjoyment of the plantings, back through the garden to the door of the Great Hall. And the three of them watched me go, and spoke softly together of what we all knew.