"Esther M. Friesner - The Way To A Man's Heart" - читать интересную книгу автора (Friesner Esther M)

ladies scribbled their evaluations of the recent combat and Gethina helped herself to the
contents of the first aid kit, Amaryllis sat idly in her place until Talona noticed her lack of
industry.

"Why aren't you writing?"

"I can't. I didn't get to see the fight. I was still pretty groggy for most of it."

Talona snook her head. "Tsk-tsk. What did I say about whining?"

The veteran swordswoman's condescending tone was just too much for Amaryllis to bea
She leaped to her feet and shouted, "I quit too!"

"Fine." Talona was unperturbed. "No refunds on the remainder of this semester's tuition
good luck to you." Without further ado she turned her back on the simmering student
swordmaiden and told the rest of the class to hurry up and finish their reports.

"I'll show you!" The princess' cheeks were flushed with anger, her dainty hands were fis
"I'll find a prince and I'll convince him that I'm a real swordmaiden without any more of yo
stupid schooling and I'll marry him! So there! Nyah! What do you think of that?"

Talona's head slowly came around. "Fine," she said quietly. "You try that. May I suggest
kingdom of Egrel as the best place to start? Its most conveniently located Their prince Dest
is reputed to be handsome enough, and he's an only child, so you can be fairly well assured
becoming queen in time."

Amaryllis frowned. "Why are you telling me all this? Why do you want to help me?"

"Because no matter how much information I give you, you won't succeed. You'll be foun
out first, and the news will echo throughout every civilized land. In that way, you shall serv
an object lesson for the rest of your classmates and I shall never be troubled to maintain
discipline again. I ought to thank you for services rendered."

The princess' lily brow creased even more. "What if I'm not found out?"

"Not found out? You?" Talona's laugh was like the carking of a gore-crow. "Dear child,
even the most pudding-brained of princes can tell when a sword-maiden is faking it."

Amaryllis stalked out of Talona's School for Swords-women while her erstwhile teache
passed down the rows of benches and trestle tables, collecting papers. She was so furious t
she went about a mile past Rushy Glen before she realized that she now had all the time in t
world for shopping.

"Damn," she muttered. "Now what? I can't go back home. Daddy will be a bear when he
hears about the tuition, and my soppy half-sister Villanella will start yapping again about n
she should've been the one sent to school. As if she'd ever land a prince, sword-maiden or n
With the face that old camel's got, she'd better pray I do marry Prince Destino, because the
way she'll ever get a man is if I'm queen of somewhere-or-other and I can order some poor
soul to wed her on pain of death. And even then I'll have to persuade him!"