Emperor and Clown (62 page)

Kadolan
almost spilled her wine. “Wolf?”

“You
remember Fleabag!” Rap said, beaming happily. “He introduced you to Darad,
remember?”

“And
to Sultan Azak!”

“Well,
then! I thought I’d lost him in the forest, but he came trotting across the
causeway this morning, wagging his tail.” Rap hesitated and added vaguely, “Lucky
I happened to be down at the docks.”

Kadolan
wondered why anyone would be down at the docks in Krasnegar now that they were
all snowed in. Still, Master Rap was the king now, so she wouldn’t ask.
Obviously Hononin was wondering the same thing, for he was scowling. As a boy,
Honi had been fearfully shy, but he’d concluded that people didn’t notice that
if he scowled. He’d been scowling ever since.

There
was an awkward pause.

“Talking
of Master Darad,” she said brightly, “I must remember to show you the letter I
received last week from Doctor Sagorn and his friends.”

“Yes?”
Rap said politely, sipping wine. “I didn’t know Darad could write.”

“I’m
sure he can’t. Doctor Sagorn passed on his regards, and he made his mark.
Doctor Sagorn’s own part was rather dry, I admit, but Sir Andor added some very
witty comments, and Jalon sent a beautiful sonnet.”

“And
Thinal?”

“He
made his mark, also. He is thinking of going into business, apparently. He
feels he is getting too old for climbing walls, the doctor says.” For a moment
Kadolan reflected on all the curious friends she had made on her
adventures-Sultan Azak, Mage Elkarath, little Prince Shandie, the lionslayers
and their wives, and the wardens, although of course they were never friends
...

“What
sort of business?” Rap asked. “Jewelry, of course.”

He
chuckled. “Of course. May the Gods defend his customers!”

Again
an awkward pause_ . Rap caught Kadolan studying his face, and he colored again.

“It
was Krath, you see,” he muttered. “Krath?”

“Inos
did mention him, I think ... When. she was telling you how I, er ... rescued
her? I struck a jotunn. I know that’s a stupid thing to do, but I didn’t have
any choice.”

“Oh!
Of course! She did tell me.” Kadolan felt a little better-not a vulgar brawl,
but a royal rescue. “No ordinary jotunn, either. A blacksmith! Yes, that was
very brave of you.”

“It
was very dumb of me! Of course he’s been hunting me ever since. And yesterday
he brought some friends to help, and then I couldn’t avoid him, even with
farsight.”

Kadolan
sighed and finished her wine. “Well, I see that under the circumstances you had
no choice. And I thank the Gods that you’re well enough to come to the wedding
at all.”

Rap
stiffened, and Hononin uttered one of his raucous chuckles.

“You
don’t know the half of it!” he said. “It was a fabulous match! If Krath had
laid a fist on him, he’d have been a human pancake, but Rap used some sorcery
or other-”

“That
was not sorcery!” Rap said crossly. “Little Chicken taught me some throws.” He
pouted lopsidedly around his swollen lip. “I was doing all right, too, but
then-”

“You
were wrecking the castle!” Hononin said. “Slam a jotunn into a stone wall often
enough and the wall must break eventually. Krath wasn’t ever going to give up!
But then the queen arrived.” He chortled. “With the guard! Furious! Royal
tantrum! She ordered Sergeant Oopari to arrest the smith for treason!”

“It
took all six of them to do it,” Rap said, with obvious satisfaction.

“Well,
he’d lost his temper by then,” Hononin observed solemnly.

“You
see, ma’am . . .” Rap hesitated, and then drained his glass. “As soon as she
left this afternoon, to come here, I went down to the cells and issued a royal
pardon. Ma’am, I had to! I mean, I can’t hide behind Inos’s skirts all the
time! Not if she really wants me to be . . .” he scowled, and said, “king! “ as
if it were an obscenity.

“So
where did your, er, injuries come from?”

Rap
shrugged. “Krath and I went off to the Beached Whale to celebrate, of course.”

Hononin
cackled. “They’re renaming it the Sunken Whale. Some sailor made a joke about
fauns, so Krath put his head through a plank table. His shipmates didn’t
approve, but Krath’s three uncles were there. Soon everyone joined in, and
things began to get violent ... Haven’t seen such a free-for-all in years!”
Surreptitiously he winked at Kadolan.

For
a moment she was startled, then she understood and carefully suppressed a
smile. This was Krasnegar they were discussing, not Hub. If Master Rap was ever
to be more than the queen’s husband, he would have to establish his
credentials, and the hostler was implying that he had made a good start.

“Then
I am sure that Inos will understand,” she said. “But don’t expect instant
forgiveness! Perhaps we should go now . . .”

Rap
fidgeted and stared down at his hands. “She’s going to be upset?”

“I’m
afraid so.”

“Very
upset?”

“Extremely
upset.”

He
looked up with dismay. “I don’t want to upset her.” She felt puzzled. “Then you
should have waited until after the wedding.”

He
nodded miserably. “Then ... Will you promise not to tell her ... both of you?”

Quite
perplexed now, Kadolan said, “She can see for herself.”

Rap
groaned. “I mean this.”

Black
eyes and split lip disappeared. Kadolan jumped. “Oh !”

Hononin
uttered a low growl. “You told me you weren’t a sorcerer anymore!”

Rap
nodded, looking completely dejected. “That was true when I said it. Ma’am ...
can you remember your word of power?”

“No
... no, I can’t!” Kadolan had sensed something inexplicable when Inos was
destroying the words. She’d attributed the feeling to mild dyspepsia until Rap
and Inos had come bursting through the magic portal that evening to tell her
that the magic was destroyed and they wanted a quick wedding and everything was
wonderful. And now she could not even remember what her word had been.

Rap
glanced at the hostler. “They’re great long, gibberish things, you see. The
only reason people can remember them at all, when they’ve only heard them once,
is that they’re magic in themselves. They’re magically memorable.”

Now
Kadolan began to understand and was hard put to hide a sudden excitement. “So
when Inos destroyed them . . .”

“She
just stunned them!” Rap said crossly. “Or some of them. All those hundreds of
people who heard them three days ago ... now they’re starting to forget what
they heard.”

“The
words are coming back, you mean?”

He
nodded glumly. “Seems so. Some. And because I have this natural talent for
sorcery . . . I think that’i what it is. I seem to be the one they’re coming
back to.”

“Well,
I don’t see why you’re so miserable! I still don’t understand why Inos tried to
destroy them in the first place.”

“Because
the G-G-Gods . . .” He stuttered, -and gave up. “It’s hard to explain. But it
doesn’t matter now. I asked Inos if she could remember what the words were, and
she said no. So; as long as she doesn’t remember, we’re all right. I don’t
think I’m going to get all my power back, anyway.” He waved a hand to indicate
his eyes. “This . . . it’s just an illusion. I’ll need to show my face
tomorrow, back in Krasnegar ... You won’t tell Irros, though?”

Nor
had Kadolan ever understood why he didn’t like being a sorcerer, but that was
not her business. A little magic had always come in handy for ruling Krasnegar.
She rose, and Rap sprang up also.

“I
shan’t tell her-if you do something about the lint on your collar!”

This
obvious blackmail made him scowl as ferociously as Hononin ever had. Then the
lint vanished, as did the wrinkles in his coat. The lace of his cravat
stiffened and began to shine like fresh snow. The buckle of his belt sparkled
and his hair settled into shiny waves.

“Much
better!” she said. “Oh, much!” Suddenly he was an astonishingly handsome royal
bridegroom. How romantic! “Inos will be delighted!” Impulsively she kissed him.
He looked startled, and then grinned bashfully. She was astonished to discover
that he was shaking. Rap, nervous? Rap who had faced down pirates and sultans
...

“Thank
you,” she said. “And you do promise to behave yourself this time, don’t you?”

“Behave
myself?”

Rap,
who had overcome goblins and dragons ... “Not disrupt the ceremony by
brandishing swords?”

“Of
course not!”

Rap,
who had challenged warlocks and-she suspected-even the Gods Themselves ...

“Or
coming in on a horse ... backward?”

“Certainly
not backward.”

“Or
running away?”

“Ah!”
Rap said darkly. “Now that is beginning to seem like a good idea.”

“Don’t
worry, Kade,” Hononin said cheefully. “I’ll keep him there if I have to run him
through with my sword.”

Rap,
who would be a faithful, loving husband and a solid, honorable king ...

Suddenly
Kadolan’s eyes started to do what they always did at weddings. She turned away
quickly and headed for the door. Rap strode by her and threw it open. She
curtsyed. “After you, your Majesty!”

“No!
Please, ma’am! I don’t want to be called that!”

“Surely
that is for the queen to decide? Or do you intend to overrule her all the time?”

Rap
turned scarlet. “Overrule her? Of course not! Never! Inos is the queen! I’m
just ... just ... Oh, God of Fools! . . .” With a muffled noise that sounded
vaguely nautical, he strode out into the corridor, where he continued to mutter
angrily.

Hononin
leered like a gargoyle and offered Kadolan his arm.

“Sorcerer
or not,” he whispered, “any man who falls in love that deep hasn’t got much
hope, has he?”

“None
whatsoever!” she agreed quietly.

They
chuckled in unison and followed Rap out. And the door closed behind them.

Irksome
words:

The
play is done; the curtain drops,

Slow
falling to the prompter’s bell:

A
moment yet the actor stops,

And
looks around, to say farewell.

It
is an irksome word and task ...

Thackeray,
The End of the Play