[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.There was no sign of lastnight's storm; even most of the debris had been washed downstream.And as if in apology,the day had turned bright and sunny around noon.Rune had caught a fish, using some oftheir soggy bread for bait; he'd managed to get a fire going, so they could cook it.The restof the day they'd spent in laying out everything that had gotten wet to dry, and figuring out justhow badly Rune had gotten hurt.She'd gotten off fairly easily, as it turned out.She had gotten a bad knock on the head, butnothing a lot of valerian couldn't help.They were now a day behind, of course, but that wasbetter than being lightning victims, or confined in the elven-king's hall.Rune looked over at Talaysen's anxious face, and grinned wickedly, despite the black eyeand bruises the tree limb had gifted her with."Isn't it supposed to be me that's asking that?"she mocked."You sound like one of the deflowered village maidens in a really awful BardicGuild ballad."He flushed."I'm serious.I-you-we- We can't just go on like this.You're going to get harassedenough if we're legally wed! If we aren't-"She looked at him with an expression of exasperation, and carefully folded one of her shirtsbefore answering."Is that the only reason? To make an 'honest woman' out of me? Toprotect me from disgrace?""No!" he blurted, and flushed again."I mean-I-""Ah." She put the shirt back into her pack."That's just as well, since protecting a namelessbastard from disgrace is pretty much like protecting a thief from temptation.Why don't youjust tell me why you're so set on this, and let me think about your reasons."For a moment, he sat back on his heels and stared at her helplessly.For all that he was aBard, and supposed to be able to work magic with words, he felt suddenly bereft of anytalent with his tongue whatsoever.How could he tell her-She waited patiently, favoring her left side a little.He marshaled his thoughts.Tried toremember what he always told others when they were tongue-tied, when the gift seemed todesert them.Begin at the beginning.So he did.She listened.Once or twice, she nodded.It got easier as he went along; easier to find thewords, though they didn't come out of his mouth with any less effort.He'd lived for so longwithout telling people how he felt-how he really felt, the deep feelings that it was generallybetter not to reveal-that each confession felt as if he was trying to lift another one of thosetrees.Only this time, the back he was lifting it from was his own.The logical reasons: why itwas better not to give the Guild another target; how being legally married would actually cutdown on petty jealousy within the Bards; how it might keep petty officials of the Church notonly from harassing them, but from harassing other Free Bard couples who chose toperform as a pair.The reasons with no logic at all, and these were harder to get out: that he not only loved her,he needed her presence, that she made him feel more alive; his secret daydreams ofspending the rest of his days with her; how she brought out the best in everything for him.The reasons that hurt to confess: how he was afraid that without some form of formal tiebinding them, one day she'd tire of him and leave him without warning; how he felt as if herrefusal to formally wed him was a kind of rejection of him, as if she were saying she didn'tfeel he was worth the apparent sacrifice of her independence.Finally he came to the end; he had long since finished his packing, and he sat with idlehands clenched on stones to either side of him.She let out her breath in a sigh."Have you thought about this?" she asked."I mean, haveyou really thought it through? Things like-how are the other Free Bards going to react to awife? You think that it will cut down on petty jealousy-why? I think it might just make thingsworse.A lover-that would be no problem, but a wife? Wouldn't they see me as some kind ofinterloper? I'm the newest Free Bard; how did I get you to wed me? Wouldn't they think I'mlikely to try interfering with you and the rest of them?""I can't read minds," he said, slowly."But I truly don't think there'd be any problem.I knowevery one of the Free Bards personally, and I just don't think the kinds of problems you'reworried about would even occur [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]