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Tayer would have no coronation, no robes of gold, and no great feast where the six dukes of Ardhan would coo on no tour of the six provinces to acquaint herself with her really State Croas buried deep in the rubble that had been the palace

The dukes would give hoe when they met on the battlefield She would tour only the provinces the army must cross to meet Kraydak&039;s attack The queen rode at the head of her armies

"How can you be so sure, " Mikhail dee Plateau? What about the Northern Pass into Lorn? They&039;ve tried there before "

"And found it wanting, " Crystal replied, a breeze fanning her hair

"Kraydak&039;s are Plateau That far he has let me see his plans "

"Has let you see his plans? What in the nauess he&039;s anxious for the battle and doesn&039;t want me toht ti the breeze with her

Mikhail looked at Tayer as plotting the route froh Hale and up into the mountains The duke&039;s library had become war room, throne room, and petition room for the new queen

"How does she know?" Mikhail muttered

Tayer looked up at him and forced a smile "I doubt we&039;d like to know,a princess and the heir to the throne " The smile vanished and she shook her head "I can&039;t deny what she is, Mikhail I&039;ve tried never to do that, but she e noell as her father&039;s and I&039;m afraid the till not mix "

"Why not?"

"The rules are too different " She tried to re no resistance, but it had been toohis light beneath her breast were muted by distance and blocked by her responsibilities to her people She scrubbed a fine-boned hand over her eyes "Never ain "The War Horns go out today Aliston can meet us at Hale&039;s Seat, but I suppose Cei and Lorn had best round "

Mikhail stared down at his wife He knew she had a core of strength that seldom showed to those who knew her less well than he, but that strength had been sorely tested over the last few days and he wished he could do ner, " he said at last, because he had to say sohed "Although with two older brothers it didn&039;t see " Her eyes misted and her voice dropped to a whisper as she re not to have this chance "

Mikhail laid his hands on her slender shoulders and squeezed gently

"I&039;ht, " Tayer told hi her sorrow "But now Crystal must be trained as I was The succession must be secure, especially as we ride to war "

A vision of his beloved hacked to pieces by enemy swords caused Mikhail to close his eyes in pain But if Tayer could prepare for the possibility so calmly, could he do any less? He twisted the topic away from the battlefield

"She won&039;t like it She didn&039;t like the maid you insisted she have, said a wizard doesn&039;t need a maid "

"A wizard may not, but a princess does "

Mikhail s some of the outfits she&039;s expected to wear, I don&039;t see how she can do without one "

"There are a lot worse things than h she should&039;ve consulted with us first, I&039;lad she asked that Scholar to help her I veryover the last few years included economics, local histories, diplo of war and the sending out of War Horns "

They were back to the battlefield

"Is there no place for Riven in your plans?" Mikhail asked, suddenly recalling the distribution of War Horns she&039;d ht left Tayer&039;s voice

"Riven is set upon joining his wife and child He forgets he still has one child left living to grieve and goes running back to the arms of the Mother

He doesn&039;t hear the tears of his son or the pleading of his friends He just lies there, waiting for Lord Death to claim hiainst his side

His other hand caently stroked her hair "This should never have been set on you, " he said softly "Your life shouldn&039;t be death and destruction but sunshine and birdsong and the laughter of children "

"Do you regret not having children, Mikhail?" They had long ago given up hope

Mikhail reirl-child who had claht at the white pony on her fifth birthday; the day she and Bryon had locked theeon and the entire palace staff had searched for twelve hours before they were found

"I always felt I had one In fact, -the way Bryon was constantly underfoot I often thought I had two " And he remembered the silver tear that had fallen the day the centaur came and took her away She&039;d looked back only once and the tear had shone like a star on her cheek Now she had returned "I always felt I had one, " he repeated sadly

A knock on the door booh the silence that had fallen as they both considered their daughter and what she had become

Tayer released Mikhail&039;s hand and he ainst her back

"Enter "

The door swung open and the Captain of the Guard marched into the roo a man between them The man appeared to have been badly beaten, then kicked into a corner and forgotten for so, his eyes swollen shut, and his skin showed purple and black with bruises through his ripped and blood stained clothes

"Who is he?" asked Tayer as the soldiers dragged him forward

"This pitiful re himself up before the table, "is the only survivor of the palace "

"What!"

"That&039;s right, Majesty This scum, who beat his own brother to death and was sentenced to die by your father the king-may he rest in the arms of the Mother- survived when everyone else was crushed to a bloody pulp I&039;ve brought hiht, I&039;ll " The captain froze, in the act of turning away "What?"

"Release him "

"But, Majesty, he&039;s a convicted killer!"

"He is alive! Too many others are dead and too many others will die Take him out of here, " commanded the queen, "and release him!"

The Duke of Belkar&039;s late wife had loved flowers and to please her he had extensive gardens planted around all of their residences After her death, he&039;d found great coardens she still lived

The garden at the townhouse was not very large, but it was exceptionally beautiful Crystal-clad now in a style befitting a princess, a gown of palest green with a silver net loosely confining her hair-had found in it much the saotten and denored She let the healing bal trees wash over her

"May I join you?"