Alea looked into her eyes for a second, saw there was far more there than Cordelia put into words, and nodded. "There is sense in that—but what will I say?"

"Whatever comes to mind. You've dealt with the grieving before, or I mistake quite."

Alea remembered sitting by the bed of a dying matriarch and nodded. "Yes, I think I can. Thank you."

She threaded her way back to Magnus and found him talking to the man and the woman from the coach. They were dressed in black, but their coronets gleamed all the brighter for it. Prince Alain stood beside them and looked up as Alea came near. He smiled with the warmth that would make his people love him and took her hand. "It is well you could be here, damsel. Mother and Father," he said, turning to the man and woman, "I would have you meet Magnus's companion, Alea."

"Welcome, damsel." The elegant woman with gold and silver hair held out a regal hand.

Before Alea could touch it, Alain said, "Damsel Alea, my mother and father, Queen Catharine and King Tuan."

Alea froze, staring at them, then dropped a curtsy, very glad that she hadn't touched the queen's hand. She did now, long enough to kiss it, and said, "I am honored to meet Your Majesties." She hadn't realized Magnus was so well connected.

"We were childhood friends," Magnus explained to her. "In fact, Alain came once to rescue us when we siblings had wandered off and become lost."

Queen Catharine's eyes sparked. "There may be such a thing as taking a friendship too far."

"Never, Mother," Alain said instantly. "After all, they have saved my life as often as I theirs."

"Yes, I'm looking forward to hearing those stories," Magnus said. "Gregory always glossed over the interesting parts."

"Such as our peril at the whirlpool of the afanc?" Alain smiled. "But how could I have been in any real danger with two doughty warlocks beside me?'

"The danger of a monster with sharp teeth baring them at you," Queen Catharine said instantly.

"Better that he has learned to face danger before it has come to war." King Tuan placed a mollifying hand on her arm, then turned to Magnus. "Though, if rebellion raises its many heads again, I trust you will be by his side."

The question caught Magnus off guard "I… I will if I am on this planet, Majesty."

Queen Catharine frowned. "Surely you will not be off on your travels again!"

"I… I had assumed that… of course, I would be about my work ..."

"There is your labor." King Tuan nodded toward the fireplace.

Turning, Magnus saw his father standing alone by the hearth, an untouched wineglass in his hand, staring into the flames.

"I mistrust his composure," King Tuan said. "Be sure that I will do all I can for my old friend—but I must be far from here, in Runnymede. Surely the claims of blood are stronger than those of your mission."

"Especially since it is one you appointed for yourself," Alain added.

"Well… we haven't discovered the next planet that needs us …"

"Or have we?" Alea touched his arm, then stepped away and slipped between people to stand by Rod's side.

The room was full of bright chatter and muted laughter, people reassuring themselves that life could still be fulfilling without a friend they had always relied on. Rod was an island of silence there. Alea stepped up beside him and followed his gaze into the fire. "What pictures do you see in the flames?" she asked softly.

Seven

ROD LOOKED UP, SURPRISED BY COMPANY, THEN smiled. "Those I saw when I was a child, damsel—fairy castles and shining knights fighting dragons."

Alea smiled, too. "Do you still cheer for the knights?"

"It depends on the dragon," Rod said. "I suspect you've faced your share of them."

"Literally? Only on one planet, and they were scarcely a few feet long—wyverns, really, not true dragons."

"A local life-form?" Professional interest quickened Rod's tone, and Alea wondered how much he had given up to remain on Gramarye.

Far less than he had gained, no doubt—but enough for nostalgia. "They were, but the colonists had tamed them— not that their descendants remembered, of course. Only a few still had the skill of writing."

'Typical retrograde colony." Rod nodded. "But the oral tradition held?"

"Yes, but in its usual garbled form." Alea said. "Spaceships were incomprehensible, so their legends only told that their ancestors had come from the stars and didn't say whether or not they had brought the wyverns with them."

"Medieval?" Rod asked.

Alea nodded. "I'm beginning to realize why Magnus understood the people so well."

"Yes, he grew up with knights and wizards on every side," Rod said, "but with Newton and Einstein and Hawking in his books. I think he was twelve before he realized that not everyone was reared with that blend."

"He wasn't caught between the two cultures?"

Rod shook his head. "Never saw the slightest conflict— but then, he had a very good tutor."

"Really! I would like to meet her. Who is she?"

"A him—sort of," Rod said. "My horse, Fess."

Alea stared at him, suddenly wondering if grief had unhinged him.

"He's a robot," Rod explained, "with a very powerful computer for a brain. In fact, when I was between stars, he piloted my ship."

"Oh!" Alea laughed with relief—and saw Rod's smile widen. "But if it's a robot, why do you say it's masculine?"

"It's the tone Fess takes." Rod shrugged. "Probably because I'm male, and all but one of his previous owners have been, too. Besides, it'd be a little awkward if you fell in love with your robot—though there are stories about my grandfather."

"Such as?" Alea was beginning to feel that the old man was trying to impress her in some way and was surprised to realize she was enjoying it.

"He went a little dotty in his dotage," Rod explained, "and started seeing the world as a medieval romance. He must have thought the serving robots were wenches, because he started making passes at them."

"Not really!"

"I've always wondered about that," Rod said, "after I grew up, anyway. Was he really delusional or just putting us all on?"

"When you grew up? What did you think of him when you were little?"

"That he was an awful lot of fun." Rod's gaze strayed to Cordelia. "I hope my grandchildren think of me the same way." But he saddened.

Alea hurried to change the subject. "May I meet this cybernetic horse?"

"A.I., actually." Rod pulled his gaze back to her. "He's an artificial intelligence—though sometimes I wonder about the 'artificial' part. I'm sure he'd love to meet you. Maybe give you a ride, too."

"It wouldn't be the first time a male has taken me for a ride."

"Oh, really!" Rod frowned. "I think I'd better have a stern word with that son of mine."

"No, the problem with him is that he'd never even think of taking me for a ride."

"That's not entirely reassuring."

"Oh, you want him to think about it but not do it?" Alea rushed on so that she couldn't think about what she'd said. "You have every reason to be proud of him, especially in his conduct toward me."

"I suppose he does make you feel safe." Rod still seemed concerned.

"Dare I say he's a good boy?"

"Not if he's listening, you don't."

Alea laughed and spent the rest of the evening chatting with Magnus's father. When the guests had left and he bade her good night, then went to his room, Magnus took her aside and said, "Thank you for taking care of him."

"Taking care?" Alea asked in astonishment. "I thought he was keeping me company."

"Really!" Magnus seemed surprised.

"If he hadn't, I would have felt very awkward amidst all these strangers."

"Surely you didn't feel you were in the way!"

"Not with your father talking to me." Alea frowned. "It's surprising how comfortable I felt with him."