"Robin McKinley - Damar 2 - The Hero and the Crown" - читать интересную книгу автора (McKinley Robin)

had simply seemed like a wonderful idea to secede from Damar and the rule of DamarтАЩs King Arlbeth
and Tor-sola, and set himself up as King Nyrlol; and to slap a new tax on his farmers to support the
raising of an army, eventually to take the rest of Damar away from Arlbeth and Tor, who didnтАЩt run it as
well as he could. He managed to convince several of his fellow barons (demon-mischief, once it has
infected one human being, will usually then spread like a plague) of the brilliance of his plan, while the
mischief muddled their wits. There had been a further rumor, much fainter, that Nyrlol had, with his
wonderful idea, suddenly developed a mesmerizing ability to sway those who heard him speak; and this
rumor was a much more worrying one, for, if true, the demon-mischief was very strong indeed.
Arlbeth had chosen to pay no attention to the second rumor; or rather to pay only enough attention to
it to discount it, that none of his folk might think he shunned it from fear. But he did declare that the
trouble was enough that he must attend to it personally; and with him would go Tor, and a substantial
portion of the army, and almost as substantial a portion of the court, with all its velvets and jewels
brought along for a fine grand show of courtesy, to pretend to disguise the army at its back. But both
sides would know that the army was an army, and the show only a show. What Arlbeth planned to do
was both difficult and dangerous, for he wished to prevent a civil war, not provoke one. He would
choose those to go with him with the greatest care and caution.
тАЬBut youтАЩre taking Perlith?тАЭ sheтАЩd asked Tor disbelievingly, when she met him by chance one day,
out behind the barns, where she could let her disbelief show.
Tor grimaced. тАЬI know Perlith isnтАЩt a very worthwhile human being, but heтАЩs actually pretty effective
at this sort of thingтАФbecause heтАЩs such a good liar, you know, and because he can say the most
appalling things in the most gracious manner.тАЭ
No women rode in ArlbethтАЩs army. A few of the bolder wives might be permitted to go with their
husbands, those who could ride and had been trained in cavalry drill; and those who could be trusted to
smile even at Nyrlol (depending on how the negotiations went), and curtsy to him as befitted his rank as
fourth sola, and even dance with him if he should ask. But it was expected that no wife would go unless
her husband asked her, and no husband would ask unless he had asked the king first.
Galanna would certainly not go, even if Perlith had been willing to go to the trouble of obtaining leave
from Arlbeth (which would probably not have been granted). Fortunately for the peace of all concerned,
Galanna had no interest in going; anything resembling hardship did not appeal to her in the least, and she
was sure that nothing in the barbaric west could possibly be worth her time and beauty.
A kingтАЩs daughter might go too; a kingтАЩs daughter who had, perhaps, proved herself in some small
ways; who had learned to keep her mouth shut, and to smile on cue; a kingтАЩs daughter who happened to
be the kingтАЩs only child. She had known they would not let her; she had known that Arlbeth would not
dare give his permission even had he wanted to, and she did not know if he had wanted to. But he could
not dare take the witch womanтАЩs daughter to confront the workings of demon-mischief; his people would
never let him, and he too sorely needed his peopleтАЩs good will.
But she could not help askingтАФany more, she supposed, than poor stupid Nyrlol could help going
mad when the demon-mischief bit him. She had tried to choose her time, but her father and Tor had been
so busy lately that she had had to watt, and wait again, till her time was almost gone. After dinner last
night she had finally asked; and she had come up here to her rooms afterward and had not come out
again.
тАЬFather.тАЭ Her voice had gone high on her, as it would do when she was afraid. The other women,
and the lesser court members, had already left the long hall; Arlbeth and Tor and a few of the cousins,
Perlith among them, were preparing for another weary evening of discussion on NyrlolтАЩs folly. They
paused and all of them turned and looked at her, and she wished there were not so many of them. She
swallowed. She had decided against asking her father late, in his own rooms, where she could be sure to
find him alone, because she was afraid he would only be kind to her and not take her seriously. If she
was to be shamedтАФand she knew, or she told herself she knew, that she would be refusedтАФat least let
him see how much it meant to her, that she should ask and be refused with others looking on.
Arlbeth turned to her with his slow smile, but it was slower and less of it reached his eyes than usual.