"Anthony, Piers - Xanth 04 - Centaur Aisle" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

Was the King teasing him? No, that was not Trent's way. "Yes, sir,"
Dor said uncomfortably.

"I have serious news for you."

Dor fidgeted. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry."

Trent smiled. "Oh, it has nothing to do with that essay. The truth is,
I was none too apt in spelling in my own youth. That sort of thing is
mastered in time." His face turned grave, and Dor quailed, know ing it
had to be the other thing that perturbed the I<-ing.

Dor considered offering an explanation, but realized it would sound too
much like an excuse. Kings and potential lungs, he understood, did not
excuse themselves; it was bad for the image. So he waited in dreading
silence.

"Please, Dor, be at ease," the King said. "This is important."

"It was an accident!" Dor blurted, his guilt overriding his resolve.

It was so difficult to be Kingly!

"Are you by chance referring to that fall into the moat?"

Confirmation was as bad as suspicion! "Yes, sir." Dor realized that
anything more he said could only put the blame on Irene, and that
wouldn't be wise.

"Funniest splash I've seen in years!" King Trent said, smiling gravely.
"I saw it all from the embrasure. She pulled you in, of

course, and then tore into your clothes. This is ever the way of the
distaff."

"You're not angry?"

"Dor, I trust you. You tend to come to grief in minor particulars, but
you are generally sound in the major ones. And I have to admit my
daughter is a provocative brat at times. But mainly, it is good to get
into mischief while you're still young enough to profit from the
experience. Once you are King, you are unlikely to have that luxury."

"ilen that's not why you summoned me?" Dor asked, relieved.

"If I had the time and privacy, I would be splashing in that moat, too."
Then the King's smile faded as he turned to business. "Dor, the Queen
and I are making an official trip to Mundania. The excursion is
scheduled to last one week. We have to go through a black body of
water, up a great river, up to a beleaguered Kingdom in the mountains